“Your damn whistling was hurting my ears,” Raider snapped back.
I emptied my bucket into the sink and ran some hot water to wash it out before turning to watch them. Colt took a threatening step in Raider’s direction. “What’s wrong, Raid? Didn’t you get your dick sucked this morning?”
“Fuck you, motherfucker.” Raider wasn’t going to back down, and got in Colt’s face. “The next time I see you smack Quinn’s ass I’m gonna to cut off your fucking dick.”
I leaned back against the sink and crossed my arms over my chest, deciding that this had just turned into something worth watching. Since when did Raider care about anything to do with Quinn? He’d spent more time ignoring her over the years than actually speaking to her. I doubted he knew anything about her other than that he had fucked everyone of her sisters on a regular basis.
As for Colt and Quinn, that was something completely different. Colt didn’t call many of our club brothers’ friends, but Quinn was another story. Maybe they weren’t best friends in the traditional sense of the word, but for Colt, Quinn was as close as it got.
“Me smackin’ Quinn’s ass is none of your business, dickhead. I’ll smack it, caress it, and even lick it any time I fucking feel like it. You don’t get a say in any of it. She’s not yours and she never will be. Quinn is too good for your sorry ass. So leave her alone, brother. Or I’ll be the one cutting off dicks.”
I saw the fire flash in Raider’s eyes, knew what was coming next, and moved quickly before they tore the bar down. Colt was closer to me so I grabbed hold of him and jerked him back before stepping between them. Just because I’d put myself in the middle didn’t mean that they would keep from going at each other’s throats, but at least I could kick a little ass in the meantime.
“Enough!” I yelled at them both when Colt took a threatening step closer and Raider tried to go around me to get to him. “Are you two seriously fighting over a chick? Is she really worth two brothers coming to blows?”
Colt turned his pissed-off glare onto me. “She’s worth everything.”
“Quinn is a good girl. She deserves more fucking respect than you show her,” Raider raged behind me.
“You’re one to talk,” Colt growled. “You’re the one that disrespects her every goddamn day.”
“I stay away from her, so how have I disrespected her?”
“Because she’s fucking in love with you, or she thinks she is at least. And you go to the clubhouse and hook up with one of her sisters at least once a week. Her sisters rub it in her face every damn time, dumbass.” Colt picked up a bottle of Jack Daniels and jerked the top off, swallowing a good two shots directly from the bottle before slamming the bottle onto the bar top. “You break her heart all the time, and I’m the one that has to put it back together again.”
Behind me Raider had gone oddly quiet and I turned to face him. His face was pale and there was an almost ha
unted look in his eyes. When he remained mute Colt muttered a curse and stomped into the back room. For nearly a full minute, Raider just stood there, as if he were frozen in place. I grimaced and picked up a clean bar rag then slapped him across the face with it.
He didn’t flinch, but at least he looked like he was breathing again. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Fuck.” It was louder this time and with his next breath he was bellowing the word. “Fuck!” He walked out without another word and I knew he wasn’t going to come back any time that night.
“Ah, shit.” I shook my head as I glared after first one brother and then the other. Looked like it was going to be a long fucking night.
--
The bar was crowded with almost every club member by eight. I dropped a tray of beers onto the table at the Original’s booth and took my usual seat between Uncle Jack and Bash. We didn’t have a VP since the last club president had beaten him to death. We needed to get that sorted, which was at the top of the list for church discussion tonight.
The club had been in chaos after Jet had gone to prison for manslaughter, but when Bash had come back and taken up his role as president things had simmered down. Now that we had everything under better control it was finally time to fill the VP position.
As everyone took their beers, the front door opened and Raider stomped forward. Colt shot him the finger as the other man took his place at the booth, but no one else batted an eye at his tardiness. I snorted and took a pull from my bottle of beer. Looked like I was wrong about Raider not coming back. But he knew this was an important night for the club.
“We have a few things to get through tonight,” Bash’s deep voice filled the bar with ease. Every eye in the room turned to look at our president, respect shining in every one of them. “First, and most important, we have to decide who’s gonna be our new VP. It doesn’t feel right without having Jet here to vote with us, but he keeps saying he isn’t a member any more.”
“I call BS,” Uncle Chaz muttered under his breath.
Bash grinned. “Me too, but we can sort that out once he’s home in a few more weeks.” He turned back to everyone else. “The floor is now open for suggested VPs.”
It didn’t take long before someone was speaking up, but it wasn’t whom I was expecting. Uncle Jack caught my eye and said clearly, “Hawk Hannigan.”
My eyes narrowed on the old man, but before I could even open my mouth Uncle Chaz, Uncle George, Ox and Razor spoke up. “I second,” they said, practically in unison.
Bash didn’t seem surprised and I glared at all of them. I hadn’t even considered the VP position. It wasn’t something I’d ever had my eye on. Just because I was a Hannigan didn’t mean I wanted that figurative seat. They should pick someone better, more worthy. “Hawk Hannigan has been seconded. What do you fuckers say?”
Behind me I heard beer bottles pounding on tabletops. It started out slow but quickly turned into a roar of glass bottles clanging on tables. I looked around at my club brothers. Every single one of them was grinning. My chest tightened with an emotion I hadn’t felt in years. Love for my club and brothers washed through me in a way it hadn’t since I’d first became a member of the Angel’s Halo.
Bash stood and held out his hand to me. I took it and he pulled me to my feet before pulling me into a bear hug that nearly snapped my spine in half. I slapped him on the back and the room erupted into deafening yells as they cheered my name.
I felt a hand on my back and Bash released me. Turning, I was pulled into Uncle Jack’s man hug. He beat me on the back twice before stepping back. “You deserve this, boy.”