“Hey, Race.”Jed leaned on the bar with his folded arms.
“Jed,” Race grinned at him.
“Got a call from one of the bouncers at Bottoms Up.Tinker’s there.”He shook his head at Miles, who held a beer up in question.
“Son a bitch.”Race shook his head in disgust.“Let’s go.”He slid off his barstool and asked Dagger if he wanted to ride along.
“Sure.”
“I’ll meet you both outside.”Jed didn’t stick around as they went to tell their wives they were heading out.Instead, he went outside and waited on his bike.While he waited, he noticed Tulsa coming around the corner with one woman under each arm.He didn’t recognize them and figured they were hangarounds.
“Hey!Where ya off to?”Tulsa stopped next to his bike.It was funny, but the drunker Tulsa got, the thicker his southern accent got.The ladies loved it and went on and on about it all the time.
“Got a situation at Bottoms Up.”
“You need me to go with you?”Tulsa frowned.
“Naw.Race and Dagger are coming.We got it.Go have fun.”Jed hitched his chin toward the door swinging open, where the two men in question were exiting.
The drive to Bottoms Up took them close to fifteen minutes despite traffic.The weather was getting colder, and it was only a matter of time before he'd have to trade his bike for his truck or his 1969 Chevy Camaro, depending on whether the roads were clear or not.Pulling onto the lot, they parked their bikes in the club’s reserved area near the front door.
“Thanks for the heads up.”Jed clasped forearms with the bouncer who called to warn them of Tinker’s arrival.The place was packed, causing them to stop and go several times before they ended up near the bar.They scanned the crowd for any signs of the mean bastard who ruined their Friday night.
Jed remembered how Tinker used to treat the women back in the day, and it pissed him off that they had to serve as babysitters to a grown ass man to keep him from hurting any of them now.Why couldn’t they just kick him out of the club now and be done with it?The thought crossed his mind several times a day, every day since the fucker’s return.It was only a matter of time before he hurt one of the women, or he sought his revenge against himself, or Dagger.Everyone knew it.
He felt the club shouldn’t have to spend all their time tailing him like a child, pulling his ass out of the fire when he inevitably messed up.And hewouldmess up.Trouble always had a way of finding Tinker.He needed to stress the need for Tom and his crew here at Bottoms Up to keep on their toes whenever he came around.
“Either of you see him?”Race asked above the noise.
“No.”
“Nope.”
“Where the fuck did he get off to?”Race appeared to wonder out loud.
From where they were standing, the club booth appeared empty except for a half-empty mug of beer and two empty shot glasses.It looked like Tinker had been busy.If they figured out where the hell he got off to, maybe they might be able to salvage the rest of their night.
“VIP room?”Dagger suggested.
“God.I hope not.”Race’s frown deepened.
“Bathroom?”Jed interjected.
Dagger went to check the men’s room, and when he came back, he shook his head.
This was ridiculous.Given that Tinker had already been drinking at their table, it was only logical that one of the waitresses might have seen where he’d gone.He clocked Violet cutting through the crowd on her way to the bar and stopped her to ask which of the women worked the club table tonight.
Her eyes lit up as she answered.“I am.Do you guys need anything?”
“We’re looking for one of our brothers.His name’s Tinker.”
“Oh.I showed him to your table earlier.”
“Do you happen to see where he might have gotten to?”
“Um, I think he headed that way.”She pointed to the hall that led to the office and the dancers’ dressing rooms.Shit.
“Okay.Thanks.”
