the shit out of me. I really thought he was going to kill me.”
“You’re lucky he didn’t.” Jack studied her face. “Craig’s getting a lot crazier. He’s been that way…”
“Ever since Lisa died. Yeah, I know.” She knocked back another gulp of the whiskey. She was getting used to this everyone knowing about everyone’s business. “He’s angry with Morgan. I get it in a way; this was his family. But he can’t seem to understand that Morgan saved his life.”
“This ain’t just about that.” Jack set the glass aside, looked around, and leaned over the bar. “Look, I don’t talk about the crew; they’re my crew, not yours. Bros before hos.” He let the words sink in before he continued, “But you’re Morgan’s old lady, and you’re the first woman he’s ever cared enough about to put that label on, and I saw you fire a gun at an OutKast to save his ass, so I’ll tell you what it’s really about, but it’s private, you understand?”
She stared at him. She should be insulted he’d referred to her as a ho and then an old lady, but she kind of figured that was biker talk. Something else surprised her. “Really? I mean, not that it’s private, I mean Morgan never…” her voice trailed off, not sure if saying the words out loud would jinx them.
“Oh, he’s had women. He’s not a virginal creature, make no mistake, but he thinks you’re something special, obviously.”
She blushed and hid behind the last little bit of her drink. “Thank you for telling me that.”
Morgan had said it too, while they’d been talking about her getting her own place, and she’d dismissed the statement. She had not recognized how huge as it was. Regret stormed in. How had she been stupid enough to overlook that? To overlook what he’d been trying to tell her about where he placed her in his life?
Jack refilled her drink. “Let me tell you something. Lisa…you know she had both those guys wrapped around her little finger from the time they were kids. She was always the damsel in distress. When they were teenagers she decided she wanted Morgan, and set out to get him but Morgan, well he knew how Craig felt about her, so he backed away and not slowly.”
Katie was glad for the drink; she needed another long sip.
“She decided to take Craig like a consolation prize, and then she put him through sheer hell for years. He was her best friend, unless she wanted him to sleep with her. She was wounded, make no mistake, but, hell, of all of them were. I met Morgan and Craig when they were snot-nosed little kids and her too, and even then I could have told you how that girl was going to end up.”
Curious, Katie asked, “How’d you meet them?”
Jack waved a hand. “It’s a long story. You’d be bored to tears in an hour. But even then she was messing up and getting them to take the blame. She worked both of them, but Morgan smartened up. You see, sometimes when you make a promise, you have to know that you can’t keep it when it was made under one set of circumstances… and then those circumstances change.”
His words were complicated, but they made sense. Time and life experience changed things. Katie sighed, “Isn’t that the truth.”
Jack said, “Damn right it is. They made her a promise when they were dumb-fuck kids who thought that when they turned eighteen, the world would suddenly become a magical place filled with good things. Only they didn’t stay kids, and they realized life isn’t about fucking unicorns and rainbows. Lisa chose to stay on the path she was on, no matter how often Morgan or Craig tried to drag her off it. Morgan smartened up. Craig let the thought of love blind him.”
“So why is he mad at Morgan?”
Jack pointed at her empty glass. “You need another?”
She shook her head, not even remembering she had finished it. “No, but thank you. Here, let me pay my tab.”
He chuckled. “Morgan owns this bar. He has one rule. Every crew person or old lady gets two
“You’re lucky he didn’t.” Jack studied her face. “Craig’s getting a lot crazier. He’s been that way…”
“Ever since Lisa died. Yeah, I know.” She knocked back another gulp of the whiskey. She was getting used to this everyone knowing about everyone’s business. “He’s angry with Morgan. I get it in a way; this was his family. But he can’t seem to understand that Morgan saved his life.”
“This ain’t just about that.” Jack set the glass aside, looked around, and leaned over the bar. “Look, I don’t talk about the crew; they’re my crew, not yours. Bros before hos.” He let the words sink in before he continued, “But you’re Morgan’s old lady, and you’re the first woman he’s ever cared enough about to put that label on, and I saw you fire a gun at an OutKast to save his ass, so I’ll tell you what it’s really about, but it’s private, you understand?”
She stared at him. She should be insulted he’d referred to her as a ho and then an old lady, but she kind of figured that was biker talk. Something else surprised her. “Really? I mean, not that it’s private, I mean Morgan never…” her voice trailed off, not sure if saying the words out loud would jinx them.
“Oh, he’s had women. He’s not a virginal creature, make no mistake, but he thinks you’re something special, obviously.”
She blushed and hid behind the last little bit of her drink. “Thank you for telling me that.”
Morgan had said it too, while they’d been talking about her getting her own place, and she’d dismissed the statement. She had not recognized how huge as it was. Regret stormed in. How had she been stupid enough to overlook that? To overlook what he’d been trying to tell her about where he placed her in his life?
Jack refilled her drink. “Let me tell you something. Lisa…you know she had both those guys wrapped around her little finger from the time they were kids. She was always the damsel in distress. When they were teenagers she decided she wanted Morgan, and set out to get him but Morgan, well he knew how Craig felt about her, so he backed away and not slowly.”
Katie was glad for the drink; she needed another long sip.
“She decided to take Craig like a consolation prize, and then she put him through sheer hell for years. He was her best friend, unless she wanted him to sleep with her. She was wounded, make no mistake, but, hell, of all of them were. I met Morgan and Craig when they were snot-nosed little kids and her too, and even then I could have told you how that girl was going to end up.”
Curious, Katie asked, “How’d you meet them?”
Jack waved a hand. “It’s a long story. You’d be bored to tears in an hour. But even then she was messing up and getting them to take the blame. She worked both of them, but Morgan smartened up. You see, sometimes when you make a promise, you have to know that you can’t keep it when it was made under one set of circumstances… and then those circumstances change.”
His words were complicated, but they made sense. Time and life experience changed things. Katie sighed, “Isn’t that the truth.”
Jack said, “Damn right it is. They made her a promise when they were dumb-fuck kids who thought that when they turned eighteen, the world would suddenly become a magical place filled with good things. Only they didn’t stay kids, and they realized life isn’t about fucking unicorns and rainbows. Lisa chose to stay on the path she was on, no matter how often Morgan or Craig tried to drag her off it. Morgan smartened up. Craig let the thought of love blind him.”
“So why is he mad at Morgan?”
Jack pointed at her empty glass. “You need another?”
She shook her head, not even remembering she had finished it. “No, but thank you. Here, let me pay my tab.”
He chuckled. “Morgan owns this bar. He has one rule. Every crew person or old lady gets two
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