“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you to pick up Thor?” Jigger asked.
“Yeah,” Chains replied as he headed to the bar.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble.” Jigger followed behind him.
“I’m good, so leave it alone.” Chains held up two fingers to the prospect manning the bar.
“What’s the name of this clinic Thor’s in?” Eagle asked as he sidled up beside Chains.
The prospect placed two shots of tequila, some lime wedges, and a salt shaker in front of Chains, then scurried away. He licked the back of his hand, sprinkled a pinch of salt on it, then licked it again before he threw back the tequila in one gulp. Heat slid down his throat to his chest, and he finished it off by biting into a lime slice.
“Do you know the name, Jigger?” Eagle said.
Ignoring the impulse to smash Eagle in the face, Chains picked up the salt shaker for his second shot.
“Are any of you guys going to take me and Angel to the drugstore? We need to get a few things,” Lila said.
The cloying scent of perfume overwhelmed him, and he pushed away from the counter.
“I’d help you ladies out, but I’ve got to pick up Thor.”
A wide smile lit up her pretty face. “I’m so happy that he’s all better. I’ve missed him.”
Chains squeezed her shoulder. “Me too.” He glanced over at Eagle. “You’re not doing shit, so why don’t you take the women to town? You got too damn much time on your hands.”
Eagle slowly brought the beer bottle to his mouth. After a long pull, he set it down on the bar. “I’m gonna find out the name of the clinic, bro.” He then turned to the Lila and said, “I can only spare an hour for your shopping trip.”
Lila squealed and rushed away.
“You’re a softie,” Jigger said as he stared at the club girl’s ass.
“Don’t give me that bullshit—you were one second away from offering to take them,” Eagle replied.
Chains pulled out the keys to his SUV and chuckled. “Have fun with the girls.”
“Fuck you,” Eagle muttered.
He turned away and walked out of the club. In less than thirty minutes he was pulling into the clinic’s crowded parking lot. When he entered the building, several people with dogs, cats, and a couple of guinea pigs littered the reception area. Chains walked up to the counter and rang the chrome call bell. A woman who looked vaguely familiar came up to the front.
“May I help you?” the short-haired brunette asked.
“I’m here to pick up my dog—Thor.” He wanted to ask if Autumn was around, but he didn’t. The doctor was just Thor’s vet, and after today he wouldn’t see her again unless Thor needed some medical attention. Asking about her would be lame as hell, and besides, interest in a citizen wasn’t his thing.
“Okay.” The receptionist looked at a computer screen. “Dr. Sanford wants to talk to you.”
An annoying streak of excitement surged through him.Fuckin’ pussy.“Okay.”
The woman leaned back in her chair and stared at him. “I think I know you.” She squinted her eyes, then they widened as a pink flush spread over her face. “Chet Graver, right?” A smile spread across her face.
“Yeah—but the name’s Chains now.”
“Chains?”
“Yeah. You look familiar.” He tried to remember if she was one of the many girls he’d hooked up with before he got hitched to Krystal, but he was drawing a damn blank.
“Shelia Bixby. Alina High—class of 1987. Remember?”
A memory of them climbing into the back seat of his used Camaro flashed through his mind. “Oh yeah. How’ve you been?” They’d hooked up after a football game, and for him, it had been a one-time deal, but Sheila had interpreted it as the beginning of a relationship. For the rest of their senior year, she’d chased the hell out of him.