“Good voice,” one stranger said. I glanced up and nodded.
“Thanks.”
“You sing and dance every night?” His friend leered, eyes raking me head to toe.
“Only when we got time,” I replied shortly. I hoped they’d get my disinterest, but the first pushed on.
“Well, you can dance, baby, shaking those hips, names Leo and this is Marty.” He grinned with sexual intent. I sniffed and pointed to the sign saying in big, bold letters, waitresses off-limits. Leo’s eyes followed my finger, and when his gaze returned to my face, there was a decided smirk.
“Well, now, honey, you seemed mighty friendly with those two bikers.” Leo smirked.
“They’re friends,” I said and turned to ring up Hellfire’s beers. Magic appeared as a silent, threatening presence behind my back. I was thankful he was there because I didn’t like these guys. Something was majorly off with them.
Silently, Magic communicated he’d serve them from now on and left me to handle the usual customers. Twice, the strangers tried to instigate a conversation with me, but Magic thwarted them each time. I could see they were getting angry with Magic blocking them and wondered if we’d have fighting as a result. They’d be fools to cause trouble in the bar, but none of them looked bright.
“Hey, lady, want a drink?” Leo asked, leaning around Magic’s bulk. Magic lifted a sceptical eyebrow.
“No, she don’t,” Magic rumbled, and his vibes hit the bar, making several bikers look up. Inglorious’s grin faded, as did Chance’s tight-lipped smile as they both rose to their feet.
“Hey, she can answer for herself. What do you say, honey? Want a drink on me?” Leo leered.
“Believe Magic answered for me,” I bit out. Damn, I didn’t want attention when Pyro was in the pub, and a glance proved all of Hellfire was watching us, as was most of the bar.
“What’s he? Your daddy?” Marty sneered, puffing out his chest. Before I could form an answer, Magic’s hand shot out and smashed the idiot’s face into the counter. Marty’s three friends froze in shock as Magic lifted the guy’s head and banged it a second time.
“Get the fuck out of my bar.” Magic’s rumble cut through the sudden silence.
“Hey man, what’s your fucking issue? We were just having a drink and offered the lady one,” Leo said as their friends gathered around Marty.
“My problem is your sort ain’t welcome here. You don’t obey rules and think your dicks are bigger than anyone else. Now I’m not repeating myself. Get the fuck out of my bar!” Magic thundered. I stepped out of Magic’s way in case he made a move to exit the counter. The three men gathered Marty up, and Leo spat on the floor.
“This place is a dive anyway,” Leo sneered and shoved his friends in the door’s direction. As they went through, the tension level dropped, and I saw several guys sitting down. Moments later, the conversation returned to normal, and Magic grunted.
“Okay, Bunny?” he growled.
“Yeah, Magic,” I said softly and smiled. Magic studied my face before nodding brusquely and serving a couple of bikers from Devil’s Damned Disciples.
Magic closed the bar at three and locked the door. Before walking Alice to her car, he scooted around, tidying the chairs and tables. Magic returned within moments and checked the place over.
“Tallied the tills, Bunny. Could you bank the money in the safe, babe?” Magic asked.
“Sure can, Magic; go on, get off. I’ll lock up and finish the clean-up,” I said, smiling. Magic grunted, and I followed him to the door, where he pulled one hundred bucks out on me. Magic shoved it in my hand, and I stared at it, puzzled.
“You worked over your hours and still working for the next hour. Take it, girl, and put it towards renewing them.” Magic nodded at my tattoos, and I winced. Was there anything Magic didn’t know? He sent me a shit-eating grin and walked out the door. “Lock it, Bunny,” Magic roared. I laughed and turned the key. Magic’s boots stomped away as I placed the shutters over the windows. Magic had long ago learned to make sure they were closed because some pissed off clients didn’t have an issue throwing bricks through a window. They were an awesome design that allowed me to shut them from the inside while they covered the glass from the outside.
Once that was done, I set the tables and chairs right while the dishwasher held the second from the last load. My feet were killing me, and I was on at four the following day unless we were short again. Something caught my eye under the table Hellfire had been sitting at, and I bent down and picked up a wallet. On opening it, I gazed at the handsome features of Pyro and sighed. If only he’d recognised me. I placed Pyro’s wallet on the bar and continued cleaning.
As years passed, I wondered what happened to Dakota and had been tempted to find him. Dakota had been the one regret of my dad. That he’d lost him. Mom and Dad had tried too hard to adopt Dakota and failed. The failure had riddled Dad with guilt, and he’d never really recovered. Losing Mom and then Dakota so close together had been so difficult for us both. I’d retreated into myself. Hence the Janet I’d become. I’d finally come to terms with that in the last couple of months.
Three losses, Mom, Dad and Dakota, had hurt me so profoundly that I’d pulled away from making bonds with anyone. The one thing that had stopped me from finding Dakota was the fear of rejection; we’d still visited, even when Mom deteriorated so quickly. Dad had chosen to keep Mom’s illness and death from Dakota, not wanting to upset him while he fought the courts. When the judge banned us from contacting Dakota again, Dad’s heart had fractured, and so had mine. We wondered what had become of Dakota over the few years before Dad’s passing. It was something that haunted Dad, and I’d realised unless I locked Dakota away, it would haunt me too.
Being an orphan at sixteen had been rough, and I had badly wished to seek Dakota then but didn’t. I was self-sufficient and had proved that to the court, who aspired to send me to a children’s home until I was eighteen. Fuck that; I was staying put and made it very clear I operated as an adult. The courts hadn’t been able to argue in the end with the wealth of evidence I provided my lawyer, and I’d won. They’d appointed a supervisor I rarely saw, and then I was alone in the world.
Had Dakota had anyone? Had he been fostered? Did Dakota finally find a family who could love him for the precious soul he was? I hoped he’d had a good childhood and had been happy, but now, our interactions would be over what drink he wanted. Janey Revers would fade from Pyro’s mind over time, as she had before. I’d be a long-forgotten, tiny part of his past. And that worked for me. Tonight had been the test as I was fresh in his mind, and if Pyro were going to recognise me, it would have been tonight.
I wondered how he’d discovered it was me who’d visited him that day on Hellfire. However he had, it didn’t matter. Dakota and I were long done, and I should have left him in the past. I will now because I was Bunny Jones, and I didn’t need to keep looking over my shoulder. I was as far away from Janey Revers as possible, which mattered. After straightening the room, I grabbed the evening’s take and walked to Magic’s office. I opened the safe and placed the money bag inside before locking it and spinning the dial. Loudly yawning as I exited the office, I intended to put the last load of glasses on when I heard a noise at the door.
Concerned, I paused, wondering if Magic had come back for something. Only he and I had keys to the heavy doors. There were shuffling and scratching noises, and the realisation sank in that someone was trying to pick the lock. Shit, I hadn’t shoved the deadbolts across, and I began moving towards the door when it swung open. The grinning smarmy faces of the four men Magic had kicked out earlier appeared, and I dashed towards the bar. Sliding behind it, I hit the panic button and stepped away. Magic’s shotgun was directly in front of me, but I’d never held a weapon before.