“Who?What?I plead the fifth.”
“She read my love line, Ace.She was very impressed.”
“Oh.”Billy leaned back in his chair and looped his arm around her shoulders.“She should be.”
Roxie rolled her eyes.Men!
“She said that my life keeps looping.I thought she meant how people from my past keep coming back.Like you two… She insisted it would loop again, that I would meet someone who was important, but I think she meant this guy.”
She caught Billy’s hand as it toyed with her hair.“You came back twice now.”
“And I won’t be leaving again.”
“No, you won’t.”Impulsively, she leaned over and kissed him.Right in front of her friends, family, and everyone.Maxie grinned, and Blaire let out a fluttering sigh.
When Roxie pulled back, she was grinning, too.“Let’s get this party started!”
A wave towards the kitchen brought out trays of food.Sliders and teeny weenies, potato wedges, and nachos.And beer, plenty of beer.The music was turned up, along with too many discussions to follow.Lexie asked Maxie about supplying flowers to a company event she was planning, while Zac asked Roxie about her trip.Cam was curious about the work Billy had done with the racing team and started commenting on a sound he was hearing in his car.Blaire was getting ready to play a game of pool with Charlie when Skeeter interrupted their happy get-together.
“Roxie,” the bouncer said sharply.
She knew that tone.It was enough to make her pull away from Billy and look to the door in concern.The bouncer had stood from his stool and was watching the street from the window.His shoulders were pulled back and his chest was lifted.
Trouble—and not the sexy kind.
Billy was out of his chair in an instant to help his friend.Roxie stood too, her chair sliding noisily against the wood floor.The door to The Ruckus opened, and she saw a flash of dark hair before Skeeter bar-armed whoever was trying to enter.
“We don’t want any trouble here tonight, Roux.”
Roux?He’d been gone for over an hour, maybe two.
“I’m not here to cause any,” her customer said.
“Yet you brought reinforcements.”Skeeter’s chin lifted.“Head along home now, kid.”
“No, no.”Roux sounded panicked.He’d been agitated all night, but the tone in his voice was sharp.Right on the edge.“At least let him in, man.You’ve got to let him in.For them.”
Skeeter held his ground when another voice came like ice.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Prickles caught the back of Roxie’s neck.
“Please.”Roux pushed at Skeeter’s arm.When it wouldn’t budge, he made one last try.“Roxie?”
Roxie felt the plea right down to the pit of her gut.By now, everyone in the bar was watching the door.She had no clue what she was supposed to do.Something was off here, very off.There was no way in hell she should let the kid back in, but something inside her…
She didn’t get to decide, because from out of nowhere, the guy with the icy voice took Skeeter out of the equation.One moment the bouncer was standing there, blocking the doorway, the next his arm was twisted behind his back and his face was pressed against the wall.
“Take your hands off my boy.”
“Hey!”Billy barked.He was already halfway across the bar, but he kicked it into high gear.
Cam and Zac were moving, too.
Roux squirted by and grabbed the tough guy by the back of his jacket.“Over here.Come on.”
Billy had the kid in a headlock before he could move.He dragged him back, out of the tough guy’s reach.“All right.Let’s all simmer down.”
