Chapter One

Chapter One

Hail

"There a reason why you're staring at the door?"

I grunted and shook my head. Staring at the bar"s door was pretty obvious, but she was late. Every night at twelve-thirteen, she walked through the door and climbed the steps at the back of the bar to her apartment. Her eyes focused on her door, and she never looked at anyone.

She didn't know I was watching, but I was.

I also had no clue about anything about her other than the time she got home from work. Well, I assumed she was coming home from work. I didn't know that, either.

"He's waiting for her," Jersey chuckled.

"Her?" Tiger asked. "Who the hell is her? Did the prez get an ol' lady, and we don't know about her?"

"I know about her. You would know about her too if you paid attention to what is happening around you, Tiger." Jersey waved his hand in front of my face. "Earth to, Hail," he called.

I swatted his hand away. "I don't know what you are talking about." Again, I needed to be less obvious.

I wasn't sure what it was about this woman, but something drew her to me.

"Who is she?" Tiger asked.

"Don't know," Jersey smirked. "Hail only stares at her, never talks to her."

I curled my lip and let out a growl. "Fuck you."

Tiger reached behind him and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. "I got a hundo in my wallet that says you won't talk to her." He pulled out the hundred-dollar bill and laid it on the bar top. "You talk to her, and it's yours."

"Not interested in taking your milk money, Tiger," I grunted.

"But I am," Jersey called. "If Hail talks to whoever this chick is, then I get the money. If he doesn't, then you can keep it."

"So Hail does all the risk, and you get the reward?" Tiger laughed.

"He's not interested," Jersey pointed out. "Come on, you seem pretty confident that he won't talk to her, so you don't have anything to lose."

The front door opened, and my world froze. She was here.

"Holy shit," Tiger called. "If he doesn't talk to her, then I sure as hell will."

"Stay the fuck away from her," I growled, "or I'll string you up by your balls and use you as a punching bag," I threatened.

"How the hell does he get to call dibs on her?" Tiger grumbled. "He doesn't even know her name."

"Because he has been watching her for months, brother. Like, day after day after day." Jersey whistled low and shook his head. "It's like she makes him mute whenever she's around."

I glanced at Jersey. "And you've been watching me for months, apparently."

Jersey shrugged. "I'm a watcher. I like to know what's going on around me," he explained.

She went through the crowd by the door and skirted around the pool table. At least she tried to.

She stepped to the side to avoid a guy bent over lining up his shot, but he quickly stood up and slammed into her.

"Oh, boy," Jersey whispered.

"Where's my beer?" Tiger asked. "I'm going to need refreshments for the entertainment."

I was off my stool and halfway to the pool table when the guy whirled around and hollered at her to watch where she was going.

Everything blurred around me, and the next second I had the douchebag pressed against the wall with my hand clamped around his neck. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" I growled wildly.

He was struggling to breathe and to free himself.

"Just let it happen, Jim. The more you struggle, the more he'll kill you," Jersey called. "You messed with the wrong woman."

"I didn't know she was yours," he gasped. "I didn't know, Hail."

I had no idea who this guy was, but he knew me.

That was normal around town. Being the prez of the Lost Mavericks MC meant everyone knew me, but I didn't know them.

"So if she weren't mine, you would still have yelled at her?" I growled. "You like to be a douche to women who are just minding their business, and you slam into them?"

Jim shook his head. "No, no. It was my fault." He looked around me. "I'm sorry, lady. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry."

I tightened my grip around his throat. "Don't fucking look at her."

Jim snapped his eyes shut. "I'm sorry, Hail. I had a bad week at work and just snapped, man. I promise it won't happen again."

A hand wrapped around my bicep and gently tugged me back. "Please stop," a soft, feminine voice called. "He said he was sorry, and I don't think he'll do it again. Or maybe never even open his eyes again."

"I won't," Jim called. He plastered his hand over his eyes. "I will never open my eyes again, Hail. I'm sorry."

I looked down at the hand on me and followed the length of her arm till my eyes locked on her beautiful face.

"I'm okay," she whispered. "I should have paid attention better."

I shook my head. "He should have paid attention better."

"He's right," Jim called. "It was my fault, miss. I don't know what I was thinking when I yelled at you." I glanced at him; his eyes were still closed, and his head was tipped to the ceiling. "If you could just push me toward the door, I'll be on my way home."

"We got him," Tiger called. "To the gutter with him." Tiger appeared next to me and grabbed Jim. "Why don't you take care of her?"

Tiger grabbed Jim's arm, and Jersey grabbed the other.

"I don't even know what happened," Jim muttered.

Jersey patted his shoulder. "You made a mistake, man. A huge one." They guided Jim toward the door, and I turned my attention to… hell, I didn't know her name.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Uh, yeah."

Her brown hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, her cheeks were flushed pink, and her green eyes were focused on me. Her clothes were never fancy and were typically a sweatshirt, jeans, and heavy work boots.

She was coming home from work whenever I saw her walking to her apartment stairs through the bar, but I didn't know where she worked or, well, really anything else about her.

I knew nothing, but she was perfect.

"Are you sure you're okay? He slammed into you pretty hard."

"It wasn't that bad, just surprising. I've dodged many pool players trying to get to my apartment. Jim was quicker than most." She pushed her hair behind her ear and took a step back.

"You knew Jim?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Uh, I met him one minute ago. So, no." She quirked her eyebrow. "He could use a tic tac, though."

"He did scream right in your face, didn't he?"

She wrinkled her nose and nodded. "That he did."

"Let me buy you a drink to help you forget the past ten minutes," I suggested.

"Uh, I'm okay. I need to get home."

I glanced at the staircase in the back of the bar. "One drink won't put you too far behind from going to bed."

She smiled softly. "Thank you, but I don't drink." She tipped her head toward the front door. "And it looks like your friends might be needing some help."

"Jesus Christ," I grumbled.

Tiger still had a hold on Jim, but Jersey had been distracted by a tall redhead whose arm was draped over his shoulders, and her hand was snaking down the front of his pants.

"That happened…" she trailed off and tipped her head. "Fast."

"Things tend to happen fast when the Lost Mavericks are around."

Her eyes dropped to my cut and then looked up at me. "You know the Broken Jokers?"

"They don't have anything on the Lost Mavericks, babe. You know them?"

She shrugged. "Uh, I think my dad used to hang out with them before he died. I never did."

I nodded and stepped toward her. "Sorry about your dad."

She pasted a smile on her lips. "Uh, thank you. It's been a few years since he passed."

"Your mom still around?" I knew we were standing in the middle of the bar with people all around us, but it felt like it was just me and her.

She shook her head. "She took off as soon as they cut the umbilical cord. A crackhead and a baby aren't a good combination."

"Sorry again, babe. Life didn't really deal you a good hand, huh?"

"No, not really." She cleared her throat. "And I need to get to bed." Her eyes dropped to my name on my cut. "Hail."

"And what about you?" I asked. "What is your name?"

She shook her head. "It's not important."

"I beg to argue that, babe. Everything about you is important to me."

"Oh boy," she laughed.

I stepped close and cradled her arm in my hand. "How about I just call you mine?"

"Is it hot in here?" she wheezed. "I feel hot. Must be my sweatshirt. I better get upstairs and take it off." Her eyes bugged out. "My sweatshirt that I have a shirt on underneath, I need to take off. Not get naked. I mean, I will get naked at some point, but then I'm going to put clothes back on right away. I just need to get out of these clothes from work." She looked around. "Did I mention it seems hot in here?" she whispered.

"What's your name, babe?" I asked softly.

"If I tell you, can I run away up the stairs?" Her eyes looked into mine, and it felt like she was looking into my soul.

"For tonight," I replied. She could run right now, but I knew where to find her.

"Mary Jay. My name is Mary Jay, Hail. Have a good night, and try not to get into any more bar fights, okay?" She sprinted to the back of the bar and barreled up the stairs like she was being chased by a bull.

"Mary Jay," I whispered. I liked it, but I like mine better.