No, but I did. I wasn’t letting that fucker take it back. Charley earned that fair and square, he was just being a prick because he thought it made him look good. Every single Disciple in here saw that and instantly hated him.
Even Nero shifted in his seat. We all know what this deal means, and no one wants to cause shit. Ellie handled it, the way she handles everything else, getting Charley to do the same, with decorum and grace. I watched him as they walked away, saw the rage brewing.
“Nero is working the old man,” Fury says from beside me. “He doesn’t give a shit about the younger one. Only person that ass cares about, is himself.”
“He needs to learn some fucking respect.”
We stop talking when Nero comes over with the older Cantrell. He can tell instantly there is something up, but he’s made a move to bring the guy over to the officer’s table and can’t take it back. We make space for them and Cantrell starts talking about the show.
Beast grimaces when he mentions the hot brunette at the front of the stage. Ellie. I’m not sure if it's protective of one of his staff or something more. Hell, I’d been as shocked as Charley was to find him fucking her the other week. I never knew that was a thing. Whatever their situation is, he doesn’t like the insinuation or Cantrell asking if Ellie takes dates.
She takesdatesall right, but it’s usually when Nero needs her to get information out of someone. Without her working over Chains a few months ago, we never would have found out half of what we did about Storm.
“She makes her own rules,” Nero says, not giving away her name.
Cantrell laughs and Nero smiles back but it’s not a real smile. Part of me wonders if he is regretting having this here. His eyes flick to the door that leads to the back, and he turns to Beast. What was that about? I look too just as the door is closing behind a man.
A quick search of the room says that Cantrell junior isn’t where he was before. Most of the men in here are either chatting or watching the dancers that have come back out.
My gaze flicks back to Nero, his jaw is tight, but he’s talking with the older guy as if nothing is amiss. A slight move of his hand gives me the go ahead.
After excusing myself, I walk through the booths and tables and head for the door no one other than employees should be using. And given it’s a limited staff tonight, there is someone back here who shouldn’t be.
And I’m itching to fucking knock the shit out of him. A couple of the dancers hurry out of the room and I ask if they’ve seen anyone back here but they say they were in the dressing room.
I duck my head in and search around, getting an eyeful of bare tits and a pussy. Tami sees me and straightens up, fully naked and smiles.
“Anyone seen Charley?”
Her smile slips, and she shakes her head. “I think she went to the bathroom.”
I don’t give a fuck if she isn’t happy with me. After the last few weeks I regret getting that blow job off her. The bathroom is empty. As I’m walking back, I eye the door of the room Charley has used to practice.
She’s struggled a lot with the stripping side of things, even though she did a fucking amazing job tonight. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Knowing her now, it makes sense that she wants to be alone after something like that. And that fucker throwing money at her like she was some hooker.
When I open the door and hear the filth coming out of his mouth, I don’t even hesitate, or think about the consequences. He goes sprawling when I slam into him, his face hitting the hard wood floor. Good, the trail of blood left behind when I grab him by the hair and pull him up gives me a sense of satisfaction.
Taking hold of his shirt and tie at his neck, I push him back, mostly holding him up too as he’s shorter than me and I’m moving fast. I slam his back into the wall and punch him in the side so hard he loses his breath.
“What the fuck did you just say to her.”
He’s disorientated and there is blood all over his face. In my peripheral I see Charley moving, she is clutching the little red blazer closed over her chest.
Rage fills me all over again and I pull him forward and slam him back again so his head cracks against the wall.
Someone says something in the hallway but I don’t hear them as I hit the fucker again, this time in the face. He’d fall if I wasn’t holding him up. He gets his hands up to try to fend me off but I’m fucking livid. Nothing can stop me.
“Nashville.”
I pause, but I don’t stop choking the little fucker.
Beast walks into my line of sight. He stares at me, then Cantrell, finally his eyes fall to Charley. He understands exactly what is going on and any move to stop me leaves him and he takes a pace back.
It’s Nero I need to worry about but he tells Beast to shut the door, which he does.
Now it’s the three of us with him. And one of the dancers. I’m not sure of her name. Nero says something, and she hurries over to Charley and pulls her away.
