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How was I meant to tell him that it wasn’t Shep and the Kings who were the problem?
Fuck.
17
JUDAH
The blond biker curled his lip and shook his head, shifting his attention to Chaz, where he focused like a laser beam.
“Shep,” Tav said sharply. “Leave it.”
Chaz smacked my arm and smirked while staring right back at the blond biker. He swiped his longish hair behind his ear and tipped his chin up, taunting the other man with an easier target. “Go ahead and do something, if you want to spend the rest of your life in jail. Between Judah and me, we probably know all the people who matter in New Gothenburg.” He sniffed. “You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
The blond snorted.
Tav snagged my forearm, trying to tug me closer.
“Chaz,” I hissed. What was he doing?
Chaz and the blond ignored me.
“You think I’m scared of you? You’ll be dead before you have a chance to call a fucking lawyer,” the blond said.
Chaz’s eyes widened and he glanced at me like he thought I was going to have something to say, but I wasn’t that stupid. I caught sight of a gun underneath the leather jacket on one of the big men backing up the smaller one who was pissed off at Chaz.
The blond swiped the back of his hand across his nose, then launched himself at Chaz. Pure instinct had me moving to block the hit. My days playing football came back to me in a rush. Unfortunately, the blond was fast, and he slammed a right hook into my left eye, and then he kept going and plowed right into Chaz, who had frozen in place like a squirrel facing off with a semitruck.
“Shep! God damn it! Shep, stop!” Tav called, and it clicked that he must know the blond, but why in the hell would someone who knew Tav want to hurt my friend? None of it made sense.
I lurched out of Tav’s grip and grabbed the blond’s arms, attempting to drag him off Chaz. I needed to end the fight or Chaz would be a stain on the ground.
Next thing I knew, the big biker with a tattoo of a skull on his throat slammed his meaty fist into my right eye. Pain lanced through my skull and my head spun. Both of my eye sockets began to ache and throb along with my heartbeat.
“Stop! Fuck!” Tav yelled.
There was a scuffle, and when I opened my eyes, Tav was standing over me with his hands out, and the biker who’d hit me was scowling but shrugged and stood back to watch the blond beat the shit out of Chaz. I lost count of how many punches Chaz took, but finally his nose spurted blood, and the blond jumped up with his hands raised as if he’d just scored a touchdown. The bikers with him chuckled.
The blond bounced toward Tav, and I forced myself to my feet and stumbled in front of him.
“Leave Tav alone,” I said, even though I wasn’t the steadiest.
“I know Shep,” Tav said, a familiar exasperated tone in his voice. He gestured at the blond. “Shep, this is Judah, my boyfriend.” He held up his arm and lightly snapped the bracelet.
Shep’s expression crinkled with confusion, and he swung around to get in my face, looking even more pissed off. “Do you know that stupid shit?” He pointed at Chaz.
A small crowd began to form around us, people watching the spectacle, and I felt hemmed in. I saw people reaching for their phones, and that was the last thing any of us needed. My heart rate tripled. I couldn’t be seen at the center of something like this, not with the social media campaign going on for the ice tires right now.
“Shep, that’s Judah’s friend. I told you to leave it,” Tav said, grasping his shoulder and shaking it.
Shep shrugged Tav off and pushed me in the chest until I stumbled backward into Tav. Shep glared at Tav and shook his head before he got right in my face again. “Get better fucking friends,” he snarled. “Tav’s a stand-up guy, and you don’t deserve him if you let people who are your friends—” He made a face. “—trash-talk him. He waited a long time to date someone, and he deserves the best, not whatever the hell you are.”
His fist caught me in the gut, and I was winded for a second. I held up a hand when Shep raised his eyebrows at me.
“Enough,” Tav said, and this time Shep’s lips pursed, but he nodded.
I glanced between Shep and Chaz, then turned and stared into Tav’s eyes. They sparkled a pretty green in the sunlight. “What’s he talking about?”
Tav hung his head and his cheeks flushed red. “It’s nothing.”
