“I do my best.”
“I’ll bet you do. Probably get your brains from that button-up pansy of a father. What’s he up to these days?” Matthew asks as he pours himself a glass of whisky.
“I don’t know. He left when I was a baby,” I say with a shrug.
Matthew cocks his head to the side and looks at Bones. “I didn’t know that. Did you?”
Bones nods.
“Amy always knew how to drive them away. She sure was worth the trouble, though.” Matthew grins, visibly adjusting himself through his trousers.
My stomach turns, and I look away so I don’t puke up the little bit of vile chili in my system.
“Oh come on,” he coaxes. “You can’t be that uptight—I know my boy here can be rough with the women he fucks. We’re all family here. No need to be shy.”
Kolter’s face is stoic. He doesn’t look towards his dad or to me; he just stares forward.
I clear my throat. “I’m not shy.”
“You’re not?” Matthew flashes me a bullshit smile.
I shake my head, driving my point home. “I just don’t enjoy discussing whether my mother is a good lay or my boyfriend fucking anyone but me.”
The words slip off my tongue, surprising even me. I certainly surprise Kolter. I never swear, and I definitely never speak so… directly. And now of all times, this is the moment I decide to do so? Awesome, Nay.
Matthew is quiet for a moment—then he slams his fist down on the table and bellows with laughter.
“Oh shit. You’ve got a little bit of fire in you, don’t ya? I didn’t expect that. That’s good. You’ll stick around longer that way.”
“You mean around the club?” I ask.
“I mean in life,” he throws back, turning my stomach instantly.
He gives me a smile that feels equal parts menacing and amused then rises from the table.
“Well, business calls. Thanks for coming by. You should bring her more often, Blade,” he says, making his way towards the front door.
But he pauses just behind me, his hand sliding to the front of my neck, barely gripping it but still keeping it firmly in place as his breath fans over my cheek.
“Oh, and if you ever get in the way of Blade’s responsibilities to the club again, I’ll snap your goddamn neck.”
My pulse thunders, and my eyes widen in shock—then he releases his hold on me and swaggers out of the club like he owns the whole damn world.
The rest of the table is frozen in place, my heavy breathing the only sound, then Bones pushes up from his seat.
“Get her out of here,” he rasps before heading out the door after Matthew.
“What was that about?” I ask almost numbly, glancing to Ace then Kolter.
Kolter’s eyes meet mine, a heavy level of… something behind them.
“It was a warning.”
“To me?” I ask.
“To me,” he clarifies.
He glances at Ace, who nods wordlessly and heads for the door, then Kolter stands and takes my hand, pulling me to my feet.