He narrowed his eyes at me, and I practically heard the fucking penny drop in his head. “Yeah. It’s a pretty day.”
“Makes you want to just reach out and grab it, doesn’t it?” I had to bite back the laughter, loving to see Dutch squirm under my knowing gaze.
“Um, what are you guys talking about?” Alyx asked, and within seconds everyone stared at us. Poor Dutch’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, the perfect complement to his pale complexion that came with the red hair he hid from the rest of world by shaving it.
“Nothing. Just the weather.” I smiled teasingly at Dutch, and he got up from his seat, placing his empty bottle of beer on the table.
“It’s good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor, Neon.”
I chuckled, and Alyx seemed more confused than ever, not to mention the redhead sitting next to her. “What just happened?”
Granite cleared his throat, and when I looked his way, the half-smile on his face told me he knew exactly what I’d been teasing Dutch about.
I got up, grabbed my crutch, and placed a hand on Alyx’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Swan Lake. Big daddy over there will clue you in a little later.”
“Big daddy?” Redhead frowned.
“Yup. And it’s got nothin’ to do with the size of his body, and more to do with the size of his d—”
“Do not complete that sentence,” Alyx interrupted, her cheeks turning all shades of red.
I winked at her. “I’ll see you girls later.”
While I walked off, I smiled to myself, secretly feeling a sense of calm. It was amazing to have all these people around me, people I cared for. The banter, the bickering, and the overall feel of family and belonging, it was amazing. I didn’t know what I would have done without them…without the Kings.
10
Ink
I lita cigarette when we heard the roar of speeding Ducati engines. Crow and his crew wanted to meet up, discuss the problem of Slither’s disappearance. And if my instincts were anything to go by, my guess was Crow would want his pound of flesh since the snake fucked with his snow business. I knew men like him. There was no chance in hell he’d turn a blind eye after someone tried to fuck him in the ass. If there was a debt to be paid, he wouldn’t stop until it was settled.
I leaned against the side of the van. “Remind me again why we have to roll in a cage whenever we meet with these assholes, yet they can show their balls by pitching with their hyperbikes.”
Onyx stood with his arms crossed. “Because we’re not stupid.”
“I dare you to say that in front of Crow,” Manic taunted with a huge-ass grin on his face.
Dutch smirked before stepping in next to Onyx. He was no longer the club enforcer, yet he still acted like he was the head of fucking security. Poor fuck was torn between which brother he needed to protect.
I straightened when the Sixes finally pulled up, Crow already approaching us. “I have to admit, it’s taking some getting used to seeing you at the front.”
Onyx shrugged. “It’s a change all of us need to get used to.”
Crow glanced over Onyx’s shoulder at Granite, giving a simple nod of acknowledgement his way, the cool swagger he carried so well never faltering. “So,” he started, turning his attention back to Onyx, “I’m guessing you haven’t found the fucker yet?”
“Not yet.”
Crow brushed his fingers against his neatly groomed beard, then plucked the two dice from his jacket pocket. It was his thing, dice. Crazy fucker. He always had a pair of dice with him, rolling them between his fingers, toying with them in his palm. It was those very dice that determined his enemies’ fate. By a simple roll of a dice, Crow played God, holding the fate of others literally in the palms of his hands.
It wasn’t a coincidence the Gods of Six—or, as we called them, the Sixes—patch had two dice both rolled on sixes, with a grim reaper skull behind it, wearing a motherfucking top-hat. Such a contradiction between sophistication and fucking savagery.
I’ve always wondered how he did that—acting like a savage one second, and then switching to a cool businessman the next. The Sixes were probably the only crew in the entire goddamn world who could slay in a leather cut and rule in a designer fucking suit.
Crow glanced from Onyx to me. “I’ve been on these streets long enough to know that no one just fucking disappears like that. Everyone leaves a trace behind. Everyone.”
Onyx shifted. “We’ve had our eyes and ears everywhere and came up short. It’s like the asshole never existed.”
Crow placed his hands on his sides. “The fucker is hiding like a coward. He knows he’s a dead man walking.”