“Let me give you an example. There’s a group of four older gentlemen who I’m guessing are a little older than Compass. These men either hang out at the co-op on one side of the street or they can be found at Melvin’s Thrifty Bargains across the street. They hang out there rain or shine, which in itself isn’t strange, but it was the feeling I got that they were dissecting everything Compass and I said or did,” Maureen said.
“Agreed. As if they were searching for any threat we could pose,” Compass said.
Twist considered what they’d said. Why would a small town be on guard withoutsiders? And not just any outsiders but even with an older, married couple.
“Okay. What other thoughts did you have?” Twist asked.
“Two different people we saw tending bar seemed overqualified,” Compass said.
“I don’t think I understand what you mean,” Twist replied.
“You’ve served and you know how, even still today, when you walk in a room, you assess exits, threats, etc. The longer you’re on home soil, the more relaxed you get, though it’s still a part of your personality now because it’s ingrained in you. Both times we visited the bar, it was being manned by one of the MC members. Once it was the Sergeant at Arms and the other time it was the Enforcer. Now, from our research, the MC owns a lot of businesses. And at Bluff Creek, we’ve seen the members all have jobs,but this was different. I got the feeling that they were there almost as a first line of defense, maybe. Assess the people coming in for threats.”
Twist considered what Compass was saying. Why would an MC be that focused on assessing threats at a bar they owned?
“How were the cabins?” Twist asked.
“They were nice. The town was darling, and for a small town, has a very homey feel. But I think that’s why being scrutinized so thoroughly by the town residents and the MC stuck in our heads and gave me that something’s off feeling,” Maureen said.
“I appreciate you doing this. I think even though you obviously have reservations about the town, I want to visit and see if I can connect with Britt,” Twist said.
Maureen grinned and patted his hand. “I wouldn’t expect any less. She’s piquedyour interest, and you need to know more. I guess the only question is, do you want Lexi and Booker or someone else to go to town with you as backup?” Maureen asked.
Twist grinned back at the woman who had basically made all Lexi and Booker’s friends family.
“I think it will be fine. I’ll get my stuff together and plan on heading there today,” he said.
“Why don’t you set a check-in time with Booker so that if he doesn’t hear from you, we can send in reinforcements?” Compassasked.
Twist nodded. That was a fantastic idea, but he hoped he wouldn’t need it.
Twist had made good time and pulled into the parking lot of the club’s bar. He thought he’d have a beer and scope out the area. Maybe he’d see Britt and maybe not. He’d be disappointed if he didn’t get to see her.
Despite feeling like he was being lied to with every word out of her mouth, he couldn’t get her off his mind.
He also had the perfect excuse to be around here. Storms were expected to roll through here later this week. Halloween was four days away. He’d received a call that his vehicle was done. He’d asked Pit if their prospects could bring it to him. Pit had offered that when Twist had picked up his bike. But things had changed. Some of the Franks sisters were in town visiting Arieland had offered to make the drive to drop it off. He’d bet money that Lexi had given them a heads-up on the woman Twist had rescued.
He scoped out the area. The club’s bar was set far enough back from the road to have plenty of parking. They even had a couple spots for big rigs to park. To the right was the club’s towing company with a decent parking lot and a fenced-in area in back. Twist wondered if there was a lot of crime in the small town because the garage had a six-foot chain-link fence with privacy slats. The top of the fence had barbed wire angled outward, making it hard to climb. Twist guessed maybe being on the highway, they might have to worry about someone trying to sneak in.
To the right of the towing company, after the parking lot, was the HoneyCreek Badgers RV & Resort. It was nice, with trees offering some shade in places and pull-through RV spots. When Storm Sweeper was delivered, he might see about renting a spot. This would be as good a place as any to storm chase this week.
He pushed open the door and hoped he’d get to see Britt. Even though he hadn’t quite believed her about her parents forcing her to marry, he wanted to check on her. And to see if the chemistry he’d felt that night was from the adrenaline or something special.
He immediately felt at home in the bar, but after his conversation with Compass and Maureen, he was on edge. The warm wood floors and the darker wood bar looked like a cozy place he could kick back, but he still clocked the exits available to him if needed. The bar was in the middle of the design and appeared to have a three-sixty viewof the room other than a three-foot-wide column where liquor was on shelves.
Three pool tables were to the right of the bar, situated far enough from tables that the participants could get loud and not bother diners. There were deep booths with brown leather seats over to his left. Tables and chairs were about half full this time of day, and the smell was incredible. He saw a couple of people with what looked like takeout containers, while others had plates of food. He dismissed all the ones he saw as non-threats.
“Welcome to Badgers’ Bar,” the man behind the bar said. Now this guy Twist would class as a threat. His cut identified him as Axel, the Honey Creek Badgers MC Sergeant at Arms. Twist agreed with Compass. Axel was assessing Twist at the same time Twist was assessing him. Trying toappear non-threatening, Twist had worn a faded T-shirt with well-worn jeans, motorcycle boots, and a belt. He’d pulled his shoulder-length hair into a man bun because Lexi told him it made him look more relaxed.
“Thanks,” Twist said, taking a seat at the bar. Despite the guy being on edge, maybe he could get some information from the man.
“Are you here to eat, drink, or both? We’ve got a bar menu, or we can order delivery from the café,” the man said.
“I could eat, and I’m parched from the road. I’d love iced tea if you have it,” Twist said, taking the menus from the man.
“Name’s Axel, and I recognize you from your videos. Does that mean the weather forecasters are correct and we’re in for some storms?” Axel asked.
“Nice to meet you, Axel. I was here to check on an acquaintance, but yeah, it’s looking favorable for a wild week,” Twist said.
