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“I’ll tell Earnest to switch the coffee to decaf for the rest of the evening,” she said, clearly suggesting that the coffee was to blame for his cantankerous attitude.
“Do not act like you know me,” Darkness barked. “You may be good people and Ryder’s old lady, but until he puts a ring on your finger, you ain’t family.”
Turning her back to the man, Tiffany held up her hand over her shoulder and wiggled her big, fat, new diamond at the man.
He huffed out an exasperated breath. “Fine, you are family. But you need to remember that bitches don’t speak for me.”
A hard, feminine voice said behind the man, “That’s enough mixing it up with old ladies for you today, Dark.”
Spinning around, he intoned seriously, “Do not tell me what to do, Savage.”
“That’s what sisters are for. If you’re in a foul mood and spoiling for a fight, go punch up a brother.”
“We don’t punch each other up. We spar,” he clarified.
Making the little go-away gesture with one hand, Barbara noticed she cradled a tiny baby in the other arm. “You’re being loud. Unless you want to wake your little one up, calm down for a blasted minute.”
The older lady that Tiffany had introduced as Ryder’s mother offered, “If you want me to take the baby inside, I will. That way, Darkness can stomp all around like a mad bull.”
Throwing up his hands, he grumbled bitterly, “Fine, gang the fuck up on me.”
Tiffany replied cheerfully as she stood, “Sorry about that, my friend.” Gesturing to the back, she explained smoothly, “On the upside, Ryder and Ace are sparring again out back. If you hurry, you might be able to catch the tail end of that action. And if you’re really nice, they might let you shoot coke cans off the fence.”
Stalking up to her, Darkness pointed his abnormally large finger in Tiffany’s face. “I can’t believe we traded in perfectly good club whores for a bunch of condescending bitches who don’t know their place.”
Tiffany grinned at him, proving once again that her perception of the disagreement they were having was miles away from his. “We can call them all back if you like. I hear Precious has been asking about you.”
“Even I can see that bitch is trouble. I don’t want her within yelling distance of my kid.”
“Good call. Want me to make you a plate?”
“Fuck no,” he sneered. “I’m gonna go put some cash down on Ace before the fight…sparringis over with.”
“If you think betting against my old man is hurting my feelings, you don’t know me very well.”
Tilting his head, Darkness’s expression morphed into one resembling happiness. “Bitch, don’t go there. I know you better than you know yourself.”
“Says you.”
Shaking his head, he mumbled, “Ryder’s right. I ain’t never gonna win an argument with you, am I?”
Shrugging, she dropped back into her seat. “Probably not, but it sure is fun trying, right?”
“Yeah, I guess. Catch you bitches later.” Doing an about-face, he strolled off behind the building.
The woman with the baby walked over. “Sorry about my brother. He’s always been a little high-strung.”
“We love Darkness around these parts,” Tiffany offered. “So you’re Savage. He talks about you all the time.”
Smothering back a smile, the woman with the baby in her arms sat down. “I don’t want to even think about the stories he probably tells.”
Laughing merrily, Tiffany replied, “There is one about you being terrified of a ferret, one about him beating up an attendant at a carnival to get him to let you ride the monster roller coaster, and—”
“That will about do for now. Thanks, Tiffany. It’s nice to know my brother’s not totally making stuff up.” The woman’s voice was wry but friendly.
Wrinkling her nose, Barbara mumbled, “This is so weird. I had to really work at feeling comfortable around my ex when we first got married, but I feel like I’ve known you all my whole life.”
That comment earned her the warm regard from the diverse group of women. Miss Lily spoke up timidly, “I think Ace did real good picking you, dear.”
