the house to chase after dick and alcohol. You don’t get to ever compare yourself to Charlotte.”
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “I really don’t get what it is with men and Charlotte.” She looked at her. “Do you have unicorns coming out of your vagina, honey?”
Now Jem’s face turned dark. “Ember…” he said in warning.
“What, Jem?”
“You’re tipsy already.”
“So what?”
“So, you watch your fucking mouth.”
“I’m only curious,” Ember continued in her rage, huffing. “I’m not saying that you’d know. One here does.” She sent a fleeting look in Thames’ direction before adding, “The other’s missing in action. Do send Locke my love, Char.”
With that, she got up and stormed off, dangling a drink in her hand.
Charlotte
I hated her.
I hated Ember with a passion.
I couldn’t believe I felt bad for her back at the house.
I glared at her, feeling the flush of anger swamp my face. The table was tense. I couldn’t look in Conor’s direction, but Jem looked pale as paper.
“Your sister is still a handful, pal,” Jem uttered, trying to break the moment. He was staring at Thames, and I could tell in his expression that what he was looking at wasn’t good. I was still too much of a pussy to see.
I should’ve known she would say something. I should’ve known she had to regurgitate town gossip like it wasn’t my life she was fucking with.
This town was suffocating when it wanted to be. When I looked around, I saw the heads turn in our direction. There were pockets of quiet murmuring conversations. The ones that hadn’t approached Conor were dissecting him like he was a two headed alien.
Finally growing some balls, I turned to look at Conor. I didn’t expect him to look so calm. His expression was clear. I had to glance down at his hands, but they weren’t shaking. He wasn’t feeling anger, but…he wasn’t himself, either.
I started to think he hadn’t even heard what Ember said before she strolled off. His concentration was elsewhere.
His eyes were pinned on something across the room. I followed his line of sight and stilled when I saw his jail friend seated at the bar.
“Conor…” I started, but he was already standing.
Already moving across the room before I could stop him.
“What’s going on?” Jem questioned.
“That man…” I muttered, watching as Conor approached him.
“What about him, Char?”
My lips pursed, and dread filled my stomach. “He’s trouble.”
We watched them for a while. Jem’s frown deepened. “I don’t know this guy. He from outta town or something?”
“Conor knows him from prison.”
Instantly, Jem’s shoulders tensed, and realization dawned. “Ah.”
What did his ah mean exactly? Did Conor talk about Holden to Jem?
“You know something I don’t?” I asked him.
He took a huge swig of his beer and scanned the room diligently. “I know about his prison friend,” he explained, his voice tight. “Like you said, he’s trouble.”
Dread coursed through my veins as I also glimpsed the room. “Should we be worried?”
“Cautious,” he corrected, returning his eyes to me. “Just cautious, sweetheart.”
Everyone’s interest was settled on Conor and Holden. The atmosphere shifted to curiosity as Conor and Holden spoke. I looked around the room again, paying close attention to faces, trying to –
“The people in the corner,” I hastily said, flicking my chin in the direction of the corner table across the room. “I don’t know who those guys are, Jem.”
Jem didn’t look. “I saw them already,” he replied vaguely. “Don’t stare too hard at ‘em, Char.”
I looked away, cataloguing what I saw in my mind. There were three men. Two were dressed casually in jeans and sweaters, but the third…The third was donning a charcoal coloured suit. The man in question appeared tall, had a dark/grey beard and was circling a glass of beer in his hand, his attention zoned in on Conor.
He had a quiet confidence. The kind you’d expect in someone who was in charge.
“I think he’s number one,” I muttered quietly, feeling shocked.
Jem seemed to understand. “Conor informed me he wanted to see him.”
“He told you about these guys?”
“Yeah, only recently. They’re a crew. I…don’t remember their name, do you?”
“No, he never mentioned it.”
“When I took the car around, we talked in the garage for a few hours before Penny came around. He talked about the shit he did in prison.”
That was the day Conor had finally opened up to me.
It seemed like he’d been ready to finally bring us in.
While it warmed my heart, unease still trickled through me.