“Girl’s day?” Marco drawled. “I thought you just said you were only going to be gone for an hour.”

  Royal batted her eyelashes at Marco. “Maybe a couple of hours. Would that be okay? I can hire a nanny or see if Fayth would want to come over to keep an eye on Kane if you aren’t up to it.”

  Marco looked down at Kane. “I am more than up to taking care of my son, amore mio. Take as much time as you want.”

  Royal smirk and winked at me. “If that’s what you want, honey.”

  Marco had played right into her hand. Apollo shook his head but didn’t say anything. We all knew what Royal had done except for Marco.

  “Sucker,” Princeton mumbled under his breath.

  I wouldn’t say Marco was a sucker. He was being a good dad who was giving Royal some time to herself. He had thanked me for talking with Royal. This would be good for both of them. Marco would have alone time with Kane, and Royal would have some time to herself.

  “Oh,” Royal gasped. “We should see if Indiana wants to come with us.”

  “You’re going to the grocery store,” Apollo drawled. “I don’t think that is as exciting as you think it is.”

  Royal waved her hand at Apollo. “Indy and I have fun no matter what we are doing.” She glanced at me. “Are you okay with her coming with?”

  I shrugged. “I’m open to anything.” As long as I could get the things I needed for the pantry, I was fine.

  Royal clapped her hands together. “Great. This is going to be so much fun.”

  Apollo shook his head and looked down at his plate of eggs. “You know you’re getting old when going to the grocery store is exciting.”

  “Hey,” Murphy chuckled. “You got pretty excited when we went to the ammo store the other day.”

  Apollo pointed his fork at Murphy. “That’s because they had a Colt 1911 that I’ve been wanting.”

  “You get it?” Marco asked.

  Apollo shook his head. “Greer told me she would have my balls if I came home with any more guns. She said I have my own fucking armory in the walk-in closet.”

  And that is how you knew all of these guys had a heart of gold. At the end of the day, they answered to the women in their lives. I wasn’t too sure who Murphy and Princeton answered to, but I knew if they had wives or girlfriends, they would treat them just like Marco and Apollo did.

  “You took over her walk-in closet?” Princeton laughed. “You hanging handguns from her handbag hooks now?”

  Apollo flipped him off. “I have my own walk-in closet, dumbass.”

  “A walk-in armory, you mean?” I laughed.

  Apollo smiled wide. “Well, yeah.”

  “Get the gun and tell her it’s for work,” Marco drawled.

  “Like Greer is going to believe that,” Apollo scoffed. “I’ll just wait until she wants some fucking painting or some shit. She wants a painting; I get the gun.”

  Murphy shrugged. “Depending on how expensive the painting is, you could get a pair of Colt 1911s.”

  “Now you’re thinking,” Princeton chuckled.

  Royal glanced at Marco. “You know I’m going to learn all of your secrets, right?”

  Marco pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “From you, I have no secrets, amore mio.”

  That was so smooth even I swooned.

  Maybe someday I would have someone say sweet things like that to me.

  Someday.

  For now, I would just have to settle for trips to the store with Royal and chocolate cake. Chocolate cake was as good as sweet words.

  Almost.

  *

  Chapter Eleven

  Pissed…

  Pie

  “You think we should put an ad in the paper for a cook?” Rigid asked.

  “What do you need a cook for?” Dad asked.

  Rigid tipped his head to the side. “Pie didn’t tell you?”

  I shook my head at Rigid. “Didn’t come up.”

  “You need a cook for the clubhouse? I thought Meg was doing pretty good at stocking the freezer with shit for you guys?” He leaned toward Rigid. “You know if Marley gets wind of you guys needing someone to do cooking for you that she’ll have casserole dishes here in a day.”

  I cleared my throat. “We don’t want that.”

  I had to suffer through Mom’s cooking for years growing up. Thankfully, Meg had been tactful enough to be able to get at least one decent meal to Luna and me a day. I loved Mom to hell and back, but she just could not cook no matter how hard she tried.

  Rigid laughed. “We need a cook for Sultry Knights. We’re opening the place up for three days a week, and we’re going to do themes for each day.”

  “Boobs and Burgers, Tacos and Titties, and then Pasta and Pussy,” I listed.

  Dad choked on his beer. “Jesus,” he gasped. “I did not expect that to come out of your mouth.”

  I shrugged and finished my beer. “You gotta admit, they’re all catchy as hell. Pasta and pussy is my favorite one.”

  Dad shrugged. “I guess it makes sense. A way to a man’s wallet is through his stomach and naked women.”

  Rigid clinked his bottle against Dad’s. “We gotta get the asses in the seats and make sure they spend all of their money while they are here.”

  “We need to make what we did in seven days in three now.” That was going to be hard as fuck. I banked on the idea that when we opened, everyone was going to bum rush the place because we had been closed for so long.

  Dad whistled low. “Well, if anyone can do that, I know you guys can. You’re the fucking backbone of this town.”

  “Motorcycles and pussy are the backbone of Rockton,” Rigid chuckled. “We should get that put on the welcome sign when you come into town.”

  Now it was my turn to choke on my beer. “I’m sure if you tell Zig and Zag, they will get that done for you.”

  “And I’m sure the mayor will love their graffiti scribbles,” Dad laughed.

  “How’s Luna been?” Rigid asked. “Last I saw her, she busted into church.”

  It had been four days since Macy had been found dead. Ransom was still going through questioning all of the girls, and Luna was right there next to him.

  Dad sighed. “She’s on a fucking crusade to figure out who the hell is killing the club girls. She feels like each of those girls are her own personal responsibility.”

  “They’re not,” I grunted. “She needs to realize she can’t fucking save everyone.”

  “Well,” Dad drawled. “I guess she can try, right?”

  Only he would be worried about Luna, but then also encourage her. “You know you could try to chain her to the pipes in the basement, right?”

  “Didn’t you and Frost try that when you guys were younger?” Rigid asked.

  Dad chuckled. ‘They sure did. Luna got the drop on them, and when I came home from work, Brock was zip-tied to the basement stairs, and Frost was hanging from the rafters like a gutted deer.”

  Rigid busted out laughed.

  “She’s fast,” I mumbled. And sneaky as fuck.

  “Right,” Dad laughed. “You mean she’s smart as a whip. She saw you two coming before your feet even hit the floor.”

  “Can we get back to talking about a new cook?” I asked. Reliving the moments where Luna pretty much kicked my ass were not my favorite.

  “You think we could snag the chef Marco has?” Rigid asked. “When she stayed here for those two nights, she cooked with Meg, and it was like that food was from heaven.”

  “As if Marco would let her go.” Dad shook his head. “What you need to do is figure that shit out quick because if you don’t, you know Meg is going to want to do it, which would be great because she can cook anything, but you know King ain’t gonna let that shit fly. She works at the club, and he isn’t ever going to see her.”

  That was the truth. Meg would be amazing at it, but King would flip his shit if that happened.

  “And,” Dad continued, “you know your mom is going to say she can do it, and we all know that can’t happen.”

  “So we can give food poisoning to all of Rockton?” Rigid laughed. “I think we would like to skip that lawsuit.”

  “I can see what I can do,” I volunteered. I had planned to talk to Bristol about a cook for the club when I saw her on Monday, but I was occupied with other things. “I can get an ad in the newspaper. I’m sure we’ll get plenty of applications.”

  “You think maybe you should run this by Luna?” Dad asked.

  “Luna works for Sultry Knights, Dad, and the Devil’s Knights own Sultry Knights. Technically, I’m her boss, which means I don’t need her permission to look for a cook for the club.”

  “It’s like he didn’t grow up with Luna or something,” Rigid laughed.

  “You’re gonna piss your sister off if you hire someone for Sultry Knights.” Dad shook his head. “I don’t know why you can’t do something productive with your sister.”

  “Because Luna thinks she’s in charge of Sultry Knights, when at the end of the day, she’s just managing it for us.” I grabbed my beer. “King doesn’t run stuff by Luna when he does things at Sultry Knights. Why should I?”

  “Because you’re not King?” Rigid laughed. “King can do whatever the hell he wants. You,” Rigid poked me in the chest, “cannot.”

  “I’m gonna find a cook for Sultry Knights, and I’m not going to run my decision by anyone. I had said in church the other day that I would look for the cook, so that’s what I am going to do.”

  “It’s like we’re not even talking, Troy,” Rigid said to Dad. “Part of me is excited just to sit back and see how this plays out.”

  Dad chuckled and shook his head. “It’s definitely going to be interesting.”

  I finished my beer and set it on the table. “I’ll see ya later.”

  “Brock,” Dad called. “You don’t have to leave,” he insisted.

  “I got some stuff to do. Give mom a kiss for me.” I pushed out the front door and stalked to my bike.

  I was pissed.

  Fucking pissed.

  Luna wasn’t a part of the Devil’s Knights, but somehow, she had a fucking say in things more than I did? That was some fucking bullshit.

  “Yo,” Frost called. “You going for a ride?”

  What was I doing? I was pissed and just needed to get out of the clubhouse. I wanted to hop on my bike and ride, but I knew I would just end up at Wyndemere. I wanted to go to Bristol and fuck her. I wanted to feel her body beneath mine and have her moans in my ear.

  I shouldn’t do that.

  She didn’t need a guy like me who couldn’t even make the simplest of decisions without having his younger sister telling him he couldn’t.

  “Yeah, you wanna come with?” If I had Frost with me, I couldn’t go to Wyndemere.

  Frost shrugged. “Sure. Where are we going?”

  I swung my leg over my bike and cranked it up. “Fucking anywhere but here,” I called.

  Anywhere but here.

  *

  Chapter Twelve

  A little ice cream with my Pie…

  Bristol

  I had ice cream in the freezer—five different flavors—but I was here.

  “Hi, welcome to Mr. Speed’s Ice Cream Shack. What can I get for you?” the waitress’ voice cracked over the speaker.

  Eight-thirty at night, and I was in my car alone, ready to binge on a huge ass ice cream sundae with hot fudge, pecans, and bananas. And fries. Delicious, greasy, salty fries swiped through the fudgy ice cream.

  Oh. Yes.

  I called my order into the speaker, and the woman told me my total.

  Mr. Speed’s was an old-time ice cream place that was like those classic drive-in restaurants. They brought you your food on a tray that they hung on your door, and the waitress rolled around on roller skates. They also had the most amazing homemade ice cream.

  Seriously. My chef taste buds more than approved every spoonful.

  I had spent most of the day taking stock of the pantry and rearranging everything. When I had fallen the other day while reaching to get stuff off the top shelf, I figured it was time to move things around to make it easier for me. I didn’t realize how big of a job that was until it was seven hours later, and I was finally done.

  A car full of teenagers pulled up next to me with their music blaring and all the windows rolled down.

  Ugh. Teenagers were the worse.

  Plus, they were all girls.

  There went my plans of sitting in my car to eat my ice cream.

  I wished I could roll up my window, but then the waitress wouldn’t be able to put my tray there. There went my binge of eating hot fries with my ice cream. I wasn’t about to pig out when there was a car full of people next to me.

  Headlights flashed in my rearview mirror and turned into the stall on the other side of me.

  I was not meant to eat my ice cream in peace tonight.

  I glanced over at the new car and was shocked when it was two motorcycles.

  Oh, no.

  No, no, no.

  Two motorcycles driven by Pie and Frost.

  The urge to roll up my window and take off was short-lived when the waitress appeared in my window and hung the tray. “That’ll be ten fifty-seven,” she sang. “Do you want some extra napkins?”

  I grabbed the twenty I had set out and handed it to her. Maybe I could pay and get out of here before Pie noticed I was right next to him. “Uh, no, thank you.” I would need napkins, but since I was going to be eating this back in my room, I could just grab some from the kitchen.

  “Have a good night.” The waitress handed me my change and turned to the car next to me.

  A knock sounded on my passenger window. I closed my eyes and prayed I could disappear right now.

  I opened one eye and was disappointed that I was still sitting in my car at Mr. Speed’s.

  Three more raps sounded on my window again.

  “Crap.”

  “Did she just say crap?” Frost laughed.

  And I forgot my window was open. I was getting really good at looking like a fool in front of Pie and his friends. Swan dive off the pantry shelves and now talking to myself.

  I looked over at the passenger window, but no one was there.

  “Psst, over here.”

  I snapped my head back to my window and was face to face with Pie’s waist. He crouched down and smiled. “Bristol.”

  “Pie,” I grimaced.

  “I never thought I would see you at Mr. Speed’s,” Frost called. “All Indy does is rave about your cooking, and you’re feasting on Speed’s fries.”

  “Can’t really blame you,” Pie laughed. “They are the best fries. Especially when you dip them in your ice cream.” Pie grabbed a fry and swiped it through my ice cream.

  “Hey,” I protested. “Get your own fries.”

  “But yours taste good.” He quirked his eyebrow and winked.

  Oh, that damn wink. If Frost hadn’t been standing next to Pie, I would have pulled Pie into my car and had my way with him. Pie and ice cream sounded like a decadent dessert. “Get your own. I promise they will taste the same.”

  “Hey,” one of the girls in the car next to me called. She was sitting in the backseat and was hanging out the window. “Are you guys in a motorcycle club?”

  Frost glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah. What gave it away?”

  She tipped her head to the side. “Well, you’re driving motorcycles.”

  “Good job,” Frost laughed.

  This girl was a regular genius. The fact they were also wearing their cuts was a giveaway that they were part of a motorcycle club.

  “Can I have a ride on your motorcycle?” she asked boldly.

  Pie turned and looked at the girl. “You serious?”

  She smiled wide and leaned further out the window. “Well, yeah. I’m way prettier than the girl you’re talking to. Besides, I doubt she would even fit on the back of your bike with that ass.”

  And that was why I hated teenagers. Pricks, all of them.

  Pie slowly tipped his head to the side. “How old are you?” His tone was even and deep. I could sense the venom in his voice, but this girl was too dumb to notice it.

  “I just turned eighteen three days ago.” She snapped her gum in her mouth and glanced at me. “Why don’t you just eat your ice cream, honey, and let me play with the bikers. I don’t think you would even know what to do with them.”

  Did I mention I hated teenagers? At least this mouthy one.

  I grabbed a fry and popped it in my mouth. “Have at it,” I encouraged her. “I’ve already played with this one.”

  Frost snickered, and Pie smirked.

  Frost wouldn’t give her the time of day, and I didn’t think Pie was into barely legal girls. At least, I hoped he wasn’t. I guess if he were, at least I had my ice cream and fries to keep me company.

  Pie reached out and bumped his fist with Frost. “I’ll take this one, brother.”

  My head cocked to the side. Did that mean Pie was interested in this girl? Whoa. This was not going how I had thought.

  Pie bent and leaned on the girl’s car. He reached up and brushed her hair from her face.

  “Well, hello,” she gasped.

  “So, you wanna go for a ride, huh, sweetheart?” Pie asked.

  The girl nodded. “I bet you’ll like it.”

  I didn’t have the best view of what was going on, but I was about to have my heart broken from what I could see of Pie’s body language.

  “You know, maybe I might. I did pull in here hoping to go for a ride with someone,” he said smoothly.

  “Then it’s my lucky day, huh?” She reached out to brush her fingers over Pie’s cheek, but he moved out of reach.

  “You know, I think that is where you are wrong, sweetheart. You wanna know why?” he asked.

  The girl batted her eyes at Pie. “Why?”

  “Because I’m not into having sex with children who don’t know their tit from their asshole.” Pie hitched his chin toward me. “I know it might be hard for you to understand, but Bristol here is more woman than you will ever be. You wanna know why?” he asked again.

  “She’s fat,” the girl spat. “Of course, she’s more woman than I am. Try fifty pounds more.”

 

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