Wild Ones (The Lane) Read Online Free Page A

wear.
    In my haste to jump into the rumble I hadn’t laid down my tray. Again, I didn’t think. I raised it behind my head and stepped forward, bringing it down on his in one swift movement. He growled but mercifully dropped Chase as he whirled around to face me. I didn’t step back. I held my ground, my chest pressed up against his, my head tilted back to glower at him.
    “I should kick your ass for that,” he spat, and I could see that he was putting serious thought into doing just that. The idea excited me.
    “You could try,” I countered, pushing up against him, a wordless dare, hoping that he’d take me up on it.
    He scowled at me a second longer, then stepped back as much as the confined space I had him cornered in would allow, dragging his hand through his dark hair roughly.
    “Get the fuck out of here,” he snapped, his face still murderous.
    I matched his expression.
    “You first, asshole.”
    He continued to glare and I was glaring right back, a silent battle of wills and balls. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he dragged his eyes away and whistled to his friends. Immediately they stopped fighting, dropping their fists midswing, like trained dogs responding to their master’s call.
    They left as quickly as they arrived, Dark and Brooding pushing past me forcefully. Jared and Mike followed them as far as the bottom of the staircase, silently daring them to finish what they started. I stared after them, mutely wishing the same. As soon as their backs disappeared from view, the entire bar let out a collective sigh of relief, save for me. Suzy and Miranda quickly rushed forward to tend to Chase just as Jax pushed through the last of the crowd and reached me.
    “What the fuck were you thinking?” he roared, seizing me around the wrist and hauling me in the direction of the back office. I jerked my arm from his grasp but continued to walk with him. Surely my shift was over anyway, and nothing that would happen would top what had just gone down. I was ready for my bottle of booze, my couch and an unopened pack of cigarettes.
    “I was thinking that Chase was getting his ass handed to him and I wasn’t going to stand there and let it happen.” I refused to let him scold me like a child.
    “Yeah? And getting your own ass kicked in the process seemed like a good idea?”
    His dramatics had me making a face at his back. “Does my ass look kicked?”
    “No. Your ass doesn’t look kicked. It looks burned though. Why the fuck do you insist on jumping into fires, Bri?”
    I shrugged and pushed past him to enter the office first, pulling my money out from my bra and throwing it on the small desk in the middle of the room.
    “Cash me out, Jax, then ante up. I want my liquor.”
    “You want to get killed. And you will. One day your mouth is going to write a check your ass can’t cash.”
    I crossed my arms and stared at him evenly.
    “Cash me out. I want to go home.”
    Jax shook his head and sat down at the desk, using the computer there to pull up my sales for the day and separate my tips. When he was done, he handed me a stack of bills with a sigh.
    “Two hundred and thirty,” he mumbled and I could see that he was still upset but he was going to drop it, was already in the process of dropping it, because he didn’t like arguing with me. Mostly because he knew he couldn’t win.
    “I’m going to the bathroom. Feel free to put my prize in my purse while I’m gone.” I patted his hand lightly. “I’m fine, Jax.”
    I left before he could reply.

Chapter Three
    It was half an hour later before Jax let me leave, and even then he tried to get me to stay a little longer. I think he was scared that trouble would be waiting for me when I walked out the door. Even if it was, I would have been okay with that. I’m sure he knew that and it was probably the reason why he put so much effort into trying to get me to stay.
    He made me promise to call him as soon as I got home and though I assured him