Torch (Great Wolves MC) - Jayne Blue Page 0,19

... no,” Lori said. “I was just …”

“You gave her a busted tablet. You threw her out there when we were busy and just took off. You wanted her to fail. You don’t like her, that’s your problem. But when you pull shit that affects the service our people get when they’re in here, then it’s my problem. I didn’t tell you to like her. I don’t give a shit if you hate her. But I expect both of you to do your jobs and cut the mean girl shit as far as it gets in the way of our business. You got me?”

I’m not into making girls cry. I wasn’t about to now. But Lori and Shannon appeared to have gotten the message. I left it there and headed back into the meeting room.

Joker was already there, and he’d witnessed the whole thing with the girls and me. He had a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Don’t start,” I said. “You were here last night. You saw what happened.”

I was ready for some ball-busting, but Joker surprised me and just shrugged. “Yeah. It was bullshit. Colt actually already said something to Shannon. I think she thought he was going to fire her.”

Colt, Kellan, and Brax came in just then. Colt looked over his shoulder. Shannon was still sheet white. She turned and busied herself cleaning a counter that was already spotless.

“We good?” Colt asked.

“I think they got the message,” I said. Colt shut the door behind him.

“Good,” he said. “Now enough of that crap. That girl needs to fight her own battles with those two. You got some kind of claim on her I need to know about?”

His question hit me right between the eyes. Part of me knew I should have said yes right then and there. Sure, it was club code to leave the help alone. But I wouldn’t be the first to violate it.

“No claim,” I said. “I just call out bullshit when I see it, is all. That girl was good last night. She thinks on her feet.”

Colt cocked his head, considering me. “Yeah. Maybe she’s tougher than George thinks.”

“What?”

Colt raised a brow and sat down. “Her being here is causing him some grief with his family. He’s hoping she turns tail and heads on back to Daddy. He gives her another month, tops, before she breaks.”

Anger rose in me. I knew in my bones that girl might be tougher than all of them thought. Still, she didn’t belong in Lincolnshire. Maybe they were all right, and I should have just kept my damn mouth shut. I settled on the plan to do just that.

Then my phone buzzed. I looked down and saw a text from a brand-new number.

It was Sydney. Her message was simple.

“All set up with the new phone. Thanks again for everything. It’s nice to have at least one friend.”

When I looked up, all eyes were on me. Fuck. I got up and left the room.

Friends. I didn’t want to be her friend. What I wanted from this girl was primal. I wanted to ruin her. And I wanted her on her knees, ass up, begging for the pleasure.

Chapter Ten

Sydney

Every night I worked for the next week, Torch offered to give me a ride home. At the end of that week, I had five hundred dollars in tips ready to deposit in my new checking account. My parents, my mother in particular, would be horrified if she knew. But the money was mine. I earned every cent through hard work.

I’d never felt more rich in my life.

Then there was Torch. He became a quiet, strong presence in my life. There was just no question with him. No argument. He just flat out wasn’t going to let me get on a bus after a shift. He made me feel safe, protected. And yet, I couldn’t figure him out.

The first night of my second week at the club ended early because we were slow. “You okay if I cut you first?” Shannon asked. She hadn’t exactly warmed to me since that first night, but she’d been professional and courteous. I had a feeling Torch said something to her and wasn’t sure how I felt about that. But I needed this job. I needed to stay in Shannon’s good graces. And I think she now legitimately respected that I could figure out what the hell I was doing.

“Sure,” I said. It was still light out, not quite eight o’clock.

“You know,” Shannon said. “Friday is a fight