Man of the House(204)

It was all so messed up. As my shift wore on and the night got longer and later, I resolved to tell him. I was going to tell him as soon as it was over.

The clock hit midnight. I took a few orders, waited on a few tables, and suddenly it was one in the morning.

My feet ached as I gathered my stuff up. Clutch was absently playing with a stack of saltshakers as I walked over to him.

“You all done?” he asked without looking up.

“Yeah, all done.” I sat down in the booth across from him. “But hold on. I want to talk before we go.”

“Talk away, princess.”

I took a deep breath. “Larkin called me before we left my apartment earlier. They’re moving the wedding up. It’s two days from now.”

His face didn’t react. “Okay,” he said.

I was a little taken aback. I had expected a bunch of different reactions from him, but ambivalence wasn’t one of them.

“Um, okay, yeah. Just thought you should know.”

“Thanks, princess.” He slid out of the booth. “Where to now?”

I stood up, confused and a little hurt. “Back to the clubhouse,” I said. “I need to talk with Larkin.”

“Got it.” He headed out to the parking lot.

I followed him slowly, not sure what that was all about. I didn’t need him to break down and beg me not to marry him or something crazy like that, and besides, Clutch wasn’t that kind of man. But I thought he might be surprised or angry at least. Instead, I got nothing.

Maybe it was better this way. Maybe it was for the best if Clutch didn’t care either way. I followed him out into the deserted parking lot, and we made our way over toward his bike.

I suddenly got a strange feeling. There was a large black van parked two spaces over from Clutch’s bike. The lot was empty otherwise, and the streetlight seemed to be out.

“Clutch,” I said.

Two men burst out from the van suddenly, coming at Clutch.

I couldn’t believe how fast he reacted. The first man came at him with a knife, and he quickly dropped backward as the second man went around them both, heading right for me.

Clutch stepped around the knife attacker and tackled the man heading toward me. I heard a struggle and saw Clutch covered in blood. I dropped back, ready to run, but I couldn’t leave him there. The two men rolled again and someone grunted. Clutch rolled away from the man, and I saw a knife sticking out of the man’s chest.

The knife attacker was heading toward me then. I didn’t see any vest or patch on his body, but his eyes were crazy. He was short and hairy, and he had this wicked grin on his face.

“Come here, girly,” he said. “I won’t hurt you.”

I couldn’t see Clutch. I had no clue if he had been stabbed too or what had happened. I couldn’t think, so I simply turned and started to run as fast as I could.

But the man caught me. I felt him grab me from behind and lift me up. I tried to punch him and landed a blow to his nose, but that only made him curse and hold me tighter.

“Don’t fucking fight, you stupid bitch,” he said. “I’ll cut your pretty fucking face if you hit me again.”

“Help!” I screamed. “Rape! Help!”

“Fuck cunt,” he said.

And then he gagged and dropped me. I fell to the ground and looked up.

Clutch had him in a chokehold from behind. The man tried to swing his knife, but Clutch grabbed his wrist, twisting it, making the man lose the weapon.

“Janine,” Clutch said, “call the club. Get Noble, Dow, whoever down here right now.”

“Okay,” I said, breathless, and fumbled for my phone.

The man was struggling, but Clutch dragged him back toward the van. I called Dad, and he answered on the second ring.

“Hey, sweetie,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Dad,” I said, “send some guys. It’s Clutch. We were attacked.”

“Where?”

“The diner.”

“Stay there.” He hung up.

I put my phone away and walked toward Clutch. He was struggling with the guy but had managed to throw him to the ground. Clutch had his gun out and had it pointed at the man’s head.

“Clutch,” I said.

He glanced at me. “I’m okay.”

His head wound was bleeding again, but he looked okay otherwise.

“You’re bleeding,” I said.

He grinned at me through the blood. “I noticed.”

“The guys are coming.”

“Good.”

I glanced back at the other man, lying motionless on his back.

“Is he dead?” I asked.

“Yes,” Clutch said. “And you will be too if you make a move or a sound,” he growled at the other man.

The man just smiled at him silently, not moving a muscle.