Rome (Marked Men #3)(53)
Author: Jay Crownover

“Hey, you got a hundred bucks on you?”

I blinked at him and dug my wallet out of my back pocket.

“Yeah, why?”

He waited until I handed over the bill and then climbed to his feet. I followed suit since I was confused as to what was going on. There was a strange undercurrent flowing between us that I couldn’t put my finger on. My anxiety ratcheted up a notch when Brite stuck his hand out like he was saying good-bye.

“Rome, there are not enough good men in this world. Men that fight for what they believe in. Men that are more than willing to sacrifice for the greater good. I watched you this summer, saw how you handled the vets’ and your own demons that chased you back stateside. You faltered here and there, but you’re a rock-solid young man and there is no one else in the world that I would trust with my bar and my customers. You put your heart and your soul into this place this summer. You earned it.”

I just stared at him because I still wasn’t sure what he was saying. I crossed my arms over my chest and watched him steadily. He held up the hundred-dollar bill and made a big production of folding it up and putting it in his own wallet. His steely gaze held me in place and his face was marked with unwavering determination.

“You just bought the Bar. Congratulations. I’ll have the paperwork to you by the end of the week.”

I swore and reached out to grab him as he went to walk out the door like that was the end of the conversation.

“What. The. Fuck.”

He sighed and turned back around to face me.

“I’m too old. My family is fractured, I’ve served my purpose here. When I was a couple years younger than you, I wandered into this bar after a serious string of bad days. The guy behind the bar kicked my ass, cleaned me up, had me work my ass off to get the place cleaned up and back in the current century. He was a retired air-force colonel and he didn’t take any shit from me. When I had put everything I had left in me into the bar, he asked me for twenty bucks. The next thing I knew, I owned a bar. I didn’t have to figure out what I was going to do, where I was going to go. This place was my home. I trust you to take care of it and honor it, son.”

I just stared at him because he had to be joking. I didn’t know what to say to any of it.

“Keep Asa around. That boy has something good going on behind the bar. Keep Darce in the kitchen, she knows what she’s doing. Don’t worry about the robbery. I talked to Torch, the prez of the SoS and he’s aware that he has a problem on his hands. Biker justice makes the long arm of the law look like preschool.”

I shook my head and shoved my hands in the back of my pockets.

“The guy that smashed my head in with a bottle? He’s the one you think robbed the place?”

“Yeah, and I don’t think he’s done. Losing your shot to get in an MC is a pretty big deal. You can handle whatever comes your way, Rome. The bar, the baby, that little spitfire you’re all wrapped up in, these are the rewards for living a life of sacrifice. You gave all you had for other people, this is the universe’s way of paying you back. You earned it all, son, so stop feeling guilty about it and goddamn enjoy it.”

I was speechless. I lowered my head and let out a breath that felt like it held my entire life in it.

“Brite …”

“No, son. There doesn’t need to be a thank-you. I don’t want your gratitude just like I don’t want your money. This is the right thing, the only thing that can happen for you and for this bar. You needed each other, son.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Good, because half the time when you open your mouth, I wanna punch you. I’ll be around, kiddo, not that I think you’re going to need me.”

I followed him out of the storage room still reeling. I was going to try to express my gratitude, my overwhelming appreciation, but Asa suddenly stuck his head around the corner and said my name.

“Rome, you need to go outside.”

I jerked my attention to him and scowled. “What?”

He lifted a blond brow at me and frowned.

“You need to go to the parking lot and take a look at your truck.”

Brite and I exchanged a look and headed out the back door. It was easy to see as soon as my boots hit asphalt what Asa had been talking about.

The big 4×4 was listing to its side, the windshield was shattered, all the headlights and taillights were busted out, and it looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to the entire body. It looked like an expensive but mangled red tuna can.

Brite swore while I just stood there in stunned silence.

“You want me to call the cops?”

Asa’s drawl was more pronounced than normal. I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me.

“Naw. Pretty sure it was the same guy that held you up the other day. He’s pissed at me and trying to send a message.”

“Pretty hard message to misinterpret, Rome.”

I nodded in agreement. “You aren’t kidding.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “By the way, you just got promoted to bar manager.”

Asa reeled back a little and Brite burst out laughing.

“What?”

“Apparently I own the Bar now but I also have a kid on the way, so that means I can’t be here all the time. I need someone to have my back, and I pick you.”

Those amber eyes narrowed and I could tell he was trying to judge the validity of my statement.

“You trust me to do that?”

I shrugged a shoulder and fished my phone out of my pocket to call a tow truck. “I trust you until you give me a reason not to, Asa. If you are so inclined to f**k me over, you might want to remember all the ways in which I know how to kill a man.”

I saw him gulp, and he turned around to head back into the bar. “Thanks, Rome. No one has ever really given me the benefit of the doubt before.”

Brite motioned to the truck. “Want me to call the boys in the club?”

“Yeah, but you might want to pass along if I get my hands on that little shit first, there isn’t going to be much left for them to regulate on.”

We shared a laugh and he stuck out his hand for me to shake.

“Thanks, Brite.”

“You are more than welcome, son. Need a ride home?”

I took him up on the offer to avoid the indignity of shoving myself into the Cooper. I had him drop me off at Cora’s and he refused to talk about handing over the bar. Apparently it was a done deal in his mind, even though it was still life-changing to me. Having something to do, something to invest my time and future in, had been my biggest fear since getting back home. In that single, selfless gesture, Brite had knocked it all down. It was amazing, and even though he said it more than once, I still wasn’t sure I really deserved it.