Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Because of him, I had a bite so venomous it would put you in the grave.
Because of him, I was Widow.
Chapter 1
Widow
“Where is everyone tonight?” Marlowe asked as she wiped down the counter. “I haven’t seen it this dead since I started.”
“There’s a big Titans game tonight, but don’t get too excited. Things will pick up.” Marlowe is Rafe’s ol’ lady. He’s one of the reasons why she started bartending for us. It’d only been a few months since she started, so I got why she might’ve been concerned about us being slow. I glanced back over my shoulder at the table behind us, where a group of five or six guys were tossing back one pitcher after the next. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but just looking at them gave me a bad feeling. The way they were drinking didn’t bother me. In a strip bar like Stilettos, you have to expect rowdy drunks, but there was just something off about these particular guys. Maybe it was the way they kept looking around, watching every move the brothers made—almost like they were hoping for trouble. Regardless of what they were thinking, my gut told me our quiet night wouldn’t be lasting long. “Take my advice. Enjoy the quiet while you can.”
“That’s just it. I’m having a hard time enjoying all the quiet.” She motioned her head over to the flatscreen mounted on the wall behind us and sighed at the sight of Stark’s image flashing across the screen. “Just when you think they’ve put this story to rest, they dredge it all up again.”
“It’ll all die out soon enough.”
Stark was actually an associate of Marlowe’s biological father—a man who was once high up in the Italian mafia and planned to expand his business by branching out in Nashville. He didn’t live long enough to make good on that plan. We made sure of that, but Stark wasn’t ready to give it up. He had it in his head he was going to finish what his partner started and thought he could use Marlowe to carry out his plan. He was wrong. There was no way in hell we were going to let someone come in and take root in our territory, and we sure as hell weren’t going to let him use one of our own against us. He never saw us coming. The asshole actually thought he had the upper hand, but it was clear from everything that was being said on the news, Stark was done—in more ways than any of us realized. After listening to the reporter for several moments longer, Marlowe shook her head and said, “I knew he was a bad guy. I just had no idea how bad. To think he had all those guns and men at Crockett’s. You’d think he was planning on going to war or something.”
“Hard to tell exactly what he was planning,” I lied. All the brothers knew what Stark was up to and how he intended to take down the club, but that was club business and club business was never discussed with our women—no matter how tempting it might be. Hoping to change the subject, I asked, “You heard any more from Kate or your folks?”
“No, and I’m not planning to either...especially now that the truth has come out about Eric.” Marlowe shrugged. “I’m sure Kate is done trying to one-up me ‘cause there’s no way I could ever one-up that.”
“Ah, you never know.” I chuckled as I replied, “Give Rafe a little time. I’m sure he’ll step up to the challenge.”
Marlowe threw her hands up as she shrieked, “Oh, no! There’s been no challenge declared here! I’m good with things just the way they are.”
“I understand.”
Lisa, our veteran bartender, came over and smiled. “Hey there, handsome. Can I get ya a beer or something?”
“A Coke would be good.”
“You got it.”
Lisa winked as she turned and went over to make my drink. She was filling the glass with ice when Marlowe leaned over the counter and whispered, “Lisa’s really sweet, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she’s one of the best.”
“She’s really pretty, too.” Marlowe quickly glanced over her shoulder, making sure Lisa couldn’t hear as she whispered, “She’d make a great catch for somebody.”
“Umm-hmm. You gettin’ at something, Lowe?” I asked, knowing good and well she was trying to set me up with Lisa.
“No,” she lied. “I was just making an observation.”
“Um-hmm.” Lisa was a pretty girl. She had a knockout figure and an ass that wouldn’t quit, but there was no way I’d ever tangle up with her. Lisa was the kind of woman who was looking to settle down. In fact, she’d had a thing for Hawk and was hoping to settle down with him until he hooked up with Delilah. She’d never say anything, but I knew that shit hurt. And the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her even more. That didn’t mean I was going to miss the opportunity to fuck with Marlowe. “So, you’re not trying to say that I should make a play for Lisa?”