It’s a major win for me to be here, a chance I’d better take and make the most of. Maybe something good can still come out of tonight. After the embarrassing scene at Sapphire, the guys have brought me deeper into their world.
If I’m going to bring them all down, and I sure as fuck plan to, then I need to take advantage of it.
14
I’m not sure if it’s carelessness or just confidence born from being in their own space that makes the Black Roses gathered around us talk freely about their business, but no one seems to care that I’m sitting there, nursing my drink and listening intently to every word they say.
Jesse, the big guy from earlier, makes his way over and sits down in one of the other chairs, giving Sloan a look as he lays out an encounter he had with two Jackals a few days ago.
“Truce seems to be coming apart at the seams,” he says, shaking his head and swigging from his can of beer. “The fuckers aren’t respecting the boundaries, and if they’re gonna be in our space, they’re gonna have to pay for it.”
My ears perk up, but I keep my expression neutral, listening closely while trying to appear entirely disinterested. If they knew how curious I am about what they’re saying, I have a feeling they’d be less inclined to talk around me. But if they don’t think I give a shit, it’s probably pretty easy to dismiss me.
The conversation continues, and with other people chiming in as well.
Jesse’s assertion that the Jackals will have to pay if they keep encroaching on Black Rose territory seems to be the general consensus shared by the people around us. Apparently, the truce was already shaky at best, and there have been infractions coming from the Jackals’ side for a while now.
Some of them seem eager and excited for the coming shit show that will no doubt pop off if the Jackals keep pushing things.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had a good fight,” one of them says, cracking his knuckles with a savage grin. “They got off too easy the last time. It’s time to make them pay.”
“Won’t be a need for a truce if they’re all dead,” someone else echoes, and the two of them bump fists.
They’re definitely not alone when it comes to wanting to go after their rivals after so much time pretending at peace, but there are also some members of the gang who seem more wary about getting into another turf war.
I can hear some of them murmuring about how dangerous it will be if the truce dissolves completely, and how they don’t want to have to go back to being on their guard all the time.
A small shiver runs down my spine, and I work hard not to give away my thoughts. I remember a time when the two gangs were at war. It’s been relatively peaceful for years, but when shit was bad between the Jackals and the Black Roses, everyone in Fairview Heights felt it.
Is another war really on the horizon?
Fuck, that could be really bad.
Rory and Levi don’t really offer their opinions on the matter, but I assume they’d be ready to fight if they had to. Sloan just listens, leaning back in his chair with the usual intense look in his eyes. It’s impossible to know what he’s thinking, and I don’t let my gaze linger on him for too long, not wanting to invite his attention back to me.
If I stay quiet and just listen, maybe they’ll keep talking without noticing I’m there. Every scrap of information could help me reach my goal of getting some kind of leverage over these guys, and there’s a part of me that hopes maybe one of them will say something that will tell me what’s going on with my dad.
I don’t really expect them to know, especially since most of these guys didn’t seem to have a clue who I was when we walked in, but it’s hard not to hope all the same.
At some point in the conversation, Levi gets up and comes back with more drinks. He passes a beer to Rory and hands me another cup. I glance at him and take it, drinking quickly to avoid thinking about him thinking about me.
I usually don’t drink this much, and the shot from the club was a while ago at this point, but so was my last meal. I can feel the first drink burning under my skin still, and the second one just adds to it, filling my head with a pleasant buzz.
The voices of the men around me start to blur together as they talk about their business, and I keep my ears open to make sure I don’t miss anything, but I’m definitely not as focused as I could be.
Luckily, the business talk doesn’t last for much longer.
They’re all drinking as well, talking shit to each other as the card and pool games resume, and then a few different guys step into the ring in the center, challenging each other to fights.
None of them are serious since they’re all various levels of drunk at this point, and most of them just fuck around, tripping each other or going for the pin.
It’s still entertaining as hell, especially considering I haven’t seen anything even this close to a real fight since the one that got my dad in trouble.
The guys around us cheer and call out taunts and encouragement to the ones in the ring, and it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement in the room.
Everyone’s loud and rowdy, stomping their feet and yelling mostly good-natured insults at each other. I’m paying attention to the ring, but it’s hard to not be aware of Levi and Rory on either side of me at the same time.
They both smell really fucking good, like the cologne they put on and like themselves underneath it. I can’t shake the scents, even with so many other people around and the smell of beer and cigarette smoke in the air too.