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It’s a bleak thing to say about his only living family, but I don’t try to argue with him. Gently, I steer Jimmy away from the subject of his brother, letting him talk and tell me jokes I’ve heard from him dozens of times before.
As he finishes his sandwich, my cell buzzes and I pull it out to see who it is. “Well, what a coincidence,” I tell Jimmy, holding up the phone for him to see. “It’smybrother calling.”
My brother Quad never actually calls me. Most of the time he texts, and even then, it’s usually to ask me for a favor. Still, I haven’t heard from him for a while, so I decide I need to answer. “Hello?”
The background noise of music and voices makes it hard to hear him. “Kat?” he shouts into the phone. “Hey, can you come down to the G-Spot? I need a favor.”
Ugh.Of course he needs something. Why else would he be calling?
“Quad, I just got off work. I’m on my way home to relax. Can it wait for another time?”
“Come on. I need you to take Kelly. Carla dumped her off on me this morning and she ain’t answering her phone.”
“You’ve got the baby at abar?” I squeak. And not just any bar. A damn biker bar. God, leave it to my brother to bring his own child to a place that a lot of adults wouldn’t necessarily feel safe going to.
“Well, yeah, what the hell else was I supposed to do?” he shoots back impatiently, like it’s obvious. “That’s why I need you to come pick her up.”
“Jesus God.” I let out a sigh so noisy that Jimmy cocks a brow at me. I roll my eyes at the phone.Idiot,I mouth. He gives me an understanding nod. “Where’s Carla, Quad?”
“She ain’t talking to me. She was lettin’ me stay at her place, but she threw me out again.” Before I can ask for details, he changes the subject. “Look, I’ve got the money I owe you, too,” he wheedles. “Come on, Kat. Come to the bar and I’ll give it to you.”
Dammit. Quad owes me five-hundred dollars, which is part of the reason he’s been avoiding me for weeks. He’s playing the trump card. Quad is my only brother. My only family, to be more precise. Between that and wanting to get my niece out of a bar full of drunk bikers, I feel like I have no choice but to agree.
“Okay,” I say, blowing out a breath. “I can be there in about fifteen or twenty minutes.”
I say goodbye to Jimmy and go back into the hospital, taking the elevator to the floor of the parking ramp where my car is parked. It’s a crappy, ancient compact, but it does have the one advantage of a sun roof, which I open as soon as I’m out of the ramp. Having the wind and sun on me lifts my spirits just a little as I drive over to the G-Spot to confront my brother.
When I get to the bar, however, the biker that’s sitting out in the parking lot on his motorcycle isn’t Quad at all. It’s Hooch, my brother’s asshole best friend.
Quad and Hooch belong to a local motorcycle club called the Eagle’s Talon. The Talon are a bunch of thugs, involved in shady dealings of various types that I try to know as little about as possible. Hooch is large and meaty, and though some women might find him attractive, the only reaction he elicits from me is revulsion. He exudes a dangerous kind of determination, like he’s already decided what he wants and he’ll be damned if anything will ever stop him from taking it.
Setting my jaw, I climb out of my car and make a beeline for the front entrance of the bar, pretending not to see Hooch. I’m hoping that if I don’t acknowledge him he’ll leave me alone. But no such luck.
“Hey!” he shouts at me. “You’re brother ain’t in there.”
That stops me short. “What?”
“He ain’t in there. He left a few minutes ago.”
“But he told me he…”
“Yeah, I know.” Hooch takes a few steps toward me. I try to ignore the greasy way his eyes slide over my body. “Carla came into the bar right after he called you. They left together.”
“Dammit!” Typical Quad, only ever thinking about himself. “Why couldn’t he at least have the decency to call me and let me know?”
“Yeah, well, that’s Quad, right?” Hooch shrugs, then gives me a cocky grin. “Come on in, I’ll buy ya a drink.”
“No.” I grumble, shaking my head. “I’m not in the mood. I’m just gonna go home.”
“C’mon,” he repeats. He’s close enough now to put a large hand around my bicep. He gives my arm a slight tug. “One drink. And then hey, I’ll take you to Quad. You can go get the money he owes you.”
“He told you about that, did he?” I ask, trying to pull my arm away.
“Nah.” His grin grows wider. “I heard him talkin’ to you on the phone.”
“Just tell me where he went.” I finally get my arm away. “I’ll drive there myself.”
“Nope. The price of me telling you is one ride on my bike. I’ll drive you there, and bring you right back here to your car when we’re done.”
