By the end of the night, I was tired from running back and forth, jumping from being behind the bar to helping break up fights to running shit back and forth to the DJ.
I made it to midnight before I cracked an energy drink open. I’d done overnight shit while in the military, sure, but I’d been out for a few years now and I wasn’t used to the late night shit anymore. I took a slow drink from the can and stretched slightly, gazing around at the club.
I wasn’t trying to keep my eyes on the Barron family or Bishop necessarily but my eyes drifted to them anyway and there he was, standing with his twin and wearing a smile that should have been award winning.
“Aye,” I addressed Kate who was beside me without pulling my eyes from the scene in front of me. “What do you know about the Barrons?”
“Just the regular rumors.” She shrugged as she moved around me, grabbing a beer and sliding it to a customer at the bar.
“What are the rumors?” I pulled my eyes from Rook and Bishop and looked down at her.
“They’re a really close family and they apparently practice arranged marriages in the twenty-first century.” She looked back and at their section. “The oldest brother King and his wife Xavia have been together for a few years now. They seem happy. They never argue in public and there’s never been any cheating rumors on either side, not from lack of people trying. The Barron family has a lot of money, old money.” She looked back at me. “The second oldest son, Knight, just got married like a year ago, but during his wedding party to Nova, they had Casmi in their section with them. A few months later he was with them in public, like with them, with them.” She leaned into me and lowered her voice. “I mean, I guess with a family that still does the arranged marriage shit I shouldn’t be surprised about polygamy on top of that but sheesh.” She whistled. “That could not fucking be me.”
“And what about the twins?” I did my best to discreetly push her little story forward.
“Rook is the one that fights here all the time. He’s a cocky, arrogant son of a bitch but he’s kind of charming when he wants to be and he always pays really well and Bishop is… quiet.” She laughed. “He’s always polite but he definitely keeps talking to a minimum. The twins are supposed to be getting married in two years but I guess we’ll see.”
“What do you mean, we’ll see?”
“Word on the street is that the second youngest Barron is…” She paused and tilted her hand side to side. “There’s not much actually out to back that up because he’s pretty lowkey but I know a girl whose roommate went to Knight’s wedding party attheir mansion and says she saw Bishop real cozy with some guy. I mean, Rook would probably put someone through a wall if they brought it up in public so we won’t get any confirmation or anything but, that’s the rumor.”
I nodded at that, doing my best to school my face. I knew not to take rumors as truth but I also could admit to myself that a part of me felt like some of what I’d been told was the truth, even if it was just the part about Bishop being interested in men.
It made me feel validated and let me know that there was a good chance that I wasn’t actually reading too deep into things.
I didn’t focus on that though. Instead I hit my bartender on the back and jumped in to work.
I didn’t see any of the Barrons again but when the club closed for the night I felt accomplished. I helped clean everything up, made sure the building was secure and locked up to head home for the night,
I ate a quick salad when I got home, standing in the stove light of my empty house just to put something on my stomach and made a note to shift all my meals to later times so this didn’t become a habit.
I took a long hot shower afterwards. Then I headed to bed where I lay awake for what felt like hours just thinking about my day in its entirety. I was the owner of a club now. Damn. Life happened fast.
Ten years ago I joined the military. Five years after that, I’d gotten engaged then married three months after I’d popped the question just to be divorced three years later. Looking back I couldn’t believe where I’d started a decade ago, but I was glad I didn’t look like what I’d been through.
I snatched my phone off my nightstand and opened social media just to randomly scroll until my eyes got heavy. Instead, a few minutes into my scrolling I caught sight of King Barron. Hispicture was one in a line of several, all labeled as people I might know.
I tapped on his photo immediately and tried to tell myself that I was just looking through his photos because that was what social media was for instead of admitting that I was looking for Bishop’s page.
It was tagged in a group photo of the entire family seemingly at an event.
Bishop was usually radio silent. He had six posts, the oldest being from when he was seventeen. He posted once a year. He had no online presence to speak of.
I paused and my eyebrows knitted together when Bishop’s name popped up along the top of my phone’s screen but I didn’t hesitate to open his message.
Bishop B: You want to get together and discuss security details sometime later today?
Me: Sure. Just let me know the time and the place.
Bishop B: The club? 6PM?
Me: See you then.
Bishop B: See you then.
I read over our messages slowly then locked my phone and tossed it back on the bedside table. Then, I stared at the ceiling until sleep took me.
The next day I slept in later than I had in a long time. I took care of my hygiene needs, had some protein, ran a few miles, had some breakfast then really sat with how my first night working at the club had gone.
