Moving to You (Rolling Thunder Book 5)

by Pj Fiala

  Emma nodded, the smile on her face brilliant. She glanced at Kayden and JT. “Gunnar was making me virgin Peach Bellini’s the other night. We weren’t ready to share the news yet.”

  Kayden smiled at her. “Oh, I hadn’t even thought about that. Congratulations.” She giggled and the sound zinged right through JT’s body.

  JT swallowed a lump in his throat, but smiled and congratulated his brother. He was happy for them, of course. Being an uncle was something he’d never thought about before, but now he was going to have a niece or nephew, and it made him a little melancholy for some reason. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Kayden and caught her gaze with his. She smiled at him and his stomach flipped. The woman simply revved his engine.

  “But I still don’t know what I should call him,” Dakota said, a little confusion in her voice.

  Chuckles were heard as some of the group stood and cleared their plates.

  JT leaned down to Dakota’s ear, and said, “You can call him Dog. Or Jeremiah. Or Grandpa, if you like. That will help him get used to hearing it.”

  Dakota pursed her lips, thought for a moment, then said, “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

  36

  Kayden followed the women into the kitchen with a stack of dirty dishes. Many hands made for light work, her dad would say. Dakota followed JT around the dining room as he pushed in the chairs and straightened the table runner. She could hear Dakota chattering and asking him questions and he very patiently answered her.

  Joci turned and said to her, “JT has another admirer, I see.”

  Kayden giggled. “Apparently.”

  “What are you going to do with Dakota today while you go to Sturgis?”

  “I don’t know. I thought I’d call my dad and see how he’s feeling. He loves having her around and as long as he’s recovered, I can go, but I can cut the day short if he’s afraid he’ll get tired.”

  Emma offered up. “If it wasn’t for the Build-Off, I’d stay home with her, but I just hate to miss seeing JT’s big day.”

  “Aww. I appreciate the offer, but my dad has had Dakota around since she was born. They get on well together.”

  With the dishes washed and put away, Kayden went in search of JT and Dakota. The downstairs of the house was empty, but she could hear the guys outside talking. She opened the door to see a line of bikes in the driveway, and buckets of soapy water here and there. She scanned the group and easily found JT and Dakota washing his bike. She had suds up to her elbows and her little purple shirt was wet, but the smile on her face as she rubbed a soapy sponge on JT’s fender was priceless.

  She maneuvered her way around the obstacles and stood just off the side, watching him explain how he washed his motor and the frame of the bike. Dakota squatted down just like he did as he pointed to different parts and named them.

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped pictures of them together. The clicking caught their attention. “Mommy, JT showed me the pimary.”

  Kayden chuckled. “Primary case.”

  “Yeah.”

  Laughing, she said, “That’s something good to know. Now, I’m afraid we need to say goodbye and go see Grandpa.”

  “Do we have to go? I’m not finished yet,” she whined.

  JT gently took the sponge from her hand and turned Dakota to face him. “Hey there, I’ll see you later on, okay?”

  Dakota hesitated before finally responding. “Okay.”

  JT stood and wrapped his arms around Kayden. Gruffly, he said, “I’ll see you later, too. Do you need a ride into Sturgis?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m fine, but yes, I’ll see you later. I’ll be there for you today. When they announce the winner of the Build-Off.”

  He kissed her briefly. “Thank you.”

  Setting up her table in Sturgis, Kayden mulled over the events of the past few days. Her life had changed in so many ways. She was in love with a wonderful man who was part of a wonderful family. She’d decided to have the conversation with her father about selling the bar, leaving her free to pursue her Kayden’s Concealed Carry clothing lines. She had a licensing deal in the works for KCC, though she had to finalize the plans tomorrow. Life was finally looking up, that’s for sure.

  “Well, looky here. Kayden’s trying to sell clothing for women to protect themselves.” The sarcasm, stench, and the voice alerted her to the fact that Boon had found her here in Sturgis.

  “Go away, Boon,” she responded while continuing to set out the thigh holsters on the rack her dad made just for them.

  He picked up a couple of the expertly arranged corsets laying on the table and whistled.

  “Bet you look right sexy in this. You got one on now?” He reached forward to lift her shirt but she stepped back and slapped at his hand.

  “Get the fuck out of here right now, Boon. And don’t touch my things unless you’re buying.”

  The sickening laugh that he emitted made her stomach roll.

  “For your information, I have every right to be here,” he baited.

  She refolded the corsets he’d disrupted and rearranged them. When he touched them again, she slapped his hands, and then shoved him away from the table.

  “I believe she asked you to leave. You may have a right to be here in Sturgis, but you don’t have the right to harass anyone.”

  Kayden watched JT’s jaw tense and relax as he stared Boon down.

  “Don’t have all your back up with you today, pretty boy.” Boon sarcastically glanced around.

  “They’re here. Waiting,” he slowly threatened.

  Boon chuckled and Kayden swallowed the lump forming in her throat. This could go so wrong.

  A police officer walked up to them. “I believe we told you Devils any more trouble this week and you’ll finish the rally in jail.”

  Boon looked at the tips of his boots and snickered. “Not in any trouble, officer. Just don’t like being threatened.”

  The officer looked at JT. “Have you threatened him, sir?”

  JT looked the officer square in the eye and shook his head no. “Not at all. The lady asked him to leave and not touch her merchandise unless he was buying and he chose to ignore her.”

  The officer turned to Boon. “You have anything to say to that?”

  Boon glanced at Kayden and JT. In an exaggerated bow, he said to Kayden, “I’ll be seeing you around, Miss.” He nodded at JT and menacingly said, “Both of you.”

  He nodded to the officer and then strode away.

  “If everything is all right, I’ll leave you two be. We’ll be watching the area for the Devils, and I’m scheduled to be on this block all evening.”

  JT held out his hand and shook the officer’s. “Thank you.”

  He leaned across the table to Kayden, pulled her to him with his fingers around the nape of her neck and kissed her lips. “You okay?”

  Letting out a shaky breath, she replied, “Yeah. Thank you.” Running her fingers across his cheek, she whispered, “How did you know he was back here?”

  Pulling back and sliding his fingers in his pockets he glanced around. “I saw him and a couple of his minions walking through the Build-Off room. Rumor has it that the owner of the red bike in the Build-Off against me is a cousin to Boon. They were threatening voters and trying to stack the deck. The judges kicked them out. Idiots are wearing their colors, so it isn’t hard to spot them.”

  She let out a deep breath. “Those assholes have their gross hands in everything around here. Can’t even have an honest bike contest without them trying to slant the votes.” She glanced in the direction Boon had walked and scrunched up her face.

  JT kissed her lightly again and backed away. “Gotta get back. Call me if you need me.”

  She watched his sexy backside walk into the other half of the building. His back straight and proud, his hair tamed into his customary ponytail, his shoulders broad and strong. She was a lucky girl, all right. She felt even more fortunate when she saw a few women glance his way as he str
ode through the building. Yep. Lucky.

  37

  JT sauntered back into the Build-Off section of the building. The heat was rising as it filled with people. This was the day they all turned out for the unveiling of the new winner for the year. Not only was first prize major bragging rights, but a check for fifty thousand dollars, the cover of Steelhorse magazine, and a big ass trophy to display in his or her shop. If his dad wouldn’t let him design and build at Rolling Thunder, JT would use the money to start his own business. If he won, that is. The way the Devils were trying to manipulate the votes, he’d be lucky to win now.

  He approached the stage where each of the three bikes were on turntables, rotating so people could see the whole bike before they voted. Lights shown on the chrome and the metallic in his white paint glimmered as it slowly spun. She was a beauty. He looked at the other two bikes and tried to be very critical of his compared to theirs. They were so different, so it was hard to say one was a clear winner over another. And it’s hard to be completely critical when you have a personal stake in one of the entries. He’d have to wait and see. That was the hard part.

  His dad and brothers approached and nodded toward a corner alongside the stage. “Let’s go have a little chat.” His dad’s jaw was tight and his posture rigid, causing his stomach to turn a notch.

  As they huddled together, his dad said, “We just overheard a disturbing conversation.”

  JT held up a hand. “If you mean about the Devils stacking the votes, I’ve heard.”

  Dog’s brows furrowed. “Stacking the votes? For the Build-Off?”

  “Yeah. Isn’t that what you were going to say?”

  “No.” His dad looked at all the boys as he continued. “Three of the Devils were talking about ‘the old bastard at the bar’ and how they were going to get what he owed them. Said Rog’s whore would have to make good on it if he didn’t.”

  JT’s back straightened and his jaw tensed. The roiling in his stomach caused him to put a hand over his abdomen and suck in a breath. “What do you think they meant by that? I mean, I know what I think it means, but what do you think?”

  Ryder and Gunnar both looked at him; their faces said it all and it wasn’t good.

  His dad answered for them. “She’s likely in a bit of danger. But, if Oakes is involved with these guys in some deal and she knows about it, she needs to fess up. If she’s also involved, she needs protection.”

  JT clenched his jaw. “She’s not involved in anything shady.”

  Jeremiah looked into his eyes. “JT, you need to be real. Oakes shot someone the other night in the bar. One of his guns was stolen and he knew about it but didn’t say anything. Kayden found a cash box of money and just put it away as if she hadn’t seen it. So many things don’t add up.”

  He rubbed his forehead and rotated his neck—fucking tension just wouldn’t ease up.

  “Boon was just back there a while ago harassing her.” JT let out a long breath. Keeping his worry in check was necessary. “She didn’t look or sound like someone in cahoots with him.”

  Ryder cleared his throat. “I’m thinking we need to watch her a bit closer. Looks like you’re in the perfect position to do that.” He ended with a chuckle and JT scowled at him.

  “You want me to spy on Kayden?” he asked incredulously.

  Ryder shook his head. “Not spy, just stay close to see if you can get an idea of what’s going on.”

  Gunnar added, “How about this? We know Oakes is involved in something that, at the least, is under the table. At most, we don’t know. How about you ask Kayden straight out what she knows? Tell her what we overheard and gage her reaction.”

  JT took a deep breath. This trip was sucking ass. The only good thing about it was he had met Kayden, but even that silver lining was beginning to tarnish.

  Kayden glanced around the room once again. She was beginning to feel paranoid. All day there were at least two Devils in the building, and each time she glanced in their direction, they were watching her. The little hairs at the back of her neck prickled and the unease in her gut grew to almost overwhelming.

  She quickly packed away the remaining garments from her table and stored them in the locker provided to vendors. She tucked her earnings into the hidden pocket in the KCC belt she wore and smoothed down her loose fitting gray tank. She didn’t want to miss the Build-Off finale. And she hoped beyond hope that the devils weren’t rewarded for their bad deeds. They were becoming more and more powerful by the day.

  She walked from the locker room through the vendor side of the building and entered the Build-Off room, constantly checking the location of the Devils who seemed overly interested in her. The noise was deafening and the temperature sweltering with all the warm bodies packed into it. This was the culmination of the rally. The races had ended today, and this evening the Build-Off finale followed by a band and more than likely drinking into the night. She’d be happy to skip that part of it. She loved listening to a good band, but she’d seen enough drunks in her life to last her into forever. Her father used to be a roaring drunk, back in the day before her mom died. She squirmed and squeezed her way through the hordes of people as her nose was assaulted by the over-cologned, sweaty bodies squeezed into the building.

  Standing at the edge of the stage where JT would see her, she tried to ignore the uneasy feeling crawling through her stomach. Probably nerves. She was nervous for JT; that had to be it. His stomach must be so much worse. She looked over the crowd trying to see any of the Sheppards or their crew, but the faces blended together. She took another glance around, checking on the location of the Devils. The announcer walked out on stage and the roar from the crowd made her ears vibrate. She plugged her fingers into her ears for a bit of relief, her eyes transfixed on the stage to see JT walk out.

  The announcer held his hand up and waited for the room to quiet before speaking. As the volume began to lower, he asked, “Everyone ready for the big finale?”

  Even her chest vibrated with the rumble all the yelling caused. The announcer first did a shout-out to the event judges who were responsible for the first round of judging which is how these three bikes made it up on the stage. He asked them to raise their hands if they were in the audience and all heads turned to locate them. That’s when Kayden’s stomach did a serious flop. Boon stood next to one of the judges, but the scowl on his face was positively menacing.

  She followed his line of sight and saw members of a rival gang—Aces of Antioch—taunting a few of the Devils. Things like this never turned out good.

  The announcer continued by asking the builders to step out on stage. The three men walked out from backstage and again the eruption of the crowd was deafening. She screamed right along with them this time, and her heart fluttered as she took in JT. His black t-shirt stretched so tight across his broad chest, allowing the definition of his muscles and abs to be seen. He was so sexy. His jeans fit him to perfection as usual. The man was simply striking. While his ponytail suited him, she wanted his hair flowing free so she could dig her fingers in it while he rode her. Moisture sped to the juncture of her thighs at the thought. Damn.

  He glanced in her direction and winked when he saw her and if she were lesser of a woman, she would have swooned. Seriously.

  The announcer began, “All right, act like you’ve seen men before, ladies.” Laughter. “Okay, third runner up will receive five hundred dollars, a small article in Steelhorse Magazine—the sponsor of this event—and a wall plaque. And that winner is…”

  “Down and Dirty Bike Shop from the great state of Texas, builder Bradley Hammond.” The bike Boon was trying to stack the votes for. Third place. At least they didn’t accomplish what they’d set out to do.

  JT and the other builder clapped and walked over to Bradley and shook hands. As JT turned to walk back to his position alongside his bike, shots rang out. The crowd scattered and pushing and shoving caused mayhem to reign. People were pushed to the floor, more fled to the doors, but a bottleneck was
created as too many people tried to leave at the same time.

  Another shot rent the air and another. Kayden was pushed against the stage, the air whooshing from her lungs. The next thing she knew she was hauled up onto the stage by strong hands under her arms and pulled behind the curtain. She tried to cry out but no sound would come. She heard shushing in her ear as JT’s strong arms came around her from behind. He held her close while he gently lay them down on the floor.

  “Breathe in deeply, and let it out slowly, Angel,” he murmured into her ear.

  The chaos out front was frightening. When she felt her breathing return, she nodded her head. She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. She shook from head to toe and gripped him so hard she thought she could snap him in two.

  He whispered, “Keep breathing, baby.” He held her tight. After just a few moments, he pulled away. “You stay right here. I need to peek out and see if I can find my family.”

  “No. JT. Don’t go. It’s Boon. I saw him watching the Aces as they were fighting with a couple of his guys. If he sees you after earlier today, he just might shoot you, too.”

  “I’ll stay behind the curtain, but I have to look.”

  She had his shirt in her fists as she held him next to her. “Please don’t.”

  “Angel, I have to. Stay here. Stay down.” He gently pried her fingers from his shirt and crawled to the edge of the curtain next to the wall. She watched his back as he tried to locate his family. Trying to hear anything useful, she listened as the chaos continued. Even if the noise hadn’t been deafening, the raging beat of her heart would have drowned out everything anyway.

  Peeking between the curtain and the wall, JT spotted his dad and Gunnar on the floor helping to stop the bleeding from a wound in a man’s chest. Gunnar had the man’s shirt wadded around the wound and was applying pressure while his dad was looking for other wounds. He noticed two men lying on the ground, face down, and men on top of them holding them down. One man was bucking and yelling and another man plowed his fist into the screaming man’s face, effectively knocking him out. The other man seemed to have submitted to being held down, or they’d already knocked him out.