Page 360 of Romeo

“Where is she?”

“Nope.”

The casual refusal wiped away most of the humor that had been hanging around his words.

My jaw tightened. “You know where she is.”

“Sure do.”

“Then tell me.”

Gator gave a short laugh and shook his head. “You rode all the way down here thinkin’ you were gonna stomp into my bar, give me that scary fuckin’ stare, and I’d hand you directions?”

I took another step toward him. “You remember why they call me Angel?”

His expression barely changed. “Everybody remembers, brother. You ain’t exactly subtle.”

“Careful, Crawley.”

The humor disappeared from his face.

“No. You be careful.” Gator straightened and held my stare. “You’re standin’ in my house threatenin’ me over a woman who already said she ain’t ready to see you.”

The words landed exactly where he intended them to.

“You know how many fucking places I’ve been looking for a woman when I didn’t know her name, what she looked like, or whether she was even alive?” I closed the distance between us until only a few feet separated us. “I lost her mother. I lost her sisters for eighteen fucking years, and I lost her before I ever got the chance to know she’d been born. Now you’re standing here telling me my daughter is close enough that you know where she sleeps, and you expect me to get back on my fucking bike and ride away?”

Something shifted behind Gator’s eyes, but his answer didn’t change.

“What I expect is for you to quit actin’ like a damn couyon long enough to listen. Fiona said she ain’t ready. Not King. Not Romeo. Your girl.”

My fists clenched at my sides.

Gator saw it and blew out a breath. “Gaw’d Almighty, Angel. Don’t make me work this hard before I’ve had enough whiskey.”

“Tell me where she is.”

“No.”

Movement came from my right.

Thore stepped around the bar.

I remembered the big bastard. Hard not to. He was built like somebody had taken a normal man and decided to add another hundred pounds before letting him out into the world. He stopped beside Gator, shoulders squared, making it clear that if this became physical, he intended to be first in line.

Gator glanced over at him. “Easy, big man. I don’t need Devlyn bitchin’ because y’all broke my furniture.”

Thore ignored him and kept his eyes on me. “Back up, brother.”

I looked him over.

Big didn’t bother me.

I’d spent twenty-five years as an enforcer in a one-percent club. Men bigger than me had tried to put me in the ground before Thore was a twitch in his daddy’s balls.

“Or what?”

Thore took a step closer. “You wanna find out?”