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“Not here,” she says. “Are you looking for your girlfriend?”
It doesn’t exactly take a clairvoyant to tell I don’t belong here, so her question doesn’t shock me. “Yes.”
“She reads tarot?”
“I think so,” I answer, painfully aware my brothers are so damn close to this conversation.
“What about crystals?” she asks.
“Uh, I think she has a purple one.”
“What does she do?”
“She’s a singer.”
Her lips curve into a smile. “A free, creative spirit?”
“Sort of. She works hard though. Dedicated.”
She runs her hand over the glass counter slowly. Back and forth. “Much judgment and stress in her world.”
I think about the article Shelby showed me. “Yeah.”
She reaches into the case and pulls out a long, clear stone suspended from a purple silk cord. It’s simple but pretty. “Clear quartz. To absorb negativity and bring harmony. It also has many healing properties.”
“That’s one hell of a multi-tasking rock.” Jigsaw scoffs.
I glare at him and he grins.
“Bro, come on. It’s probably a hunk of melted glass,” Jigsaw says.
“Would you shut up?” Dex slaps Jiggy’s shoulder and pushes him toward the front of the tent.
The owner casts a look that drills home the meaning of evil eye Jigsaw’s way, wiping the goofy look off his face.
Ignoring him, she returns her attention to me. “Hold it.”
“What?” I scoop it off the counter. The stone’s cool and smooth in my hand.
“Real quartz is still cool to the touch, even if it’s a hot day. See the markings and imperfections?”
I study the small swirls and patterns of the stone and nod.
“Fake ones would be symmetrical and perfect.”
Since I honestly don’t believe in any of this shit, it doesn’t matter if it is a hunk of glass. I just want to give Shelby something pretty.
The woman quotes what seems like a reasonable price—not that I’d know the difference. I hand her some cash. She wraps it up in a box and tucks it into a bag.
“Thank you.” I stuff the little bag into my inner jacket pocket and meet my brothers outside.
“If you open your mouth, you’ll be eatin’ your chicken and waffles with a straw tonight,” I warn Jigsaw.
He fights to wipe the grin off his face. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You didn’t have to be a dick to the woman.”
“I was just messing around. She could tell that I’m a jovial spirit.”
“She probably put a hex on you.” Dex says. “I’d be careful for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Your dick might turn green and fall off.”
“What? That’s not true. Why would she do that? My dick didn’t do anything.”
“I don’t know.” Dex shrugs. “You were pretty rude. Maybe your tongue will fall out instead.”
The panicked expression on Jigsaw’s face is too irresistible. I must fuck with him. “Yeah, I heard about this guy down in Virginia once who gave some fortune-teller lip and his dick rotted clean off a few weeks later. No one could explain why it happened.”
“Now I know you’re lying. You wouldn’t go to a fortune-teller.”
“Never said it was me, jackass. Met the guy after it happened and he told me the whole story. Why do you think I won’t go to one?”
His expression falters and I barely keep a straight face. God, I love when he falls for shit I make up on the spot.
“Fuckers,” Jigsaw grumbles before stomping ahead of us.
Dex elbows me and the two of us bust up laughing.
“That was almost too easy.” Dex wipes a few tears from his eyes when we’re done laughing.
While all this fucking around has been fun, it’s time for me to get back to Shelby. I can screw off with my brothers whenever I want, but who knows how long it’ll be until I see my girl again?Chapter Twenty-SixRooster
Not wanting to leave Shelby alone for too long, I part ways with the guys after the food court and head back to the theater. Ahead of me, a biker in a black cut catches my attention. I stop, recognizing the three-piece patch on the back.
He turns and I wave, pushing my way past people.
“Rooster.” Chaser holds out his hand as he approaches me. “Good to see you.”
We shake hands and he pulls me in, slapping my back a few times. “Good to see you too.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement. Security guards pile up next to each other, talking while keeping an eye on us. I’m sure they see two different MC cuts and assume we’re rivals about to kick off a turf war. At the fair. Fuckin’ idiots.
Chaser follows my line of sight and huffs out a laugh. “Rent-a-bouncers don’t look like they have more than three brain cells between them to rub together.” He returns his attention to me. “How you been? Who else is with you?”
“Dex and Jigsaw. I was hoping I’d run into you while I was out this way, but never thought it’d be here.”
