Page 33 of Honey Undone (The Hornets Nest #5)

“Right…” Taylor rolled his eyes, backing away from us, “I’m going to go get a drink and see if I can find Zane before his set. It was nice to meet you, Jensen.”

“That went horribly,” I said to her and she just turned her face into my chest, laughing.

“At least your tongue wasn’t down my throat,” she shrugged and all the color drained from my face at the thought. “It’s okay, we aren’t like that…”

“Like what?” I asked, confused by her statement.

“We aren’t really close, Zane is seven years older than me and Taylor another four,” she said, “We’re cordial, but we’re more passing friends than we are siblings. Their opinion of you doesn’t matter to me,” she clarified, “That’s all.”

“Good because there’s no way I’m keeping my tongue out of your mouth all night,” I whispered, calming down her racing heart and kissing her gently until the tension in her shoulders disappeared. “Should we save Kaia or…”

“If anyone needs saving, it’ll be Christian. She’ll be okay,” Adeline said, tugging on my arm and pulling me inside the busy pub.

The Hollow was a fascinating place. From what I knew about the bar, it was a space for first responders created by two brothers who both had served the public for a number years before opening the bar as some sort of haven.

The location had been in the papers more than once for awards.

Live music filled the enormous space from wall to wall.

A long bar ran down the middle of the large rectangular dimly lit pub.

The walls were floor to ceiling black tile with a vault roof of exceptional dark red architecture.

None of it should have worked but it felt moody and gothic while still so alive, packed with people at all the tall standing tables and shoved into the leather booths.

There were more than six employees behind the bar all dressed in the same black t-shirt with ‘The Hollow’ sprawled across their chests in red printing. It was busy tonight and the back corner was alive with a band and the dance floor was flooded with bodies.

“It’s incredible in here,” I yelled to Adeline over the music as she pulled us toward the bar. I recognized Sunday behind the bar almost instantly, her small frame darting in and out of the sea of other employees with a smile on her face and a bottle of vodka in her hands .

“Hi!” She screamed, climbing up on the bar.

I watched as she stepped over an empty glass with precision, kicking it backward with the heel of her boot right into the hands of another employee.

“Is that?” I leaned into Adeline in shock, watching as the guy moved around behind the bar. I recognized him from T.V. and like a little kid I couldn’t contain my excitement about the sight of that tufted blonde hair and angry look. “Judd Loveday, like the Judd Loveday…”

I was completely ignored as Sunday wrapped her hands around Adeline’s face, vodka bottle and all. She kissed her quickly before tapping her chin and without skipping a beat Adeline tipped her head back and opened her mouth.

“Sunday!” A voice boomed from the other end of the bar.

“Drink faster,” she urged Adeline, who had downed at least three shots since Sunday started pouring. “Quick he’s closing in,” she laughed and Adeline almost choked but kept drinking.

Two hands reached out to grab Sunday but she was faster, “Catch!” she yelled to me and hurled herself off the bar top.

I barely had time to react before throwing my hands up to grab her by the waist and pull her down into me in a bundle of blonde panic and spilled vodka.

“I fucking warned you,” the guy said from across the bar.

“Oh calm down big baby Brighton,” she mocked him but did it just out of his reach. “It’s one bottle!”

Brighton Black. Sunday’s brother.

He was tall, taller than I expected him to be against how little Sunday was.

It was like he had stolen all her height.

He had to be at least six-four in shoes, if not taller.

With sharp blue eyes that narrowed on his younger sister and a tight jaw that was clenched so tight all the muscles in his neck and shoulders popped. He was an animal.

“Bright!” Someone called and his attention was diverted off his sister for a moment. Sunday took her chance and darted away from the bar, weaving through the crowd until she was climbing over a booth in the back and falling over Rhea in laughter .

“Does the back of her t-shirt say ‘You have to fight my brothers for my phone number?’” I asked Adeline and she nodded, opening her mouth to say something but was silenced.

“Where’d she go, Addy?” Bright turned back, his grip on the bar violent.

“Dunno Brighty,” she mocked, licking the drops of vodka off her lips with a smile.

“Don’t call me that,” he warned, “and if you find Sunday, bring my bottle back or I’m making you pay your tab!”

“Quivering,” Adeline teased and he rolled his eyes, throwing the towel over his shoulder down on the bar and disappearing. The back of his shirt had more writing on it in red, and said ‘Thing One’ which made me laugh. “Welcome to the Hollow.” Adeline beamed with pride.

“What the hell was that about?” I turned expecting to find Bright, the voice matched but the face did not.

“Jensen, this is Boone,” Adeline said, her mood shifting from menace to friendly in a matter of seconds. “Thing two, Boonie-baby to Kaia,” she laughed and the guy rolled his eyes. “Or as Sunday affectionately calls him Bobo . What’s up Bright’s ass tonight, the bar is packed he should be happy.”

“He’s pissed, I told him I’d wear the thing two shirt today but I couldn’t find it so now he’s walking around on a mission to make everyone's night horrible,” Boone laughed, the lines around his blue eyes crinkling as he leaned on the bar beside us.

He was covered in as many tattoos as I was but gave off a giant teddy bear kind of vibe in comparison to his rabid grizzly bear brother.

“They’re twins,” Adeline explained.

Boone stood up to his full height and for the first time in a long time I felt small.

He was somehow bigger and wider than his brother, his wingspan alone, must have been seven feet.

The Hollow shirt he was wearing was too short on his torso that it might as well have been cropped but he didn’t seem to care as he stretched out and grabbed two beers from behind the bar.

He handed me one, cracking the other and holding it out to Adeline.

“Slow.” He warned and she just shook her head at him.

“Fraternal, and yes, I’m taller if you were wondering.

” Boone smiled and showed me a perfect set of teeth.

“If you see Sunny, make sure she finishes the bottle before she shows her face. It's better if there’s no evidence.” He patted her on the head and started off through the crowd.

The back of his shirt said the same thing as Sunday’s and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hey Boonie,” Adeline’s mood shifted quickly as she followed his path and waited until he faced her again.

“Kaia is outside with Christian,” she said.

I watched his face fall as he looked over at the front door, he didn’t say anything but I could tell from his body language he felt the same way as Adeline.

“Go have fun, say hi to Zane for me,” Boone said, running a heavily decorated hand through his dark hair. “It was nice to meet you,” he nodded to me and disappeared.

“I’m scared to ask why he had the look of murder in his eyes, that’s a big dude to piss off,” I asked her and lifted the beer to my lips.

“History,” Adeline said, her smile returning to her face. “He’s usually the only one that can keep them from fighting too badly, she listens when he talks.”

“So why don’t we like Christian and why isn’t Kaia dating Smokey the bear?” I asked her and she giggled, leaning forward to capture my lips in a small, very welcomed kiss.

“Christian is a jerk, but he’s Kaia’s jerk and we respect that,” she said, tucking into between my legs as I leaned against a stool and wrapped my arm around her waist.

“Did Boone get that memo?” I pointed to the broad glass windows, each huge pane framed in black and just beyond was a clear view of Boone towering over Christian as he walked backward on the sidewalk, Kaia nowhere in sight.

“Fuck,” Adeline said, quick to move and I was quick to follow.

“I fucking warned you,” Boone’s voice boomed. “What did I say?”

“Go to hell Boone!” Christian said but he had nothing to stand on and he was running out of sidewalk. His back slammed into the black fenced in patio that ran along the left side of the bar.

“Go get Brighton!” I heard Adeline call out to Judd behind the bar as she looked around for Kaia. “Do you see her?” she asked me and I shook my head. “Boone!” She called out but he was too focused on his target.

“The last time I saw you, she was crying and I told you if you ever made her cry again I’d give you something to cry about!

” Boone was back in his face and Christian had nowhere to go.

“You either get the fuck in a cab and fuck off or I’ll follow through on that threat right here and now,” he said, somehow looking even larger than before.

“Whatever, I didn’t want to be here tonight anyway,” Christian said, starting to move around Boone toward the street. “You’re pathetic you know that,” he added as he called for a taxi mindlessly, “always playing second fiddle, she’ll never see you like that and you’re an embarrassment.”

The laugh that came from Boone’s chest was deep and baffled at the insult.

“You’re a very small-minded individual,” he said, stepping forward he lunged and Christian missed the curb stumbling out between the two parked cars. “I could blow on you and you’d walk yourself into traffic,” Boone snapped, “but she would kill me so I’ll be the bigger man.”

“Ha, ha,” Christian snarled. “Just keep your fucking massive head out of our relationship, it’s not my fault she chose my dick over yours.”

Boone’s face went cold.

“Hey,” I stepped in between their bodies just praying that Boone had sense enough not to swing on me but ready to take the blow if he did.

“Listen man, tonight isn’t your night and instead of running your mouth how about you go home with a full set of teeth so that you can live to shit talk another day?

” I said to Christian who seemed less than impressed by my antics.

Boone, on the other hand, laughed from behind me.

“Fuck you too,” Christian flipped me off, moving toward the taxi and climbing inside without another word.

“You’re not going to hit me are you?” I turned back to see Boone watching the cab pull away from the curb. I flinched when he stepped forward and threw his arm around my shoulder.

“I’m going to get you a drink for being a brave little soldier like that, most people wouldn’t dare step between me and him,” he declared. “Baddy Addy, I fucking love this one.”

Bright was standing in the doorway with a scowl on his face as we reentered, stopping his brother with his hand. “Thank you for taking it outside,” he said to him and looked over at me .

“He was already outside, I can’t take too much credit,” Boone smiled and pushed through the doorway, taking me with him.

Adeline was standing just inside with a red-faced Kaia who was putting on a brave face.

Boone loosened his grip around my shoulders as Adeline swooped in to show me love, tugging me away just as Boone paused.

He lifted Kaia’s face to him with a single finger, the motion oddly intimate but no one around them seemed to even take notice as he whispered “What do I always tell you?”

Kaia’s mood shifted from the words, whatever it was that Boone preached when they were alone fell silently between them and she nodded while taking a deep breath and giving his cheek a playful slap. “Let’s get fucking drunk!” She yelled, shaking off the tense mood as she beelined for the bar.