Club Thrive: Vendetta (The Club Thrive Series Book 2) Page 7

  DJ Light announces last call, so I jump behind the bar to help them bang out one last round of drinks. I look over to bar two and I see Logan helping them out. It’s the first time he’s come out all night and we really didn’t need him to. My job is to keep him free for mingling with VIPs or working in his office, and tonight we nailed that.

  ***

  The bar is finally closed and we’re almost cleaned up when Logan shouts, “Nice job tonight, everyone! You guys kicked some serious ass.”

  Everyone raises their glass, whistling and cheering. Logan gives the team working one free drink at the end of every night. It was a brilliant idea. It’s brought the team closer together and most of us have become pretty good friends. “Jonah and Shane, nice job removing those guys from the VIP section. I was watching from the cameras. You did it swiftly and without disrupting the rest of the club.” There’s another round of hollering before we hear Logan say, “Now finish up and get the hell out of my club so I can take my girl home.”

  Everyone laughs and poor Skyler is beet red. She smacks him playfully, and finishes cleaning the glasses from the employee drinks.

  We all exit the club together because we like to be sure that everyone gets to their cars safely. As soon as I’m in my truck, I start it up and watch as the rest of the team gets to their cars and then I take off for home. It’s been a long night and I need to get some rest, since I have plans for tomorrow.

  Chapter 7

  Shane

  With a cooler packed full of food, I’m sitting in my truck waiting for Katie to show up. I slept horribly last night, torn over whether I should be here or not, but my gut said to be there for her so I am. After doing some digging online I discovered Collin’s last name was Trainor. I went to the office first thing to look up where he was located. Today being the one year anniversary of Collin’s death, I’m willing to bet she’s going to show up here at some point.

  I’ve packed food hoping to take her for a picnic after she does her thing, but if she doesn’t show for hours, I have some food to tide me over. I got here early enough to find his site and park my truck where I can keep an eye out for her. My only fear is that she takes this as me being a stalker instead of wanting to comfort her in her time of need.

  I’m playing a stupid game on my phone when it rings scaring the shit out of me. It’s Logan. “Hey Logan, what’s up?”

  “Hey, I need you behind the bar tonight. Cory’s sick, so I’m going to be your runner.”

  “You sure? I can call someone else in. I’m sure Nolin wouldn’t mind.”

  “Nah, it’s fine. I’ve started to like being out on the floor with you guys. You’ll work bar one with Sky.”

  “No problem,” I say then cut the call. I think he likes me working with Skyler because he trusts me. It’s quite obvious he’s a bit of a jealous guy when it comes to Sky, and he doesn’t mess around. I think anyone in that club would have to be stupid to mess with her, especially after he fired Troy. He clearly doesn’t take any crap.

  A car pulls up to the curb, grabbing my attention. I watch to see if it’s Katie and it is. She’s carrying a potted plant and a blanket as she walks over to his grave. She gently places the pot down on the ground to the side of his headstone and kneels down on the small blanket. I’m itching to get out of the car. I want her to know I’m here for her and although I can’t say I understand, I want to help her through this.

  I sit watching her, hoping to find the right time to get out. She breaks down sobbing into her hands. I climb out of my truck slowly and walk up next to her. I kneel down and pull her into my arms. “Why didn’t you let me help you through this?”

  “How did you know?” She looks up at me, her beautiful hazel eyes all red and puffy.

  “I was talking to Skyler at the bar yesterday and she told me. I realized that’s why you needed your space, and trust me, I understand why, but I want to be there for you too.”

  “I’m sorry, Shane. I’m screwing this all up.”

  “Shh, you’re not screwing it up, but you have to learn that it’s okay to lean on the people who are there for you.”

  “I was just telling Collin all about you. I started crying because I was telling him how sweet you are to me and yet I pushed you away because of him. I was telling him that I was sorry for what happened to him, but it was time for me to move on.”

  I continue to rub her back as I console her.

  “Thank you for being here, Shane.”

  “It’s no problem, but I want you to promise me one thing.”

  “What?” She looks at me, confused.

  “No more shutting me out.” I lift her chin so I can look into her eyes. I want so badly to kiss her right now, but this is not the time or the place, so I gently rub my thumb across her luscious lips.

  She smiles. “I promise. Will you give me a few minutes? I’ll meet you at your truck.”

  I nod and stand up, taking a deep breath as I make my way back to my truck. I pull up closer to her car. Thank God that went well.

  Leaning against my truck, I watch as her beautiful long light brown hair blows in the breeze. She’s looking down at the ground as she walks toward me, probably still trying to clear that pretty little head of hers. When she approaches me, her eyes finally meet mine. “Hi beautiful,” I slip my fingers into her long silky hair.

  “Hi,” she says with a warm smile.

  “Do you have plans for the day?”

  She shakes her head. “I took the day off, not knowing what kind of mood I would be in.”

  I nod. “I packed a picnic. You up for the park?”

  “With you, of course I am, but what will we do with my car?”

  “I’ll follow you back to your place so we can drop it off and then we can take mine for the picnic. I have to be back early though because I’m working the bar with Sky tonight, and I need to try and get a little more sleep.”

  “Well let’s get going then.”

  ***

  Katie

  We pull up to the park and I swear I feel like the luckiest girl alive. I can’t believe Shane actually went to the cemetery to wait for me. I think it was really sweet, especially since I had pushed him away. He’s right though, I needed him and I should have leaned on him instead of pushing him away.

  “Come on, sweetie.” He takes my hand and helps me down from the truck. He grabs a blanket and the cooler.

  “Want me to take something?”

  “No, I’ve got it. Where should we sit?” he asks as we look around.

  There’s a huge tree with gorgeous flowers. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but it’s pretty. “How about under that tree?” I point to the tree I’m referring to and we walk over to set up the blanket. I take the cooler while Shane lays out the blanket and we both collapse onto the ground.

  Shane has packed a great little picnic. He opens the cooler and begins pulling out sandwiches, cut up fruit, a small bag of chips, and he even packed some desserts. “Shane, this all looks great. I’m starving.”

  We both lie down on our elbows and dig into our sandwiches. He chuckles. “Sweetie, I appreciate that, but they’re sandwiches. It was no big deal.”

  He scoots closer to me. “Well, they’re really good sandwiches,” I say with a smile. I really have missed him. “Shane, I’m really sorry I pushed you away. I started to feel guilty for it and that made me wonder if I was ready for all of this, so I pushed you even further away. I know we haven’t been seeing each other long, but I missed you.”

  He puts his sandwich down and scoots even closer. “Shh, I don’t want you to worry about it anymore.” He leans in, pressing his soft lips to mine. A shiver races down my spine and I let out a small moan. His hand goes to the nape of my neck and pulls me closer, deepening our kiss.

  “Come to the club tonight and then spend the night with me,” he says, panting. I nod with a smile, and he smiles back as I pick up a strawberry, plopping it into my mouth. I giggle, remembering our night with the chocolate-cove
red strawberries.

  When we finish eating, we pack up the cooler and Shane takes me home so he can get some rest. “I’ll give Jonah your name. When you get to the club, go straight to the front of the line and tell them you’re my girlfriend, and they’ll escort you in. I think the VIP sections are already filled so I can’t get you one for tonight but I’ll get you a seat at the bar.”

  “Don’t stress it. Do your thing. I’m going to see if Miranda can come with me so we can hang out while you work and when you’re done, I’ll go home with you.” I wanted to invite Miranda because I don’t want to go to the club alone.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tonight.” He leans over to give me a kiss.

  “See you tonight.” I bite my lip and jump out of the truck. I run into the house, happy how this day turned around. I figured I would be spending it sobbing in my bed, but Shane reminded me of how lucky I am to have met him. No sooner am I through the door than I speed dial Miranda.

  “Hey, how are you?” she asks with total concern. She knows it’s the anniversary of Collin’s passing.

  “I’m great! Please tell me you’re free to go to Thrive with me tonight.”

  “I’m free to go to Thrive tonight, but only if I get to meet the one and only Shane.”

  I laugh into the phone. “You get to meet the one and only Shane.”

  “Woohoo! Am I picking you up?” she asks, full of excitement.

  “Please, because I’m spending the night at Shane’s house.”

  “Oh, look at you. I take it you have finally spoken to him.”

  “He showed up at the cemetery today, and just as I was breaking down telling Collin about him, he appeared at my side and hugged me.”

  “Aww, how sweet is that?” she gushes.

  “Yeah, he even packed a picnic hoping I would go to the park with him. I told him I was sorry for pushing him away and that’s when he asked me to go to the club tonight.”

  “I’m happy for you, Katie.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Okay, I’ll pick you up at ten,” she cuts the call.

  I have one more person I have to call because without her, I wouldn’t have Shane and I would be sobbing by myself right now. I speed dial Sky and she answers right away. “Hey, Katie, how are you holding up today? I wanted to call you sooner, but I had a crazy morning.”

  “It’s fine and I’m fine, thanks to you!”

  “Me? What did I do?”

  “Shane was waiting at the cemetery for me this afternoon and was totally there for me. He told me you mentioned it being the anniversary of Collin’s death. He was so sweet and supportive.”

  “That’s awesome, so how did you guys leave it?”

  “Well, I’ll see you at the club tonight because I’m spending the night at his place.”

  “Awesome, see you tonight!” I cut the call then go figure out what I’m wearing.

  ***

  Miranda and I pull up to the club, and I’m totally excited. The last time I was here, I hadn’t met Shane until the end of the night, and tonight I can admire him knowing he’s mine. “Look at that line,” Miranda says.

  “Oh, we’re not waiting in that line.” I tell her with a huge smile on my face.

  “Look at you, Miss VIP.” She busts my chops.

  I walk up to the door and the gentlemen says, “Line’s down there, ladies.”

  “But my boyfriend, Shane, told me to come to the front of the line and I would be let in.”

  “Well, Shane didn’t mention anything to me. Line’s down there.” I scowl at him and we walk up the street. There are a few people laughing because we were rejected, but we ignore them and take our place at the end of the line. I pull my phone from my purse and text Shane to let him know that the bouncer won’t let me in.

  “So much for VIP,” Miranda says. We’ve been waiting maybe five minutes when Shane comes running up the street.

  “I’m so sorry. Come on. The bouncer at the door is new.” He pulls us from the line.

  When we get to the door, the guy says, “I’m sorry, ma’am. I was an ass. I should have listened to you and called into the club. I didn’t realize Shane was dating, and I thought you were just trying to get in without waiting.”

  I shake my head. “Apology accepted, but next time you really should check before you dismiss people. Shane doesn’t need to report his love life to you.”

  “Again, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

  I give him a small smile and we walk in. Shane says, “I’ve got to get back to work. Logan is at the bar so I could run out and get you.”

  “Go. Thank you for coming to get us.”

  He kisses me. “You got it, sweetie.” We follow him to the bar and find seats. Logan says hi and serves us a round on him for his asshole bouncer. I introduce them to Miranda, and they both go back to work.

  “He is seriously hot,” Miranda says over the music as we’re watching Shane behind the bar. He’s cut his blonde hair short, and the polo shirt he’s wearing shows off his bright green eyes. I smile as I watch his muscles flex under his tight shirt.

  I wiggle my brows and say, “I know. He’s sweet and caring too.”

  Shane is running around like crazy, serving drinks. This place is jamming. I’m admiring him, when some chick walks up beside me. Shane comes over and says, “What can I get you?”

  “You and a sex on the beach please.” I chuckle but say nothing.

  “What’s so funny, bitch?” The girl slurs her words. She’s clearly wasted and it’s only about eleven.

  “I’m sorry, are you talking to me?” I look at her with my brows raised.

  “Yeah, why is me flirting with the bartender funny?”

  “Because he’s taken.” I look at her, dead serious.

  “Oh yeah, and how do you know that? Just because your flirt session didn’t work?” she screams at me.

  “Um, he’s my boyfriend.”

  She looks me up and down, obviously pissed that I’ve claimed my man. Damn! I’ve been in the club for all of fifteen minutes and I’m already going to throw down with some drunken bitch who wants my man. This is not happening. I’m not letting her get to me.

  She cracks up laughing. Shane puts an end to the situation. “Miss, if you can’t behave, I’ll have you escorted out of the club.”

  She rolls her eyes and walks away without her drink. “She is hammered,” I say to Shane. He nods and walks away.

  “We need to hit the dance floor,” Miranda shouts.

  I down the remainder of my drink and follow her to the dance floor in search of an empty spot to dance the night away. There’s some great music playing so we start dancing in our own little circle, minding our business. A few guys try to dance with me, but I shake them off and let them know I’m taken. Miranda finds some hottie to dance with, leaving me by myself.

  Suddenly, I’m bumped from behind. Since the place is packed, I try to shift myself over a bit on the dance floor to make room, but I’m bumped again. I turn around to find the bitch from the bar purposely bumping me with her ass. Part of me wants to punch her in the throat but I’m better than that, so I walk straight up to Shane and tell him what’s happening. He speaks into his earwig and though I can’t hear what he’s saying, I hear him say thanks to Jonah. He appears at my side. “Show me who’s bothering you.” We walk back out onto the dance floor and I point her out. I know I’m being a bit childish when I give her a cocky look, but this chick is trying to ruin my night and I’ve done nothing to her.

  Jonah says to her, “Come with me, miss.”

  She starts screaming at him, “Fuck you! I paid to dance tonight and I’m going to dance.”

  “Yeah, well you can’t be bothering the other patrons in the club.”

  “She’s just pissed because I hit on her man.”

  “No, she’s pissed because you’re using your sweaty ass to push her around,” Miranda shouts as the guy she was dancing with puts his arm around her shoulders.

  “Ma’am, you can
follow me out of the club quietly or I can drag you out, but if I drag you out, you’ll be blacklisted. You’re clearly drunk and need to go home and sleep it off.”

  “I’m not drunk.” She starts to cry. I mean this girl is all out sobbing, begging for Jonah to let her stay. She’s making a complete fool of herself and is totally going to regret it in the morning.

  Jonah scoops her up over his shoulder and actually carries her out of the club. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be videos of this all over social media tomorrow. Miranda is cracking up. The girl is continuing to carry on about wanting to dance. She’s even punching Jonah in the back, but of course it’s not even fazing him, until she vomits all down his back. The poor guy freezes in his spot realizing what has just happened and now I feel bad. He disappears from sight, and I go back to the bar.

  “Jonah take care of it?” Shane asks.

  “Yeah, poor guy just got puked on though,” we tell him, slipping into seats.

  “What?” His eyes go wide.

  “He had to carry the girl out and she vomited down his back. I hope he has extra clothes here somewhere.”

  Shane bites his lip, clearly trying to stifle his laughter.

  The DJ announces last call, creating a huge rush at the bar. Sky and Shane are busting their asses trying to get everyone served. I’m watching them clean up and that’s when I hear the music start to soften slightly and the bar is slowly emptying.

  Logan really did a great job with this place. It’s fun but classy too, with the exception of the occasional riff raff like they had tonight.

  The club is just about empty, and I’m completely spent. I’ve gotten very little sleep this week and it’s starting to take a toll on my body. I lean on the bar with my head in my hand.

  “You okay, sweetie?” Shane asks, concerned.

  “Yeah, I’m just really tired. I haven’t slept much this week.”