isn’t it?” Nico said and smiled at me. “This honey right here needs a crown and throne.” He lifted me up by my hips and I shrieked in surprise. He sat me right down on the bar beside Christian’s beer.
“Royalty right here,” Justice said. “Princess Peach, and you saved her, Luigi, so drinks on me. What do you want Princess Peach? A fuzzy navel?”
I chuckled. “That actually sounds like perfection.”
“Mario’s her man,” Nico said. “Luigi is her brother-in-law.”
“Yeah,” Justice said. “And Forky can’t be Mario because I’m Mario.” He winked at me and his eyes traveled my body.
Um…what?
“You wish,” Nico said and then shouted, “Coco! Love of my life!”
Coco was one of our bartenders. She was the epitome of a thirty-something biker broad with her cleavage spilling out of her Harley tee, heavy makeup, tattoos, and high heels. She was a two pack a day smoker who had the hoarse voice to prove it. She’d recently switched to vaping and though she technically wasn’t supposed to smoke in the bar, she regularly put her head down behind the bar and would come up in a cloud of strawberry-scented vapor. No one called her out on it. Ever.
“No need to holler, jackass,” she said, storming over, giving him evil eyes.
“Fuzzy navel for Princess Jojo, drafts for us, and give Fork here a pink lady because he’s bein’ a little bitch,” Nico said.
Christian gave him a death stare. Nico slapped his back.
“Lighten up, Fork. What’s been up yer ass the past few days? Two fewer Wyld Jackals is a thing to celebrate. Man of the hour, I say. In fact, Coco, all Fork’s drinks are on my tab tonight.”
Coco pulled three glasses from the tap. “Got more money than brains, do ya? Whatever. One sec for yours, honey bunch,” she told me.
“I got the first round,” Justice threw money down. “Nico can pay for the rest. Keep the change, Coco.”
She gave Justice a nod and moved down toward the other end of the bar where Skip from our chapter was waving at her.
“She seein’ anyone?” Nico asked me.
“Not that I’m aware of,” I said with a smile. “Her old man died less than a year ago. She might not be ready, Nico.”
He stared at her ass as she moved the rest of the way to the other end of the bar.
“I’ll take my time,” he said.
My father was suddenly there by Skip, talking to Coco.
“Look, Jojo. Got my Dom ink.” Justice hauled his shirt up and I saw a massive club patch on his torso.
“Nice,” I said.
Justice had a perfect six pack. It, too, was also very nice.
“Blacked out that Jackals ink?” I asked.
“You know it.” He showed me the cap of his shoulder. “Got it turned into a jolly roger flag.”
“Ooh,” I said. “Nice.”
Dad gave me a chin jerk.
“Oh. Excuse me. Dad’s signaling for me.”
I shimmied to get off the bar.
Justice reached up and lifted me by my hips and set me down carefully. “There ya go, Princess Peach.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Luigi.”
“He’s Luigi,” Justice said, jerking his chin at Christian.
“I think he’s Mario,” I said, looking fake-confused. “Isn’t he?” I looked directly at Christian.
Nothing. I got nothing. He stared at the TV and then put his beer to his mouth.
“Nope. That guy’s fuckin’ Donkey Kong. I’ll be Mario,” Justice said and leaned in and I was pretty sure he did it in order to smell my hair. “Glad you’re okay, babe.”
I smiled. “Me, too.”
The way Justice looked at me, he totally picked up on my message to Christian, that I wanted him to be my Mario. I saw him shoot Christian a confused look as I wandered down the bar, by many bikers before I got to my father. Several said my name and I said hellos and gave out waves as I moved through.
I could tell by the looks on some of their faces that word had gotten around. And… most of the guys knew me. All the seasoned brothers did, but after being here a bit, our regulars were getting to know me, too. Word had clearly traveled about my run-in with two Jackals. And that bothered me. Because if a lot of people knew two Jackals had abducted me then that meant they also knew that Christian Forker rescued me. Was it widely known that he killed those guys? I didn’t want him getting arrested. That thought made me want to barf.
If Christian hadn’t found a way to stop them, I’d have gotten dead and likely him, too.