Five Weeks (Seven Series #3)(67)

“This is Ren, my rhythm guitarist who makes me sound good. Ren, have a donut.”
When Ren sat down, he leaned his head against the back of the booth and his jaw hung slack, as if he were half-asleep. “Not hungry.”
“And I’m Chaz, honey. Bass player and the reason this band sells tickets,” the last guy said. Chaz was a gaunt man with hollow cheeks and acne scars. He tried to hide it with a black goatee that was scruffy and too long.
Jericho sat beside me and whispered, “Soon-to-be-fired bass player.”
Chaz dragged a chair from a nearby table and sat at the end of the booth. When he reached for my box, Jericho seized his wrist and knocked it away. “No one touches Isabelle’s donuts.”
“No problem, sweetie,” Chaz said, giving me a wink. “Just let me know when you want me to finger your hole.”
I dunked my donut in my cocoa and let it soak up a little of the drink. “Sure thing. Just let me know when you get your thumb out of your ass and have a free hand.”
Joker howled and rapped his hands on the table in a rhythmic flow. “I love her already. So you’re the infamous Izzy Monroe. I’ve been wanting to meet the girl our band was named after.”
“How many times have you changed names?”
“More than we’ve changed underwear,” he said.
Ren chortled. “Speak for yourself.”
“You want one?” I slid my box in Joker’s direction. Chaz shot me an irritated glare.
“Nah. I’m diabetic.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wave it in front of your face.”
“You’re cool. I’m not big on all that anyway. My weakness is ice cream. I can eat tubs and tubs of that shit.”
“And he has,” Ren added without so much as lifting his head from his napping position.
I finished off my first donut and looked between them. “You guys have a show tonight?”
“Big one,” Joker said. “Not just Shifters, but it’s going to be a mixed bag. They’re organizing an outdoor event on five hundred acres of territory some rich asshole owns. Campers are bringing their RVs and tents. It’s supposed to go on for three days.”
“Breedstock,” Ren said with a snort.
“How come I haven’t heard of this?”
Jericho sipped his cocoa and began working on his third donut. “They have to keep it hush because of the limited space on the grounds. I don’t think anyone got a human permit for this, so it should be interesting.”
Joker fiddled with the napkin dispenser. “I heard Vamps paid a visit to the folks who live near the lake and charmed them away on vacation. I don’t see how there could be a problem.”
Ren reached over and snatched a glazed donut, cramming the entire thing into his mouth.
“Dare you to eat the whole box,” Joker said.
Jericho leaned in privately. “I packed you a bag. I thought it would be fun to stay for the night and get away from the house. If you want to stay longer, we can do that too.”
“You do realize you just made me into a target for mosquitoes after eating all these donuts?”#p#分页标题#e#
“Did anyone find out if we can shift?” Chaz asked, shoving half a donut into his mouth before spitting it out on the table.
“It’s restricted from what I heard,” Jericho said. “I wouldn’t risk it. We’ll have Vampires, Chitahs, Sensors—you name it. Bound to piss someone off if one of us bites them in the ass.”
“You bringing her?” Chaz asked.
“Her?” Jericho eyed him coldly. “You call her Izzy.”
“Is that what you’re calling your flavor of the week?” he replied, drumming his fingers.
Jericho suddenly snatched Chaz’s beard and yanked his face down to the table. In a swift movement, he pulled out a switchblade and with one clean slice cut off Chaz’s goatee, leaving a mark on the wood surface.
“What the fuck!” Chaz yelled, knocking back his chair and standing up.
Jericho slowly rose to his feet and towered over him by at least five inches. “Here’s what the fuck, Chaz. If you disrespect my woman again, it won’t be your hair I cut off next. Get your junkie ass outside and I’ll be along shortly.” He snapped the knife closed and slipped it into his back pocket.
My heart was pounding as I looked between them. Chaz gave everyone the finger and scowled. “Bad move. I’m walkin’. See how you guys do without a bassist.”
“What the fuck,” Joker hissed. “We need him.”
Jericho sat down and wiped his face. “That’s exactly what he wants us to think so he can keep getting away with shit. You guys know anyone we can call on short notice?”