I saw of him, his feet dragged across the floor as the men of the Great Wolves M.C. made him disappear.
Then Torch loomed over me.
“Are you okay? Did he touch you?”
“What? I ... no. He almost did. I’m okay.”
“She handled it.” Shannon was at Torch’s shoulder.
“You good?” she asked me.
I nodded.
“Torch, the fight’s getting started. We’re under control here. Kellan sent me to find you.”
Torch wouldn’t take his eyes from mine.
“I’m okay. Really. Thank you for being there.”
“We don’t tolerate that shit in here,” he said.
“I got it,” I said. He stood with his fists curled and fire in his eyes. It was as if he was looking at me but not seeing me. I took a tentative step forward and put a light hand on his chest. Next to him, Shannon looked concerned.
“It’s okay,” I said to both of them.
Shannon nodded. “Your big table needs some attention. If you need help, just ask.”
“I will,” I said. “And I’ll be right there.”
Right now, I was more worried about Torch. Shannon disappeared back into the crowd. There was a circle of space around Torch and me now that the drama had subsided.
“Torch, are you okay?”
He considered me for a moment. “I’m good.”
“You better go,” I said. “Kellan …”
Torch looked down the hall. “Yeah. Tonight. You don’t leave by yourself. Come find me.”
“It’s okay. Actually, some of the girls are getting together after closing.”
He took a step back. For a moment, I thought about asking him if he wanted me to change my plans. Something intense had just gone through him. Through me too. The truth was, I wanted to make sure he was okay. This little drama seemed to have shaken him far more than it did me. But it was Shannon who’d invited me out with the girls of the club. I wanted to go. Since I’d come to Lincolnshire, my world had been Uncle George and Torch. I needed more.
“I just want to make sure you get home okay,” he said.
“I will. Promise.”
“Promise me you’ll call me if you need anything.”
I nodded.
“Torch!” The shout came from down the hall. It was Kellan.
Torch gave me a weak smile and finally stepped away from me. A flood of heat went through me. It was as if the air changed when he wasn’t close to me. It got colder. More still. Torch was a storm within himself, and I knew I was about to get swept away.
Chapter Thirteen
The rest of the night was a blur. My big table kept me hopping. They were having a great time and were in a party mood. By the end of my shift, it translated to big cash, just like Shannon predicted. By the time the fight was over, it was past midnight.
I was dead on my feet, drenched in sweat, but I felt great. It was good work. Hard work. We finished clean-ups and locked the doors by one thirty. I should have been exhausted, but adrenaline still coursed through me. A night out was exactly what I needed.
I got a ride with Lori, and we met up at an ice cream parlor in town. It was closed, of course, but I found out Nicole, Brax’s wife, actually owned it. In addition to the bartenders and wait staff, Amy, Colt’s wife, and Tara, Joker’s wife, were there too. I ended up in a booth with both of them, along with Lori and Pam, one of the bartenders.
“How’d you do?” Lori asked me.
My purse was still weighed down from the cash tips I’d made. I had almost three hundred on me plus another two-fifty I’d made off credit card tips.
“Great,” I said, telling her. “I wish every night could be like that.”
“You did really well,” Pam said.
“Thanks,” I said. “That means a lot.”
“High praise,” Nicole said. She had a pretty head of brown hair and the warmest smile I’d ever seen. She always looked so tiny compared to her husband Brax who stood like six foot seven or something. They had a little boy, Victor, who looked exactly like his daddy. Blond hair almost white and the kid was a small, rambunctious giant.
“I’m serious,” Nicole said. “Pam never compliments anyone.”
“We had a bet, you know,” Pam said.
“Don’t freak her out,” Tara said. I’d learned she and Joker had only been married for a short time. Tara ran a preschool in town.
“They take bets about everyone,” Nicole said. “Not just you.”
“What,” I said. “On how long I’d last?”
“Or if you’ll make it at all,” Lori offered. “Suffice