the entryway.
“You eavesdroppin’ on me or somethin’?” I hiss, not ever bein’ fond of this.
“Not at all, I just realized I didn’t properly introduce myself to your girlfriend here. I’m Axel, Grim’s brother, his actual brother.” Axel smirks, flashing his pearly whites and extends a hand.
“Oh, it’s so lovely to meet ya.” Natalie immediately says, just like the sweet peach she is.
“Damn, that accent.” Axel puts his hand on his crotch and readjusts himself. “If you ever get sick of my brother over here, you can come over—”
Immediately I stand up, make sure Natalie’s standin’ up just fine and throttle my fist into Axel’s face. He flies back, knockin’ himself into the wall and rubs a hand against his jaw. “Jesus, Grim!”
“Get your sly smartass mouth outta here before I knock all your teeth out.” I threaten, keepin’ my eyes focused on him as he walks out, mutterin’ somethin’ about me bein’ a hothead while he leaves.
I turn back around to face Natalie, who has her arms wrapped around herself like she’s tryin’ to calm down. “I’m sorry, Java. I didn’t mean to upset you. You alright?”
She stares at me for a couple of moments before I see her gnawing on her bottom lip. “I . . . I think I should go.”
It’s like she’s shut down completely, all with one action. I don’t get it. I take a few steps toward her and she stumbles to the right knocking herself into the counter. “Java . . . I’m sorry. Look, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just won’t have anyone treatin’ you like that, disrespectin’ you like you’re nothin’ but a whore. I won’t tolerate it.”
Her face goes white as a sheet. “Grim, look, I really think I need to leave.” She’s becoming more adamant about wantin’ to get the fuck outta here. “I appreciate you defending my honor and all, but violence isn’t the answer.”
Ding ding. It’s the violence.
“Sometimes violence is the only answer, especially when fuckers should have common sense.” I grit, pissed that Axel had to come in here and fuck up somethin’ good. He knew not to push my buttons but did it anyway.
Footsteps come closer and I spot Dex comin’ in. He smiles like the handsome little shit he is, lookin’ right over to Natalie and waves. “Hey, I’m Dex.”
“Natalie,” She says, faking a soft smile.
“You alright, ma’am?”
She chuckles, “God, never been called ma’am in my life. Isn’t that for women up in their fifties and whatnot?”
“Naw, a respectful thing, I think. At least, it’s what my dad always taught me.”
“Who’s your father? Sounds like a lovely man.”
“He is when he’s not being a pain in our asses.” I chuckle, hopin’ Dex waltzing right in here caused her to relax a bit. “Blackjack is Dex’s dad, and the VP of our club.”
“Oh alright.” Natalie says, and I know she doesn’t understand what it means.
“Oh wait, you’re the lady helpin’ Grim at the chiropractor with his back and shit, yeah?”
“Language,” I warn Dex.
He rolls his eyes. “I grew up in a biker club, and y’all expect me to be some good private school boy. I don’t go to Stonewall yet, so I’m not gonna act like one of them yuppies.”
I blink a couple of times, not really processing what he’s saying until he says somethin’ to Natalie and starts to walk away. “Wait, Dex. You just said Stonewall, right?”
He nods, “Yeah, what’s it to you?”
“How do you know anything about Stonewall? It’s in New York.”
Dex chuckles, “Maybe ‘cause I got a full scholarship to go there next year. My uncle’s the dean of the college. My biological mother’s half-brother.”
“No shit,” I mutter, completely baffled at this news.
“Yeah, somethin’ the matter?” He questions.
“Nah, nah. Ruby’s graduating this year, though. Maybe she can give you some pointers. Just wanted to let ya know.” I say, lyin’ through my teeth. I’m gonna have a conversation with Axel later about Ruby and what she confessed to me . . . especially with what I just learned.
“Sweet. I’m sure it could help. I don’t wanna keep goin’ to my uncle with my questions. It’s a little awkward ‘cause I’ve never been close with her side of the family.” I can’t even blame the kid; his mom was a piece of trash. He deserved someone far better from what I heard, but I came around when Dex was three or four. His mom was long gone by then. “It was nice meeting you and all, and thanks for helpin’ Grim