Sicilian Variation of Louis: Luiggi

➸ Glitch ★

I’ve never been much of a lone wolf. The club life works for me because I have people watching my back. Walking into City by Night—a classy seafood joint—I feel both underdressed and very fucking alone.

Joker already sits in a booth with the two enforcers from earlier. His focus is on the large, tatted man taking their order. Before deciding to let me go alone, Clove mentioned a Little Memphis guy named Bull owned this restaurant.

Joker spots me at the door where I wait to be seated. He waves me over, and by doing so, forces me to be the center of attention for the entire restaurant. I don’t know if he wants me to feel on the spot—and fucking vulnerable in his territory—but his maneuver makes me rethink my decision to come here alone.

“Where is Miss Manners?” Joker asks when I slide in next to the massive dark-haired enforcer. I take a minute to wish we were sitting at a table. The Heretics never sit in a booth. This shit makes me feel like I’m on a damn date. No doubt another Joker move to leave me uneasy.

“Clove wasn’t in the mood for so much male stink, so she ditched this meeting to hang out with her crew.”

“They working on anything interesting?” Joker asks in the best fake casual tone I’ve ever heard.

Studying the Little Memphis president, I suspect he cons a lot of people with his smiling, easygoing demeanor. He sports a normal-sized paunch for a middle-aged man. With his beard and warm blue eyes, he’s a rough-looking Santa.

Not buying his nice guy con, I seriously worry I’ll be dead by the end of the night. Remembering his question, I shrug. “Clove doesn’t tell me crew business.”

“Do you tell her club business?”

“We don’t do a lot of talking if you get me?” I say and then look at the big guy still standing at the table. “Can I get a drink?”

“Sure, man, sorry about that. I’m Bull,” he says and smiles friendly-like. I catch the guy at my side smile too. The blond enforcer next to Joker is also smiling. Shit, are they planning to kill me right fucking here?

“You seem nervous,” Joker asks after Bull goes to the bar to get me a beer.

“I don’t like fish,” I say, bullshitting easily. “Clove said that’s pretty much all they sell here, and I’m not looking to eat shit just to make nice.”

Joker stares at me with the warm eyes of a man I can trust, meaning I refuse to look away. Men like him are the ones I worry most about.

Suddenly smiling, he leans back and chuckles. “Glitch, you don’t have to eat anything. What do I care? I’m not your fucking dad.”

The blond guy laughs, but dark-haired asshole to my left doesn’t react.

“Are we having dinner or is this an interrogation? If it’s dinner, you might want to tell me who they are unless you want me referring to them as Tweedledee and his brother, Dum.”

Joker laughs harder. Based on the men’s expressions, they do not find my comment nearly as entertaining as their boss. I do notice Bull snicker nearby.

“This is Ford, and his brother, Pax. They helped me make president. I should add that neither of them is known for being dumb.”

This comment gets full-on laughter from Ford and Bull, but Pax only looks pissed. I assume he’s the dumb one.

“Our blond guy isn’t the smartest tool in the shed either,” I say and reach for the menu. “Do they have a burger here?”

“Fish burger,” Joker says, still chuckling. “They also serve steaks, so if beef is your thing, man, order up.”

I do order a steak, and then I sit very still as if I might disappear back to Rawlins where I belong. I only agreed to this trip so I could spend time with Clove. Now she’s parts unknown, and I’m stuck playing biker ambassador.

“How do you like having the crew in Rawlins?” Joker asks me after I’ve finished my beer and steak.

“They make the town a helluva lot sexier, that’s for sure.”

“Is Ginger minding her P's and Q’s?”

“She does what she wants.”

“Sounds about right.”

Though I sense the men want me to tell them something specific, I’m no snitch. Ford finally clears the air after I’ve finished my second beer and want nothing more than to get back to the hotel.

“If another club or a gang pushed into Rawlins’ territory, think your club could push them back out?” Ford asks while his finger digs obsessively at the label on his beer bottle. “Little Rock has too many factions, fighting over every block, customer, and corrupt cop. Someone might decide they could make an easier go of it if they branched out to a place like Rawlins.”

“Oz has it covered, and Ginger often mentions she wishes she could kill more people. I know Clove is bored. Seems like anyone pushing into Rawlins won’t have a long life expectancy.”

Ford slowly nods before flashing a look at Joker. I notice Pax also tearing at his label.

“Do you have specific info about a threat to Rawlins?”

“No, no,” Joker says. “But my club isn’t in the position to come running to your club’s aid if there’s an issue. Deal or no deal, we can’t white knight your club.”

“Have you told Oz this? And if so, why the fuck are you telling me?” I mutter and fight the urge to stand up and walk out.

“We planned to tell him when he came to town. Except, apparently, he didn’t want to see Madden.”

“No, he wanted to kill Madden. Not quite the same thing.”

“Kill him because he fucked Ginger?” Ford asks.

“Does he need another reason?”

Pax shakes his head. “No, but a lot of guys fucked Ginger.”

“It’s a good damn thing you’re saying that to me and not Oz. I don’t see him taking kindly to you talking shit about his woman.”

“Well, he isn’t here,” Pax mutters.

Ford snorts. “And my brother is an incorrigible fucking gossip. He talks shit behind everyone’s back.”

Pax grins at me. “Tonight, I’m gonna tell my woman about your hair.”

“You have long hair too.”

“Not really pretty like yours. Naw, yours looks right out of one of them shampoo commercials.”

Ford and Joker laugh while Pax smirks. I don’t know if I should punch him for talking shit about my hair or be relieved he’s no longer talking shit about Ginger. Either way, I can’t fucking wait to rat out these guys to Ginger. Let her drive up here and pound on them.

In fact, she’ll probably get a whole lot more creative with her revenge. Shit, no wonder they sent her out of town. I doubt their balls dropped until she left the city limits.