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Home / Romance / Raven's MC Series; Marlowe & Torin -Book One of the series / Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Lahat ng Kabanata ng Raven's MC Series; Marlowe & Torin -Book One of the series: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

134 Kabanata

Chapter 41

Three days after the disastrous birthday dinner, I’d moved out of the compound amid loud protestations from Ginger, Rook and Burdock, but I’d heard nothing from Torin. As one day had passed into two, I continued shutting Torin out of my life. By the end of the week, I’d gotten my old job back with Jess at the bar and was moving forward with my life.The night of the eighth day after leaving Torin behind me, my phone buzzed with a text message, and picking it up, I read the message.Torin: When I Was Your Man by Bruno MarsInsanely, I gave a sniff with the sudden moisture that sprang to my eyes. Ridiculous that something so simple as a song could bring me to tears. Torin never did anything without purpose though, so I knew there was a message within the song he wanted me to hear. After bringing the song up on my phone, I closed my eyes, and listened.A few days later, checking my mailbox after I got home from work, I found a plain white envelope inside with nothing on it but my first n

Chapter 42

~MARLOWE~ ~ONE YEAR LATER~Another mild summer night. Yeah. Sure.I stepped out of the bar and the heat slapped me so hard it felt personal. Mid-nineties after midnight for a week straight. The air didn’t move, it just hovered. I waved at Shannon over my shoulder and immediately felt sweat bloom between my shoulder blades.“Fantastic,” I muttered.Five minutes outside and I already felt basted.I dragged my hand across my forehead and squinted at the sky like maybe God would explain why this state couldn’t pick a damn temperature and stick with it. Summer tried to drown you. Winter tried to freeze you solid. There was no middle ground. Just punishment.My heels crunched across the gravel lot as I made my way toward LadyBug.She wasn’t much to look at. Dented fender. Rust freckles. The driver’s window only rolled down when she was in a good mood. But she was mine. Bought with my first paycheck after I’d come back to Jess’s Place.Mine; that had mattered more than shiny paint ever coul

Chapter 43

Later that evening I pulled LadyBug into the lot and killed the engine, sitting in the silence for a second before I opened the door.The place was already packed. Not just our usual crowd either.Mercedes. Jaguars. Shiny paint that cost more than my damn car. Mixed in with lifted trucks and rusted-out sedans like nobody had warned them they weren’t supposed to park next to each other. That alone told me tonight wasn’t normal.I checked myself in the rearview mirror. Ponytail still tight. Lipstick a little smeared at the corner. I wiped it off with my thumb and pressed my lips together. Good enough.The second I stepped out, the humidity wrapped around me like a wet blanket. The air-conditioning from the car vanished instantly.“Fantastic,” I muttered under my breath and hurried toward the employee entrance before my hair decided to frizz out of spite.Inside, the smell hit me first. Cigars. Expensive cologne. That faint powdery perfume that clings to rich women who pretend they don’t

Chapter 44

A short time later, I noticed the two bouncers near the VIP room eyeing the dancers. Red flags went up, as one of them, the heavily built one with a shaved head and a neck tattoo, whispered something into a small earpiece. With alarm bells going off in my head, I shot a glance at Tannin, but she was busy shaking a cocktail and hadn’t noticed the men's behaviour.As I continued watching the men for a few seconds longer, the music switched back over to a fast-paced tempo, and the bar's rhythm once again picked up, allowing me no time to ponder over exactly what it was about the two men that was setting me off.As I was topping off the beers I'd poured, behind me a hand slammed down onto the counter, interrupting my flow and startling me, causing me to give a slight jump. Looking over my shoulder with a frown, I took in the tall, well-dressed man standing on the other side of the counter. His jawline was sharp, his nose slightly crooked—as if having been broken at some point in his past—a

Chapter 45

As I watched, Lucien and the other two clinked their glasses together, the sound echoing through the bar. After they threw back the shots, John and Rick’s features contorted from the fiery brew as it slid down their throats. Their faces turned red and sweat popped on their foreheads, their eyes beginning to water. Lucien, however, seemed unfazed by the drink. His eyes locked with mine, and setting his glass down on the surface of the counter, he licked his lips and murmured,"Your turn."Knowing I was going to regret what I was about to do, I gave a nod, and filled a glass with the potent liquid. The room had fallen mostly silent, a large portion of the patrons watching the challenge. Taking a deep breath, and feeling the heat from the peppers sting my nose, I downed the shot. The burn was intense, causing me to suck in a slight breath as I fought a grimace of pain.Slowly, I set my glass beside Lucien's, my eyes locked with his. Admiration bled into the depths of his and he murmured, "

Chapter 46

The next morning as I came down the stairs smothering a yawn, Brian was flipping through channels on the TV, the volume blasting. With a shake of my head, I made my way toward the kitchen, then uttered a groan as I stepped into the room. Pots, pans, dishes and the makings of God only knew what, were everywhere; they overflowed the sink, the counters, and spilled over onto the floor. As I gazed at the sight before me, I couldn’t help thinking, “Damn Brian, what the hell did you make that could have possibly made this big of a mess?” Jesus, I mean, I loved having Brian as a roommate, but the guy had no respect for cleanliness.With a shake of my head, I gave one last look at the disaster, then turned on my heel and exited the room. Nope, not dealing with it today!As I was passing the front door, my steps were abruptly stilled by the knocking that came from the other side of it.~~Moments later, and the last thing I expected to see when I swung the door open, was the sight of a man in a

Chapter 47

During the days that followed, I remained raw and emotional, my nerves stretched thin in a way that made it difficult to hide what I was feeling. As I worked my shifts at the bar, pouring drinks and calling orders over the music, the regulars noticed my distraction almost immediately. I caught their glances lingering a little longer than usual, heard conversations dip into hushed tones when I passed by.Word had spread. The inheritance. The money. It followed me like a shadow, casting me in a new light I wasn’t sure I liked. I’d always been just Marlowe. The bartender. The manager. The woman who worked hard, laughed loud, and poured a strong drink. Now there was something else attached to my name, something that made people speculate, judge, reassess.Rumors had always lived in the space between tables, floating on cigarette smoke and spilled whiskey. I’d never paid them much attention before. They were background noise, part of the atmosphere. But now those whispers were about me, and

Chapter 48

As I moved across the floor toward Lucien, his eyes never left mine. The crowd parted subtly, instinctively, as though they sensed something deliberate unfolding between us. His gaze tracked my every step, dark and assessing, and when I finally stopped in front of him, a slow smile curved his lips.“Marlowe,” he said, my name rolling off his tongue like a promise.Then, voice lowering, smoothing into something intimate, he added, “You’re looking… different.”A small smile touched my lips. “That so?” I teased. “Different is good, right?”His nod was unhurried. Appreciative. “Very good.”I cocked my head slightly. “The usual?”His gaze swept over me in a way that made heat bloom beneath my skin. “Perhaps something with a little more bite,” he replied. “Something extra.”The innuendo was unmistakable. I knew exactly what he was referring to, and the memory of the dance we’d once shared flashed hot and unwelcome through my mind. Lucien had never been subtle. He was bold, direct, and unapol

Chapter-49

The next day felt quieter than it should have. Not empty, not sad, just…settled.I woke early, sunlight filtering through the blinds in pale stripes across the bedroom floor. For a few seconds after opening my eyes, I lay still, waiting for the familiar ache to surface. The knot in my chest. The rush of thoughts. The sense that I’d forgotten something important or lost something fragile in the night. Nothing came.My head didn’t pound. My chest didn’t tighten. There was no sharp pull of regret waiting for me. Just a steady calm, like the world had finally exhaled and decided to let me breathe with it.I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall, replaying the night before. The hallway. Lucien’s hands at my waist. The moment when everything could have tipped one way or another. And the moment when it didn’t.There was no shame attached to it. No self-recrimination. Just the quiet certainty that I had made the right choice for where I was right now. Not forever. Not for anyone else. Jus

Chapter-50

The next evening as I walked into the bar, Jess was standing behind the counter, his fingers tucked into a glass, drying the interior with a cloth. At the sound of my boot heels clattering on the hardwood floor, he looked up, calling, “Hey, Kiddo.”“Hey, Jess,” I returned.His eyes lingered on my face as he asked, “All okay?”A small smile played at the corners of my lips, and I nodded. “Yeah, actually, it is. To be honest, things are looking up,” I told him.A knowing look came into his eyes. “Got some action, I take it?” he teased.“Umm...no,” I laughed.Jess snorted. “Youre interested though. It's written all over you. So, who’s the lucky guy?” he asked, slapping the towel in his hand down on the countertop and leaning against the counter.“Just…someone," I hedged, not really certain why.Jess nodded slowly. “Care to elaborate?”I ran over in my head what I should reveal, then carefully chose my words. “He’s got a...complicated life. But he makes me feel alive again, Jess. I didn't

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