"This asshole scratched the felt," one growls, pool cue still gripped like a weapon.
I flash my most disarming grin. "Well, let's add it to his tab along with a round for the table, right?" I turn to the hang-around. "Unless you'd rather discuss it with a member? Blade's in a particularly shitty mood today."
The guy glances over at Blade, who's sharpening his knife at a corner table, and suddenly becomes very agreeable.
Crisis averted, I make my way behind the bar, relieving Knight from his shift. But my eyes keep drifting back to the brunette bombshell now chatting with Kelly, Blade's girlfriend.
"Did I hear that right? That’s the girl your brother mentioned in his letters?" Knight asks, following my gaze.
"Yep. Maddie Brooks in the flesh."
Knight chuckles. "God help Pine Haven. Your brother's getting out, and his partner in crime is already here. Add you to the mix..."
"It'll be fine," I say, not believing it for a second.
"Right." Knight claps my shoulder. "Just remember what Ghost told you—"
"Think before I act. I know." I roll my eyes. It's practically the club motto when it comes to me.
Knight leaves me to my bartending, and I settle into the routine of pouring drinks. But every few minutes, my eyes find her again. There's something magnetic about the way she moves, confident and completely at ease in a room full of outlaws. Most women who walk in here are either trying too hard or scared shitless. Maddie looks like she owns the place.
When she laughs at something Kelly says, throwing her head back, I nearly overpour a shot of Jack. Fuck.
She's James's friend. Practically part of the family. Off-limits.
But I've never been good with limits.
I'm so busy watching her that I don't notice Ghost approaching until he's right in front of me.
"Earth to Dice." He snaps his fingers. "You planning to serve drinks or just stare at that girl all night?"
"I wasn't—"
"Save it." Ghost's stern expression cracks into a knowing smirk. "Just be careful. That one looks like trouble."
"I can handle trouble."
Ghost barks out a laugh. "You are trouble. That's the problem." He leans in closer. "Look, you're doing good as a prospect. Don't fuck it up for a piece of—"
"Don't finish that sentence." My voice comes out sharper than intended. "She's my brother’s best friend."
Ghost studies me for a moment, then nods. "Fair enough. Just keep your head on straight. None of us have met your brother yet, but if she's anything like the stories you've told..."
He walks away, and I return to mixing drinks, aware that my reaction was stronger than it should have been. I barely know Maddie, but something about the way Ghost talked about her rubbed me the wrong way.
Half an hour later, she appears at the bar, sliding onto a stool directly in front of me.
"Jack and Coke," she says. "And don't water it down."
I raise an eyebrow. "Would I do that?"
"James says you'd cheat your own grandmother at cards."
"Only because she cheated first." I pour her drink, making it stronger than standard. "Besides, we never had a grandmother. Or any family except each other."
Something in her eyes softens. "Yeah, James told me about the orphanage."
I hate talking about that shit, so I change the subject. "Speaking of my brother, what's the craziest thing you two ever pulled?"
