“What about the street cameras? Was he able to find anything on who ran Lisa off the road?”
“Nothing concrete. I’m telling ya, those guys were good. They knew exactly what they were doing when they didn’t leave any tracks.”
“Which makes you wonder what they’re planning next.”
“Who knows,” Country replied. “Maybe they’ve had their fill and aren’t planning anything at all.”
“I highly doubt that’s the case.” Viper’s tone grew fierce as he added, “I’m fairly certain that we haven’t heard the last of these guys, and if my gut is right, they’ve got something big coming.”
“So, what do we do?” Frustration dripped from Widow’s words. “Just sit here and wait?”
“We do the only thing we can.” He looked at all of us and ordered, “Stay alert and remain prepared for anything.”
No one was surprised by Viper’s answer. He expected nothing less than the best from all of the brothers, especially when there was a threat. We’d always managed to come through for him and didn’t doubt we’d do the same this time.
After finishing our beer, everyone dispersed, and I headed towards the front to cover the door with Country. I hadn’t been standing there long when Locke walked over. “You talked to Rae?”
“Not since this morning.” I glanced down at my watch and cringed when I saw the time. I’d planned on calling her, but with everything that’d been going on, I hadn’t had the chance. “Why?”
“Just thought you might wanna ask her to stop by tonight.”
“And why would I do that?”
“I invited Haleigh to come by and have a drink.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
Locke shrugged, “I figured it’s safer here with all the brothers than anywhere else.”
“I guess you got a point. You thinking Rae might wanna come along with her?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Even though I’d hoped Rae and I could have a quiet night alone, I told him, “Okay, I’ll talk to her and see what she says.”
“Good deal. Just let me know, and I’ll get things sorted with Haleigh.”
As soon as he turned to leave, I pulled out my phone and sent Rae a text:
Me:
Hey, beautiful.
How’s it going?
Rae:
It’s going great. I just got home and was about to change.
Me:
Hate I’m not there for that.
Rae:
Yeah, I bet.
Me:
You got any plans tonight?
Rae:
No, not yet.
Me:
Why don’t you come to Stilettos with Haleigh?
We can go to my place after my shift.
Rae:
Okay. Sounds like a plan.
Me:
Good deal. I’ll see you in a bit.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket and turned my focus on monitoring the door. Although I was pleased that everything seemed to be running smoothly, it equally surprised me for such a busy night. And to top it off, Country wasn’t acting like his typical self. Instead, he was oddly quiet, which was cool for the first half-hour or so, but then it became concerning.
Eventually, I’d had enough and leaned over to him. “You all right?”
“Yeah.” His jaw clenched as he admitted, “I got into it with Kiersten before I left, and since then, she hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts.”
“Maybe she’s just got a lot going on at the Manor.”
“Maybe, but it isn’t like her not to answer.”
“Have you checked in with Braylon or any of the others to see if she’s there?”
“No, but that’s a good idea.”
He pulled out his phone and walked outside as he made the call. He’d only been gone for a second when I noticed a commotion at the middle stage where our girl Della was performing. I stepped closer for a better look and found a couple of guys were getting mouthy.
Something about their exchange had Della frozen in fear. I’d only taken a couple of steps in that direction when one of them hit the other, and that was all it took.
A whole slew of men jumped up and started throwing punches.
I picked up my pace and was getting close when suddenly, the crowd closest to the bar rushed back, trying to scramble away.
I kept moving forward, trying my damnedest to get to them before anyone did something stupid, and that’s when I noticed two of the men had drawn their weapons, and a third was about to join in.
In the past, we didn’t allow anyone into the bar carrying a gun, but with the state’s new conceal and carry laws, our hands were tied. We had to let them in or risk losing a shit-ton of business. Luckily, we rarely had any trouble, but nights like these could be tough to manage.
By the time I finally weaved myself through the crowd, Widow and Rafe were charging towards the brawl with Axel and Hawk following close behind. Knowing they had my back, I pushed forward and stepped up behind the man closest to me.
I placed the barrel of my gun at his temple and growled, “Drop it.”
“Not happening, man,” he argued. “This douchebag disrespected my woman, and he’s gonna pay for that shit, right here and right now.”