I grunted, letting my head fall back against the headrest. “Fuck.”
18
AVA
Zeke never showed. Some of his teammates came into Manny’s, gave me looks, but remained on the restaurant side of the place. I frowned but kept working, though I checked my phone. Zeke had said he was going to come over after their game. There were no calls, no texts.
It was a little after ten when the side door opened, and in came Heather Jax, or Monroe since she’d taken her husband’s last name. She wasn’t alone. Her alone wouldn’t have sent alarms going through me since she was my boss, had been in some varying way since I was a teenager. She owned Manny’s along with her brother, but she came in, saw me, and headed right for me. Behind her was her sister-in-law, Bren Monroe.
Bren was also one of the most beautiful women I’d known growing up, with dark hair, large doe-like eyes. I knew she had a reputation of being fierce and primal, like a wolf, which had been what her crew was once called. The Wolf Crew. I went to school in Roussou, but I’d not been a part of the crew system.
She and Heather together made sense. They were family. Heather owned the place. No reason for alarm…but they weren’t alone. Tasmin Ryerson was also with them. Blaise’s sister. She was the other brother’s twin, but all three of them shared the same good looks. Tawny hazel eyes. Naturally tan. Beautiful golden blonde hair.
All three together, all three looking my way, and my heart sank a little.
Zeke and I were together. There’d been no official conversation, but I knew we were. I’d accepted it. There’d been no need for me to worry about exclusivity. Zeke had made it clear he only wanted me, but besides knowing Bren, Tasmin, and Heather in different ways, I wasn’t really ‘in’ their group.
My core had been my ex, my mom, and my grandmother. There’d been one other girl that I sometimes went to a movie with, but she moved away a long time ago. I was digressing. I was trying to say that I wasn’t a casual friend type of person. It was fine. It was how I was, and I fully knew that Zeke was more in this group than I was. They all liked him, put up with him at times, but since high school, they had adopted him. Or he made them adopt him, which was probably more the way of it and now I was with Zeke, so I’d been wary about telling any of them.
It just felt weird. I didn’t know my place anymore. Bren, that was easier because she wasn’t around that much anymore, but Heather was. Brandon wasn’t a fan of Zeke and since he was Heather’s brother, and I knew they were tight, I’d been well, I’d been quiet about my relationship. Though, I adored Heather. Adored her. I’d do almost anything for her. She’d given me so much over the years. I’d never be able to repay her kindness. And knowing all of that, knowing Zeke and I had been together for a while, and seeing her giving me a look, my stomach was doing a tango.
I was thinking ‘the talk’ was about to happen.
“Ladies.” I was the only one manning the bar tonight. Derek had left twenty minutes ago. “What would you like to drink?”
“We’re not here to drink.”
Bren was the one who spoke, but Taz raised her hand. “I am. I’m here to drink. Can I get a vodka spritzer, please? Thank you.”
Heather was looking around. “We’re busy. You’re alone tonight?”
I was reaching for the vodka and the cranberry juice as I nodded. “I’m okay. I can handle the bar.”
“Derek left?”
I nodded as I made up the drink, glad I’d already cut new mint leaves ten minutes ago. I was swirling everything together, a couple strawberries thrown in as I asked Heather, “Sure you don’t want anything?”
“Uh.” She was eyeing the glass as I handed it over to Taz, whose eyes were lit up. “Actually, that looks good.”
I gave a nod, reaching to do another and glanced at Bren. “You sure?”
She gave a nod. “Just give me a water.”
“Water coming up.”
As I finished Heather’s drink and poured Bren her water, I kept watching them. They weren’t talking, but all three were on their phones. That’s when I felt my own phone buzz in my pocket. Finally. It was Zeke. He was going to tell me he’d stayed late to chat with someone and was heading over now. He’d apologize for not texting sooner.
That’s what I was expecting as I slid both drinks over the counter to them and began to reach for my phone.
Bren said, curtly, “Don’t do that.”
I paused, my eyebrow going up. She had a very serious look on her face. Taz was watching her, watching me, but closed her mouth over her metal straw and took a sip. A long sip. Heather was frowning at her own phone. “What the hell?”
And that was my question too, because this couldn’t be good. None of it.
My whole stomach just shrank in size. I braced myself. “Was he in an accident?” The elephant in the room had been acknowledged.
Taz started coughing, spitting out her drink.
Bren’s eyes got big. “No. Oh, no. Nothing like that.”
Heather was giving me a grim face.
I kept cutting to her. “What? Just tell me. What is it? What happened?”
She hesitated, and this was Heather Jax. She never hesitated. Ever. She was the queen of kicking ass, I mean, after Bren. They were both up there, taking no bullshit. Bren was in an actual fisticuffs way, but you still didn’t mess with Heather Jax. She’d cut your balls off.
But the hesitation did me in, and I whipped out my phone.
“Ava—” Bren started to stand up from her stool.
I turned my back and read the text that was just sent through.
Unknown number: This is Zeke. I got arrested. I’m fine. Lawyer Kade should get me out soon. Don’t worry about me. I swung on someone, but there was reason. Don’t let anyone twist it, please. Let me tell you what happened first.
I texted back:
Me: Whose phone is this?
Unknown Number: This is his lawyer. Working on bail.
My God. Bail.
He swung on someone? What did that mean?
Unknown Number: Don’t talk to anyone. That’s imperative.
I frowned. Talk to no one?
“What did that just say?” Bren had come around to my side of the bar, and she was looking at my phone.
I put it away, even warier because I liked Bren. Like I said, she’d been a sort of protector of mine, but I backed away. “I—it was his lawyer. I’m not supposed to talk to anyone.”
“Who’s his lawyer?”
I glanced at Heather, who was finishing her drink. She looked concerned, but also not that concerned because she was looking at her drink like she’d just discovered chocolate for the first time.
“It said Lawyer Kade. I—I’m not sure who that is.”
Heather’s head jerked up. “Logan?”
“Wait.” Tasmin shot a hand up, her drink done and pushed over for a second. “Logan Kade is in town?”
She and Bren looked in Heather’s direction, which made sense since Heather was friends with the Kades. Her husband was also really good friends with Mason Kade, Logan’s brother. Both were well-known in the area, considered legendary by some. Lord knew, I was aware how much Zeke was fan-obsessed with Mason Kade. He told me one night that he kept a picture of him in his locker in high school.