~ EIGHTEEN ~

Muddy Waters came on the jukebox as Eva dried the last of the shot glasses. A wave of bittersweet memory washed over her—sadness, a little heartache, and the deep lust that Will brought out in her all mingled for her attention. She looked up to the front door, silent and closed, and wished for the hundredth time that it would open and reveal Will standing behind it.

It had been two days since Will left Swashbuckler’s with his friends—the other members of his biker gang, as it turns out. She hadn’t heard a word from him since. Like a whirlwind that ended as fast as it began, Will was just gone, and Eva couldn’t believe how much she missed him. More than that, she was worried for him. The last look he gave her was full of so much pain that it invaded her dreams at night.

Eva stored the clean shot glasses slowly, one at a time, her mind feeling slow and dulled after so many days of chaos and excitement. She thought about Will’s touch on her skin and felt a heat blaze between her legs almost instantly, making her miss him even more.

At the end of the bar, Charlie sat, reading a newspaper. He flipped the page loudly and cleared his throat, bringing Eva out of her thoughts. Even though they hadn’t had any trouble since Will left, Charlie had been shadowing her like an overprotective mother bear ever since. She didn’t have the energy to argue with him about it.

“What do you want to do for dinner?” Charlie asked from behind the paper. “I was thinking we could go into town somewhere new, get our minds off things.”

“Sure,” said Eva. “I’m fine with that.”

Charlie folded the newspaper down and looked at her with a frown. He looked at her the same way he looked at a schematic of something he was trying to fix. “You’re sad.”

Eva gave him a sarcastic raise of her eyebrow and said nothing, wiping the counter down instead.

He folded the paper and put it on the counter. “Are you still mad at me?”

Eva shrugged. She really didn’t know how she felt about their fight before. It seemed unimportant. “I guess not.”

“Then what is it?” said Charlie. It only took him a few seconds to soften and add, “Oh. Is it… that..?”

“I don’t want to hear about it, Charlie,” she said as she threw the dish rag down into the sink. She leaned on the counter and hung her head. “I don’t need it from you.”

Charlie cleared his throat and shifted, uncomfortable. “All right, I guess I deserve that. I just don’t like seeing you upset. I’m sorry you’re sad.”

Eva closed her eyes. She couldn’t find the composure to look up at her brother. She just nodded with her face toward the counter. Me too.

The bar door swung open, squeakier than ever, it seemed. Eva took a deep breath and stood straight. Charlie turned, too, instantly on guard as he had been with every visitor for the past two days.

A familiar, hulking figure came in the doorway. It was the dark-haired man that called Will his friend. He pulled his sunglasses off and tucked them into the black leather vest that wrapped around his broad chest. Eva looked at the vest closely for the first time and saw it was covered in patches, including one that bore his name: Jase. Eva’s heart leapt into her throat as he approached.

“Hi, folks,” said Jase. He walked up to the bar and took a stool a few down from Charlie. “Can I get a beer, please?” he asked Eva directly.

“How’s Will?” she said. She didn’t even make a move to fulfill his request. She only stared at him, waiting.

Behind his big black beard, Jase’s expression went soft, surprised. He tipped his head just a little to the side as he looked at her. “Will is fine. That’s what I’m here to talk to you about.”

Eva felt relief rush down her muscles in a furious wave. She closed her eyes and let out a breath, not caring at all about displaying such emotion in front of her brother or this stranger. In some dark part of her mind, she feared Will was not going to survive his confrontation—feared he had crossed some forbidden line in his dangerous world. Her hands shook as she poured Jase the beer he requested.

Charlie held a hand to him and Jase shook it. “I guess I didn’t really introduce my sister to you last time. This is Eva.”

Jase’s eyes met hers and he grinned. “Oh yes, I’ve heard about Eva.” His smile grew when she blushed.

Charlie cleared his throat, clearly trying to change the subject without being forward. “So, you have some news for us?”

“I do,” said Jase, taking a drink of his beer. “First, you’ll be happy to know the problem from before has been solved. You will never be bothered again, and neither will your uncle, whenever he returns.”

Charlie scoffed. “You got a guarantee on that?”

Jase reached two fingers into a small pocket on his vest and came out with a white business card. He handed it to Charlie. “Here’s your guarantee. That’s the direct line to Henry Oliver, president of the Black Dogs. He has extensive influence, and you now get to count yourself among his allies. If anyone tries to hassle you again, call him, and we’ll take care of it.”

Charlie took the card with a surprised expression. “The Black Dogs Motorcycle Club?”

“Yes, that’s our organization, mine and Will’s,” said Jase. “Will is actually a very important part of our club.”

“Didn’t seem like it the other day,” said Charlie.

Jase sighed and took a drink. “That’s complicated. Everybody goes through dark times. Will’s just going through his. We don’t abandon brothers when they’re wounded. In any case, the club formally apologizes to you both for his, uh… methods. This was unusual for everyone.”

Charlie gave a hearty nod and stuffed the card carefully into his shirt pocket. “That’s appreciated. All we wanted was for things to get back to normal,” he said as he looked at Eva.

Speak for yourself, she thought.

“You should be able to do that now,” said Jase. He finished off the last of his beer, and Eva held up a hand and refused his money when he tried to pull out his wallet. Jase gave her a smile. “Hope you guys have a good evening.”

As Jase rose to leave, the office phone rang from the back room. Charlie jumped up and excused himself, clapping a friendly hand on Jase’s arm as he passed and disappeared around the wall. Seeing an opportunity, Eva called out to Jase just before he got to the door. He turned to her with an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

“Can I talk to you for a minute—alone?” she asked.

Jase looked over her head to where Charlie had disappeared. “Yeah, sure.”

Eva crossed her arms, feeling vulnerable and a little embarrassed. “Look, I don’t really know how to ask this, so I’m just going to come out and say it…” She squirmed a little on her feet. “I’m worried about Will. Is he really doing all right, or are you just telling us that to keep us settled?”

Jase smiled at her and pulled the smoke out of his lips. “I wouldn’t fuck around about something like that. Will’s my closest friend, I want to see him well, too.”

“I know he’s a dangerous man,” said Eva. “Just like I’m sure you are.” She looked around nervously. “I know this doesn’t make any sense, the kind of girl I am… I’m probably not his usual type… but he connected with me. We connected.” She had to pause and take a breath. Jase watched her with patient eyes. “I know he’s not in a good place. But I feel like I got to see the real Will under all that pain. And I… I really care about that Will. Can you promise to let me know if there’s something I can do for him?”

Jase watched her face quietly a moment before he grinned and said, “I can see why he likes you so much.”

Eva’s face flushed with heat. “What? What do you mean?”

Jase shook his head and laughed. “No, no, that’s not my conversation to have, and if you’re Will’s girl, that means you’re smart enough that you already know that, anyway.” When he winked at her, Eva blushed again and she gave him a guilty half-grin.