Talon (Rise of the Pride, Book 1) Read Free Page A

shaky.
    As she approached the table, she watched
Talon’s back stiffen. His head raised slightly and his shoulders
seemed to double in size as he breathed deeply. Two of the men
lifted their gazes and smiled. Talon lowered his head and looked up
at her through thick, dark lashes.
    “Gentlemen,” Liberty greeted, setting a fresh
bottle in front of each man.
    “Thank you,” Talon said, his voice a deep
timbre. In fact, she could’ve sworn she heard a slight rumble
coming from his chest, but she could’ve been mistaken too. The
music was so loud that it may have been a part of the song that was
playing over the speakers.
    “Is there anything else I can get you?” she
asked, taking the empty bottles off of their table.
    “Yes, darlin’,” a slurred voice said from
behind her. “You can tell these freaks they’re not wanted.”
    “Excuse me,” she snarled, setting the tray on
Talon’s table and turning around to find Terry Holmes, a guy she’d
gone to school with, swaying where he stood, his eyes bloodshot and
watery. His blonde hair was unkempt and hung in greasy strands down
to the tops of his shoulders.
    “I said …you need to kick these
abominations out of your bar,” he snarled back. “Your daddy would
be rolling over in his grave if he knew you were serving
these…these pussies , Liberty.”
    Liberty was shocked for a moment, but then
her temper kicked into high gear. “Terry, my daddy would’ve
never been so hateful. Now, you need to just go on back to your
seat, and if you can’t behave yourself, I’ll call Sheriff Lynch and
have him come pick you up. I think you’ve had enough for the
night.”
    Terry sputtered for a moment, his face
turning red. Before she could blink, Terry reached around her and
grabbed Talon’s wrist. “I said they need to go!”
    In a move her daddy would have been proud of,
Liberty seized a hold of Terry’s wrist, adding just enough pressure
for his hand to release the alpha’s wrist. The men at the table
cursed and began to scramble as Liberty spun herself to the side,
taking Terry to his knees. In a matter of seconds, Liberty had
Terry’s arm behind his back at such an odd angle, the other patrons
in the bar cringed at the look of pain that crossed the drunk man’s
face.
    “Listen up, because I am only gonna say this
once,” Liberty bellowed, her southern accent thickening with her
anger. “This is my bar! It doesn’t matter who or what you
are…black, white, human, shifter, or God knows what else is out
there, you will not disrespect my customers or anyone who
works in this building. From this moment on, The Deuce is
neutral territory. Leave your opinions and your differences at the
damn door.” With that, Liberty dropped her hold on Terry. The man
scrambled to his feet just as Talon’s friends gathered at her
back.
    “You will regret this, Liberty Raines,” Terry
snarled, pointing a dirty finger in her direction. Liberty stifled
a laugh because Terry was pointing at something over her
shoulder.
    “Go on, Terry,” she barked, shaking her head.
“It’s time for you to leave. Don’t let me see you back here until
you can behave yourself.”
    She watched Terry until he stumbled out of
the door, one of his friends following him out to his car. When she
turned around, she gaped at the six men who were standing so close
to her back that she almost face planted into one of their beefy
chests, but then they all took a step back like they were afraid to
touch her.
    “Why did you do that?” Talon asked, stepping
closer. His head tilted to the side again. She mentally slapped
herself when she thought he resembled her cat, Mittens, when she
would tilt her head from side to side.
    “Um, because he was drunk and touched one of
my customers,” she answered. “I’m sorry that happened. Are you
okay?”
    “I’m perfectly fine,” he snapped, looking
like he could take her over his knee. Damn, he was mad.
    “Are you upset ?” she scoffed.
    “No, ma’am,”