The sun had set, and we’d moved from outside to inside. More than likely we’d end up back out there at the fires; however, several wanted to play some games of darts and pool, so we went inside to watch.
Animal was teasing Jessica about playing a game of darts with him. I’d seen her pool game and she was a deceptive expert at it, but I’d never asked her to play darts. She laughed and tried to dissuade him, which had me thinking she might be an expert at darts too. I stood back to see how things would pan out.
“Come on, Jess, play a game. I’ll even take it easy on you and give you twenty-five points to play from,” he offered. Jessica gave him a narrow-eyed look.
“I don’t want any cheating and that would be cheating. I’ll play Animal, but only if the scoring is the same for both of us.”
“Okay, if that’s what you want. We’ll do one-on-one and then if you want, we can do it as teams of two.” She nodded. They grabbed darts from the cabinet on the wall. She hefted hers up and then looked at Animal.
“Give me a minute, I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t be running away, sweetheart. If you’re not back in five minutes, you forfeit the game.”
“I’m not running or forfeiting this. I’ll be right back.” She smiled at me as she went down the hall. I wondered if she had to use the bathroom.
“You have one helluva catch there, I hope you know,” Animal told me.
“I know. Believe me. I can’t tell you how much she means to me. She and our daughter are my first priority. Being locked down on the compound is driving her nuts.”
“Lockdown? Why is she on lockdown?” Jinx, the Marauders’ president, asked. I realized none of us had told them about our troubles.
“Yeah, just quickly because I don’t want to talk about it in front of her. Her stepmom and stepsister want her inheritance. They kidnapped her a month ago when she had left here to go to Colorado. She got away and came back here, asking for protection. That’s when I found out she was pregnant. They haven’t given up. They and the goons they hired have been seen around town.”
I was kept from saying more by Joker hissing. “She’s coming back.” I shut up. Jinx gave me a concerned look.
“We’ll talk later.” I knew he’d be getting the story tonight, most likely by asking Bull. I nodded. When Jessica rejoined us, she had a small case in her hands. She laid it down and opened the lid. Inside was a beautiful set of darts. She picked one up.
Animal growled. “I think I might need twenty-five points. Why didn’t anyone tell me she knew how to play?” It was usually serious players who had their own set.
“Animal, I had no idea. She’s never played a game with us. I can tell you she’s damn good at pool, so play at your own peril,” I warned him and the ones around us. She jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow.
“Shhh, I need to win this. Care to place a bet?” she asked him.
He considered it for a minute then answered her, “I’ll play you for ten bucks. The guys can bet if they want. Now, let’s get this game started.”
I went to pull money out of my pocket, but Jess beat me to it. She pulled money out of her jeans. She’d come prepared. With the money on the table, they got started. He insisted she go first.
“You go first, sweetheart. After all, I’m a gentleman.” We teased the hell out of him for lying. He just flipped all of us off and said, “You’re uncivilized heathens.”
She hit the bullseye. His guys groaned while my fellow Warriors cheered. The next twenty minutes was an exciting game. Both were almost equally matched. It was down to the final throw. He went first and barely missed the bullseye. If she made it, she would win. Jessica stepped up and concentrated on the target and then threw her dart. I watched it sail through the air, holding my breath. I let out a big whoosh when it hit. She’d done it. She’d beaten Animal. He was bemoaning his loss as I hugged Jessica, and my brothers congratulated her.
We all broke away to get something to drink. I was just coming back to a table where I’d sat Jessica, when the front door opened and in came Zara. But it was a Zara I hadn’t seen before. She was dressed in tight jeans, a sexy top and her hair was down. She had on darker makeup.
Even though I loved Jessica, I was a man and could recognize Zara was gorgeous and sexy. I looked around to see if Demon saw her. I winced when I found him over in the corner on one of the couches with two of the bunnies talking to him. I looked back at Zara. He hadn’t seen her yet.
Her eyes roamed the room. More than one Marauder had taken notice of her and was on their way to intercept her. Her gaze shuttered when she saw Demon, then I saw her straighten herself up and look away. Damn, he wasn’t going to win points with her if he kept letting other women hang around and on him. I knew he was interested in her. He’d admitted he tried to get her to go out with him and she’d said no. It was after the incident with April.
I hurried over to rescue her. Beast, King, Mad Dog, and Rage from the Marauders were around her. She seemed to be maintaining her composure, but they were intimidating even if they were smiling. And smiling every one of them was. I squeezed into the center of the circle.
“Hey, Zara, glad you could make it. Want me to show you where we’re at?”
Rage stepped closer. “You can’t claim them all, Ajax. This gorgeous creature doesn’t have on a property cut, so I know she’s not yours or anyone else’s. Why not let us have a chance to talk to her. She might like it.” He winked at her. Zara gave him a wondering look. I saw her eyes dart to where Demon was still oblivious to her. One of the bunnies had sat down on the arm of the couch and was leaning in really close to him. Zara looked at Rage.
“I think that’s a great idea. I’m Zara. Let’s grab a drink and sit down to chat. Tell me all about yourselves,” she told the guys. All of them followed her to the bar.
It was the big entourage that finally got Demon’s attention. When he saw Zara with Rage’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, he jumped up off the couch and came storming toward her. I waited for the fireworks to begin. Jessica had come over to join me.
“It’s going to get ugly,” she whispered.