Page 25 of Briar

And… My father isn’t home tonight. The staff we have here don’t live in at my father’s preference, meaning the house is empty.

There’s no one here to know if I slipped out. Just for a couple of hours.

My eyes linger on the dress I tugged off earlier before my bath, tossed over the chair. The card feels heavy in my hand.

I could call them. Ask the questions in my head over the phone.

But it won’t soothe the burning curiosity I have. To see them again. To learn more about them. River, Jenson, and Kai.

And if I was going to say yes – which I’m not going to – that would be a sensible thing to do. Responsible, even.

My eyes catch on the envelope I tossed onto my dressing table earlier.

And I even have a reason.

River

“Where’s your head tonight?”

Tilting my head toward Dove, I lift one shoulder. “Nowhere in particular.”

My bar manager, five foot nothing with the attitude of a bridge troll and the soul of a psychopath, eyes me with something bordering on disgust. “Is it a girl?”

“What? No. Jesus, Dove. I’m not talking about my love life with you.”

She cackles, spinning in place with her arms out wide as if she’s on a fairground ride. There’s something not right in her head, but the bar has never run so smoothly than it has under her watch. Probably something to do with the bat she keeps tucked away in the corner. It only took six smashed kneecaps, four sets of broken teeth and one green-faced visit to the emergency room with a pair of balls clutched in his grip – literally – to get the message across that she’s not to be fucked with.

And that was… I think back. Three years ago? In her firstweek.

“Sure you can.” She raps her knuckles on the bar. “I’m an excellent listener.”

I eye her warily. “I tried to speak to you about restocking last night, and you started doing the can-can in the middle of the bar.”

Her face turns serious. “Your voice was boring me, Geraldine.”

For fuck’s sake.“I am your boss, you know.”

“Which is why you still have your eyes, Gerry baby.” With that absolutely fucking terrifying statement, she waltzes off to serve a floppy, frat-looking guy at the other end of the bar who clearly hasn’t received the memo, given the way he was staring at her ass a moment ago.

Shelookslike a fairytale princess, but she’s actually the fucking devil.

Thirty seconds later, I’m on my feet and ducking under the bar, swearing under my breath as I storm over to her. Dove blinks down at the unconscious guy. A significant egg is forming in the middle of his forehead. “I didn’t slam him that hard. It won’t even leave a dent.”

And not a fuck was given.

“How can someone so small create so much fucking chaos?” Gesturing to the security guys, we watch in silence as they drag him out and I make a mental note to have him barred from all of our places.

Wait – not silence. Jesus. She’s humming the damn Funeral March.

Edging away, I point a thumb over my shoulder, unashamedly searching for an escape route as she turns slowly, pinning ridiculously violet eyes on me. “I’ll be… er…. out there.”

She blinks, slowly. “You can run, Gerry. I’ll find you.”

Fuck. Me.

I almost slam into Kai in my haste to put as much distance between us as possible. “Don’t go near Dove tonight. She’s in a mood.”

Kai only nods, his jaw tight. He’s dressed for another night of fights, his fists wrapped.