“Yeah you are, or I’m gonna take it. You got two seconds to make your choice.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” She raised her chin.
“Really? Sweetheart, I’ve been wanting to touch your tits for a while now, so this is as good a time as any.” His hand skimmed her top.
“Wait! I’ll give it to you.” In one movement she retrieved the dough. “What’re you going to do with it?”
“Give it back. Do you realize you were playing against bikers? From the look on your face, I’ll take that as a no. Biker lesson one: When dudes wear leather vests with the name of an MC on the back and the guys are covered in tats, they’re bikers. And we don’t fuckin’ like being hustled. They’re ready to teach you a lesson you’d be lucky to survive. Why the fuck are you hustling? Do you wanna get yourself killed?”
“What do you care? I’m nothing to you.”
“What the fuck are you saying? If you didn’t mean something to me, I wouldn’t be explaining all this shit to you, and I wouldn’t have asked you to my mom’s goddamn birthday party. You’re the most infuriating woman.” He counted out the money. “How much did Brick lose?”
“Who?”
“The dude with the shaved head built like a brick house. Looks like he lives in the gym.”
“Oh. Him. A couple thousand. Why?”
“’Cause you’re giving it back. You’re giving all the money back to everyone you hustled.”
“And why would I do that?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you wanna live, or you don’t want your pussy and asshole ripped to shreds?” When her face blanched, he knew he’d made his point. “Don’t move. Wait here.”
He walked over to the table where Brick and a couple of the other guys who lost money to Raven sat. “Here,” he said as he handed each of the men their bills.
“You hot for the bitch?” Brick asked as he shoved the money in his pocket.
“Not exactly.” Goldie, Crow, Chains, and Skull sniggered. Muerto threw them a dirty look. “She’s one of my tenants. I need the rent.”
Brick clapped Muerto’s shoulder and let out a loud laugh. “Don’t want you to go hungry, brother. And I don’t blame you for wanting to keep her pussy safe. She’s a looker, but she better never hustle in this county again. You tell her she got a freebie on account of you.”
“Yeah. We’re gonna take off.”
“What do you mean?” Jaime asked.
“You don’t need to go. You girls can stay with the others, but you should leave when the Night Rebels do. I’m gonna make sure Raven gets home okay.” He bumped fists with his brothers and the Fallen Slayer members, then went over to Raven. “We’re outta here. Consider yourself lucky as hell.”
“Thank you.” Her gray orbs gazed deeply at him, bewitching him, and then she smiled and an irresistible urge to kiss her seized him. Slipping her hand into his, she whispered, “Let’s go.”
For a split second he couldn’t move; he’d thought for sure she’d fight him, but she acted like she wanted to be with him. Nodding, he squeezed her hand and led her outside.
“Give me your keys.” Again, without argument, she handed them over. After closing her door, he slipped into the driver seat, and soon they were on the freeway heading back to Alina.
“I was surprised to see you tonight,” she said, breaking the silence.
“Likewise. Why the hell did you do that shit tonight? Do you need money?” He glanced at her sideways and saw her turn her head to look out the window. Miles of rocky sand and sagebrush blurred by. Not prodding her, he waited for her to speak as he counted the mile markers on the side of the road, lighting up when the headlights shone on them.
After a long while, she said in a voice he could barely hear, “I needed the money to get to Denver to deliver my paintings. Things are a little tight right now, and I didn’t want to lose the opportunity.”
“Why didn’t you come to me? I would’ve loaned you the money.”
She stared straight ahead. “All my life I’ve never asked anyone for anything. My dad and I fended for ourselves. It never occurred to me to ask you or anyone else for help. It’s just not my way.”
“Sometimes you have to. Is your business slow?”
“No. It’s just that I have a lot of expenses, and I send money home to my dad.”
