“You always say the sweetest things.”
Summer reaches out and, with gentle fingers, moves Viv’s head left and right to see the full damage on her face, the lamp off to their left and tucked in the corner by the hall entrance providing just enough light. “Anywhere else?”
Viv shrugs, pulling away to sip at her water. She throws her eyes my way for a beat but then back to the water bottle as she sets it on the table.
“A few bruises. Maybe a cracked rib. Nothing keeping me out of anything long term. Same as usual.”
“Except the whole being drugged part,” I growl, harsher than I mean to. And if it was anyone else but Bane, they would have called me out on it. But he just side-eyes me before going back to watching the women in front of us.
Bane still needs me to give him the green light and not the thumbs-down that’ll end his life. I have that power. He knows it, I know it. The whole damn club knows it. It’s one of the reasons he was on outside patrol tonight and not one of the brothers inside testing out new vamps and welcoming in the new year. Guy gets it, even volunteered for it. And he’s not doing shit to be a pushover. Says he’ll only do something he expects his men to do for him if he gave the same order. I can respect that in a man.
“Youwere what? She was what?” Summer might get whiplash with the way she keeps looking at her friend, then us, then back for answers.
“It’s fine.” Viv glares at me a second before smoothing out her face and looking at her friend, even going as far as putting her hand out to squeeze Summer’s. “I’m fine. Guy must have slipped something in my drink. I noticed, I reacted, I got out. No harm, no foul.”
“Yeah, till the next John tries to pull that same thing again and has more than an idiot driver to help.” I don’t know why this is pissing me off, but it is. Her lack of care about the matter, and her safety, is setting me off.
“Relax.” She gives me a hard look, one I ignore. “It’s not going to happen again.”
“You said it happened before. Who’s to say it won’t?” I can’t seem to let this go.
“I do. And before wasn’t the same.” She waves her hand at me as if I know nothing. But while I might not know all the details, I know enough.
“How so? Did the guy drug you at the hotel instead of the limo?” I give her a look that just has her looking confused.
“Hotel? What hotel?” Summer asks as her head volleys back and forth.
“What are you talking about?” Viv leans back in her chair and crosses her arms, waiting for me to explain.
I run my hand through my hair as I set my beer on the table. “Look, I’m just saying that you should be more careful about who you choose to do a job with. Like your friend said before, girls are getting snatched left and right. Someone in your profession needs to be careful.”
“My profession,” Viv drawls.
“Yeah. Your profession.” I nod once.
“Wait.” She looks at Summer, then back at me with her face pinched. “Do you think I’m a hooker?”
I look at Bane, feeling as if I’m falling into a trap I don’t know how to get out of. “Yes?”
She and Summer share a look before they both burst out laughing. So much so that I see tears coming out of their eyes.
“She’s not a prostitute. She’s MMA,” Summer cackles.
Bane and I continue to stare, not getting it.
Viv swipes the tears out of her eyes as she continues to chuckle. “I’m an underground fighter.”
Chapter 8—Viv
Ican’t stop laughing. It shouldn’t be this funny, but it is. I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of getting paid to sleep with a person before. Everyone who knows me knows I’d never think that was a lucrative career. Just goes to show that these guys have no clue who I am. It’s surprising, since I grew up in this town, and it’s rare that someone doesn’t know someone I do or hasn’t heard about me in some way. I’m not known as the friendly one in town, but I’m known. Take it for what it is, good or bad—people have heard of me.
Not these two, though. And obviously not anyone in their club. Guess they don’t do much in the underground fighting arenas. Not that we have arenas. More like parking garages, abandoned buildings, the occasional basement—wherever the ones in charge find for the fight they want to put on for some yahoos in town who want to watch people beat the shit out of each other for nothing more than entertainment.
“Man, Lucky is going to be pissed.” Bane chuckles as he adjusts his stance, crossing his ankles and arms as he leans against my cabinets.
“Who’s Lucky?” Summer is quick to ask. She’s always been the curious type.
“The guy she clocked—twice. He might have been able to keep his man card for a minute there, but not anymore. Not after the shit me and the boys will give him.” Bane’s grinmight turn a head or two. Not mine, but Summer takes a second or two longer to pull herself away from looking at him.
