Jodi_ByTheLight (20 page)

“I’m older. That makes you a boy.” Jeff looked from him to Ava. “Hello, beautiful. Is this boy treating you all right?”

“He could be treating me better if we could use your room in the back.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Jeff blinked and then roared with laughter. “Damn, Damon, you lucky son of a bitch.”

He shot Ava a look. She just shrugged, her attention snagged by a waitress passing by carrying a huge cheeseburger. She licked her lips.

“Are you hungry?” He frowned.

“Yeah. It seems those pastries I ate didn’t stick.”

He reached for his wallet and pulled out a twenty.

“No. You’ve already spent too much money on me. Besides we need money to rent a room.” She shoved the twenty back at him.

“Ava, I’m not going to let you starve.”

She huffed. “I’m not going to starve. I’ve eaten enough for a hibernating bear.”

“Don’t say bear!” Jeff’s brows knit together in frustration.

“Don’t tell me, there are Were bears?” She gave him a droll look.

“Yeah. And a couple of them from New Orleans came in a few months back. There was a huge fight, tore the place up pretty good. Just got it looking nice again.” Jeff puffed out his chest.

“This is nice?” She scanned the interior walls. Old car tags from around the world were nailed on every inch of space. She gave Jeff a doubtful look.

“I was wondering if Ava could stay here while I go handle some business.” He kept his voice low.

“Here? You want to leave her here? In a wolf bar?” Jeff raised an eyebrow.

“The way you say that, Jeff, is not making me have warm fuzzies about your fine establishment.” She looked between him and Jeff.

“I can’t take her to the Beaver Tail.”

“More like he won’t let me go to the Beaver Tail.” Ava crossed her arms over her chest and proceeded to pout.

“She’d probably be safer at the Beaver than here, Damon.” Jeff shrugged.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, have you seen the security they got over at the Beaver? If a male says something wrong to a female they get their asses kicked out in a hurry.” Jeff swept his hand across the room. “I don’t have enough bouncers here tonight, and I’m stuck behind the bar since the damn bartender called in sick.”

A slow smile crept across his face. “Well, you just happen to be in luck because Ava here is a bartender.”

Chapter Nine

“Is that right, honey?” Jeff asked.

She nodded and smiled.

“Well, why didn’t you say so? Sure she can stay.” Jeff’s face broke out into a smile.

“Good, I should be back around midnight. If I’m lucky, I’ll be bringing a guest.” Damon let out a breath. At least he knew she would be safe with Jeff watching over her.

Jeff nodded. “The workers know not to go in the back room.”

“Good.” He turned his attention to Ava, who snagged a French fry off a passing tray. She gave him a sheepish smile after she stuffed the evidence in her mouth.

“Stay behind the bar with Jeff.”

“What if I have to go to the bathroom?”

“Then Jeff will wait outside the door.” Damon gave Jeff a heavy stare. “Feed her before she starts working.” He handed him a twenty, but Jeff waved it away.

“All my employees get a free meal when they’re working.”

He nodded, but handed her the twenty anyway.

“I’ll be okay. I can handle myself.”

“Just like with those kidnappers.”

She scowled at him. “They drugged me. It wasn’t a fair fight. If it was, I would have ripped their dicks off and shoved them up their asses.”

“Nice visual.” He cringed.

“Thanks.” She slid closer. “Be careful.”

“I always am.”

“And no lap dances.” She stuck a finger in his face for emphasis.

“Only if you’re doing the dancing.”

“And no slipping money in a G-string.” She narrowed her eyes.

He smiled. He liked her being jealous, not that she would have any reason to be. After her, no woman would ever mean anything else to him.

“You have nothing to worry about.” He held her close and kissed the side of her neck. Opening his mouth, he let his teeth graze her shoulder. He wished they were alone so he could run his mouth down the rest of her body.

Her hand skated under the front of his T-shirt as she trailed her nails down his skin. He growled against her neck. “Female, you’re driving me crazy.”

“This is nothing.” Her deep sultry voice was making it hard to concentrate.

Reluctantly, he pulled away from her. For once in his life, he really didn’t want to do his job. For once, all he wanted was to stay with Ava.

“Jeff will look after you.”

“I’m going to take care of her, Damon. Don’t worry.” Jeff slapped him on the back as he passed by.

He kissed her hard before turning toward the door. He grinned as Ava spoke to Jeff.

“So, Jeff, what kind of gun do you carry behind the bar?”

***

Damon shouldered his way through the crowded strip club and eased onto a corner bar stool with his back to the wall.

The club reeked of smoke and sweat, making his stomach turn. Hopefully, he could get what he wanted and get out.

He glanced at the stage and frowned. There were still professional strippers dancing. He glanced at his watch. Amateur dancing should have started by now.

He ordered a shot of Grey Goose. The bartender with sleeve tattoos and spiky, blue-tipped hair met his gaze. His informant. The bartender turned away as he filled Damon’s order. It gave him a moment to think about Ava. He ran his hands through his hair, irritated at himself for leaving her alone in that damn bar.

She wasn’t exactly alone. Jeff was there and had promised to look after her. But still, he didn’t like it.

Shaking his head, he pushed away his irrational worries and scanned the bar, looking for David Jenkins.

The strippers had more rhythm than what he and Ava had seen earlier that day. The club probably saved their better dancers for the night crowd.

A group of college-aged guys lined up around the end of the stage waving dollar bills as the voluptuous stripper jiggled her huge tits in their faces.

“I bet you don’t usually order Grey Goose. I bet you’re usually a Jack Daniels man.” The tattooed bartender slid him the shot of vodka across the counter.

Damon narrowed his gaze. “I heard you got some information for me.”

A drunken frat boy wearing a purple LSU sweatshirt stumbled into Damon before slamming his hand down on the table. “Give me a round of tequila shots.”

Damon flinched, fisting his hands to keep from punching the guy. Now was not the time to cause a scene.

The bartender ignored the guy and continued drying a glass with his bar towel. “I think you’ve had enough, son.”

“Look here asshole, you’re not my mommy. I got money and I want my tequila shots.” The frat boy slapped a hundred-dollar bill on the bar.

Damon turned toward the college guy. “I think you better listen to him and walk away.”

The frat boy faced Damon, looking him up and down before turning his lip up in disgust. “Do you know who I am, Scarface? My father is Senator Harris.”

Rage boiled over in his chest, and he grabbed the kid’s hand and wrapped it behind his back. Frat boy screamed like a little girl.

Leaning near his ear, he growled. “That shit doesn’t fly in here. I could rip out your fucking throat and disembowel you before you take your next breath. And no one in here would ever breathe a word about it. Your little daddy would never find enough of you to bury, you piece of shit.”

The scent of fear rolled off the boy, fueling his rage.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it, man!” The guy’s breath was coming in small pants and he appeared to be on the verge of passing out.

“Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to apologize to the bartender for calling him names because I know your daddy didn’t raise you to be a dickhead, now did he?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean what I said. It’s the alcohol; it makes me act like an asshole.” The kid turned his panicked gaze on the amused bartender.

“Now, you’re going to get your college buddies and get the fuck out of here because I know you dickheads have a curfew.”

“Okay, okay, just let me go.” His voice turned into the whine of a child.

“You guys aren’t coming back in here, are you?”

“No! I won’t, I swear! Hell, the only reason I came was to see amateur night.”

Damon slowly let go of frat boy. The guy bolted and ran headlong into a waitress, sending alcohol and glass flying across the floor. He tried to stand up as another waitress came with a towel to help clean, but ended up slipping and busting his ass. He sent out a yell that even made Damon cringe.

His buddies pulled him up and escorted him out.

Damon turned back to the bartender.

“Appreciate the help, man.” The bartender slid a shot of Jack Daniel’s in front of him. “Here, on the house.”

“Thanks.” He tossed the amber liquid back, letting it burn a fiery trail down his throat.

“No problem. The name’s Braxton.” He stuck out his hand and Damon accepted it.

“Damon.” He nodded toward the door where the college group exited. “He’s too fucking young to even be in here.”

“Tell me about it. I told the bouncer to make sure and check for IDs. I’m sure that little prick and his gang slipped the bouncer a hundred to get in.” Braxton shook his head in disgust.

“I’m not surprised.” Damon shrugged.

“The sad thing is he only came tonight with his buddies to see his girlfriend strip.”

His head jerked up. “His girlfriend’s a stripper? Aren’t they a little old for him?”

Braxton shook his head. “She’s not regular dancer. She’s a college girl. His girlfriend was going to strip for amateur night. It got canceled until tomorrow night and he ended up staying anyway.”

“Wait. They canceled amateur night?”

Braxton narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Don’t tell me you were here to watch the college girls strip for money.”

“I was waiting on someone to show up. Apparently, he only shows up on amateur night.” He gritted his teeth.

“Let me guess. This guy isn’t a friend. Is this Pack business?”

Damon bowed up. Damn, this guy was a wolf. How the hell had he missed it?

Braxton smiled. “Relax. The only reason you couldn’t smell me is all the damn smoke in this building. I swear I think I’ve got black lung. Besides I’m not in a Pack, too damn many rules for me.”

“You work in a strip club. Why not work at Jeff’s and bartend there? At least you wouldn’t be around so many humans.”

“Actually, I used to work at Jeff’s, until . . .” The bartender looked away.

“Until what?” Damon cocked his head.

Braxton looked pained. “Until he caught me banging his daughter in the kitchen.”

Damon’s mouth fell open. “Jeff has a daughter?”

“I know, right! I had no idea he was ever mated. When this hot-looking blonde came in one night, we got to talking and one thing led to another, and the next thing I knew…”

“You were in the kitchen on the butcher block.”

“Well, not me. She was the one lying on the table.” Braxton shook his head. “Anyway, the next thing I know I’m looking down the barrel of a sawed-off shotgun aimed at my dick.”

“Damn.” He shook his head and grinned, looking into his empty shot glass.

“I ended up getting a job here. You’d be surprised how wolves are more ethical than humans.”

“Actually, I wouldn’t.” Not after the hell he had gone through when he was younger.

“These young girls coming up from LSU, just to strip for money on amateur night, well, it’s pathetic. When we had to turn them away because it was postponed until tomorrow, you would have thought someone had died.”

“Why did they postpone it?” He clenched his shot glass.

“There was a football game tonight, and they figured it wouldn’t be much of a turnout.”

“Shit.”

“Are you going to let me know exactly who you’re looking for? Or, do you want to play twenty questions?”

The bartender seemed to have his moral compass set in the right spot, the question was, could he trust him? He knew from experience people could turn on you in a second, human or wolf.

“Look, man. I’m just offering. No pressure.” Braxton held his hands up defensively before turning his attention back to fill a drink order. He filled two mugs with beer and placed them on a tray for a waitress to pick up. The waitress gave him a wink and Braxton shook his head.

“I’m looking for a guy named David Jenkins. I don’t have a picture, but I was hoping you might remember him.”

Braxton straightened, recognition filling his eyes before his mouth turned into a straight line. “Yeah, I know that asshole. You better hope you get to him before I do.”