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“Hey. Maybe that’s your love language,” Demi said.
“I don’t have a love language.” I took a generous bite of my burger.
“What exactly is a love language?” Kingston asked her.
“It’s the way you respond to love. Maybe you like the fact that she hates you but in a sort of weird, tension-filled attraction that is impossible to miss,” she said proudly, and Romeo looked at her like she’d just invented the cure to a deadly disease.
Kingston was nodding at her proudly.
These motherfuckers were a bunch of crazy saps.
“That’s the most ridiculous shit I’ve heard. I can’t stand most people. I like to get laid. And I tolerate you guys. That’s my love language.” I reached for my beer.
“Now I know where this is coming from,” Nash said. “Cutler was talking all sorts of shit about his love language.”
“That’s Beefcake to you,” I said, because Nash’s son, Cutler, was more like all of ours. The four of us were his godfathers, and Demi fell just as in love with him as the rest of us were. He wasquirky as shit, and we were all crazy about him. He’d recently changed his name to Beefcake, and we’d all respected it, even if it annoyed the hell out of Nash.
More laughter.
“Yes,” Demi said. “Beefcake’s love language is physical touch. He loves to hug and hold hands. He’s got a tender heart.”
“Just like his dad.” Kingston’s head fell back in laughter as he slapped Nash on the shoulder.
Nash flashed him the bird, and I glanced over as the door swung open and a group of guys walked in.
I recognized one of them as Ruby’s brother, Zane. He was a bit of a fuck-up. The dude was always in here asking for free shit from Lionel.
There were a few locals here, as well, and I didn’t miss the shift in energy when Sam White moved to his feet and made his way toward the group.
I’d learned at a young age to read the room.
To recognize when shit was about to go down and to prepare for it. I’d been on the wrong side of that equation once, and it wouldn’t happen again.
And shit was definitely about to go down.
Romeo’s eyes found mine. Kingston, Hayes, and Nash noticed, and they all stopped eating. Demi was clueless, and she continued telling us about how sweet and tenderhearted Cutler was, but none of us were responding anymore.
She gazed over her shoulder and whispered something to Romeo.
Sam moved into Zane’s space and pulled him to his feet just as he sat down at a table, and I slipped off my barstool and started to head that way with my boys right behind me.
Out of my peripheral, I saw a flash of movement.
Ruby fucking Rose came sailing over the bar like a motherfucking ninja. She didn’t miss a beat as she landed on her Dr. Marten-clad feet.
“Do not fucking think about it,” she hissed at Sam, who slowly turned toward her.
I was already moving. There was no fucking way this was going down on my watch.
This was Lionel’s daughter, after all.
I needed to make sure she was okay.
It was the least I could do while she was home, covering the bar.
But her hand shot up, and she turned toward me. “I’ve got this. Go back to your table.”
You could hear a pin drop in the bar, and I didn’t take another step in either direction. If Sam so much as sneezed, I’d be on top of him. He was a piece-of-shit loan shark who thought he was a tough guy.
