Changing Lanes (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation Book 4), page 3
I sat back in my chair. It sure was.
Sultry Knights was opening back up, and come Monday, I would be back at Wyndemere, where the sexy Bristol just happened to work.
This was one of the best meetings I had ever been in.
Good news all around. Except for the murder.
*
Chapter Three
Pie begone…
Bristol
“Thank God you are back.”
“Oh, yeah?” I called. I pulled a loaf of cherry almond bread from the oven and set it on the hot pad. “And why is that?” I asked.
Apollo sat on a chair at the bar and sighed. “Greer went back to Chicago after Meeks busted down the front entry, and I was left here by myself. I was in charge of the construction, and you weren’t here to cook. It was cold sandwiches and lame takeout from Rockton the whole time.”
I rolled my eyes and shut the oven. “I told Marco I could come and cook for whoever was staying here, but he said I could just take time off.” It was nice to have the time off, but I would have been more than willing to cook for Apollo.
“That’s because he was staying at the clubhouse where he had Meg cooking for him. He was in heaven with her manning the stove. He didn’t think about me for a second while he ate all the good shit she made.” Apollo grabbed an apple and polished it on his shirt.
“Well, it looks like you didn’t waste away.”
It was Sunday morning, and even though I had gotten a lot done yesterday, I still had a lot to accomplish today. Marco, Royal, and Kane were going to be back home tomorrow morning, and I wanted to make sure I had everything on hand that they could need.
“It was touch and go there for a little bit, Bristol.” He took a huge bite of the apple and smirked. “Greer did have some pizza shipped to me from Gino’s to help.”
“She had pizza from Chicago delivered?” I laughed. “You must have been pretty pathetic for her to think she needed to do that.”
Apollo shrugged. “She loves me.”
I rolled my eyes. I had to think that Apollo must have laid it on pretty thick to Greer. “I bet she just wanted to shut you up.”
Apollo chuckled. “You know Greer too well.”
I did. She was one of my favorite people. Granted, I didn’t get to see her too often, but she always spent a lot of her time in the kitchen with me when she was here.
Growing up, the kitchen had always been the heart of my home, and the same could be said for Wyndemere. Everyone always seemed to gather in the kitchen no matter if it was time to eat or not.
“Is she planning on visiting again soon?”
Apollo shrugged. “Possibly. Grace has a dance competition next weekend, and I promised her I would be there. I’m hoping after the competition, they’ll come back to Wyndemere.”
I smiled. “That would be great. I haven’t seen Grace in months.”
“You and me, both. With Leo out of town and Marco falling for Royal, I haven’t been home for longer than a couple of days at a time.” It was a shame that Apollo couldn’t be home more, but thankfully Greer and his kids were more than understanding about it.
“And I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon since Marco and Royal are setting up their home here.”
Apollo scoffed. “Good for you, not so good for me.”
“I don’t know about that,” I laughed. “I was paid pretty good to work only a handful of days a month. Now I’m going to get paid the same and have to work every day.”
Apollo shook his head. “Nope. Marco already made arrangements for you to get a raise.”
“Shut up,” I gasped. “I don’t need a raise.” I really did make a lot of money for not actually doing much. I worked six to eight days a month, and then I basically did nothing but putter around the house waiting for someone to stay at Wyndemere.
“You just said yourself you are going to be working a lot more. It only makes sense that you work more, so you’ll get paid more.”
“So, my pay will finally even out to the amount of work I actually do,” I jested.
Apollo shook his head. “You’ve worked here for five years, Bristol. You know that Leo and Marco pay based on the level of work you do. You’re obviously doing a great job, and they’re paying you, respectively.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to the sink full of dishes. “Well, then I guess I better get back to work, so Marco and Leo don’t start thinking I’m not worth it.”
Apollo’s phone rang. “Yo,” he called.
I heard Apollo’s chair scape back on the floor.
“Thanks for the apple, Bristol,” he called. “Way better than stale chips.”
I raised my hand over my head. “Just picked them up from the grocery store,” I called. Not like I grew and picked them.
Apollo’s footsteps moved out of the kitchen, and once I knew I was alone, I released a deep sigh.
I hated talking about how much I was getting paid. I was always afraid something was going to click, and everyone was going to realize I wasn’t worth what they were giving me. I worked hard, but I was just doing what I loved at the end of the day. It was crazy to get paid that much to do what you love.
Half an hour later, I had all of my dishes finished, and it was time to start making dinner. I lived in a cycle of create, eat, clean, and repeat. Thank goodness I had a dishwasher, or I would go crazy washing dishes by hand.
“Bristol,” Apollo called from down the hall.
“Yeah?”
“Plan on more people for meals tomorrow,” he replied.
I looked up from the pack of pork chops I was opening. “Uh, how many more people?” Yesterday, Slider had been over to help move some of the baby’s things in, but he hadn’t stayed to eat anything. “Just Slider and Fayth?”
“Uh, I would say an additional seven or eight more. Some of the Knights are going to help move Royal in.”
My eyes bugged out. “Uh, really?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Whatever you plan on making will be great. They aren’t picky.”
“Got it.” My voice came out strained, and my mind raced, wondering who would be here tomorrow.
There was no guarantee that Pie would be one of the guys. I hadn’t spoken to him since he had pressed a kiss to my lips and walked out my door twenty-four hours ago.
See ya around.
Ugh. It was so casual, as if I was just someone he met on the street.
Even though we had met in the pantry. And then had hot, passionate sex the next day in the same pantry.
My cheeks heated at the thought of Pie pinning me up against the shelves and pressing his lips to my neck. I shook my head and closed my eyes. “We are not going to think about him,” I whispered. I wouldn’t get anything done if I thought about Pie.
I would wonder what he was doing, where he was. Who was he with?
Ugh. That was the one that always killed me. I knew he was probably just doing club stuff, but in the back of my mind, I wondered if what he was doing with me in the middle of the night, he was doing with someone else.
We were casual.
All we were doing was having some mind-blowing sex, and that was it. We had both agreed after the first time we had done the deed that neither of us were interested in anything more.
Sex, yes.
More, no.
I groaned and dropped my chin to my chest.
Except I was a damn liar.
Oh, god, was I a liar. It was a miracle my pants weren’t on fire from lying so much.
“Bristol.”
I clutched my hand to my chest and jumped. I whirled around and pasted a smile on my face. “Hi,” I squeaked instead of screamed when I saw it was Murphy.
“Jesus, Bristol,” Murphy chuckled. “You’re a little jumpy.”
I waved my hand in the air. “Oh, you know, I guess the front of the house blowing up put me a little on edge.”
Murphy nodded. “I suppose.”
I cleared my throat and ran my fingers through my hair. “Uh, did you need something?”
“I was just wondering what time you plan for dinner?”
I glanced at the clock. “Uh, probably six.” I hadn’t done anything to start dinner other than pull the pork chops from the fridge. “Maybe six-thirty.”
Murphy nodded. “Shoot for six-thirty. Apollo and I need to run to the clubhouse.”
I had to hold back from asking why and just nodded. “Can do.”
Murphy tipped his head to me and strolled back toward the security office.
I turned back to the pork chops and tried to concentrate. Hopefully, Pie wouldn’t come tomorrow, and I would never see him again.
He was messing with my head and that wasn’t good.
We had agreed that we were only casual, and even though I was having a hard time with that, I could tell Pie wasn’t. He so easily had said he would see me around and didn’t make future plans.
Granted, we never really made plans, but he always showed up at my house around ten at night and didn’t leave until morning.
Now that I was back at Wyndemere, that was over, and I needed to go back to how life was before Pie and the Devil’s Knights busted in.
It was going to be boring, but at least I wouldn’t get my feelings hurt.
Pie wasn’t the type of guy who wanted to be tied down.
Time to get over him.
Hopefully.
*
Chapter Four
TP & mistakes…
Pie
“We’re going to The Tavern. You coming with?”
I looked up from the TV at Zig and Zag. “I’d rather just drink here.” I held up my beer. “I’m already three down.”
Zig shrugged. “We need to get the hell out of here. Hero, Frost, and Easy are keeping an eye on all of the girls. We’re free to go.”
“King go home?” I asked.
Zag nodded. “Yeah. I thought if we get drunk enough, we can toilet paper his house and then come back here.”
“You really think toilet papering King and Meg’s house is the best idea?” I laughed. That sounded like the worst idea to me.
Zig and Zag chuckled.
“I think he’s getting a little soft. It’s been months since we pulled a prank on him. It’s for his own good as much as it’s just fun for us.” Zag shrugged. “He’ll thank us.”
“Eventually,” Zig muttered.
“I think I’ll just hang here.” It was going on ten and I was ready to turn in for the night. Slider had told us we were going to be heading over to Wyndemere around eight, and I didn’t want to move a bunch of shit hungover.
“Come on,” Zig nagged. “How am I supposed to have fun with just Zag? He’s lame.”
“Fuck you,” Zag shot back. “Everyone knows I’m the fun one. You’re the lame one.”
This was a common argument between the two. They each thought the other was lame when they were both dumbasses who were equally fun in reality. I had more stories than I could remember that involved Zig and Zag. “You’re both lame, so go get drunk together and go toilet paper King’s house.”
It was a mistake for them to do it, but I knew it was going to be fucking hilarious to watch the aftermath.
Zag crossed his arms over his chest. “You need to come because we need a fucking DD.”
“Walk,” I suggested. “It’s not even a mile. You guys can stumble home from King’s easily. I’ve already been drinking.”
“Where is the brotherhood here?” Zig asked. “I thought we always had each other’s backs. We’re five drinks to your three, Pie. We need you and you’re not going to be there for us?”
I rolled my eyes and turned off the TV. “We’re going for two drinks, that’s it.” I was actually only on my first beer and not feeling even a slight buzz.
Zig smiled triumphantly and jogged behind the bar. He bent over and lifted a huge pack of toilet paper over his head. “Let’s fucking go!” he cheered.
“I’m not too sure about this, guys.” I was okay with Zig and Zag toilet papering King’s house when I wasn’t with them. I didn’t want to be a part of this. “How about you leave the toilet paper here, and we just go for drinks?” I suggested. They could toilet paper King’s house another night when I wasn’t with them.
“Too late,” Zig called. He hoisted the toilet paper onto his shoulder and strode to the door. “Your ass is the DD and we’re toilet papering King’s house. Let’s ride!” He gave a scream into the night air and his laughter drifted into the night.
“You know you gotta come, man. What else are you going to do on a Sunday night?” Zag grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the couch.
“Uh, maybe go to bed? Try to get a full night’s sleep?” You know, what normal people did.
Zag scoffed. “That is boring as hell. Besides, we’re still young. We don’t need a full night’s sleep. Give me four hours, and I’m good to go.”
That wasn’t a lie, but I wasn’t up to babysitting Zig and Zag. “Two drinks, we hit King’s house, and then we’re back to the clubhouse. Yeah?”
Zag smiled wide and pushed me out the door. “Of course. I might not even have two drinks.”
This was a mistake.
A huge mistake that was going to make for a great story to tell.
Eventually.
*
Chapter Five
Bread and no pie…
Bristol
“Coffee?”
I nodded toward the pot. “Ready to go. Help yourself.”
Apollo stumbled to the cupboard and grabbed a cup. “Aren’t you up kind of early?”
He filled his mug and leaned against the counter. His hair was disheveled, and he was wearing loose sweatpants and a t-shirt. Much different from the dress slacks and button-down shirts he normally wore. Working in the Wyndemere kitchen gave me access to see the behind-the-scenes of all of these mafiosos. Underneath those suits and ties, they were just like any guy.
I was perched on one of the barstools at the kitchen island and crossed my legs. “I wanted to make dessert for lunch, and I also need to make the buns.”
“Make the buns?” Apollo laughed. “Are you telling me that you make the buns we eat?”
I nodded and looked down at the magazine I was paging through. “Uh, yeah.” I had gotten into the habit of making a large batch of bread and rolls then freezing them. The day of the explosion, I had planned to make a bunch, but then all hell broke loose. I was a bit behind and needed to get the freezer restocked. “I have the dough proofing right now.”
“You do know that is awesome, right?”
I shrugged and turned the page. “Just doing my job.” And earning my paycheck.
“Since you’re making bread, does that mean we’re having cereal for breakfast?” he laughed.
I rolled my eyes and scooted off my stool. I opened the oven and waved my hand in front of it. “You can have cereal, but I have almond croissants that are just about done.”
Apollo’s jaw dropped. “If I wasn’t happily married, Bristol, I would put a ring on your finger pronto.”
I closed the oven and hopped back up on my stool. The croissants still had seven more minutes until they were perfectly golden brown.
“Are you proposing to Bristol?” Murphy called. He walked into the kitchen in the same state as Apollo. Too bad I thought of these guys as my brothers because they were all nice to look at.
“You tell Greer, and I’ll kick your ass,” Apollo warned.
Murphy grabbed a cup and filled it to the brim with coffee. “Say stupid things, and get stupid results.”
“You do know that Greer said something along the same lines to me before, right?” I laughed.
“That hussy,” Apollo spat. A huge smile spread across his lips, and he laughed loudly. “You would be a major upgrade from me, so I can’t really blame her.”
“At least you can admit it,” Murphy chuckled.
“Whoa, you guys are up pretty early.” Princeton strolled into the kitchen with the newspaper under his arm.
“Do you know you’re probably one of the last people on Earth who actually reads the newspaper?” Apollo nodded to his phone on the counter. “I get the daily news without even climbing out of bed.”
Princeton sat next to me and spread out the newspaper. “My dad used to read the paper every morning. I guess it just wore off on me by seeing it all the time.”
“That’s sweet,” I smiled. “My mom used to make breakfast from scratch every morning for me. As you can tell, that totally wore off on me, too.”
Apollo pointed to the oven. “The proof of that is in the oven.”
“Baking day?” Princeton asked.
I nodded proudly.
“You know about bread baking day?” Apollo asked. “I had no idea she made all the bread and shit, too.”
“Really?” Murphy asked. “How did you not know that? She’s been doing it for years.”
“I know it might seem like a lie, but I really don’t spend my whole day in the kitchen like you two seem to do.” Apollo sipped his coffee and glared at Murphy.
“I don’t need to spend all of my time in the kitchen to know that Bristol makes everything from scratch.” Murphy grabbed the creamer from the fridge and poured some in his coffee. “And you and Greer can’t have Bristol. She’s going to be my wife.”
Now that, I had heard before. Murphy was always telling me he was going to marry me so I could make him bread and pies every day. I always told him I do that for him now, and he isn’t married to me. He had the best of both worlds. A woman to cook for him, but no commitment.
“What time is everyone showing up today?” I asked. Listening to who thought they were going to marry me because I cooked wasn’t really as fun as it seemed.
“Around eleven, Marco said. The rest of the furniture for Kane should be here around eleven-thirty, and we’re going to need all hands on deck to put that shit together.” Murphy turned the page on the newspaper. “I might be occupied doing anything other than that.”
“I bet,” Apollo laughed. “I’m pretty sure that’s why Marco asked King if he could send some guys over to help.”
