Jasper drew on his cigarette and blew smoke in the man's face. "Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it."
Coughing, Elvis waved his hand in front of his face. "Just curious, man. No judgment. If she's any indication of what they're hiding behind those walls, sign me up for salvation."
Noelle's expression had frozen into that sweet, smiling mask, but her words were edged in frost. "You never know. Eden might welcome a man of your character."
Elvis's eyes narrowed, and Cain slapped him across the arm. "Shut up. We're here to talk business." He arched a brow. "Aren't we?"
Jasper crushed out his cigarette, slid out of the end of the booth, and held out his hand to Noelle. "Let's dance, sweetheart."
Under the table, Noelle wrapped her fingers around Lex's in a brief, encouraging squeeze. She murmured a polite farewell to Cain and smiled at Riff before slipping her hand into Jasper's and abandoning the table without so much as a glance at Elvis.
That only seemed to encourage him. He twisted in his chair, watched Jas and Noelle disappear into the crowd, and whistled. "Tits or not, that is one frigid sister. But I bet it's fun, sticking it to Eden every night."
"That's an O'Kane," Dallas replied mildly as he stroked his fingers over Lex's hair. "And all O'Kane ladies have one thing in common, brother. They don't let you stick much of anything in them if you can't be assed to learn some manners."
"Might even stick something in you." Through the velvet of her skirt, Lex traced the knife strapped to the thigh. "If you know what I mean."
Riff's lips twitched, disrupting his scowl. "If he doesn't figure it out, he deserves it."
Silence fell around the table. Cain stared at Lex, not out of particular interest or even disdain, but almost as if waiting for her to do something.
She refused to fidget, lifting her drink instead. "Yes?"
He cleared his throat and prompted, "Business?"
And that's when Lex realized he expected her to leave.
She froze with her glass to her lips, goose bumps rising on her arms. The reasonable one--the smart one--and he still figured she shouldn't hang around while the big boys talked. "Excuse me?"
The men looked at Dallas. Elvis even went so far as to smile snidely. "Where're your manners, O'Kane? The shit we have to discuss isn't any sort of talk for pretty ladies."
One heartbeat. Two. That was all the time it took for Dallas O'Kane to dismiss her like she was nothing.
He lifted his arm from around her shoulders. "You really don't want to listen to any of this, love."
Maybe he really was trying to spare her, but it cut deep. When faced with ugly words, he'd responded quickly enough, but now, confronted with actual disrespect, he caved. Easier not to argue and risk driving away potential recruits.
So much for being the queen.
Whatever, O'Kane. She slipped her hand under her skirt and drew the knife. She slammed it down on the table as she rose, embedding the tip half an inch into the already scarred wood. "I'll see you boys around."
Without waiting for a response from Dallas--she knew better--Lex stalked off into the throng of bodies, righteous anger driving every quick step. She wanted to get drunk, get stupid, but she had a crowd to manage and work to do.
And goddamn it, she was going to do it.
The knife quivered in the table.
Elvis quivered in his chair.
Okay, maybe that was taking things a bit far, but it figured that now the bastard had decided to shut his fucking mouth. Maybe that was a good sign, after all, one that showed he could learn. He wouldn't be the first O'Kane to learn manners from Lex at knife-point.
Dallas would be lucky if she didn't cut him tonight.
Resisting the urge to sigh, Dallas shifted position, sprawling out on his side of the booth. "I'll tell you straight up, boys. Some things about Three are going to change, and you can roll with me or get your asses rolled over. The way you treat the ladies better top that fucking list, or the boys will bury you."
Cain eyed the knife. "Got it. He'll do better."
Might as well get the ugly stuff out of the way first. "Our women aren't the only ones used to a basic level of decency. Whoring's an honest job, and if the men in Three can't charm their way into sex, they're gonna start paying for it. Maybe it'll inspire people to work on those manners