“Not you.” Axel glanced toward Rena and of course saw her staring at him and trouble. “Later, little guy.”
The man’s eyes bulged. “Little guy? I’m gonna bury my fist in—” the guy started, but Axel hurried past the jerk and his buddies, intent on behaving himself if it killed him.
* * *
Rena sighed. It was as if Axel hadtroublewritten on his forehead. She watched as three men tried to pick a fight with the giant headed her way. But he ignored them. When one of them reached for Axel’s shoulder to stop him, he grabbed the hand on his shoulder and turned, then somehow had his assailant’s hand behind his back as he shoved the man’s face against a nearby tabletop.
She winced.
Next to her, her friends watched withoohs andaahs. Axel, to his credit, moved quickly. He said something to the man, waited for him to respond, then stood and, ignoring the small crowd watching him, made a beeline in her direction.
“Oh,” Lara sighed. “The handsome Viking is coming to plunder.”
Hope, her cousin’s fiancée, sighed as well. “He’s so hot, in a tough, scary kind of way. I mean, his muscles are almost bigger than J.T.’s.”
To that, Rena, Lara, and even Del scoffed. “Seriously?” Del said. “Hope, take off the blinders. My brother is big. Hell, so is Mike. But next to Axel, they look like, well, like Johnny.”
Lara snickered. Behind her, Johnny—her boyfriend—glared. “I heard that, Del.”
“I know.”
“Truth, bro,” Rena heard one of his friends tell him. She smiled at the group.
Her eyes teared, and she sniffed. She was going to miss this place and everyone in it. Yes, the many patron of Ray’s Bar had rough edges, but heck, so did she. She locked gazes with Axel. He stopped at the edge of the small crowd around her, looked at her over their heads, and gave her a soft smile.
That made her tear up even more because she hated that she was going to miss the big lug who made it a habit of staring and not talking to her. What kind of nutcase missed that?
“Speech!” J.T. yelled.
“Speech, speech,” others repeated, until Ray sounded an air horn and shut everyone up.
“Okay, assholes, simmer down.” Ray glared everyone into submission. “Not you, honey,” he said to her. “Now, I’m gonna say my piece. Rena Jackson is one of my favorite people. She always showed up on time”—he glared at Sue and Wiley in particular—“made everyone smile, and never mixed up an order. Sweet as honey is our Rena. And we’re sure as shit gonna miss her.”
The crowd cheered and clapped until Ray yelled at them to be quiet again. “But this is a celebration, not a funeral. So we’re gonna laugh and drink and make sure we take some of our girl’s business cards. Rena’s finally opened up that damn salon, and she needs customers.”
More cheering.
Ray pretended to scowl at her before smiling. “I hope I get a discount when I come in.”
“Ain’t like you got a lot to work with, baldy!” yelled a smartass from the back.
“I know that’s you, Earl!” Ray barked back then patted Rena on the shoulder. “Well, girl, give us your speech.”
Rena wiped her eyes. “I’m going to miss you degenerates.” Everyone laughed. “I mean it. You’ve all been like family, and I’ll miss you. But I do plan on coming in to grab a cold one now and then. And this time I’ll be nagging Sue from the other side of the counter.”
Everyone toasted that.
“So eat and drink up. I doubt Ray will ever open the bar again for free drafts.”
“The free drafts are done in ten minutes,” he said loudly. “You people are drinking me dry!”
More laughter.
Rena finished by saying, “I’m keeping this brief because Del and J.T. told me I had to.” She smiled at those booing her cousins, who shot her dark looks. “I love you all, and thanks for the party. I hope I’ll see you at Rena’s Salon off Rainier! Make sure you take a card before you leave. Ray’s customers get a discount. Now drink up!”
The mood grew festive again. Someone plugged the jukebox back in, and the music started. Big J and Earl broke up a fight in the back, and two other bouncers Ray had brought in for the night seemed to be occupied near the corner with someone else.
A large hand wrapped around her arm, and heat filled her from head to toe. She didn’t know how she knew, but she could always tell when Axel was close.
