She gives me bad vibes.
I watch her from across the crowded bar, her fiery red hair standing out like a beacon in the dimly lit room.She’s surrounded by a group of guys, each one clearly trying to win her attention, but Scarlett only has eyes for one person.
My brother Eagle.
Which concerns me.He’s in the bathroom at the moment.
Hell, he shouldn’t be here at all.He’s still underage.And sober.
Scarlett’s gaze is intense and probing.It makes my skin crawl.
“What’s up with you?”my buddy Colt asks, nudging me with his elbow.
“Just thinking,” I take a swig of my beer.
My first beer as a legal twenty-one-year old.
Eagle just turned nineteen, but no one checks IDs here.
So I’m keeping an eye on him.
And on Scarlett.
Colt follows my gaze and laughs.“Oh, I see.Scarlett’s got you all wound up, huh?”
“I just don’t trust her,” I say, keeping my voice low.
Colt raises an eyebrow.“Really?She’s harmless.Flirtatious, yes, but harmless.”
Maybe Colt’s right.Maybe I’m reading too much into this.But every instinct in me is screaming that Scarlett is trouble.
And Eagle can’t steer clear of trouble.
First, she’s older than Eagle.Why she’s interested in a teenaged boy is beyond me.
Second, there’s something predatory about the way she’s watching him, like a lioness stalking her prey.It’s unsettling and it makes me uneasy.She’s used to getting what she wants.And right now, she wants Eagle.
“Maybe,” I mutter, finishing off my beer.
“Hawk,” Colt says, his tone serious.“You need to relax.Scarlett is just a girl, and Eagle can handle himself.”
I want to believe him, but something in my gut tells me otherwise.Eagle has a tendency to dive headfirst into trouble.And from the way Scarlett’s watching him, Iknowshe’s trouble.
When Eagle returns, I catch his arm.“We need to talk,” I say, leading him away from the crowd, away from Scarlett’s predatory gaze.
“What’s up?”Eagle asks, looking…not like himself.
It’s a look I haven’t seen on him in over a year.
“God damn it,” I say.“What the fuck did you do in there?”
“Dude, take it easy.”He swaggers toward the bar.“I need a drink.”
“And fuck up over a year of sobriety?I don’t think so.”
I grab him and yank him toward the bathroom.
Scarlett watches us, despite the gaggle of men surrounding her.
