Royally Chosen Christmas (Royal Sons MC #7) - Elle Boon Page 0,88

this? I mean, I didn’t even bring my good shitkickers for kicking shitheads’ asses.”

“What are good shitkickers compared to what you got on, Cannon?”

“They’d have those shiny things like he’s got. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to work with what we got. Lead on, Roq.”

Roq knew without a doubt his friends had his back, and the little lady over the guy called Shep shoulder, was not there willingly. He looked at the smaller man, knowing he wasn’t going to let go without a fight. He sighed and handed his Stetson to Axl. No way in hell was he going to get his favorite hat dirty or beat up in a bar fight. Damn, he sure did love it when they could go an entire day without busting heads.

“Axl, if you allow my hat to get dirty, I’m gonna be pissed as hell,” he warned.

“Why do I gotta babysit the hat?”

“Because I’m gonna need someone who can keep a level head and not kill. Sadly, brother, that’s you.”

Axl swore. “That’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to me. Just because I’m not a blood thirsty fucker like you three. Fine, I’ll hold your hat, but I’m killing the first bastard I can next time.”

“I think I like you boys. Will he really get Netty away from Shep?”

Roq looked at the sexy little redhead standing next to Axl and Ridley and nodded. “Ridley, gonna need you to make sure she doesn’t get hurt while I whoop his ass.”

“Fuck you. You ain’t whooping nothing,” Shep yelled.

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Roq smirked but didn’t say another word, moving faster than the other man probably thought he could. Many men thought because he was so big that he couldn’t be swift. Huge mistake on their part, which he took advantage of. Like he did now, plucking the feisty little woman off Shep the dipshit’s shoulder and setting her behind him, where Axl waited, secure in the knowledge she’d be safe, same as his favorite hat. Cannon and Ridley split up, taking care of the men who stood with the idiot, and then it was just Roq and Shep.

He stared down at the little bastard who tried to puff his chest out. Little Shep had probably perfected that move in grade school. What the little shit didn’t know, was that Roq hadn’t attended grade school. None of the men with him had. They’d all been in hell of one sort or another, being used and abused, beaten and worse. Until Cosmo had come along and rescued them. Now they were the ones who rescued others. If they happened to do a little slicing and dicing as they went, well that was collateral damage. Thank you USA Delta Force and...other factions.

“You’re going to pay for messing with me, boy,” Shep warned.

Roq tossed his head back, laughing at the other man’s words. He had heard the same thing too many times. So many in fact, he’d lost count. Bending so he was close to Shep’s ear. Roq whispered while wrapping his fist in the pressed button-down shirt. “Boy, I ain’t been a boy since you were knee high to a grasshopper, probably longer. Matter of fact, pretty sure I was never a boy. And guess what, boy? I’ve lost my patience,” he growled.

“Ah, sheot,” Ridley said.

“What’s that mean?” Netty asked.

“Sweetheart, that means we need to clear the bar,” Axl said, an ear-splitting whistle followed.

Roq smiled as he stood to his full height, twisting his head to the left and then the right. “I’ll give you to the count of three to run along, little man. That’s more than you were gonna give her. One, two,” he said, starting the countdown, skipping three because really, who ever got to three was an idiot.

“Sheot, run, fucker,” Cannon yelled.

Roq didn’t say three, didn’t figure it would do any good. Ole Shep was thinking he was on the winning side, what with him having a bar full of cowboys while Roq only had himself and three of his brothers. Stupid fool. He pulled his right fist back, hitting him with his left while Shep prepared for the other one to hit. Roq moved, lifting Shep with his hand around his throat, taking the gun from the back of his pants as he did and pointing at the little bastard who had been sneaking up on his right. “One more step and you’ll be pushing up daisies.”

He flipped the gun around, whipping the little shit upside the head with it.