“Why did you have to mention that fucking group making trouble?” I mutter under my breath, eyes still locked on her as she and Ansley make their way toward the bar. “Now our resident troublemaker is out here looking for it.”
Rev lets out a laugh, not even pretending to be subtle. “Didn’t think she’d actually show. And dressed likethat? She came to watch someone bleed.”
“She came to cause a headache,” I grumble.
He grins. “Your headache.”
I shoot him a look that would make most men shut up and find another table. Rev just smirks and sips his beer.
I watch Bri settle onto a barstool like she’s been doing this all her life, flashing that smile of hers at the bartender, her eyes scanning the room like she’swaitingfor the chaos to start. And I already know, I’m gonna be the one stuck cleaning it up.
Not ten minutes after Bri gets her drink, the front doors swing open again, and in comes the goddamn college crew. A group of eight, maybe ten, all swagger and entitlement, like they think they’re walking into some trendy club in the city instead of a biker-owned bar in the middle of nowhere. Loud as hell. Laughing too hard at shit that ain’t funny. The guys are wearing polos or fitted tees and the girls, well, they’re dressed like they’re on spring break and hoping to get sponsored.
I shift in my seat, jaw tight.
“Speak of the fuckin’ devil,” Rev mutters, sitting forward.
I don’t respond. My eyes go straight to Bri. She’s still at the bar, sipping her drink, legs crossed, head tilted as she watches them file in. She knows exactly who they are. Her expression isn’t shocked, it’samused. Like she’s just been handed front-row tickets to the show she came for. Of course she’d show up the second I warned her not to. Of course they’d roll in like this was their playground. This has bad idea written all over it.
Ansley says something, and Bri laughs, tossing her hair over one shoulder, eyes glinting under the neon. She doesn’t look worried. She looksinterested. Like she’s hoping one of them says the wrong thing. Starts something they can't finish. And judging by the way one of the college assholes is already eyeing her like she’s tonight’s main event, it might happen sooner than I’d like.
Rev leans in, voice low. “You wanna shut this down now or let it get interesting first?”
I finish my beer in one slow swallow, never taking my eyes off her. “I swear, if one of those little shits even breathes wrong in her direction…”
Rev grins. “You’ll kill ’em?”
“No,” I say, rising from my chair. “But I’ll give ‘em a fuckin’ education.”
I push back from the table slow, deliberate. No rush. No need. The kind of movement that saysI’m not in a hurry, but you’re about to be real sorry.My boots hit the floor with a solid thud, and I roll the toothpick between my teeth as I stalk my way toward the bar, eyes locked on the crew of punks like I’m already picking which one’s gonna get tossed first.
Rev doesn’t follow, but I can feel his eyes on my back, probably smiling like this is the best free entertainment he's had all week.
The college crew fans out near the end of the bar, acting like they own the place, bumping into a couple locals without so much as an apology. One of the guys, tall, lean, with that clean-cut, smug-ass future frat president energy, clocks Bri and smirks.
Here we go.
He saunters toward her like he’s never had to work for anything in his life. “Hey there, honey,” he says, sliding up beside her and leaning one elbow on the bar like he rehearsed it. “You here with anyone?”
Bri doesn’t look at him right away. She takes a slow sip of her drink and glances toward him like he’s background noise.“Not really,” she says, voice sweet, innocent. The kind of tone that should come with a warning label. I swear I see a flash of amusement in her eyes.
“Oh yeah?” Frat Boy leans in closer. “Then maybe you should come hang with me and my friends. We’ve got a table over there in the corner.”
I step up behind her just in time to see his hand land on the back of her stool. Big mistake. “Hey,” I say, voice low, calm. Dangerous.
He turns, blinking up at me like he didn’t realize he just fucked around and found out. “Yeah?”
I look at his hand. Then back at him. “You can move that. Now.”
He gives a nervous little laugh. “Relax, man. We’re just talking.”
“She’s not interested,” I say, my voice going harder now, eyes narrowing. “So I’m only gonna say this once. Step back, walk away, and keep your hands to yourself while you’re still able to use ‘em.”
His eyes dart between me and Bri like he’s trying to decide if I’m bluffing.
I’m not.
Bri leans her elbow on the bar and looks at me, unbothered. “You always show up right when things are about to get fun?”
