Chapter 1 #3
King is a big man. He’s broad and big everywhere.
He’s also extremely hot. When Gabby hitched up with him, that girl did good.
He’s intimidating, but his deep brown eyes grab your attention immediately.
He’s black with rich, dark skin that looks as if it has been kissed by the gods.
His body is also covered in ink in a way that makes a girl swoon just looking at him.
I can tell he’s older than me and therefore older than Gabby.
I’m glad for her. I met the guy she was so hung up on before King.
I think his name was Dom. He came in with some of the Savage Brothers MC crew once when one of them had some bike troubles and needed a part.
They were in town visiting Skull. It might be unfair, because I only met him once, but I didn’t exactly like him.
I felt he was kind of full of himself. Since he was probably older than I was, I figured that didn’t mean great things.
It’s clear Gabby traded up this time. Good for her.
“I know you’re used to dealing with Skull and Torch. You have a friendship with them. They view you as part of their family.”
“I—”
“Even if you always insist on keeping your distance,” Skull adds, scoring a hit that inflicts a little bit of damage. Luckily, King isn’t aware of that.
“I don’t do that,” I lie, trying to cover—and recover at the same time.
“Sweetheart, you’ve been to four events out of a thousand that we’ve invited you to in twenty years,” Skull prods gently.
“I stay busy,” I mutter, again lying. I mean, I do stay busy, but that’s not why I don’t show up when he invites me places. I doubt they know why. The only one who truly does is Callum, and he’d never tell another soul.
“I’m stepping into a club here and I don’t have the history everyone else has, Beau.
I’m an outsider. The thing is, I’ve found a home.
I found family and a group of men that are looking to me to make this club work again.
I’ve got to tell you, that’s a really great feeling.
” I swallow nervously with King’s words because you can tell he really means them.
Shit. “I also have a wife and a baby girl who I love to the marrow of my bones. Gabby likes being back home. She wants to give our daughter a life where she has her entire family around her. I want to give them both that.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“I’d like it, too. Hell, I’m even kind of getting used to the asshole who’s running my club these days,” Skull says. I try to contain my grin when King flips him off, but I fail.
Damn it.
“I’ve been through our books dating back years. The club began turning bigger profits when a seventeen-year-old kid took over painting our bikes and shit,” King adds, and I sigh.
I knew that. Dad didn’t bother hiding the pride he felt in me when Skull told him that exact thing and booked him for five more jobs that same week.
From that day on, I busted my ass in the garage—while going to vocational school to get a degree in auto body.
I immersed myself in my studies, learning various painting techniques.
With that experience, plus the fact I’m in high demand—not to mention the awards and magazine articles I’ve been the subject of—I know I’m better now.
I try not to get cocky and say I’m the best. I’ve always felt like there’s always someone better than you are.
You just have to work harder and strive to make it so that people want you over anyone else.
It's been my motto when it comes to work, and it has never steered me wrong.
“What I’m asking is that you finally meet with me. You understand my purpose and that you allow me to form a relationship with you. Sure, it won’t be like the one you have with Skull or Torch, that’s not who we are—or ever will be. Just the same, it can be a solid one built on mutual respect.”
“Your father wouldn’t want you cutting ties with the Blaze, Twinkle Toes, you know that,” Skull says softly, delivering the fucking truth gently but with the force of a sledgehammer.
He’s right. Skull’s absolutely right. My father loved the club. He hung out there often. I know something else, though, that Skull doesn’t.
“He would hate it. If he knew what that asshole said and did, though, he would support me,” I grumble out my truth.
“He’s come here to apologize,” King points out.
“Some things you can’t take back and you can’t apologize for and make better. It’s just there and can’t be erased,” I murmur.
“Beau …”
That sad almost guttural use of my name comes from Torch and damn it all, I forgot.
I forgot to hide behind my walls of indifference.
I forgot to be a bitch. I push all thoughts away.
I shake my head no at Torch and make sure my barriers are back in place.
Once I’m sure I’ve achieved that, I turn my attention to King, avoiding looking at Torch or Skull—trying desperately to get my shit together.
“I’m booked solid for the next two months with the Kings of Anarchy.”
“Kings of Anarchy?” Skull repeats. “Which chapter?”
“Tennessee.”
“I thought they disbanded,” King mutters.
“Came close. Their new president, Grifter, came in and took over. He seems to be doing good things with the club.”
“You like him?”
“I don’t do work for people I don’t—which is part of our issue,” I respond.
“What do you need from us?” I look at the three men in front of me. “I want us to get past this. You’ve always been tight with the club. I want to make sure that continues,” he adds—and I really wish he hadn’t.
“King—”
“Seriously, Beau. I need this to work out. There’s a lot riding on it. I’ve checked around. You’re the best. Some may come close to you, but they are not you. Still, I could ship it out to Prime. He does good work. His name is recognizable and it’s solid. We’d survive.”
“Why don’t you do that, then?” I ask, recognizing the name.
I know Prime. He’s an asshole to me. He doesn’t like competition—especially if that competition has surpassed him.
So, I don’t like him because he enjoys putting my work down.
Still, King is right. Prime would be their next best option.
That leaves me wondering why he’s bothering with me at all.
“Truthfully?” King questions.
“I’m a straight shooter. I will always tell you like it is. I respect men who do the same.”
King nods. “There are two reasons. The first is the overhead it would cost us in shipping for transporting projects to Vegas. The amount would cut into our rebuilding. Every bit we can save means a hell of a lot.”
“Okay,” I answer, knowing that what he is saying is true. Still, with Prime’s name on the project, they would make a profit either way, despite shipping costs.
“The biggest reason though, is that I’ve met with Prime twice. The first time, I didn’t like him, because he felt the need to try and prove his dick was the biggest in the room.”
I roll my lips to contain the smile and laugh that threatens to escape. That’s definitely Prime. He’s an ass—apparently even to prospective clients. If he wasn’t great at painting, I’d be surprised he was still in business.
“I can’t disagree with that.”
“I bet,” King responds with his mouth twitching.
“What’s that mean?”
“When he found out that you were the last shop that we worked with, he let it be known that with him we would find the work was better and not made with shoddy materials.”
“That fucking asshole,” I grumble.
King laughs. “That was my reaction.”
“It was?” I ask, more than a little surprised. I mean, he didn’t know me or Prime that well. I would have understood if King believed his snide remark about me—especially since I cut the club off the way I have.
“Yeah, though to be fair I also didn’t like the way his eyes kept moving to my woman’s tits. So, I may have thought that when he tried to make you look bad, but my fist busting his nose had more to do with him eyeballing my woman,” King replies.
My mouth falls open in shock and then I laugh. I do it in a way that I haven’t since … since my night with Hunter. It felt great. It also made me realize that I wouldn’t mind working with King. “I’ll pay you if you have pictures of that,” I mutter.
“Sorry, Gabby was too busy making sure I didn’t kill him to take snapshots.”
“That’s a shame,” I mourn, wishing he did.
King laughs and it makes his eyes twinkle. Yeah, Gabby definitely traded up. My gaze moves to Skull and Torch who are smirking, obviously already aware of King’s run in with Prime. That’s when it hits me. I’ve missed these two just as much—probably more—than they’ve missed me.
I let out a sigh. “I’ll be finished with Grifter’s first project this week. I’ll squeeze one of yours in before I take on the truck that he wants me to paint. After that, you can come over and we’ll go through your projects and try to pencil in some days when I can take them on. Will that work?”
“Fuck, yeah,” King says, his beautiful lips spreading into a smile that makes his eyes light up. Yeah, Gabby definitely traded up.
“That’s my girl,” Skull says, wrapping his arm around me, hauling me to his side so that he’s hugging me. Then, I’m in the middle of him and Torch—who incidentally, also puts his arm around my shoulders—as the three of us face King. Yeah, I’ve missed these guys.
“I do have a couple of requests, though.”
“You name it,” King says at once.
“I don’t want BB to be on my property. That’s my decision and one I don’t make lightly. I’d prefer to deal with you three, Apex, Spider, or Crash and that’s only because I know them. If you need to send others, I’d prefer one of you guys be with them, just until I get to know them.”
“You got it, sweetheart,” Skull says. His voice is soft, and his gaze holds mine. When I look into his eyes, my heart nearly stops. It’s written all over his face.
Oh, shit. He knows. He knows.
“Dad. He told …”
Skull takes me in his arms. I hate it because I know he can feel me trembling.
“Beau, stop. Your dad would never betray you. He told me as he was dying. He wanted me to watch out for you. I’ve failed in that recently, too.
Still, it’s only me and Torch that know.
That shit will go no further. We haven’t told King.
He’s accepted that what we know is yours and only yours to give.
There’s no reason for anyone else to be aware of it anyway. I’m here and I will watch out for you.”
“I’m fine,” I semi-lie. I’m a lot better than I used to be, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be plain old fine again. My gaze shoots to Torch. “Don’t you tell him. If you do, I’ll gut you like a fish and you know that I’ve been taught how to do that, Torch.”
“I won’t say a fucking thing,” Torch says, his face stern.
“I will confess that I will be getting the entire story of what went down with you two from that asshole son of mine, but I will never tell him anything about you, Beau. I haven’t even told Katie, and I never will.
Like Skull said, it’s not mine to give.”
I take a deep breath, proud that I kept any and all tears from falling. I turn back to King. “Have the guys bring over the first project you want worked on. You can call me once it’s delivered if you want something specific,” I tell him.
“Skull indicated that you normally look at the bike and go wild. So, since this is a build that we’re selling, just have at it, Beau.”
I laugh. “I can do that.”
“Good,” he says.
When Skull and Torch give me a squeeze something settles inside me. I hated cutting ties with the club. I’m glad that’s fixed now. I just hope I don’t regret it.