Page 2 of Wild Card (Royal Bastards MC: Cody, Wyoming #1)
TWO
Ruby
“ H ow about this one?” Esmé holds up another one of her designer dresses, and I flop myself back on her mattress.
“You can dress me up in the most expensive dress in that closet, and it’s not gonna change who I am.
” I sigh. “I’m gonna message your brother and tell him I can’t go tomorrow.
” When I try to sit up, my best friend uses force to slam me back down.
“Ruby Saunders, you are going to that party. You're just as good as anyone else there. Better in fact.” She lies down beside me.
“How can you say that? I’ve had to come to you to borrow a dress. I work in a dive bar, and I have no control over my cursing. Face it, I’m just not cut out for these kinds of events.”
“If my brother thought that he wouldn’t be taking you now, would he?
” Esmé sits back up and drags me with her.
“And, yeah, you could do with reining in the cursing a little, but aside from that, everyone there is going to adore you,” she promises.
“Now, I’m sure I have some shoes in here that match this handbag.
” She buries herself back into the muddle of her closet to find them.
“I’m just worried I’m gonna embarrass him or something.
” I take the dress and hold it against myself in front of the mirror.
It is beautiful and I can’t even imagine how much it would have cost. Probably more than my whole month's salary.
“What do you even talk about with folk like that?” I ask her, feeling deflated.
“You’ll have plenty to talk about. You can tell them about the charity work you do at the animal shelter, and…” She pauses when she fails to come up with anything else.
“Exactly my point.” I roll my eyes and hang the dress back in the closet. “I’m not going. I refuse to make a fool of myself. Trust me, Brett will thank me for it. He’s trying to impress these people. How can he do that with me there?”
“Ruby.” Esmé sighs as she takes both my hands. “You have to go tomorrow. Don’t ask me why, just trust me. We’ll find you something to wear. I’ll give you some conversation starters, and like everything else you do in life, you’ll figure it out,” she promises.
“How the hell did you manage to get out of this? Didn’t your daddy want you there, too?” I stare back at her.
“I told him I have my period.” She shrugs her shoulders.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” My mouth drops open.
“Come on, you know how men get when you mention those things. Daddy and Brett will be out all night, which means I will be able to sneak out to the lake party and have some real fun.”
“Esmé, you're twenty-three years old, you don’t have to sneak out anymore.” I laugh at her.
“And how do you think my daddy would take it if he knew his perfect princess was going to the lake? He was overprotective of things like that before the Carl Harper incident.”
“It wasn’t an incident, Esmé. The guy died, and Cassie Miller was in a coma for a week. These drugs are a big problem. Did you know the Royal Bastards have called in more men from their other charters?”
“Are any of them hot?” Esmé playfully nudges me with her elbow, and I get momentarily distracted when I think about Ash. I guess you could say he was hot, with his dark brown hair and even darker eyes, but that's beside the point.
“That's not what's important, and I’ll be honest, I don’t think you should go to that lake party,” I tell her.
“Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to take drugs?” She tilts her head at me.
“You were stupid enough to smoke that blunt with Marcus Keaton last year,” I remind her.
“That was years ago, and I only wanted to give it a try. I’m going to the lake to have some fun, and you are going to make everyone fall in love with you at that party my brother is taking you to,” she assures me. “Now, let’s figure out what we’re gonna do with your hair.”
I get to the bar just after six thirty to start my evening shift, and I immediately start picking the bobby pins out of my hair to unleash the fancy updo Esmé practised on me.
“Why ya taking it out? It looks pretty.” A voice calls out from the corner, and when I look up and see the new guy in town sitting by himself, I feel a little smile tug on my lips. Knowing those words just come from him is suddenly making my stomach flutter.
“It ain’t really my style.” I laugh nervously as my cheeks go flaming hot.
“Looks pretty down, too.” He stands up and starts walking toward me, not seeming to care that there are people here to witness him raise his hand to my hair and pull out another pin. “You missed one.” He holds it out in front of me, and for once in my life, I find myself speechless.
“Thanks.” I quickly take it from him and tuck it into the front pocket of my apron.
“What are you staring at?” I ask, looking up through my lashes, when he stands directly in front of me and makes no indication that he’s gonna move.
“Ain’t illegal to look, is it?” He frowns.
“I guess not…But it is kinda weird. Your eyes are intense.” I noticed it before when I was sitting opposite him. My mom always told me you could read a person from looking into their eyes, but not with this guy; his are far too dark and mysterious.
“And yours are beautiful,” he tells me, tracing his fingers across my cheek to brush away some of the hair that's fallen in front of them.
“I really need to get to work.” I shake my head before I get too enchanted by him.
“Something tells me you don’t get compliments all too often; it’s strange considering how hot ya are.” He follows after me as I pick up a tray from the bar and start collecting empty glasses.
“What makes you come to that conclusion?” I ask, smiling over at old man Marley as I clear the table opposite him.
“Well, you sure don’t know how to take one.” Ash laughs as he picks up two glasses and places them on the tray I’m holding.
“What are you doing?” I stop to look up at him. I don’t think for one minute Brett would be happy with the way he’s talking to me.
“I’m gonna be helping out Earl while I’m in town,” he tells me.
“Helping out here?” I almost choke.
“Least I can do considerin’ he’s letting me crash here.” He shrugs.
This is bad, really fucking bad!
“You were sitting in the corner drinking, not even five minutes ago,” I remind him.
“And now I’m helping out.” He shrugs, taking the tray from my hands and heading toward the bar with it.
“Wait, haven’t you got a clubhouse to be hanging out at?” I follow after him. “I get that you want to help out Earl, but I’m good. I can manage on my own.”
“I’d rather be here, right now,” he tells me, lifting the bar hatch and stepping behind it.
“You ever worked a bar before?” I question him
“I was a prospect at the club for a little while; you learn quick there.” He cracks open a beer and starts to drink it.
“You know Earl doesn't like us drinking on the job,” I sigh. This guy won’t last in this town more than five minutes; he’s far too arrogant.
“You see Earl anywhere?” He looks around the room and raises his eyebrows.
“You really don’t have to help tonight. I got this covered.
I know why you're here, and it’s really important that you focus on fixing that.
” It’s scary how things can change so quickly.
Our streets used to be safe, but since this drug problem started, the crime rates have gone up because people become desperate to feed their habits.
It’s hard to feel safe anymore, which is why Earl offered me a room here, too.
He didn’t like the idea of me walking home alone after my night shifts, and the rent I was paying was far too much out of my budget.
It looks like I’m going to be getting to know this ‘Wild Card’ well.
“I got plenty of time for that, and I ain’t big on the whole brotherhood thing. It’s the reason why I’m a nomad.”
“A nomad?” I question. The Royal Bastard brothers tend to hang out here from time to time, mainly due to their loyalty to Earl. I’ve picked up on things from listening to them talk, but I’ve never heard of a nomad before.
“It means I’m a member of the club, but I don’t belong to any charter. I’m a lone wolf, darlin’, I rock up where I'm needed.”
“Putting out fires everywhere, huh?” I roll my eyes at his heroics.
“Or startin’ 'em.” He looks down at my lips and grazes his teeth over his own, and it kickstarts those flutters in my stomach again.
“I should get back to work.” I grab the tray and leave him at the bar because he’s far too much of a temptation.
A dangerous one.