Bucking Tradition (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation 5)

Chapter Twenty

Luna

“Girl, who is that guy with the beard?” Minx whispered.

I pushed my hair from my face and looked around the empty club. “Bear?”

Minx fanned her face with her hand. “His name is Bear? My God,” she sighed. “Who is he and why is he here? Also, does he have a girlfriend?”

A laughed and wiped my hands on a bar towel. “Um, he’s a friend of Ransom’s who is helping him with a case. And I don’t think he has a girlfriend, but I’ve never asked.” I wasn’t interested in Bear, so I never thought to ask him if he had a girlfriend back home or somewhere else.

Minx hopped off her stool and adjusted her boobs. “I’m gonna go find out.”

“Give him hell, girl,” I called after her.

The door to the strip club swung open and Greta strutted in. “Party is here,” she called.

“Bring that party up in here tomorrow,” I called.

Greta waved to Minx and lifted her finger at Bear. She made her way over to the bar and flopped onto a stool.

“What was with the middle finger?” I asked.

Greta cackled. “I just felt like flipping Bear off to confuse him. He’s either trying to figure out why I’m mad at him or just thinks I’m crazier than he thought.”

I thought she was crazier just from that explanation.

“How’s life shacking up with the hot cop?” Greta asked.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed a glass to dry.

Sultry Knights was set to open tomorrow night, and I was here all day making sure we were completely ready. Blaise’s food order had arrived an hour ago, and she was in the kitchen with Bristol putting everything away. Blaise had experience cooking before, but she didn’t know everything she would be doing. She was going to be the one solely running the kitchen.

Bristol had helped her place the food order, and now, she was back there showing her the most efficient way to stock the kitchen, so everything was easy and accessible to find.

“Life with Ransom is good, Greta.”

She grabbed a straw and chewed on the end. “I’m going to need more details than that, Luna.” She leaned forward. “I mean, I don’t want to know”—she thrust her hips and let out a moan—, “those details, but you know, your girl wants to know if the package matches.” She wiggled her pinky and winked.

Not even here for five minutes and Greta had already made me blush and added a notch to her crazy.

“I am more than satisfied, Greta. That is all I am going to say.” I set down the glass and grabbed another one. Polishing glasses wasn’t the most stimulating job, but someone had to do it.

Greta sat back and held her hand to her chest. “My little Luna is a prude suddenly.”

I rolled my eyes. “Hardly. I just don’t think you need to know the size of Ransom’s peen.”

Greta shrugged and nodded. “You know, sitting back and thinking about it, you’re probably right. If I did know, I might ask him to whip it out so I could measure it to see if you were lying.” She pointed her finger at me. “That could possibly be awkward.”

Dear God. “Way to think it through.”

Greta winked. “You need me to bartend tomorrow?”

I shrugged. “I mean, it wouldn’t hurt just to have you help if we need it. I’m thinking tomorrow night is going to be insane.”

“Girl, it’s been months since the men of Rockton have had titties shaken in their face and overpaid for drinks.” Greta clapped and rubbed her hands together. “I am so wearing my glow in the dark cat ears tomorrow.”

“Wear whatever you want as long as your ass is behind the bar helping me out.” Greta saluted me. “I will be here right after I have a meeting with Dr. Douchebag.”

I wrinkled my nose. “A meeting with the douche?” All Greta did was complain about the guy, and now, she was having a meeting with him? “How did that come about?”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, it was kind of my doing, but also another one of the doctors who I was bitching to helped set it up.”

“So, you’re going to have a meeting to tell this guy he’s a huge douche canoe?”

Greta chuckled. “Yes, but I’m going to try to tell him without actually calling him a douche canoe. You know, try to be professional.”

I nodded. “That would be a good idea seeing as you need a job.”

“Luna,” Bear called. “Ransom just pulled up. I’m gonna head out.”

I gave Bear a thumbs up. “See you later.”

“Where is the lumberjack off to?” Greta wondered.

Minx waved at Bear and headed over to the bar. “And she’s out,” Minx laughed. “That man was not interested in me at all.”

Greta patted Minx’s hand. “Hang in there, girl. You’ll have a stream of men come in here in twenty-four hours.”

The door to the club swung open again, and this time, Ransom walked in. “Keeping those titty tassels straight,” he called.

“Is that something you do?” Greta whispered.

Ever since I had told Ransom I straightened titty tassels for a living, he kept repeating it. “I’m trying my best,” I called.

“That’s all you can ask for, babe,” he chuckled. He wound his way around the tables and sat down at the bar next to Greta.

“What’s going on, Gertie?” he asked.

Greta sat back, aghast. “You did not just call me Gertie.”

Ransom smirked. “Am I not supposed to?”

“You can, but I didn’t think your stick in the mud personality would even think about giving me a nickname.” She leaned toward Ransom. “You know, Luna and I were talking about something before you showed up, and now that you’re here, you got me wondering again.”

I tossed the towel in Greta’s face and shouted, “No! No, no, no. You will not ask him that. I know you thrive on crossing the line, Greta, but you will not ask Ransom that. Over my dead body you will.”

Greta pursed her lips and glanced at me. “You know if he gives me the right answer, if you do die, I would be okay with consoling him.”

“Greta,” I hissed. “Ask my boyfriend that question and find out what happens.”

Greta tapped her chin and closed one eye. “I won’t ask it.” She pointed a finger at me. “For now.”

“Get out of my club,” I laughed.

“The party is here.”

What in the hell?

“He related to you?” Ransom asked Greta.

Greta swiveled in her stool and watched Easy and the rest of the club mosey into Sultry Knights. “My parents claim him, but I don’t. I’m convinced dad bought him from a lot lizard in Preston.”

Ransom chuckled and shook his head.

“She’s not serious, is she?” Minx asked.

Greta shrugged. “It hasn’t been confirmed or denied.”

“Greta,” Gambler called.

“Yes, Father.”

“There a reason why you parked across three parking spots?” her dad asked.

Greta spun back to face the bar. “Because I can?”

“I can also put my foot up your ass,” Easy laughed.

“And this is my cue to leave.” Greta grabbed a couple of straws and shoved them all in her mouth. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sister cousin.” Greta held her fist out to me, and I bumped mine against it.

I pointed my finger at her. “Don’t call me sister cousin, and good luck with your meeting tomorrow.”

Greta laid a kiss on her dad’s cheek and slugged Easy on the shoulder on the way out.

King and the rest of the guys sat on the stools lined up at the bar and looked at me expectantly.

“Uh, can I get you guys a drink?” I had just polished all of the glasses, so that, of course, meant the club would come in to drink.

King shook his head. “Not here for a drink.”

I glanced at Ransom. “Did something happen?”

“Not like you’re thinking.” He stood on the rung of his stool and leaned over the bar to press a kiss to my lips. “I’ll see you at home.”

Ransom nodded to Hero and walked out of the club.

No one spoke.

They all just stared at me.

“All right, what in the hell is going on. Did Mom catch wind of Pole Stars and break her hip?” I babbled. “Or was it Meg? Did Meg break her ass bone?”

King chuckled and shook his head. “No to both of those.”

Then why in the hell was the club here? A hundred things ran through my head as to why they would be sitting at the bar, but none of them really made sense. “Did you guys want to do like a security check for tomorrow night or something?”

King nodded to Hero. “Put her out of her misery.”

Hero motioned to Mouse who was standing by the door. Mouse grabbed a bag sitting by his feet and handed it to Hero. Hero pulled out a leather cut and handed it to King.

King laid it out on the bar in front of me. “You know what one of these are?” he asked me.

“That would be a prospect cut,” I whispered. I had been raised around the club. I knew everything there was to know. We all did.

King nodded. “For a while, I’ve had a thought. Just lingering in the back of my mind, but I never really gave it much consideration.”

“Okay,” I drawled. This was starting off weird.

“And that thought has to do with prospects. We don’t let just anyone walk in and start prospecting which you know. We want them to hang around, see if they get along with everyone, and if the life we live is something they want.”

“Ransom,” Zig coughed.

I rolled my eyes. “If you are going to ask me if you think Ransom would want to be a prospect now that we’re dating, you’re going to have to talk to him yourself.” I knew he wouldn’t want to. He knew that King may have been a bit of a dick when he wouldn’t let him into the club, but he knew it was the right choice.

“A cop in the Knights?” Rigid laughed. “Hell no.”

I nodded to the cut on the bar. “Then what are you doing with this?” I didn’t know that the club had been looking at adding another prospect, not like they would tell me, and they had Mouse right now which was the only one they had in years.

King nodded to Hero.

Hero pushed the cut toward me. “We wanted to know if you’d be interested in prospecting for the Devil’s Knights.”

The black leather cut in front of me blurred, and my knees felt weak. “What?” I whispered.

“You know, it kind of makes sense,” Pie called.

I looked down at my brother. The same brother who was always giving me shit and I wanted to kick in the nuts half of the time. “I’m a girl.” It sounded ridiculous to say, but that was the main reason why I never thought this moment would happen.

“We noticed,” the guys said in unison.

I rolled my eyes and laid my hand on the cut. “This isn’t your tradition, King. This is something that’s never happened before.”

“Fuck tradition,” King grunted. “Fuck anything that makes putting family second. You deserve to be a part of this club as much as the rest of these idiots do. Hell, these guys are lucky to have you joining the club.”

I looked up at King. “Why now?”

“Ransom came by the other week. We came to an understanding about why he didn’t become a member, but then he said something that stuck with me.” King lounged back in his chair. “He said that a great leader is only as good as the people he’s leading.”

“Are you sure that wasn’t an insult to these knuckleheads?” Demon grunted.

King chuckled and shook his head. “It slightly might have been, but I took it more as if I was going to be a leader, I needed to have the best people with me. I couldn’t say no to someone who would be an asset to the club just because they were a woman.”

“Hold up,” Easy called. “I’m all good with Luna joining the club. She’s a badass who doesn’t take shit from no one and is Devil’s Knights to her core. But, if this is a step toward Greta joining the club, I might have an objection.”

“Yeah,” Pie agreed. “Having Luna join the club is bucking tradition, but if Greta wants in, she might throw tradition right out the window and have us wear t-rex costumes and ride tricycles around town.”

I held up my hand. “I can speak for Greta and tell you that being a member of the Devil’s Knights is not something she would ever do. She wouldn’t stand out.”

Easy clicked his tongue and pointed at me. “You are completely right.”

“How the hell did we go from asking Luna to be a prospect to talking about Greta and t-rex costumes?” King grunted.

“Because that’s just the way of the Knights,” Hero chuckled.

King shook his head but picked up the cut and held it out to me. “So, are you in?”

I looked down at the cut and knew crying was something none of the guys would do, but I wasn’t one of the guys. I was Luna Wendt, and I was going to be a member of the Devil’s Knights. I grabbed the cut from King and shrugged it on. “I’m in.”