Page 12 of Link (Dragon Riders MC 1)
Can I even flirt?
“It’s been so long,” I whispered.
A knock at my side window made me jump. And when my head whipped over, I saw a kind lady standing there with a smile on her face. She motioned for me to roll down the window, so I did.
Then, she spoke. “You’re looking for Link, aren’t you?”
I didn’t hesitate. “A lot of women come and park to wait for this place to open or something?”
She giggled. “Not at all. But he told me to keep an eye out for a red Subaru. I’m assuming that’s you.”
“He told you to keep an eye out for my car? Why?”
“Don’t know. Said he was expecting you at some point in time.”
Cheeky little shit. “Well, yes. I’m here for Link.”
She thumbed over her shoulder. “Come on in. He’s in the back office. I can show you where that is.”
I followed the woman inside, and she pointed me toward a back hallway. After instructing me on where to go, I followed her directions to the letter.
Down the hallway, take a left. First door on the right.
But when I got to the office door? I heard two sets of voices inside.
“Link, this is serious. We can’t just—”
“You heard me, Sly. I’ve spoken. And you won’t—”
“No, you haven’t heard me. You haven’t heard everything I’ve got to say. And you owe me that, Link. You owe it to me to at least hear me out.”
The voices were curt. Upset. Almost angry. And I wondered if now was a bad time. I drew in a silent breath and went to shift away, hoping I could slink back down the hallway.
Until the office door ripped open.
“Who’s there?” Link asked.
“Just me, Sausage.”
He stepped out into the hallway. “Joanna?”
My eyes met his. “Hey there, stranger.”
“Who the fuck is out—”
Another man poked his head out of the door, and I thought I recognized him. But whether or not I recognized him didn’t matter. Because he sure as hell recognized me. I didn’t think eyes could get any angrier until they fell onto me. And when they ignited with furious fire, I wondered what in the hell I had just walked into.
“You,” the man growled.
Link paused. “You two know one another?”
The man pointed at me. “What the fuck is she doing here?”
I waved my hand. “Uh, hi. Joanna Slater.”
The man hissed. “I know exactly who you are, you little—”
Link whipped around on him. “You better choose your words very, very carefully, Sly.”
I blinked. “Wait. Mr. Slydell?”
He snarled. “Don’t you dare call me that, you traitorous little—”
Link raised his voice. “Enough!”
I took a step back. My back fell against the wall of the hallway as I drew in a deep breath. I knew him Mr. Slydell well. My internship back in law school was a lucky one. I worked in the District Attorney’s office pushing papers and consulting on larger cases where it was all hands on deck. And at one point in time, Mr. Slydell had been one of those ‘all hands on deck’ sort of cases.
Except, he wasn’t the one seeking out our help.
What have I walked into?
Mr. Slydell pointed at me. “She’s not welcome here. Not her kind, and certainly not her.”
Link growled. “I don’t give a shit what you think about her presence, Sly. She’s a guest of this bar, and you’ll treat her as such.”
“The fuck kind of company are you keeping nowadays? I mean, unless you intend to fuck her.”
Link fisted the man’s shirt. “One more outburst out of you and you’re the only one who’s going to be seeing the front door. Got it?”
I held my breath as I watched the altercation, wondering if I should just make a break for it.
“The fuck’s wrong with you, Link?” Mr. Slydell grumbled.
Link released his shirt. “Nothing. Find your manners and use them, or you’ll be dismissed for the night. Got it?”
This was a mistake. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get as far away from this man as possible. What in the world was he doing hanging out with someone like Mr. Slydell? I remembered his case beautifully. How he got off on charges I just knew would stick. How did he get off? How did he walk out of that damn courtroom without handcuffs?
Is this place really a bar?
In one fell swoop, everything I thought I believed was pulled out from under me. Apparently, Link wasn’t as decent of a person as I thought he was, if he kept that kind of company. Then again, he had fixed my car. And I still owed him for that. But once I paid my debt to him? Once I leveled the playing field between us?
I’d never come back to this place as long as I lived.5LinkSly lowered his voice. “You don’t know who this woman is, Link. If you did--.”
