Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 80391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80391 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Then the sound of Kettle’s fist meeting the guy’s face tore through the silence like a clap of thunder.
That’s all it took. One single punch.
The sound of the impact was difficult to describe.
It resembled the sound of a large thick textbook dropping down on a table top from a foot above the table.
There was a low, dull thwack, and the guy holding his sister’s boobs went down like a tree falling; blood poured from his mouth and nose, and three of the man’s teeth laid on the floor beside him in a small puddle of blood.
Kettle stood over the man, chest billowing air before he bent down to grab the man again. Only his club was there to intercept him before he got too far.
Sebastian’s brawny arms went around Kettle’s chest, anchoring him to his upper body. Once Sebastian had his arms locked around, Trance and Loki each took an arm, while Silas stood in front of Kettle talking to him calmly.
Dixie used the opening to drag the trash out the back door and slam it closed before rushing back to the table and taking a sip of beer.
“Fuck, but that boy can throw a punch. We haven’t seen Kettle blow in a long time. It makes me damn thirsty!” Dixie jabbered giddily.
“What happened? Did Kettle hit someone?” Viddy asked into the silence.
“Kettle’s got a bit of a temper. We’re just lucky that he’s slowed down a bit in his old age or he’d have gotten quite a few more punches in before anybody could’ve stopped him.” Dixie replied.
My face moved from Santa to the place Kettle had been standing moments before, only to find him gone. The group had disappeared outside, leaving Shannon there shaking her head, cleaning up the spilled glasses on the table she’d been delivering a drink to.
“Where’d they go?” I asked Dixie.
His eyes flicked to the back door that he’d thrown the man out of, and the back to me. “To have a discussion, I’m sure.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Daddy used to have a lot of discussions, too. That really meant he was beating the shit out of someone. He used to be the enforcer before his hands got too arthritic, and then he just supervised the prospects and told them how to do the most damage. Is Kettle the enforcer of your club?” Viddy asked casually as she reached out carefully for her drink.
Dixie, who’d been taking a drink of beer, choked, and turned his eyes to mine.
I wasn’t sure what the big deal was. Although, I’d never been around another club besides my father’s club before, I was fairly sure Viddy didn’t just commit a huge social faux pas. I also wasn’t privy to very much information about the club, either, so I didn’t know if there was some sort of protocol we were supposed to abide by and didn’t.
“What’s wrong?” I asked Dixie worriedly. “Were we supposed to not say that?”
My mind was whirling. Was it a secret? Was there some sort of club code that Viddy had inadvertently trampled over? Was I going to have to take Viddy and make a run for it?
Before my mind came up with an answer, Kettle pulled the chair out from beside me and took a seat, looking no worse for wear.
“What’s wrong, Dixie?” Kettle asked. “I didn’t kill him.”
Kettle’s tone had been light, but when Dixie’s eyes turned to him, and then flicked back to me, he became tense. “What?”
“Viddy just asked me if you were the enforcer for our club like her pop was for theirs.”
The statement, although sounding innocuous, dropped like a bomb among the men surrounding our table, and all of their eyes turned to the two of us, pinning us like specimens under a microscope.
“What?” I asked nervously.
“Your pops belonged to a club?” Kettle asked me in neutral tone.
Unaware of the raptor-like attention we were receiving, Viddy continued to talk about our father’s club. “Yeah, daddy was a member of The Lone Star MC for thirty years. He joined after he got out of the Marines. He was their enforcer. Although that’s about all we really know. We weren’t allowed at the clubhouse; nor did we go to many parties. The only ones we went to were the ones that were had for the families.”
Viddy finished her announcement with a long sip of her iced tea, and set the empty glass down carefully.
At the mention of my father’s MC, every single one of the men took a breath, shoulders slumping.
Something in my stomach released at the sight, allowing me to breathe again.
“Your pop was Tenor? He was a good man.” Silas said; there was no tension to this question, as if the threat that was on their threshold vanished, no longer needing him to be on guard.
I smiled wistfully. “Yeah, Daddy died, gosh, seven years ago now.”
Viddy’s arm went around my shoulders and pulled me in tight.
We loved our Dad like crazy, and still thought about him every day; if Dad were still there, we wouldn’t have had to worry about what our crazy brother would do next, because he’d have had his shit straightened out at the first sign of a misstep.
“We had a pretty good relationship with them when Tenor was still there. Then the old President died, followed by your Dad that next month, and the new leadership came on and we haven’t spoken much to them since.” Silas explained.
I was nodding my head in agreement and trying my hardest not to shutter. “Yeah, we moved away after my father died. It was really hard for us to be there after both of our parents were gone. When Viddy found a school to work for here that taught the blind, and I found a high school job with Benton High, we figured that was a really good opportunity to spread our wings. It’s been six years now, and we haven’t been back to Lone Star since.”
“Here you go, gentlemen; ladies, yours will be another few minutes.” Shannon said airily as she set down the food.