Then again, we’re just the bartenders. We’ve heard Crimson Road thrown around on repeat. Some have muttered Blaze’sname, but all I know is that they’re trouble. A nasty bunch from Meadow Falls.
She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “You are too soft on him. Maybe if you asked him and put some weight on it, he’d tell you.”
Speak of the devil, and my skin prickles. The low rumble of Judge’s voice cuts through the noise, and my body betrays me in an instant. My stomach clenches, a familiar, thrilling tension. My heart kicks into a frantic, heavy rhythm against my ribs, a drumbeat only for him as he makes a sudden appearance from the back.
“You think he’d tell me over anyone else?” I force a scoff, feeling a treacherous heat trickle up my throat.
“Yes,” Raven says, her tone losing its edge as we both watch the burly man. “I do.”
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I let myself look. Really look. Judge moves toward Ghost, clamping a hand on his scarred shoulder in a gesture that’s both welcome and approval. He nods at Eliza, a rare, respectful dip of his chin. With his broad back turned to us, I’m robbed of the chance to read his lips, to steal some piece of his thoughts.
“They look happy,” Raven muses, leaning against the bar. “Maybe things can feel normal again now that we’re not missing a regular.”
I hum, the sound noncommittal. My mind isn’t on Ghost’s habits. It’s on the way Judge stands, the sheer, solid presence of him that seems to command the very air in the room. The couple looks at each other, sharing a soft, private smile despite Judge holding their attention, and the hollow feeling in my chest expands.
“You ever think what it would be like to find that kind of happiness?” The question leaves me in a whisper, leaving me exposed. Finding love isn’t exactly a topic we bring up often.
None of the club members spare a glance at me, and those who even get too close on accident get spooked by Judge with the way he hovers. I’m pretty sure all of the club members are scared of Raven, and for good reason, too.
Raven grunts. “The only people we’re ever around are these guys. You really want to fool around with them? Half of them avoid women like the plague, and the other half can’t keep their hands off of them. Most of the latter can’t stick with just one woman, either. It’s disgusting.”
Surprised by the sourness behind her words, I glance over and notice she’s glaring ahead.
But my thoughts are already circling back to him. Judge doesn’t bother with the club girls. He doesn’t pull them away for a few minutes of his time. Instead, when he’s out on the floor, he usually ends up here. With me. So, where does that leave him? Does he fit into either of Raven’s categories?
The old, familiar doubt slithers in. Could it be that he just doesn’t see me as a woman? In his eyes, I might still be that scared eighteen-year-old, forever hiding in her sister’s shadow, a responsibility rather than a desire.
We watch as Judge releases Ghost and Eliza, his focus shifting to the group of prospects. He crosses his burly arms over his chest, a wall of muscle and intention, and I can guess he’s warning them about Crimson Road. But when the group of them glances toward the bar, toward us, my breath catches.
“They’re up to something.” Tossing the stem, she steals another cherry. “I don’t like it.”
“Judge wouldn’t do something unless it’s necessary.” I grimace as the words leave my lips, but the defense is automatic, a reflex honed over years of unwavering faith in him.
Yet, I feel it too—an uncomfortable, heavy lump of dread in the pit of my stomach that has nothing to do with the club’senemies and everything to do with the man throwing plans together.
When the bearded president hooks a finger and turns our way, I’m surprised to see Jinx following him. But my focus narrows, tunneling until only Judge exists. I notice the way his gaze sweeps over me, a quick, assessing glance that feels like a physical touch.
He’s a fortress of a man, every feeling locked behind a wall of stoic silence. A desperate, foolish part of me wishes I knew the secret combination, the one thing that would make him unravel for me.
I feel my sister stiffen beside me as they reach the bar.
“We’re taking safe precautions. All of our main girls are being watched over. Everyone is set, but you two.” He looks between us, and my heart stutters when his eyes linger on me a moment longer, the weight of his gaze keeping me from floating away.
He’s giving everyone babysitters? Are we really to that point? The other women are being paired with their lovers, a thought that sends a fresh pang of longing through me. It makes painful sense that Raven and I would need someone assigned to us.
“No.” Raven grits her teeth, already glaring at Jinx. “He’s bad fucking luck. I’m not letting someone like that watch over me. At least give me someone who is patched in. Not a prospect.”
I wince at her words, but Jinx just looks amused.
Judge doesn’t care, either. “He volunteered, be grateful. No one else wants to put up with you. If I ever see you two apart, I’ll handcuff you together, I don’t care.”
Jinx grins. “Kinky. You into that, little bird? Being tied up with someone worth less than you?”
A shiver runs down my spine as Judge’s hand closes around my arm, pulling me a step closer to him on pure instinct. The protective gesture is so swift, so possessive, it makes myhead spin. The sound of glass shattering against the bar barely registers.
“She will kill him, Judge. He’s the one guy she actually wants to murder.” My voice is tight with worry for her, but my next breath catches in my throat when he leans in, his attention fully on me now, his presence overwhelming.
“They’ll be fine.” He shakes his head, hardly sounding confident. “This is a safe measure just in case. I need to make sure you’re safe.”
