TWATKNOT

Since the night Priest and I tossed Big Dick out of the bar, there’s been no sign of him or his club snooping around. I’d even put out feelers with a few of the locals I’d met at the Moose Knuckle, but those had come back with nothing as well. If the guy is still here, he’s hiding, and likely planning something. And if he is, the danger to Cora and Harrison is still out there.

Cora insisted that she has to keep working, though, claiming her boss needs her, which annoys the ever-loving fuck out of me. But whether I said yes or no, she’d still be here. If I’ve learned anything about this woman, it’s that she’s her own person, and defiantly stubborn to the fucking core. So, here I sit, bellied up to the bar, watching her work tonight while Priest keeps an eye on the house. Most of the biker crowd has thinned out with the rally finishing up. There are still some tourists around, but here at the Moose Knuckle, it’s mostly locals in attendance tonight.

“You want another one of your pussy drinks?” Cora asks, grinning.

“No, ma’am,” I reply. “Got a hot date later. I need to be sober to get us back to my motel.” I have things planned for her tonight, and those plans have my cock straining against the fly of my jeans. Though Cora would never admit it aloud, she likes staying in my room as much as I like her being there.

“Someone I know?”

“Nah. This girl’s a local. Long brown hair, nice set of tits.” I lean forward. “And I think she likes me.”

Cora’s eyes grow wide, but she recovers quickly, her lips quirking up in a half-smile. “And what about you? Do you like her too?

I reach out and pluck a lock of hair from her breast, letting my hand linger when I graze her nipple. “Oh, I like her a lot,” I confess.

“Lucky girl,” she breathes.

Fuck me, she’s beautiful.

“I’ll be sure to tell her when I have my head between her thighs tonight.” The old man next to me chokes on his beer, and Cora stifles a gasp, her eyes wide with shock.

A gorgeous blush creeps across her cheeks. Pulling her hair from my hand, she admonishes playfully, “I’m at work.”

“Get the other bartender to help out, we can sneak to the back.”

“Not happenin’, mister. Besides, I already rubbed one out in the shower.”

It’s my turn to gape at her. The old man is definitely still listening. His eyes are on the beer in front of him, but his body is leaning toward us to hear better, but I don’t care. I think of Cora, shiny and wet in the shower, rivulets of soap suds dripping from her nipples, her fingers slipping between her legs and her lips parted wide…

Fucking hell.

My jeans grow tighter, if that’s possible, and I look away, trying to think of anything but her sweet moan as she came before we got here.

Knowing damn well she’s won the battle, she strides off to help a customer.

As she works away, my phone pings with an incoming text from Priest, giving me a status update.

All clear.

Good. Almost done here, then back to the motel.

Three little dots pop up on the screen.

Wear a condom.

Rolling my eyes, I send him the middle finger emoji, then watch the little dots bounce, waiting for his reply.

Call Hashtag. Maybe he can get some information on this fucker so I don’t have to keep sweating my balls off in this damn lawn chair.

I highly doubt Cora’s mother would ever let him sweat to death. Yesterday, during my watch of the house, she’d brought me a never-ending supply of cold drinks, as well as a fan attached to a little orange extension cord. Priest’s likely living it up tonight on guard duty, but he’s right. We can’t stand sentry outside her house forever. As long as that douchebag is out there, Cora and her family are in danger. We have to come up with a more permanent solution.

I catch Cora’s eye and point to an empty section of the bar. “Gonna go make a phone call.”

Nodding, she resumes filling the fridge that runs along the back counter.

Making my way to the empty space, I lean my ass against a table while pulling up Hashtag in my contacts. If anyone can find information on Big Dick, it’s that smart son of a bitch.

The phone rings twice before he answers.

“Whatever it is you want, the answer is no,” he growls into the phone. I hear a commotion in the background… kids yelling, adults yelling…

“The fuck’s goin’ on there?”

Hashtag groans in frustration. “Dude, you don’t wanna know.”

“It’s not fair!” someone shouts from the other end of the line. Interesting.

“Oh,” I drawl, “I think I do.”

“Let’s just say that GP’s in deep shit.”

Okay, now that’s surprising. GP’s usually the perfect one, which is part of the reason Judge had entrusted him and his old lady to watch the kids while we were here. “You’re going to have to give me more than that, man.”

Hashtag’s voice is without any humor when he says, “Let’s just say GP wasn’t watching the kids as closely as we thought.”

“Oh, fuck.” I bark out a laugh. “Your daughter?”

“Yup,” he answers dryly.

“And…”

“Kevin.”

I lose it then, unable to stop myself. Cora and a few others glance over in my direction, but I wave them off.

“It’s not funny, TK,” Hashtag mutters. “Shelby’s on the warpath, and Judge is considering a chastity belt for the both of them.”

I try to calm my laughter and keep my voice even. “And how are you handling it?”

“I want to kill the fucking kid,” he grouses. “But I think Judge has that part under control.”

Hashtag and Shelby’s daughter has been getting pretty close to Judge’s adopted son, but they’re young. As funny as it is that they got caught, one part does put me on edge. “Did they…?”

“Fuck no, and they won’t ever, not until long after I’m dead.”

“You were probably doing worse than that when you were their age,” I remind him.

“When you have kids of your own, you can give me advice, asshole,” he retorts. “Now, how about you tell me why you called so I can get back out there and play referee.”

“I need you to do some of your computer shit and get me some info.”

Hashtag’s voice changes, turning all business. “Why?”

I watch Cora smile at one of her customers and tell him, “As a favor to a friend.”

“Would this friend be the mouthy bartender that came for breakfast the other day?”

“What if it is?”

Hashtag laughs. “Relax, TK. Last time I checked, you were old enough to have an old lady.”

I’m going to kill that gossiping fucking boy scout. An old lady? Is that what Cora is to me? Is that what I want? Is that what she wants?

I close my eyes and sigh. I can figure all that shit out later. “I need you to check out the Screwballs MC.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” he assures. “And here I thought you were going to ask me to hack into some clinic and have your STD results changed or something. What should I be looking for?”

“The usual—locations, members, any issues with the law.”

“Should be a cake walk, but I have to ask. Does this have anything to do with that asshole who was following Cora that day?”

I struggle not to tell him about the connection of that club to Cora, or Harrison’s origins. None of it would help him find the information I need, but it would provide a driver to getting it quickly… No, it’s her story to tell. I won’t violate her trust like that.

“It does,” is all I give him.

Knowing he’s curious, he doesn’t push. “Yeah, sure, man. Might take me a few hours, though.”

“That’s fine. Anything you find will be helpful.”

“Is she in trouble or something?” he asks. “If she is, I’m sure Judge might consider letting you stay longer.”

My heart nearly stops. “Wait, what?”

“Didn’t Priest tell you? Judge wants you and Priest home as soon as possible.”

A pang of dread punches me in the gut. Judge wants us home, back in Austin. I’ve known all along that I have to go back. I just put it out of my mind for a bit. Austin is my home, but for an unexplainable reason, going back seems almost foreign.

“He didn’t relay that to me,” I say after a moment. “How soon is soon?”

“Judge didn’t specify, but you know him. Soon means yesterday.”

“I see.”

Commotion rings loudly through the receiver. Hashtag yells out something, and Shelby’s angry voice nearly shatters my eardrum.

“Hey, man, I gotta run. I’ll text you what I find.”

“Sounds good. Have fun, man.”

The connection goes dead, but all I can do is stare at my phone, thinking of what I have to do.

How do I tell Cora I have to go back?