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And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out when the hell she ever thought I considered her weak.
3
Dani
I gazed around the pub, but the atmosphere was completely different. There weren’t any playful waitresses squealing at having their butts smacked. There weren’t men coming up to tables and asking for double dates with me and Max. There wasn’t even food or drinks coming to any of the tables.
It seemed like a completely different place.
All of the men were standing around, huddled off on the other side of the room. And there I sat, in the booth Max and I had occupied for one of our first dates, alone. The only woman in this place. It felt awkward. Like I wasn’t actually supposed to be here. But it seemed as if I was the only one that felt that my presence was off. None of the men clad in leather jackets and grungy jeans paid me any mind. Not like they had that night, anyway.
Then again, Max did look pretty beat up.
And they were all tossing questions his way.
“Who the fuck did this to you?”
“When did this happen?”
“Is this why you called the meeting?”
“They’re going to die. Every last one of them.”
The gruff voices made me shiver. Not with fear. I didn’t feel fearful of my place in this establishment. Nor did I feel as if my safety was compromised. But the intensity and sincerity these guys used to speak of death. And revenge. And killing.
I’d never heard people so completely okay with those topics before.
“We wait until everyone’s here,” Max said.
The entire room fell silent.
One could almost hear a pin drop in the place. I heard my heart thundering in my ears. Max held a command over this place--over these guys--that I didn’t understand. I mean, I knew they were all part of a crew. Their leather jackets were all the same. They had designs on the back in crimson red and gold. They all acted as if they had known one another for years. The best of friends, or even brothers.
I felt like I was missing something, though.
The door to the pub flew open and I craned my neck above the booth to see a massive man with a pot belly shuffling through the door. He let out a bombastic belch before scratching at the back of his head. The man looked like a cross between a pig and a moose. Towering over everyone else, but with a blank stare and an upturned nose on his face.
His expression changed the moment he saw Max.
“I’ve been waiting to get my hands bloodied recently.”
“Grog. Nice to see you again.”
Max walked up to him and the two clapped hands, welcoming one another into the night. Was the man’s name really ‘Grog’? Whether it was a nickname or not, it suited him. His eyes panned over to mine and he harrumphed through his nose. I could’ve sworn I saw a shadow of a grin playing upon his stubbled cheeks. His eyes returned to Max and I slid back down into the booth, wondering if everyone was finally here.
“All right. Time to round up.”
Max’s voice boomed through the pub and the men scattered. Chairs scraped across the floor and tables were moved out of the way. I saw each of the guys grab a chair and slide it up to the front, creating a circle as I was sure they’d done many times before. I watched Max sit down with a grunt. The men gathered around in their own chairs. There had to be twenty of them. Possibly even thirty. However, my eyes landed on the empty chair beside Max.
An
d I quickly scurried to take it before someone else did.
If my parents knew what I was doing…
I shook my head at the thought. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. And even though the rough-and-tumble men were studying me, I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by them. If anything, I felt safer than I had in a while. If any threat of any kind came down onto us, I knew I was the first person they’d protect.
I don’t know how I knew that. I just… did.
