Collect the Pieces (Lost Kings MC #25)

Chapter 40

Margot

“I got the gist of your conversation,” Jigsaw says once we’re safe inside my apartment.

“Oh?” I kick off my shoes and head straight for the bedroom, my mind spinning.

Daniel might have killed his grandmother?

Mrs. O’Leary was so nice. She didn’t deserve whatever happened to her. Did she see Daniel coming? How did he do it? I never saw any signs of foul play on her body.

This is why the Baker autopsy is being held up.

Does my father know? Does he suspect Daniel?

I stop and turn.

Jigsaw didn’t follow me into the bedroom.

I find him in my kitchen. He holds out a bottle of water to me, his expression serious. Protective. “Drink this. You look like you’re about to faint.”

“I’m not sure what I am.” I uncap the bottle and take a long swallow, the cool water soothing my dry throat. “Tell me what you heard?”

“They asked you about your ex. Douchwaffle Dan.”

I snort, but the humor dies quickly.

“I can’t believe it. But also, I can.” I stare at Jigsaw, feeling sick. “I can’t believe I ever… oh my God.”

“I couldn’t get every bit of the conversation. My takeaway is they think he’s knocking off little old ladies for profit?” Jigsaw says with a questioning lilt.

I scowl. “ Little old ladies seems disrespectful given the circumstances. They were women who lived full lives, who had families, who…”

“Okay.” He curls his hand around my upper arm and steers me into my theater room. “He may have killed three elderly women who couldn’t easily fight back, in order to steal their money.”

I sink onto the couch, my stomach twisting. “It seems that way.”

His jaw tightens. “They must have a solid case. They shared an awful lot with you.”

My pulse spikes. I press my fingers to my temples. “Oh my God, what if they think my dad was involved? Or me? And that’s why they told me so much, to see if I alert Daniel?”

“Margot. Stop.” He clamps his hand over my thigh, his firm grip grounding me. “I think the younger cop might have been a little suspicious. But the older one definitely wasn’t.”

“What if they were lying to me? Cope love to play games with suspects.”

“True,” he agrees. “But I really don’t think that’s the case. You were honest and helped give them some context for the kind of person he is.”

“But who even told them we dated?”

“You said you met his friends and family. I’m sure one of them remembered you.” He sweeps his gaze over me, slow and deliberate. “I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of beautiful, blonde, female morticians under thirty who work for family funeral homes in the area. Even if his friends didn’t remember your name, they’d remember those details. Put it together with where the grandmother’s funeral was held, and they probably just went from there.”

I blink.

Oh.

“That makes sense.”

How can he be so calm and reasonable?

He nudges my knee with his. “We have contacts in Empire. I can try to find out who they’re investigating.”

I shake my head. “No, that seems like a bad idea.”

Jigsaw watches me, eyes sharp and assessing. “What are you thinking? Talk to me.”

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “I’m thinking about how I ever let that man touch me.”

Jigsaw tilts his head, considering. “I mean… yeah. Can’t blame you there.”

I swat his arm. “Not the time.”

The amusement slides from his expression, leaving something darker.

“How awful.” I swallow hard. “I thought he just had a vicious mouth. But…to kill your own grandmother?” I tip my head up and stare into Jigsaw’s eyes. “She was a nice woman. I only met her a few times, but she was very kind to me. How could anyone…how could he hurt her?”

Jigsaw stares at the ceiling. “Uh, because he’s a greedy fuck? Money makes some people do evil things.”

“I know. Believe me.” I wave my hand in the air. “I’ve seen enough fights break out over money or family heirlooms. But this? And then two more women? Friends of his grandmother, I suppose.”

Jigsaw presses his palms together like he’s praying to the Lord above. “Can I kill him now? Please?”

He’s so utterly sincere, I can’t help laughing. “No! You still want to do it for the wrong reasons.”

“Nope.” He leans forward, all serious expression and convincing eyes. “That’s an added bonus. Killing defenseless old ladies is fucking low . It’s not like they were suffering and he was trying to help ease their misery. He wanted to hurry them off the planet to steal their money. That’s absolutely death-worthy.”

He’s not wrong.

I sigh, rubbing my forehead. “Honestly, I’d rather see him arrested and disgraced first.”

“First?”

“Before he dies. Remember, my criteria includes a failure of the justice system as well.”

He growls, low and frustrated. “All right. But if he gets acquitted or too light a sentence, it’s game fucking on for that motherfucker.”

I don’t argue, but the dark satisfaction that flickers in my chest is enough to tell me I won’t try to stop him.

I might even join him.

Jigsaw

The bombshell about Margot’s ex lingers like a bad snowstorm. I definitely thought he was an asshole. But a killer—no. A piece of shit who murders old women deserves to die. Never mind that I already hated the guy. I’d feel the same way even if he hadn’t been so cruel to my woman.

Margot still seems so rattled.

“Come on. You need to eat something,” I pat her knee and stand, holding my hand out to her.

“I need to change.” She stares down at her all-black outfit. “I feel gross.”

“Go ahead. I’m going to order a pizza.”

“Ohhh,” she moans and closes her eyes. “That sounds perfect right now.”

“Good. Meet you in the kitchen.”

“Deal.” She leans up and kisses my cheek. “Thank you.”

I pull out my phone and place the same order I did last time. Then we’ll have leftovers for tomorrow.

Gretel scurries into the living room and hops up on Margot’s lounge chair. “Mroar.”

“You gonna eat some pizza with us, G-kitty?”

She plops her paws on my leg and stretches.

“Come here.” I pick her up and she rubs her head against my chest.

Margot finally wanders out in red plaid flannel pants and an oversized red sweatshirt with a black cat face on the front. It kind of reminds me of one of the patches our Virginia charter hands out. I open my mouth to say that, then stop. The pussy patch has a bit of an unsavory backstory. Although now that I’m with Margot, I kinda want to call Ice and see if his club’s doing the pussy patch challenge again.

“You look good in that.” I pull her into my arms, and she rests her check against my chest.

“You say that with everything I wear.”

I shrug. “Then it must be true.”

She laughs softly.

My phone vibrates and I pull it out. “Food’s here.”

“That was fast tonight.”

“I’ll be right back.”

After we eat, Margot leans back and stretches her arms overhead, letting out a contented sigh. The weight of the afternoon still seems to cling to her but at least she has more color in her cheeks.

I reach over and settle my hand on her thigh. “Feel better?”

“Much.”

“Should we?—”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’ll need to tell my dad. And I still have so much work to do for Whisper’s funeral.” She slides off her stool and moves closer, pressing her body against my side. “I’d like to do something else tonight,” she finishes in a low rasp.

Her voice. Her eyes that lower as she sweeps her gaze over me.

Whatever she has in mind, I’m in.

I finish my seltzer in one swallow and set the glass on the bar. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Well.” She curls her hand around mine and tugs. “Remember the first time you came over?”

She pulls me toward her lounge chair, a playful smile dancing over her lips. “For my first lesson.”

“Fuck yes. How could I forget?”

“Well, I think about it a lot.” She stops at the foot of the chair.

“As do I.” I curl my arm around her waist and yank her against me. “Loved every second with you. Already knew a few lessons weren’t going to be enough.”

“Really?” She pushes against my chest.

She’ll have to push a lot harder to move me. “What do you want?” I ask. “You want me in the chair? You want a repeat?”

“Sort of.”

I strip off my T-shirt and settle all the way into the chair. “Come show me.”

She pulls a condom out of her pocket and slaps it on the side table.

“Ooo, look at you all prepared,” I tease.

She presses one knee into the chair and slowly lowers herself until she’s straddling my thighs.

“Come closer.” I cup her butt and slide her right up against me.

“Oh,” she gasps and rolls her hips. “You’re already…you’re so…”

“Hard for you,” I supply the words. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

She laughs, then gasps again.

“You like that?” I whisper, holding her gaze.

“I do.”

“Keep going. See if you can make yourself come grinding in my lap.” I sneak my hands under her sweatshirt and tug it up. “First, while this is cute, it needs to go.”

“Okay.” She keeps rolling her hips while I struggle with the sweatshirt.

“Ah, fuck. This is sexy.” I slide my finger under one strap of her sheer black bra.

“Jigsaw, I’m…” A little V forms between her eyebrows, and she lets out a frustrated grunt.

“Give it a minute, woman. I know my cock is magic but still.”

She laughs, rocking herself against me a little too hard.

I hiss in a pained breath. “Not enough room in my pants for what you’re doing to me.”

“I’m sorry!” she yelps and slides back a few inches.

“It’s fine.” I dig my feet into the cushions and lift my hips. “Undo my jeans and take me out of my denim prison, please.”

“Those sexy black track pants should be mandatory when you’re with me,” she grumbles, attacking the button but carefully lowering the zipper. “Much easier access.”

My phone—firmly lodged somewhere inside my pocket—starts vibrating against my leg.

Who’s bothering me now? “Fuuuck,” I groan.

I have to slide down more and wedge my hand inside until my fingers finally find the edge of my phone, then drag it out.

The buzzing stops.

Missed call: Zero

I stare at the screen. Call my president back or give my girl her orgasms first? Maybe sneak one in for myself.

I set the phone on the side table. “Where were we?”

“Who was it?”

“Z.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Shouldn’t you call your president back?”

“You want your orgasm or not?”

Instead of answering with words, she reaches into my briefs and brushes her thumb against the head of my cock.

“Fuuuck, yes,” I groan. “He’ll call back or text if he needs me that bad.”

“ I need you bad,” she says, curling her fingers around me.

“Yes, you do.”

My phone rattles against the table.

“Godfuckingdammit.” I pick it up.

Z: call me now.

“Why is he being such a cockblocker?” I whine.

Margot giggles.

“You think that’s funny, huh?” I shove my hand down her pants and encounter nothing but skin. “No underwear, dirty girl?”

She lets out a sharp breath of surprise as I drag my fingers through her wetness.

“Not laughing now, are you?” I stop and roll one finger around her clit.

“No,” she gasps and rocks her hips against my hand.

“Good girl. Keep doing that while I call him back.”

“What? No. I can’t do that.” Her mouth protests but her body keeps moving.

“Yes, you can.” One-handed, I hit Z’s number.

“Jigsaw,” Z answers in a tight voice.

Maybe it’s because all the blood from my brain has relocated to my cock, but I steamroll over the warning in his tone. “This isn’t the best time. What’d you need?”

“Where you at?”

This time, his tone penetrates through my lustful fog.

“Margot’s. Why?” Shit, is the clubhouse getting raided by the cops again? I slip my hand out of Margot’s pants and motion for her to hang on.

Pressing her hands on the arms of the chair, she carefully extracts herself from my lap.

“I need you to come down to Crystal Ball,” Z says.

There is no way I’m leaving my girlfriend unsatisfied so I can go babysit a bunch of strippers tonight. Absolutely the fuck not. “Crystal Ball? Why?”

Z hesitates. Just for a second. But it’s enough.

Something is seriously fucked.

“Because I’ve got a kid here who came in asking for you.”

Kid? Lead settles in my gut. Don’t like the sound of that. As a late bloomer with the ladies, I haven’t been fucking long enough to have a son old enough to walk into Crystal Ball without a fake id. “What kid? Who?”

Z’s exhale is heavy, like he’s bracing for my reaction. “Says his name is Cain Killgore. And he’s your brother.”