“You’re in the mafia?” She squeaks it out, and that’s all the tell I need.
“Guess your lot doesn’t do much gossiping, huh?”
“Oh, we do our fair share. But I think I missed this fucking news while I was taking my finals or some shit. Damn, girl, talk about princess status. I got nothing on you,” Ruby says with a flick of her wrist in my direction.
I just laugh. “We all know I’m not the princess type. Of the two of us, you claim that crown.” I wave her away but draw myfocus back to the roommate, Natalie. “You sure you haven’t been to Brooklyn? You’ve got a face that I swear I’ve seen before.”
She shakes her head, but her face drains of color a bit. “Um, no, never been there.”
I should be nice and let her off the hook, but I hate when I know something butdon’tknow something all at the same time. “You sure? I don’t really forget a face. You got a sister or something who’s out that way?”
“Um, no, only child. Adopted, actually,” she says with a quick shake of her head in complete dismissal of the possibility.
“Then how do you know you’re an only child? I mean, if you were adopted, your birth mom could have popped out like ten kids before you or something,” Abigail inquires, and I nod in agreement.
Natalie stumbles over her words as she goes from looking at me to Abigail. “Um, I mean, I know I was an only child. Mom died a few years after, and then I got adopted. That’s… that’s what I meant.”
Before I can poke the bear more, Abigail cuts me off. “Incoming,” she mutters, to which Ruby looks over my head and curses.
I don’t turn and look. If it’s a problem for me, I’ll figure it out eventually. And honestly, the only problem I have is if a gun’s pointed in my direction or at my kid. And I can still see Ollie playing on the gaming system on the other side of the club where I dropped him off an hour ago when Teddy asked for a playdate. Or that’s what Maddy said it was, anyway, when she called Bass, and he passed the phone to me.
After our little tryst of knocking boots—for a good solid seven hours, I might add—we went home and slept in our own rooms. Well, me on the couch and him in the bed. Which is fine. I didn’t expect flowers and promises of tomorrow. We’ve been doing the same routine we’ve done since the beginning, but now there’s less stress. Hell, I even slept in this morning. I can let my guard down when Bass is around, because I know he’ll protect Ollie. His club doesn’t want to go to war to protect us from Ivan, so I know he won’t want to go to war against me and my own if Ollie gets hurt. Because that’s what’ll happen if something happens to my kid—all-out war.
“What’s up, losers?” I hear the annoying high voice before a kid hops into my peripheral, pulling my eyes to her.
And I do mean kid. She might dress like a vamp, but this one is clearly just out of high school. She still has that aura about her that says“New from the package and willing to be slutty to get attention.”I’ve seen that look. Hell, Iwasthat look. Long time ago, of course.
Don’t ask me why my eyes travel to the opposite side of the club to see Bass talking to his brothers. I already had sex and got to be my own slutty version of the girl I always wanted to be—no need for a repeat. I should be good to go for another three years or more after what we did together. And yet I swear my pussy is weeping at my thoughts.
“Emily.” Ruby nods at the girl. Abigail just looks annoyed, and Nat has her head down, staring at whatever is so interesting by her feet. Think she’s just trying to be invisible and not draw my eye again.
“What’re we doing today? I’m thinking shots.”
“It’s one in the afternoon. On a Wednesday,” Abigail deadpans.
“So? It’s five o’clock somewhere or something like that. I say we take a few shots and then see who’s nice enough to teach us how to play some pool.” Her eyebrows wiggle up and down at that last part.
“Ain’t no way the prospect will serve you. And no brother is going to touch you. Not only are you too young, but you’re General’s niece. Club won’t disrespect him like that,” Ruby says with a sigh.
“Oh please. I bet I can get a drink from this place. They don’t care how old a person is. And I can get a brother.” Ruby raises a single eyebrow at that. “If I wanted to. But while these guys are nice to look at, I’m looking for someone who can go longer than five minutes after they run their fingers over my tight body.”
I snort. I can’t help it. Bass is on my mind, and memories of how he held me down and fucked me for hours makes me fucking glad he knew what the hell to do and wasn’t some young gun.
Apparently, this Emily chick doesn’t know what I know, and her annoyance is made clear as she makes an ugly noise in my direction.
I look up to see Ruby watching me, and she shakes her head twice. She’s right—the girl isn’t worth it. Plus, she needs to learn the disappointment in a junior partner like the rest of us did. Not about to let her in on the secret that older men know what to do for a woman, while a boy only knows how to get himself off before literally getting off you and going to play another video game.
“Whatever. I don’t need to hang out with some washed-up peeps who can’t even get a biker to fuck them. You must have something, and I don’t want to catch it. I’m outie.” She leaves with a flip of her hair and a very pronounced sway of her hip, heading straight to the bar, where I see the prospect already shaking his head at her as she walks to him.
“General needs to collar that girl if he knows what’s good for him and the club. She’s a walking liability, and I doubt my dad will go to bat for her when she gets into trouble,” Ruby says with a sad sigh. “Well, we gotta get. Got more studying to do.”
“The joys of life.” Abigail grins as we watch Ruby, then Natalie stand. “I’ll probably be heading out soon myself. Wendi doesn’t usually take too long on these initial interviews. She just wants to see if the person is ready for one of our trained dogs.”
I nod at the two standing. “See you around.”
“Yeah, let me know before you get carried back to your tower. Would hate to have to go all the way toBrooklynto find you.” Ruby winks at me as she moves past us.
“Wouldn’t want that.” I smile at her as she goes and then nod to Natalie. We hold eyes for a second longer before she cowers and follows Ruby.
