Read Online Justice Burning (Hellfire #2) by Elle James - Free Book Online
Authors: Elle James
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hadn’t seen the men who’d killed him. Which led back to the question of why had they killed Ryan, and why would they now be after her?
5
“ Y ou should have seen old Nash carrying the pretty bride around like he was marching her over a threshold.” Rider lifted the beer in his hand. “Never thought I’d see him with a bride. He’s too cantankerous to get married. Suppose I’ll have to be content with that image. It’s probably as close as he’ll get to a bride of his own.”
“I’m sitting at the table, dumbass,” Nash said, tossing back the whiskey shooter he’d ordered, following it with a longneck bottle of his favorite beer. They’d gathered at the Ugly Stick Saloon for a drink after work to celebrate their brother Chance’s thirty-first birthday. “You don’t have to talk about me like I’m in another county.”
Rider clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, old man. I can’t help it. I wish you could have seen it like I did. The look on your face cracked me up!” He laughed again and wiped the tears from his eyes before taking another long draw from his beer.
“I wouldn’t push him too hard,” Beckett, Nash’s oldest brother, said. “He’s younger than you, and what do you have to show for yourself? You haven’t even come close to landing a girlfriend, much less a wife.”
Rider frowned. “I haven’t been looking. Besides, we aren’t all as old as you, Beckett. You’re lucky Kinsey came back to town, or you’d be as single as the rest of us.”
Becket’s lips curled in a contented smile, and he reached for his fiancée’s hand. “I am lucky she came back to town.”
“Damn right, you are,” Kinsey declared. “But we’re not here to talk about the new girl in town, as interesting as she sounds. We’re here to celebrate.” She lifted her beer. “Happy birthday, Chance.”
The other brothers lifted their drinks and echoed Kinsey’s sentiment. “Happy birthday!”
After taking a long pull on their drinks, the brothers lowered them and stared around at each other.
“Thirty-one, huh?” Rider clapped Chance on the back. “So when are you settling down and getting married? Seems we need to get busy populating the family tree with little Graysons.”
“We can leave that to Beckett and Kinsey.” Chance shook his head. “I’m not in a hurry to find a ball and chain. I like being footloose.”
“That’s Chance-speak for I can’t get a date, and I don’t give enough of a damn to figure out why,” Rider said. “What we need is an online dating service so we can meet women.”
Chance raised his hand. “No way. I prefer to find my own.”
Nash agreed with Chance. Online dating wasn’t for him, either.
Rider’s brows rose. “And how’s that working for you, Chance, old man?”
With a shrug, Chance took another swig of his beer, keeping silent.
“Want me to get you boys another round of drinks?” Kinsey glanced around. “Seems Audrey is short some waitresses tonight.”
“Bad night to be short, what with the rodeo in town.”
“I’m surprised Jackson isn’t here to help,” Kinsey said as she glanced around. “He’s always here on big nights.”
Jackson Gray Wolf emerged from the doorway behind the bar with someone behind him. About that time, Kinsey shifted, blocking Nash’s view.
Chance gave a low whistle. “Hey, who’s the hot redhead with Jackson?”
Nash craned his neck, unable to see past Kinsey. Chance’s mention of a redhead had Nash’s every nerve on alert. Surely it wasn’t the pretty Phoebe he’d rescued on the side of the road earlier that day.
Rider leaned sideways and gave a hoot of laughter. “Well, I’ll be damned. It’s her!” He glanced at Nash. “Your pretty bride came looking for you, Nash. Whatcha gonna do?”
“She didn’t come looking for me.” Nash scooted back his chair, in an attempt to get a look at the woman with Jackson, without appearing too interested. He’d never hear the end of the teasing
5
“ Y ou should have seen old Nash carrying the pretty bride around like he was marching her over a threshold.” Rider lifted the beer in his hand. “Never thought I’d see him with a bride. He’s too cantankerous to get married. Suppose I’ll have to be content with that image. It’s probably as close as he’ll get to a bride of his own.”
“I’m sitting at the table, dumbass,” Nash said, tossing back the whiskey shooter he’d ordered, following it with a longneck bottle of his favorite beer. They’d gathered at the Ugly Stick Saloon for a drink after work to celebrate their brother Chance’s thirty-first birthday. “You don’t have to talk about me like I’m in another county.”
Rider clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, old man. I can’t help it. I wish you could have seen it like I did. The look on your face cracked me up!” He laughed again and wiped the tears from his eyes before taking another long draw from his beer.
“I wouldn’t push him too hard,” Beckett, Nash’s oldest brother, said. “He’s younger than you, and what do you have to show for yourself? You haven’t even come close to landing a girlfriend, much less a wife.”
Rider frowned. “I haven’t been looking. Besides, we aren’t all as old as you, Beckett. You’re lucky Kinsey came back to town, or you’d be as single as the rest of us.”
Becket’s lips curled in a contented smile, and he reached for his fiancée’s hand. “I am lucky she came back to town.”
“Damn right, you are,” Kinsey declared. “But we’re not here to talk about the new girl in town, as interesting as she sounds. We’re here to celebrate.” She lifted her beer. “Happy birthday, Chance.”
The other brothers lifted their drinks and echoed Kinsey’s sentiment. “Happy birthday!”
After taking a long pull on their drinks, the brothers lowered them and stared around at each other.
“Thirty-one, huh?” Rider clapped Chance on the back. “So when are you settling down and getting married? Seems we need to get busy populating the family tree with little Graysons.”
“We can leave that to Beckett and Kinsey.” Chance shook his head. “I’m not in a hurry to find a ball and chain. I like being footloose.”
“That’s Chance-speak for I can’t get a date, and I don’t give enough of a damn to figure out why,” Rider said. “What we need is an online dating service so we can meet women.”
Chance raised his hand. “No way. I prefer to find my own.”
Nash agreed with Chance. Online dating wasn’t for him, either.
Rider’s brows rose. “And how’s that working for you, Chance, old man?”
With a shrug, Chance took another swig of his beer, keeping silent.
“Want me to get you boys another round of drinks?” Kinsey glanced around. “Seems Audrey is short some waitresses tonight.”
“Bad night to be short, what with the rodeo in town.”
“I’m surprised Jackson isn’t here to help,” Kinsey said as she glanced around. “He’s always here on big nights.”
Jackson Gray Wolf emerged from the doorway behind the bar with someone behind him. About that time, Kinsey shifted, blocking Nash’s view.
Chance gave a low whistle. “Hey, who’s the hot redhead with Jackson?”
Nash craned his neck, unable to see past Kinsey. Chance’s mention of a redhead had Nash’s every nerve on alert. Surely it wasn’t the pretty Phoebe he’d rescued on the side of the road earlier that day.
Rider leaned sideways and gave a hoot of laughter. “Well, I’ll be damned. It’s her!” He glanced at Nash. “Your pretty bride came looking for you, Nash. Whatcha gonna do?”
“She didn’t come looking for me.” Nash scooted back his chair, in an attempt to get a look at the woman with Jackson, without appearing too interested. He’d never hear the end of the teasing
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