On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,36
as she nodded. “I know just the place.”
The place turned out to be dive bar on the edge of town. It wasn’t a typical student haunt though, with its chipped paintwork and the row of mean looking motorcycles out front.
“A biker bar?” I whisper-shrieked, clutching Josie’s hand. “You brought me to a biker bar?”
“Relax. Xavier is good people.”
“Xavier?”
“The owner. He and my brother go back. Joel would lose his shit if he knew we were out here, but Jay brought me here once. I liked the place, so started sneaking out to come here.”
“To a biker bar?”
Josie shrugged, pulling the door open. “What can I say? I like to live life on the edge.”
The more I learned about Josie Molineux, the more questions I had about her.
The inside of Steel ‘n’ Thunder was as dark and dismal as the outside. But the second the guy at the bar spotted Josie, his scowl morphed into a huge grin. “Little Josie Molineux. Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Hey, Xav.” She leaned over the bar to kiss his stubbled face.
“What brings you to the dark side of town?”
“My girl, Calli, needed to get away from student life for the night.”
His sharp eyes landed on my face and he scowled. “I’m Xavier, this here is my place. I’ve been trying to keep this one out of trouble since she was... how old? Fourteen?”
“Fourteen?” I balked.
“I used to follow Jay around trying to get him to like me.” A shadow passed over her expression.
“He likes you, Jos. Jay fucking loves the bones of you.”
She murmured something and then said, “Sure has a funny way of showing it.”
Xavier chuckled. He was a tall guy with thick black hair, styled in a wicked looking faux hawk. Two black rubber gauges stretched his ear lobes and he had snake bite piercings and a ring through his septum. All in all, Xavier was the most terrifying guy I’d ever laid eyes on. But given the fact we were sitting in a biker bar, I knew he’d probably be the first of many.
“It’s nice to meet you, Calli. Any friend of Josie’s is a friend of mine. Now, what can I get you girls?”
“I’ll take a beer with lime please,” Josie said.
He nodded then looked to me. “Hmm, the same, please,” I croaked.
It didn’t feel like the kind of place you ordered a soda. Besides, one beer wouldn’t hurt, and given the way my heart was beating wildly in my chest, I needed something to help me relax.
We found a booth near the back of the bar and slid into it. “So, what do you think?” Josie grinned.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I admitted.
“It’s a little rough around the edges, but I promise they’re good people.”
“You know these guys?” Discreetly, my eyes ran over the few patrons sitting round drinking. Men, mostly. The kinds of men you wouldn’t want to cross in a dark alley.
“A few of them. I like it here. No one gives me any bother.”
“And you and Xavier, what’s going on there?”
“What?” She gawked. “You think me and Xavier... he’s like thirty. Gross. It isn’t like that at all. He was in basic training with my brother, but it didn’t work out for him. So he came home and Jay didn’t. I don’t know, being here, talking to Xav, it makes me feel closer to Jay, ya know?”
I didn’t, but I nodded anyway.
“Two beers on the house.” Xavier slid a tray onto the table. “Just holler if you need anything.”
“You’re the best, Xav.” Josie blew him a kiss and he rolled his eyes, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
“He’s okay with us drinking?” I eyed my beer.
“Yeah, Xavier’s cool. As long as we keep it low key.”
“Low key sounds good.”
“Not that low key, Calli.” She smirked. “But we’re safe here, I promise.”
I gave her another weak smile.
“A toast is in order, I think.” Tilting her bottle to mine, she declared, “To the guys we love to hate and hate to love. Cheers.”
Zach
The Chi Delta Kappa sorority was throwing a mixer. It was their attempt at being sophisticated but given the number of jocks here, I knew it wouldn’t be long before things got out of hand.
Victoria moved from group to group, making sure everyone had a full glass and a big smile. She was good at this, working a room, giving people what they needed. It’s why she’d been such a good match for my brother. They were, what my parents liked to call, a power