Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 72937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“Right?” He snapped his fingers and a server in nothing but a silver thong and fuck me heels teetered over with a smile.
“What can I getcha, Mr. Ashby?” She blinked up at him with long lashes and a smile that said she’d be happy to get him anything he needed.
Jasper barely paid attention to her, his gaze focused on the redhead with a wide smile serving up drinks in the corner. She had the attention of no less than four different Reckless Bastards, not to mention three of the four giants who provided security for Ashby card games.
“More whiskey for me and another dark beer for my friend,” he said, ignoring her attention.
Deflated, the waitress rolled her eyes and glared at me as if I was the reason she couldn’t get any play. “Well?”
“No thanks, I’ll just have Maureen mix up something for me since she doesn’t mind doing her job.”
The girls at Bungalow Three would never act this way toward a paying customer. They were always smiling and happy, tits poked out and lips formed into a perfect pout. Shit. Now I was thinking about the girls who’d been snatched. Again.
So far, neither Jag nor Jameson had found anything on the dark web, no evidence of our women anywhere. It really pissed me off I hadn’t been able to find them, more so that I couldn’t even enjoy Virgil’s bachelor party because I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“Hey man, you all right?”
I looked at Jasper and shrugged. “Yeah man. Just club shit I can’t seem to turn off.”
He flashed a knowing smile and clapped me on the back as we made our way over to the long table filled with booze. “It’s a job that has no days off, I’m afraid.” Jasper laughed and cut through the crush of men, working hard to get another of Maureen’s throaty laughs.
“Mo, how about a shot of something strong for Charlie? And a beer chaser.”
“Comin’ right up, luv.” She winked and turned away, a small blush staining her cheeks.
“Interesting.”
Jasper glared at me and shook his head. “There’s nothing interesting about Mo. Got that?”
A bark of laugher escaped just as Maureen—or Mo—set a shot of whiskey and a long-neck of beer right in front of me and said, “Drink up, my friend. Virgil’s getting married!”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Mo!” Virgil groaned out loud as a cheer erupted from every man in the room, pushing him toward the table where Maureen had lined up four shots. “Four?”
She nodded. “The guys here think that’s how many months it’ll be before you have our Maisie knocked up.”
He flashed a wide smile and picked up the first glass. “Thank you and fuck you all, very much!” Like a real pro, the man picked up each glass and tossed them back like water.
“All right, boys, come and get it!” With a flourish, she tipped the bottle of Velvet Fire on its side and filled up enough tumblers for every man in the room. “Congrats, Virg. You’re one lucky bastard.”
“The luckiest, Mo. The goddamn luckiest, and I know it.”
Jasper grinned at the banter between Virgil and Maureen, making me wonder if she was just another Ashby employee, or something more. “One more day, and the wedding hoopla is over.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Over it, already?”
“No,” he sighed and took a long sip of whiskey. “But between the arson at the caterers and all the other shit that’s going on, this is a big damn distraction. Plus a wedding is the perfect time for Brendan or the Black Jacks to strike.”
“No shit. Those assholes, at least I’m pretty sure it was the Black Jacks, took a couple of our girls.”
Surprise flashed in Jasper’s all-seeing eyes. “Fuckin’ sucks, man. I’ll let you know if I hear or see anything. The Crusaders are still out there bringing in girls from overseas.”
“Fuck that shit.” Before I could say another damn word, the lone door that fed into the VIP room was kicked open with enough force that it bounced off the wall. “Holy fuck!”
“What the fuck!” Jasper and I shouted simultaneously as two figures came into focus.
Brendan Rhymer stood in the doorway with a smarmy smile on his face. The sight of him knocked me back a step as a thousand questions shot through my mind. It wasn’t my place, but I knew how the Ashby’s rolled. Same as the Bastards would if we owned this club. So, how the fuck did he and the asshole he’d brought for backup get past security?
Next thing I saw was how oh so fucking proud Brendan was that he’d gotten the jump on a bunch of Reckless Bastards and Ashbys. “Am I interrupting anything?” he said with a smirk I couldn’t wait to wipe off his hideous face.
It wasn’t my show, or I’d have dropped him by now. I stood there trying to gauge what would happen next? Was this a parlay? Would Jasper make a move?