Damaged and the Saint Read Free Page B

what’s his.”
    “Kid, I know you’re the big dog around these parts, so you enjoy hearing yourself talk. I’ll warn you though. I’m too old to pretend I care.”
    “I’m a big dog and you’re a bigger one. Fair enough, but Harlow is my responsibility. If you hurt her, I’ll use my power to hurt you. Maybe I don’t scare you or maybe you’ll think twice now. Either way, I said my piece.”
    “When you talk to Harlow again, tell her I’ll pick her up at seven tomorrow. If she isn’t ready, the deal is off. I’m not looking to babysit.”
    Cooper stood before changing his mind and taking his seat again. He glanced around before focusing on me. “What do you think of the guys Memphis brought?”
    I wiped my mouth and leaned back. “Bikers look all the same to me.”
    Forgetting for a moment he was the president of the Reapers, Cooper wanted to mouth off. The kid was dying to put me in my place like any stuck-up boy would. His moment of stupid passed.
    “The twins don’t look like much,” he said, tempting me to add my two cents.
    “Dayton and Camden aren’t so different than you except their daddy isn’t ready to retire yet.”
    Cooper glared at me before his gaze flickered around the bar again. “Why bring those three guys?” he asked. “They’re not in any clubs.”
    Studying Dutch and his two buddies, I noticed they weren’t comfortable around each other. I even suspected they first met after arriving in Ellsberg. The three men sat together, yet remained separate.
    “Rumor has it, there’s a club doing a piss poor job of following orders from Memphis,” I said quietly and Cooper leaned in like a girl wanting good gossip. “That particular club’s leadership might be on its way out. I suspect those three will be the ones to show them the door.”
    Cooper looked too smug for my taste, so I decided to mess with him again. “Good thing your daddy is around to keep your ass safe, huh?”
    Cooper narrowed his eyes and my mind returned to Harlow. She was so fucking sexy when she glared. Hilarious too. Shaking off thoughts of sexy brats, I focused on the kid in front of me.
    “The Memphis guys aren’t testing me,” he said like stating fact. “They’re testing those guys.”
    “Why make it an either or situation?” I asked, standing up and throwing a ten dollar tip on the table. “The Memphis guys aren’t getting any younger. Old timers like stability. You and the twins taking over clubs make them nervous. Now, they have this loser club down south. That’s a whole lot of change to make the Memphis seniors uneasy. So the way I see it, you all need to be on your best behavior.”
    “What about you?”
    I smiled wide for him. “Kid, I’m golden. The only reason I’m here is to kill anyone who won’t play nice.”
    Cooper didn’t react to my words, boding well for him living past my visit in Ellsberg. Leaving him to think over his situation, I paid the bill and headed to the apartment complex the Reapers used for guests. A quiet night awaited me, but tomorrow with Harlow was all I had on my mind.

Chapter Five ~ Harlow
     
    I didn’t hate bowling. Okay, I did hate the actual bowling part. What I didn’t mind was spending time with the crew once a week. After being homeschooled in both Ellsberg and Georgia where we lived for a short while, I hadn’t made many friends. That was my fault more than the school situation. I never wanted to let people close to me. Besides, I had Winnie who understood me like no one else could.
    My sister loved bowling. She was great at it too. Winnie and Dylan were the only ones who challenged Vaughn and Raven. The four of them quickly became obnoxious once the rivalry began.
    The rest of us hung out, eating pizza and drinking beer, while taking occasional breaks to roll the ball down the alley. The couples with kids enjoyed the night out most of all. Cooper and Farah danced slowly to the 1950’s music playing overhead. Not to be outdone, Aaron and Lark