Page 3 of The Price of Love

“What can I get you?” Halo asks. The shelves behind her are as well-stocked as any bar.

“I’ll stick with water for now.”

Halo frowns, making her resting bitch face even more imposing. “Stomach still bothering you?”

I consider saying no, but she won’t believe me. “It’ll be better after we get through this damned meeting.”

Halo gives me a knowing nod. “One water, coming up. Plus some pretzels.”

I protest, but Halo points her finger at me. “You need to eat.” She grabs the large pretzel container from under the counter, shakes a heap onto a napkin, and pushes it across the bar.

I nibble on the pretzels to keep Halo off my back, but I’m not hungry.

A young patch sister bounds up and drops an empty pitcher on the Iron Thorns’ logo etched on the bar top. “Fill ’er up, Halo.” She puts her arm over my shoulder. “How’s it going, Dimples?”

Still seated, I wrap my arm around her and give her a hug. “I’m good. How about you?”

“Can’t complain.” She motions over her shoulder. “I’m about to kick Diesel’s ass.”

I laugh because we both know it isn’t gonna happen. I glance at the corner where the pool table and dartboards are. It’s where Diesel can usually be found. She’s slowly chalking her pool cue and studying the table. “You know she shoots better the more she drinks.”

Once Halo delivers the pitcher, the patch sister is off.

“Don’t those girls know not to challenge Diesel?” Halo says. “She’s been hustling pool longer than they’ve been alive.”

“That was us a few years ago.”

Halo raises an eyebrow. “A few?”

I groan. It’s been over a decade since I joined the club, and I swear the girls keep getting younger. “Stop. You’re making me feel old.”

“Eat.” Halo taps the bar next to the pile of pretzels that I’ve barely touched. “That’s the thing: life is change. Clubs never stay the same.”

My chest tightens. The Thorns’ clubhouse was the first place I ever felt safe.

“But Aces was a traditionalist,” I say to stave off Halo’s words. I point up at the high-peaked ceiling. “This clubhouse still carries the bones of the old hunting lodge.” I nod toward the opposite wall at the enormous wood stove that provides much of our heat. “Those couches have been with the club longer than me and Storm.” The well-worn leather, softened by decades of bodies, is the favorite gathering spot and the first to fill up.

Halo gives me a knowing smile. “Just because the outside stays the same doesn’t mean the inside doesn’t change.”

“For fuck’s sake, it’s church night. We’re supposed to be happy.” I flash her a huge smile because that’s what I do.

She laughs. “Sorry. Just ignore me. Tonight, I’m feeling nostalgic.”

She doesn’t say for Aces, but we both know what she means. “We’ll figure it out. All families face adjustments after the matriarch dies.” I pick up a pretzel and chomp on it. Though it tastes like cardboard, I pretend to relish the taste.

“It’s okay, hon.” She puts her warm hand on top of mine. “Storm’s carrying a huge load, and it’s okay to be worried for her.”

As I wrestle with a response, a group of eight club members bursts in the front door, letting the cold air in with them. They’re talking loud and laughing.

“Looks like you’re about to get busy.” I smile at Halo. “Besides, I need to go find Storm.”

She squeezes my hand before she lets it go. “A bartender’s job is never done.”

The girls pile up to the bar, shouting greetings and giving hugs. After saying a few words to them, I twist on my stool. The bar once sported mismatched stools and chairs, but several years ago, we bought new ones. I still miss the old hodgepodge.

As I stand and stretch my legs, a prospect comes from the supply room behind the bar—Jazmin—though we don’t call her by name. When you’re prospecting to get into a club, you have no name. It’s one aspect of club life I struggle with. I know what it’s like to feel small. I’ve never forgotten it, so I won’t strip someone else down.

What I do is smile and let my dimples show. People don’t dig too deep when you’re smiling, and that’s how I like it. It’s got me through life and given me my club name.