On The Devil, We Ride

10

"Table 10 is all yours, honey." Tara came over and slid a tray of finished plates through the hatch I stood in front of.

"I'm about to go on break, Tara!" I whined, pouting at her.

"You might want to take a look before saying no. I'm not going over there." She shuddered, peering over her shoulder. I frowned at her, then took a few steps so I could glance around the corner. I saw Joe and Jace sat side by side in one of the booths with Gabe, Freddie, Bear and Frankie in the booth behind. Gabe and Freddie were turned around and were leaning on the back of Jace and Joe's booth. Opposite them sat a group of men in a similar formation, both sides with serious looks on their faces. I sighed and grabbed a notebook and pen, reluctantly making my way over there.

"Can I get you boys anything?" I asked, pen poised and ready. Jace's eyes immediately met mine, a look of warning in them.

"Just a coffee for me and my boys, beautiful." The man opposite Joe said in a strong southern accent. He had a cowboy hat on the table in front of him, his balding white hair slicked back from his face. Jace's gaze switched to the man, his eyes narrowing at him.

"Nothing for us, darlin'." Joe declined, clearly wanting to dismiss me as quickly as possible. I took the hint, leaving quickly to get the cups and a pot of coffee. I returned quickly, placing the cups in front of them. I went to pour their coffee but Jace stopped me.

"I'm sure these gentlemen are capable of pouring their own coffee. Just leave the pot here would you?" Jace said in a sharp tone. I glanced at each of their faces, sensing the tension in the air. Clearly whatever they weren't meeting on good terms, and a public location had been picked for a reason.
"Uh, sure. Let me know if you need anything else." I frowned, skimming over them again with my eyes before setting the pot down.

"Much obliged, sweetheart." The balding man winked at me, making my skin crawl. I walked away in a bit of a daze, not entirely sure what had just happened.

"Everything alright, sweetie?" Tara asked as I approached her, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, I think so." I frowned, glancing back over my shoulder at the table. If possible, their expressions looked even darker as they spoke. I couldn't help but watch, seeing Jace and Joe's matching expression of contained rage. A couple of teenagers took a seat in one of the booths towards the door, so I quickly made my way down there hoping to catch a snippet of the conversation on my way past. Jace's blue eyes flicked to me as I walked past, his expression a silent warning to walk by quick. I took the teen's orders, disappointed that I couldn't catch any of the conversation going on a couple of booths over. Movement in the corner of my eye made me glance up from my notebook to see the group of men standing up while everyone from the club remained seated. Finished with taking the table's orders, I walked back up towards the kitchen as the men were making a move. The balding one leaned down to say something to Joe and Jace with a menacing look before leading the way down the walkway. Several of the men breezed past me, but one bumped hard into my shoulder, making me drop my notebook. Jace was in front of me in a second, having jumped over the table to get out of the booth as he was by the window. He picked up my notebook from the floor and held it out to me.
"You alright?" He asked, not letting go of the notebook even when I had it in my hand.

"Yeah I'm fine. Take it that didn't go so well?" I asked as the rest of the group started to make a move. I got a few hellos as they walked past, Joe leading the rear.

"Don't be long." Joe muttered to Jace as he walked past, sliding his shades back on. Jace nodded, waiting for Joe to leave before speaking.

"If you see them around here you give me a call, ok?" He suddenly warned me, taking me by surprise.