Thankfully, Caden and Damian were able to jump in and distract Marcus before they all ended up being called as witnesses in the sudden beheading of their once cocky and cheery friend.
Word to the wise, don’t date one of your brother’s friends. It’s not safe for anyone’s health.
The sound of laughter coming from the far side of the party caught Nikolai’s attention.
Lucas was flailing his arms, appearing to tell Caden and a few others some wildly animated story. The guy was a hoot, now that he had finally learned to relax and be himself once again. Long gone was the timid little twink who feared muscled bad boys and deep growly voices.
It's incredible what standing up for oneself and murder can do for one’s self-esteem.
“So, are you going to tell us who that guy was back in LA?” Blade asked, suddenly pulling everyone’s attention.
Marcus and the guys standing around the fire all looked over at Nikolai.
He shrugged his shoulders. “No one. He was an old friend who I thought was dead.”
“He didn’t seem too dead to me,” Blade chirped, always the instigator. “Although with the way those guys were chasing after him, I’m pretty sure he would have been dead once they caught up with him.”
Nikolai shook his head.
“I really don’t know what that was all about. We were best friends when I first came to New York, then one day, he just suddenly disappeared.”
He glanced over at Marcus. Marcus knew the truth about Nikolai’s past, working as a high-end escort. He didn’t know all the details, just that he’d suddenly left New York, then moved to New Mexico. Shortly after that, he joined the Shadow Vipers.
“That’s crazy, that out of all the places to run into the guy, you bumped into him when we are chillin’ in LA,” Blade added.
“Yeah, big coincidence,” Nikolai said sarcastically, taking another swig of his beer.
He’d spent that night wondering what had happened to his friend, then the next two days discreetly searching for him. But what were the chances of finding one man in a city with over 3.5 million people?
“You know what, I’m getting tired. I think I’m gonna head home and crash early,” Nikolai said, shocking the group. He was usually one of the last to leave, and always with one or two women nestled under his arm.
“Want to walk me home, stud?” Starla, the town party girl, asked as she strutted her stuff over toward Nikolai.
Watching as she walked herself over, Niko could almost feel his cock retreating inside himself.
For the first time in his life, he had no desire to suck on her tits or paint her face with his hot, sticky cum. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he just wanted to go home and crash on his bed.
“Actually, no. I’m just going to head home, then go to bed.”
Starla stopped in her tracks as if she’d just been slapped in the face. Her mouth fell open, and she stared at him, confused.
“I’m sure one of the other guys will be happy to walk you home,” Nikolai added, nodding toward Damian, who was striking up a joint.
“Oh, okay,” Starla chirped once more in that flirty, bubbly voice that so many men had fallen victim to. She appeared satisfied with that answer, then turned and headed toward the twenty-something buck, who would, no doubt, be keeping her toes curling for multiple hours.
Nikolai said his goodbyes, then headed back into the bar to say good night to the others.
Inside the bar, rock music blasted through the speakers loud enough to remind people that they were in a biker bar, but not so loud that conversations were impossible. Not that many tried. Most were solely focused on drinking, flirting, and fucking in the restrooms. Yes, Marcus and the crew turned a blind eye whenever customers were caught fucking in the stalls. It was a biker bar, after all.A bit of mayhem was always encouraged.
“Hey, Alexis, I’m heading home for the night,” Nikolai announced, walking behind the bar and giving her a gentle hug.
Alexis was an ex-stripper who married Jake—one of her best customers and a current member of the Shadow Vipers. Now she worked as Marcus’s head bartender. The size of her tits had nothing to do with why she was given the job. They were definitely an asset, but Marcus wasn’t like that.
Occasionally, some new-to-town idiot would take a look at her tiny, slim frame and large fake tits and assume that she was easy to get with. Those poor suckers were quick to learn that the woman had a vicious tongue and a big-ass husband who was more than happy to pound their faces into the pavement. Nobody disrespected Alexis.
“You heading home already? That’s not like you. And alone for that matter,” Alexis joked, chuckling and giving Nikolai’s bicep a squeeze.
“Guess I’m getting old.” Nikolai gave her a wink as he turned and rounded the bar once more.
