Jaynee considered me as she often did. It made me shift in my chair and chug my drink, sensing she was about to get personal even though she knew I hated revealing anything about myself.
The rumble of a motorcycle stopped her.
My heart instantly jolted. I listened for it to pass by the house and fade away into the distance. There were plenty of bikers in Bastion. The Knights regularly patrolled the area and rarely came to my home, which wasn’t far from the tattoo parlor.
I gritted my teeth when it sounded like it had stopped.
“Yay!” Jaynee clapped her hands. “Cobra returns, and I’m here for it.” She beamed like a child on Christmas morning.
But this was so, so bad.
“It can’t be him. Nova’s here.” Anxiety flooded my veins, making it difficult to draw in a breath. “He can’t be here.” I shot to my feet and rushed to the living room with Jaynee on my heels.
Abe had only seen Nova once, and it was dark. I’d hidden her from his sight as best I could. The other times he came around, it was to my work or Storm’s clubhouse.
“Is that your daddy?” Sadie pointed out the front window as the girls peered at the biker. “My daddy wears a cut like that and rides a motorcycle too.” Sadie bounced on her toes excitedly.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Abe is here!
Nova shook her head. “No, he doesn’t. I don’t know who that is.”
“Girls, go into Nova’s room, please,” I told them as calmly as possible. “Stay there until I come to get you.”
“Who is that?” Nova asked, taking Sadie’s hand.
“Nobody. Go, Nova. Now,” I told her in my serious mom voice.
She ran down the hallway with Sadie in tow.
“That’s not Cobra.” Jaynee’s confused voice produced goose bumps on my arms.
“No, it isn’t.” I moved away from the window and went to the front door. I inhaled a deep breath as I grabbed the knob.
“Should you open it? Zander wouldn’t want another man in the house he doesn’t know.”
“I’m sure he knows this guy.”
“He does?”
“Yes.” I opened the door before my uninvited guest knocked. “Levi Knight.”
“Oooh, why is Hustler here?” Jaynee whispered from behind me.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Art was right. It’s you, Karma… Brandt.” He drew out my name and tugged on his hair. “No more blonde, aye? Edgy.” He shot me his signature grin.
I’m gonna kill Art. He should’ve warned me that Hustler knew where I was at.
“What are you doing here, Levi?” My next question was, did Abe know he was coming here? Oh Jesus, had Abe sent him to deal with me?
“Good to see you too, Karma. Aren’t you going to invite your old friend in for a drink?”
“No.” I blocked the entrance with my body. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to see you.” His cocky expression turned serious. “To see if you’re okay after all these years. My dick of a brother sure as hell doesn’t give a fuck.”
“What do you mean?” My throat constricted as dread washed over me. Abe didn’t give a fuck about me? I honestly wasn’t surprised. But it still hurt, especially after that kiss he gave me in the alley of the tattoo parlor.
“Let me in Karma. I’m not here to hurt you.” He braced his hand on the door frame. Damn, Levi had changed. He had sexy scruff and more muscles than I remembered. I liked his messy hair and how it hung over his eyes. Every Knight I’d ever met was hotness overload.