Bash (Kings of Carnage MC #1) - Sapphire Knight Page 0,10
caught my attention. There’s no use trying to deny it when I can’t stop myself from thinking of seeing him again—as soon as possible, preferably.
“Hey, Mary Ellen?”
“Yeah, sweetie?” The older waitress replies, turning to me as she marries ketchups. She’s got fluffy, short hair, the kind that sticks up a good three inches off her scalp, and you can sort of see through it. I couldn’t imagine her with any other style, however. She’s got kind, deep brown eyes and one heck of a Southern drawl. She may as well be made of honey with how slow her words are, and ginormous boobs. She was no doubt part of the Dolly Parton era of women who wear bright pink lipstick religiously.
I continue to wipe down the sticky Coke machine, leaving the little nozzles on until closing. I’ll have to unscrew them and pop them in a pitcher of warm water later to soak. “Do you know anything about the Kings of Carnage MC?”
Her hand flutters to her chest, the other gripping the ketchup bottle tightly. We still have the old-fashioned glass bottles rather than the smooth plastic squeezable kind. “I’ve heard stories. None of them appealing, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Have you ever met any of them, though? They seem fairly young for guys devoted to a club like that.”
“I’ve served a couple of them coffee before, but I don’t actually know them. The older members—years back—weren’t the kindest of men. They terrorized one of the local mechanics, drove him straight out of town. There have also been rumors that they’d kidnap and sell young girls. They were into all sorts of horrendous things. Supposedly, the son has taken over, and there hasn’t been much said about them since then. Probably why they look young to you. That boy should be in his late twenties or somewhere around there. I’d bet the rest of them aren’t far off from there.”
“Oh, wow, younger than I thought.”
“Yep.” She nods, her brow pinched with worry. “You haven’t had a run-in with them, have you? Nice girl like you; it wouldn’t do you any favors, if so.”
I shrug, no longer wanting to talk about Bash. He’s confident and intimidating, sure, but I couldn’t imagine him being ugly enough to someone it’d make them leave town. Or even worse, being involved with human trafficking. He seemed the opposite, actually; thoughtful and willing to lend a helping hand on both occasions I was around him. I have a feeling Mary Ellen likes her gossip a little too much to weave out the truth in hearsay.
“What happened, Savannah? Did one of those bikers harass you, honey?”
“Oh, no, nothing exciting like that. I had lunch with one of them yesterday, and he was really nice. That’s all. I was just wondering if you knew anything more about him. I’m not too concerned, though. Like I said, he was decent.”
She bursts out, “Oh, dear, thank heavens he didn’t hurt you, honey! I’m afraid no one will go up against that club…not even the law. They have a rough reputation. I’m not so sure dating one of them would be a smart idea. I’d hate to see something happen to you. Who knows if they could make you disappear or not. Bad enough they’re affiliated with the strip club. You know, the one that sells all that liquor? God can’t be happy over that place full of sinners. Last I heard, Margret Thatcher was going to bring over some brochures from the church, hoping to reach some of those women.”
“Disappear?” I repeat, my heart skipping a beat as I get stuck on that one word.
“Wouldn’t put it past them,” she says quietly and goes back to pouring ketchup from one bottle to fill the other. I can still hear her mumbling to herself. She’s reciting some sort of prayer as she works.
“I’ll be careful,” I whisper and head for the bathroom.
I need a moment to myself to process what she’s implied and decide if I think I can handle it. This wouldn’t be my first run-in with a bad batch of men. My father was murdered for heaven’s sake. While human trafficking is at the top of the list, the guys who killed my dad would be high up on there as well. The worst part of all is, I don’t know why my father was murdered in the first place. One day he was here, and the next day he was gone—forever. In the beginning, I couldn’t believe he