Roman’s truck is here, which is all I care about. I’m thinking one of the small cars may be the prospects, so that would be perfect.
The frigid air nips at me as I hurry inside. As soon as I walk through the door, the warmth and familiar smells of beer and cigars hit me. It’s like my second home, and I hate seeing it so fucking empty.
“Hey, Cannon,” Leo says when he peeks his head out from the door leading to the storage room behind the bar. “Need a drink?”
“Nah, I’m good,” I tell him. “What are you doing back there?”
“Inventory,” he says. “Nothing else to do.”
“I hear ya,” I say when I spot Lucas and Jake, our two prospects, sitting at one of the four-person tables, arguing like usual while playing cards.
“Roman in the chapel?” I ask Leo, who nods before he disappears again.
I start walking in that direction when Lucas jumps up and runs over to block the door. “Sorry, Cannon, but you can’t go in there.”
I stare down the kid and ask, “Why the fuck not?”
“Charlotte’s with Roman,” Jake says as he stands up and comes over to stand shoulder to shoulder with Lucas. Which is unnecessary now that he explained what’s going on. Not to mention that from this distance, I can actually hear the woman on the other side screaming Roman’s name along with God’s.
Great.
Normally, I wouldn’t mind listening to two people go at it; but since I hear enough of that shit in my own house and haven’t gotten laid in too long, I spin on my heel and walk back to the table the boys were sitting at on the other side of the room. “So, what are we playing?” I ask them as they follow behind me like good, little puppy dogs.
“Blackjack,” Jake answers.
“You must be bored as fuck,” I mutter as I turn one of the chairs around and sit in it backward, “Deal me in.”
“It probably won’t be much longer,” Lucas says as he retakes his seat and starts shuffling the cards.
“How do you know? They could be in there all night,” Jake responds.
“Ten bucks says she walks out in ten minutes or less.”
“Deal,” Jake agrees, offering the other kid his hand to shake.
I call them kids, but they’re both over twenty-one and only a few years younger than me and Conrad. Still, there’s something about them that just seems so naïve. They’ve been with the Kings for over six months, and yet they haven’t seen any violence yet. It’s a blessing and a curse. Until they are put through the wringer, tested in the face of danger, I just won’t see them as equals or think they’ve earned the right to wear the Savage Kings MC patches.
“Roman got y’all working on anything?” I ask them after the cards are dealt and I take a peek at mine. A ten and an ace, not bad.
“Nah, we’re just hanging around in case he needs anything, but it’s been slow,” Lucas answers.
“Hit me,” Jake tells him, and Lucas lays a queen down on top of his cards. “Shit. I’m over.”
Lucas laughs. “What about you?”
“I’ll stay,” I tell him.
He flips his cards over, a Jack and an ace. “Blackjack again.”
“He’s cheating,” Jake declares, leaning back in his chair so it’s balanced on just two legs and crossing his arms angrily over his chest. “No one gets that lucky that often.”
“What are y’all playing for?”
“Free hits,” they both answer.
“Free what?” I ask.
“Every time I win, I get a free hit on Jake,” Lucas explains. “Anytime, anywhere on his body, it’s my decision.”
“Which is bullshit since you’ve won all five rounds,” Jake huffs indignantly.
“Jesus. You two have nothing better to do?” I ask.
“Nope.”
“Not since everything was fucking shut down,” Jake grumbles and then looks up at me, eyes wide. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bitch. I’m sure Conrad had a good reason for getting everything shut down…”
“Damn right he did,” I tell him as the anger swells up inside of me, the same old protective instinct for my brother that I’ve had since we could barely walk. Turning to Lucas, I ask, “I’ll owe you a favor if you collect on one of your hits in the next thirty seconds.”
Like a flash of lightning, Lucas reaches across the table and slams his fist in the other dude’s throat. I half expect Jake to throw up based on the way he’s gagging before he loses his balance and the chair falls backward, hitting the floor so hard Leo comes out from the back to make sure everything is okay.
“You all right?” I look down and ask him. He gives a nod. “Nicely done,” I say to Lucas, who is smiling like the cat who ate the canary. Whether or not he’s cheating at cards I don’t really care. Unless Jake can prove it, he should stop playing. Otherwise, he’s shit out of luck.
Jake is trying to pull himself back up when the chapel door swings open. Roman and Charlotte fill it, his arms wound tightly around her, kissing her goodbye before she walks to the door, barely giving us a wave.
“And you owe me ten bucks,” Lucas says before he gets to his feet, standing at attention like a good little soldier while Jake is still on his knees. “Cannon’s here to see you, sir,” he tells Roman.
“Thanks, Lucas,” Roman replies as he takes a few steps toward us. “What the fuck happened to Jake?”
“I’m fine,” he hoarsely answers as he finally stands up and rights his chair, holding his throat with one hand and the back of the chair with the other. “Did you need
