Passing the Torch (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation Book 1)

by Winter Travers

  “I still can’t believe we’re cramming twelve people into that fucking RV.” King shook his head.

  “Only to sleep and the thing is fucking huge. At least we’ll have the cage behind us pulling the trailer with the bikes,” Rigid pointed out.

  “It’s like a fucking house moving down the road. Swear to God, Meg and Cyn rented the biggest one they could find.” Gambler laughed and shook his head.

  “Right,” King drawled. “I’ve got the credit card bill to fucking prove it.”

  It was fucking huge. I had been one of the guys to help guide it into Demon’s driveway two days ago. It would be a miracle if they could actually drive it from Wisconsin to Arizona.

  Gravel and Ethel had moved to Apache Junction in Arizona over a year ago. Meg and King had gone out to visit them a few times, but tomorrow, Demon, Gambler, Rigid, Slider, King, their old ladies, and two other friends were all heading there in basically a yacht on wheels.

  “Good thing we planned on the drive out there taking a couple of days.” Slider kicked back in his chair.

  “Try more than seven days,” King laughed. “We leave tomorrow, and we don’t get to Apache Junction until Wednesday.”

  “Today is fucking Monday,” Gambler grunted. “What the hell are we going to do for seven days in a damn RV?”

  “A whole hell of a lot. Cyn has a three-page list of places we’re stopping.” Rigid smirked. “I’m pretty sure one day we only drive about eighty miles before we stop again for the night.”

  “All right, let’s get shit squared away,” King grunted. “Shit needs to keep running while we’re gone. That’s where you assholes come into play.”

  King looked at me and then moved around the rest of the table— Zig, Zag, Pie, Frost, and Easy. Snapper was out in the common room since he was still just a prospect. We were basically the kids of the other guys sitting around the table.

  Frost, Zig, and Zag were Demon’s kids. Easy and his sister Greta, who hung around the club, belonged to Gambler. Pie’s dad wasn’t technically a part of the club, but he was always around seeing as he was best friends with King’s ol’ lady. Snapper’s dad, Turtle, had been part of the club, but he had died in a drunk driving accident along with Snapper’s mom when Snapper was only three, so King and his ol’ lady had raised him.

  We were the second generation of the Devil’s Knights who were one day going to take over, but each one of our dads were dragging their feet getting away from the damn club. We knew they would be Devil’s Knights until they died, but giving up a little responsibility to us would be nice.

  “Which one of you thinks they can take care of the club while I’m gone?”

  I was the only one to raise my hand.

  Everyone at the table knew I had been dreaming of the day when I would be the president of the Devil’s Knights.

  I was born to be president.

  From the time I came out kicking and screaming, I was in the clubhouse. Watching how things worked. Seeing the brotherhood between everyone.

  It was amazing, and I wanted to be in charge of that. I wanted to be the person who wouldn’t let the Devil’s Knights die.

  “You think you’re up for making sure all of the parts of the club keep moving?” King asked me.

  I nodded. “Yes, sir.” I may have been twenty-eight, but King still managed to pull huge respect from me. He was the man who had made the Devil’s Knights what it was. He had built this brotherhood.

  “Luna is managing Sultry Knights. She should be fine over there, but one of you should still keep an eye on things.” King pointed to Pie. “Keep an eye on your sister.” In true King fashion, he first said it was up to us, and then, he went ahead and made the decision.

  Pie grunted his annoyance but nodded. “Will do.”

  I was going to hear about this later when we were done with church.

  “Since Meg is going to be gone, too, someone is going to have to take over all the shit she does.”

  Frost raised his hand. “Meg went over everything with me the other day. The paperwork and office shit seems pretty easy.”

  King nodded. “Good. Try not to fuck up her shit too much while she’s gone.”

  Frost smirked. “I’ll try.”

  We all knew by the time Meg came back from vacation that Frost was going to have everything fucked up.

  King tipped his head to the side, and his eyes connected with mine. “Guess you’ll get your wish of pretending to be president.”

  I didn’t want to pretend. I wanted it to be true. “No one is pretending around here.”

  Dad chuckled. “Such a cocky kid.”

  “Wonder where he got that from?” King muttered.

  Rigid ran his fingers through his blue mohawk. “No clue. Must be his mom.”

  I rolled my eyes. Dad was one of the cockiest sitting around this table, but he was also one of the most loyal people you would ever meet. Every guy sitting around this table was loyal to a fault.

  King leaned forward and grabbed the gavel. “You’re getting your wish, Hero. The club is in your hands while we’re all gone. If you manage to not burn down the clubhouse while we’re away, maybe I’ll be able to take a few more vacations before I get too old to enjoy them.” He slammed the gavel on the table. “Meeting over. Let’s go on vacation, assholes.”

  The older members of the club filed out, laughing and talking about loading up the RV.

  “This shit really happening?” Pie asked.

  We all stared at the empty chairs on the opposite end of the table.

  Frost shifted next to me and pinched my arm.

  “What the fuck, brah?” I grumbled.

  “Just seeing if we were dreaming.” He shrugged and sat back in his chair.

  “Next time, pinch yourself, dumbass.” I growled. I rubbed my arm and resisted the urge to punch Frost in the face.

  “How long are they gone for?” Zag asked.

  “Six weeks for sure. Maybe longer.”

  I whistled low. Holy fuck. “You know what they say, right?” A smile spread across my lips. “When the cats are away, the mice will play.”

  King and all the older members were going to be gone. It was time for the next generation of Knights to take over.

  At least for six weeks.

  *

  Chapter Three

  Reva

  “What in the heck is going on? I couldn’t even get in the driveway.”

  I looked up from the Aussie I was bathing. “Uh, what?” I had been in the grooming zone and hadn’t even noticed Pam walk in with Mikey on his leash.

  “Honey, there is a huge monstrosity blocking the whole damn road!” Pam exclaimed.

  What the hell is she talking about? I tethered Oscar to the wash tub and hung up the sprayer. “I’ll be right back, big man.” Thankfully, Oscar actually liked his bath time and just sat down. “Good boy,” I muttered.

  I wiped my hands on the towel on the counter and moved around the front desk to where Pam had her nose pressed to the glass of the front door. I squeezed in next to her, and my jaw dropped.

  Sure as shit, there was a huge RV blocking the whole road. “What in the hell?”

  Pam clicked her tongue. “I done told you, sugar.”

  She had told me, but it was hard to believe without actually seeing it.

  “Whoever it is has the motorcycle club helping them out, thankfully.”

  I squinted and tried to catch a glimpse of the guys with the club cuts on. “Are you sure it isn’t the motorcycle club in the RV?”

  The door to the RV swung open, and four women hustled out. One had purple hair and was wearing a black sundress with a straw hat clutched in her hand.

  “Well, hell,” Pam whispered. “You’re right. That’s Meg and her friends that just jumped off.”

  “You know them?” How the hell did Pam know who those women were?

  “Sugar, doesn’t everyone in this town know who Meg is? She’s basically an institution.” Pam turned to me. “That’s
Cyn, Marley, and Gwen who just hopped off the RV with her.”

  “Oh, I know Gwen.” She had cut my hair a couple times. I had recently tried to get in with her again, but she was booked up and then she was going on vacation. Obviously, in the huge RV that was blocking the road. Though I didn’t know she was part of the motorcycle club across the street.

  Two more women hopped off the RV.

  “And there are Paige and Fayth.”

  I squinted at Pam. “How in the hell do you know all of these women?”

  Pam tsked. “If you would get out a little bit, Reva, you would know a whole hell of a lot more people than the dogs you groom.”

  Well, that was a little harsh, though it was pretty accurate. If you didn’t bring your dog in to be groomed, then I had no idea who you were.

  “I work a lot, Pam. There isn’t any shame in that,” I mumbled defensively.

  “There isn’t anything wrong with that if you manage to carve out a little time that doesn’t involve dogs.” Pam passed me the leash in her hand. “I think you prefer the company of dogs to people, Reva.”

  Well, now that was another truth. Dogs were easy. Treat them well and they were loyal. Humans didn’t exactly work that way. You could treat someone perfectly and they could turn on you in an instant.

  Dogs were better than most people.

  “I’m going to ignore everything you just said and not charge you double for Mikey’s bath today.”

  Pam laughed and patted me on the shoulder. “Even I know you don’t have it in you to do that, sugar. I’ll be back around five for Mikey.” She breezed out the front door and headed over to the group of women who were standing on the edge of the road next to the RV.

  Mikey whined at his mom’s retreating back, and I crouched down next to him. “It’s okay, bud. Mom will be back in a couple of hours.”

  It was almost noon, and I had three dogs left to groom today besides Mikey.

  Even though I had work to do, I stayed crouched down in front of the door and stroked Mikey’s soft fur.

  The women stayed on the edge of the road, and then four guys in club cuts came around the front of the RV.

  “Oh boy,” I whispered. Hero was one of them. I would know that swagger anywhere. I had watched him walk away yesterday, and I hadn’t forgotten it at all.

  Mikey whined, and I had to wonder if Hero had some type of magical powers over dogs. I didn’t know if Mikey was actually crying for Hero or his mom, but if I had to choose, I would say he was crying over the sexy biker.

  My eyes shifted to Pam who was talking animatedly to the women and then swung her arm to my shop. I pulled Mikey to my side and shrunk to the edge of the door. I tipped my head just enough to still see out the window, and my eyes connected with Hero’s.

  “Shit!” I gasped. He was more than fifty feet away, but I knew he was looking right at me. He said something to the guy to his left, and then, he moved toward my shop.

  “Shit shit!”

  What in the hell was he doing coming over here? I had nothing to do with the RV blocking the road. I didn’t have a problem with it, either. I assumed it would be moved shortly and the world would keep turning.

  Hero did not need to come over here.

  I shot up, pulled Mikey behind the counter, and put him in the cage by the sink. He was up next as soon as I finished with Oscar.

  The bell dinged above the door, and I didn’t need to turn around to know who had walked in.

  “Sunshine.”

  Ugh. His voice was like honey, and it took everything I had to not melt into a puddle right then and there. Oscar stood and barked once.

  “Uh, hey,” I called.

  I moved to Oscar and patted him on the head. His eyes were trained on Hero, and his tail wagged excitedly. I swear to God, it was like Hero looked like a juicy pork chop to these dogs. Their eyes lit up when they saw him, and they wanted to be right next to that delicious piece of meat.

  So did I.

  “Sorry about the road.”

  “Road?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

  “Uh, the big ass RV blocking the road. The whole road.”

  “Oh,” I gasped. “I didn’t even know.” Oh, my God. Why in the hell was I acting like a moron who couldn’t see a forty-foot RV in the road?

  He tipped his head to the side and smiled. “Yeah, there’s an RV blocking the road. That lady that just came out of here said you knew about it.”

  Fucking hell, Pam. “Oh, that RV.” As if a forty-foot RV blocking the road in front of my shop was a normal thing.

  “Yeah. The guys will have it out of the way soon. They have to load the bikes onto the trailer and then they’re out of here,” Hero explained.

  I nodded as if I actually knew what the heck he was talking about. “Sounds great.” Mikey barked from the cage at my feet and whined.

  “Is that Barbara?” Hero called.

  I glanced down at Mikey. “Nope. Barb went home yesterday. That’s Mikey raising a ruckus.”

  Oscar whined, joining Mikey.

  “You kind of got your hands full there, huh?” Hero asked. He moved to the front desk and leaned forward to look at Mikey. “Mind if I pet him?”

  “I…uh…well…” I stumbled over my words, and Hero took them as an invitation to come around the counter and crouch down in front of Mikey's cage.

  “Aren’t you a handsome guy,” he cooed to Mikey. Mikey pressed his face to the cage and stuck a paw out to Hero. Hero laughed and shook his paw.

  Hero had to have a link of pepperoni in his pocket or something. That was about the only way these dogs would be so excited to see him.

  “What’s in your pockets?” I blurted out. OH, MY GOD. I just said that. I JUST SAID THAT OUTLOUD.

  Hero tipped his head back to me. “Uh, what?”

  I shook my head. “It’s pepperoni, right?” As if me asking that was going to clarify why I asked him what was in his pockets? My God. I wished I had the ability to disappear because that would have been pretty handy dandy right now.

  Hero stood, and I realized how close he was to me. He put his hands in his pockets and turned them inside out. “Nothing in my pockets, Sunshine. Especially not pepperoni.”

  My cheeks heated, and I knew I was turning a bright shade of red. “I was trying to say you must have pepperoni in your pockets since every dog you meet loves you.” There, now I made some kind of sense. Sort of. A little.

  Ugh. Hero needed to go because I only seemed to know how to make a fool of myself in front of him.

  “I guess dogs just like me.” He reached around me and patted Oscar on the head. “I always had a dog growing up, and they loved me, too.”

  “Lucky dogs,” I mumbled. I closed my eyes and prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me. Where in the hell had my filter gone? It was like I couldn’t keep a single thought inside of my head without blurting it out.

  “Yeah,” Hero laughed. “They were good dogs.”

  His eyes connected with mine, and I couldn’t turn away from him. The heat of his gaze held me in place, and I swear it was like he could see into my mind and know exactly what I was thinking. His deep blue eyes glittered like the ocean, and all I wanted to do was swim around and float in them. They were hypnotizing.

  “Sunshine.”

  I shook my head. “Uh, yeah?”

  “I asked you if we were messing with your business with the RV in the road? The thing is so huge that King didn’t want to pull it into the clubhouse parking lot because he didn’t think he had enough room to turn it around.”

  “No business.” I shook my head. “I mean no, you’re not hurting my business. Pam dropped off my last dog for the day, and no one else is coming until closer to five for pickups.” There. I finally said something that made sense. I looked away from Hero and stepped back. “It’s all good in the hood.” And there I went sounding like an idiot again.

  Hero smothered a laugh. “That’s good. For the hood, that is.”

  I glanced at him and
cringed. “I’m normally not a tool,” I insisted.

  He tipped his head to the side. “Never once thought you were a tool, Sunshine. You actually fit in pretty damn good with the other women in my life.”

  Other women. Jesus. How many chicks was he dating?

  “Well, okay.” What was I supposed to say to that?

  “I could tell you some stories about my mom and her best friend, Meg. Life with those two around was never dull.” He sounded amused, but I could tell he wasn’t making fun of his mom. He was proud.

  His mom and her friend. Those were the other women in his life? I found it hard to believe that he was referring to them and not a girlfriend. I nodded and smiled. Now instead of saying something ridiculous, I was silent Betty.

  Oscar whined.

  “Uh, I should probably get back to work. Oscar is a good boy, but sitting in a sink half clean probably isn’t all that fun.”

  “I came in to make sure we weren’t messing with your business, and then, I stand here distracting you.” He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair.

  He was distracting. So distracting. A man shouldn’t be allowed to be that handsome without coming with a warning sign.

  Warning: So hot will fry your brain. Will render you speechless and/or a bumbling fool.

  He reached out and patted Oscar on the head again. “Have a good bath, buddy.” He moved back to the front door, and I didn’t take my eyes off him. It was physically impossible for me to not look at him when he was within fifty feet.

  “Did you call your landlord?”

  I blinked twice and tried to get my brain working again after watching his butt. “Uh, for?”

  “The lock, Sunshine.”

  Oh. “Uh, not yet.”

  Hero shook his head. “Stay safe.” He pushed out the front door, and I watched him through the glass ‘til he disappeared.

  I looked down at Oscar and sighed. He laid his paw on my side and grunted.

  “Yeah, boy,” I mumbled. “I really need to get a grip.” I had gone years without ever running into any of the club members of the MC, and now, suddenly, two days in a row, I had managed to embarrass myself in front of Hero.

  I turned on the water and tried to focus on finishing up Oscar.