Her nostrils flare. “I had it handled.”
“Sure, you did.”
Her glare becomes more furious. “Don’t patronize me!”
Huck interjects into our side argument, “Look, Montgomery, the chick says she’s fine. No harm, no foul. Right?”
“Chick?” Raven exclaims indignantly.
“I’d stop while you’re ahead, bud,” Benny throws in.
Our attention snaps to Huck, and my words come out threateningly as I release Raven. “So, not only are you assaulting my employees, but now you’re resorting to insulting them? And on top of that, you lied.”
“I didn’t lie. I swear,” he proclaims as he waves his hands.
“So, you didn’t say that you’ve been served here before? You’re nineteen. We’d never give alcohol to someone underage.”
“I was just kid—” he starts.
My fist squeezes tighter. “I don’t recommend lying to me again, Huck.”
“Hey, now. What’s going on here?” Griffin sprints to my side.
“Your brother is a murdering psycho, that’s what!”
Huck’s insult hits its mark. Griffin and I have been over this a million times. We don’t need the town’s approval. All we need is the bar and each other. But to be called a murderer in my place of business will not stand.
I feel a crunch under my fist as it connects with his face. Huck falls to the ground, howling and clutching his face. Benny slinks from his seat and hauls Huck to the front door. Benny may be old and a bit of an alcoholic, but he serves as our unofficial bouncer when needed. For every person he has to throw out, he gets a free drink. And for a guy who seems to be trying to forget their past, free drinks are essential.
“What was that for?” Griffin demands.
Balling my fists at my side, I answer, “He hurt Raven.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing,” Raven argues again.
“It’s not gonna feel like nothing when your wrist bruises,” I contend back.
Griffin steps between us. “What bruises?”
“Those.” I motion to Raven’s wrist, and Griffin grabs her hand, raising it to examine the injury. He looks at me and we read each other’s faces instantly.
Huck is banned for life.
With a nod in agreement, Griffin takes over the bar, and I lead Raven into the kitchen. We pass Camden, who is putting together a plate of a cheeseburger and fries. “You’re going to have to wait tables for a bit,” I inform him.
Camden’s eyes dart between Raven’s wrist and my knuckles. He knows I’m quick to anger but also knows I wouldn’t hit someone without cause. “I’m on it,” he assents and exits the kitchen with a tray full of orders.
I step into the walk-in freezer and grab an ice pack. When I return to Raven, I find her with her hands on her hips. “You can drop the tough girl act.”
“It’s not an act,” she argues.
Real smooth, Romeo.
I’m not used to carrying long conversations with a gorgeous woman. I’m who women come to when they want to walk on the wild side. It’s a transaction and nothing more. We fuck and they get to go back to their gossip circles, claiming they had a wild night with one of the Montgomery twins. Griffin still partakes in such transactions, but I’m tired of the emotionless fucking. It’s not for me.
Reaching for her arm, she steps away. It’s like a shot straight to my chest. I assume she doesn’t know mine and Griffin’shistory or what the Montgomery name means, and her rejection hurts more than normal. But I don’t let it show.
