by Debra Kayn
Erikka wrinkled her nose at Gracie standing at the end of the table. "Stop that. You're only giving him ideas."
Gracie grinned. "That's what I'm here for."
"Pie for everyone." Clara lowered the food tray she carried onto the table and removed plates with apple pie and ice cream on them. She looked behind her at the other table taken by the rest of the Notus members and passed several dishes behind her. "Here you go, Thad. Eat your fruit."
"I don't know why everyone thinks I don't eat fruits and vegetables." Thad dug into the pie. "I had some bananas in those little jars Lena bought for Avi the other day."
"Oh, gross, Thad." Lena shook her head and leaned in the booth closer to Ingrid. "If it wasn't for Vavoom's feeding him half the time, I don't know if he'd eat my cooking."
"That's bullshit." Thad shoveled pie into his mouth. "I eat your food."
"Mm-hm. But, you prefer your normal routine of ordering from Vavoom's." Lena scrunched her nose at him and laughed when her husband stood and moved toward the booth.
Thad's loaded fork aimed at Lena, he said, "Come here, babe."
"Don't you dare. I'm on a diet trying to lose my baby weight." Lena covered her mouth but removed her hands when Thad insisted she have a bite.
While Erikka watched the love between the others, Chuck stole the crust off her piece of pie, knowing she usually never ate that part. She looked at her phone as it vibrated and finished chewing. "Someone left a message on the answering service requesting to be bonded in the morning."
"That's good." Chuck set down his fork and wiped his hand off on his thigh.
Business was slow after giving her clientele to Greens Bond. She used her napkin and wiped her mouth. "It came from the jail."
Chuck read the number off her phone. "Maybe the guy or gal doesn't have any family or friends to help on the outside."
"Probably." She leaned back against Chuck. "That means I'll be busy in the morning."
"We'll make it an early night." Chuck wiggled his brows. "I know what'll put you to sleep nice and fast."
"Sh." She glanced around the table, thankful that nobody was paying any attention to them and had gone back to admiring the baby. "Promise?" she whispered, looking at him.
"Damn right." He kissed her, slipping his tongue between her lips.
An electric shot of arousal hit her, and she pulled back. "We can't do that here."
"Why not?"
She pointed at the baby. "There are children present."
Chuck turned the car seat around. "Better?"
She laughed. "Nice try."
Ingrid's attention went to the baby. Erikka studied her friend. It'd been almost two months since she'd lost her father.
"How's your mom doing, Ingrid?" she asked.
Ingrid looked up and smiled sadly. "You know, I think she's doing well. There are times we forget, and not having him catches us off guard, but the last year was hard on Dad. In that way, it's almost a relief that he's no longer suffering."
She reached across the table and rubbed Ingrid's arm. "We'll have to get together and have lunch soon. We can bring your mom."
"I'd like that, and I think Mom would, too." Ingrid smiled and then clicked her tongue making Avi gurgle. "Aren't you just the cutest? Yes, you are."
"I better go change her before she's not the cutest baby at the table." Lena cleared her throat. "Little girl takes after her daddy in that department."
Ingrid slid out of the booth, letting Lena get to her feet. At every get-together and club meeting when the women gathered in the kitchen away from the men, she'd noticed that Lena rarely sat for longer than five minutes. The baby kept her busy.
Clara walked up to the table and cleared the dishes. Erikka looked around for Maureen, the regular waitress. Not seeing her, she scooted out of the booth.
"I'll grab the dishes from the others." She picked up two plates and moved around to the other side of the table.
Gracie came up to her and unloaded her arms, whispering, "You don't have to clean. Go sit and relax."
"It's not going to hurt me." Refusing to return to the booth, she carried a few glasses to the kitchen, following the twins. "Do you guys ever take a day off?"
"We will soon." Gracie wheeled the cart around the corner and returned. "Maureen's supposed to return on Monday. She's been on vacation, and since we run a skeleton crew during the fall and winter months during the day, that means we fill in for her. I don't mind though. It keeps me busy, and it's nice to work with Clara again. It gives us some extra sister time."
"As if we don't spend every day together, either here or at our homes." Clara laughed and ran her hands down her apron, decorated with beer bottles and hearts. "Speaking of homes...Chuck mentioned to Wayne that you've got your house for sale."
"I do. No offers yet, but it's only been a couple of weeks." She shrugged. "I'm not going to worry about it until winter is over. If it doesn't sell, Chuck said he'd help me turn it into a rental."
"That'll bring in some extra money, which is always nice." Gracie raised her brows. "Maybe I should sell the townhouse and buy your place. I'd be close enough to Chuck, Glen, and Thad to remind them to treat you, Ingrid, and Lena right."
"Now that's a good idea." Erikka laughed. "You can help us keep those bikers in line."
Once her and Gracie understood each other, they'd grown closer. She could no longer imagine making Chuck choose between them. Gracie deserved Chuck's loyalty, and Gracie deserved anything she wanted. She only wished that her friend could get a little more out of life. There were still many things that Gracie held back on, and she could tell when the nights had been rough on her, though she tried to hide her fears.
The women left the kitchen. The twins headed to the other booths where regular customers were eating lunch. Erikka walked back to the booth and found only Lena, the baby, and Ingrid sitting at the table. She spotted the men gathered together on the other side of the room.
Ingrid stared at the men. Lena's gaze was also on the Notus members as she patted the babies back and whispered to sooth Avi. Erikka sat down and raised her brows in question of the sudden shift in moods. She only received concerned looks in return.
"Did they get called on a missing person search?" she asked, hoping that wasn't the case. They'd finished one only two days ago, and Chuck needed to unwind. The Alzheimer patient that had gone missing was found by Notus. Unfortunately, too late. The man had died of hyperthermia before he could be rescued.
Ingrid shook her head and whispered, "It's something about Rich."
The sudden pang in her chest took Erikka's breath away. She moved to go to Chuck, and Ingrid stopped her. Unable to take her eyes off the group, she couldn't tell by the expressions on the men's faces if it was good or bad news. Chuck's back was to her, and she wished he'd turn around.
Lena leaned forward, using the baby as a shield to whisper confidentially at the table. "Did you hear anything?"
Ingrid shook her head. "Wayne came up to Glen and said they needed to talk about Rich. That's all."
"Maybe they finally have a good lead," whispered Erikka.
She'd give anything for Chuck to have his friend back. Until he learned what happened to his MC brother, there would always be a hole in his life. A hole that she understood no amount of love could fill.
Wayne reached out and clasped Chuck and Thad's shoulders, spoke too low for the women to hear, and the men sent a significant look to each other. Erikka's heart raced. She'd experienced the bond the men had many times, but today seemed different. As if each man became bigger, stronger, and deadlier in the face of battle.
The men turned. Chuck's gaze connected with hers and nothing could stop her from going to him. She went to him and slid her hands underneath his vest, needing to connect with him.
"I need to take you home, love," he said.
"Okay." She studied the hardness in his mouth. "What's going on?"
"Gomez called." His upper cheeks twitched, and he lowered his chin and his
voice. "He's got Rich locked up in jail."
"Rich? In St. John's?" She inhaled swiftly. " Is he sure?"
There have been many leads on Rich over the last twenty-five years that never panned out. Her stomach ached for Chuck, knowing he already had his hopes up. She didn't want to see him disappointed again.
"Positive," said Chuck.
Erikka gawked. Many questions filled her head. Nobody had any idea where Rich had been all these years. He'd disappeared at the age of twenty, leaving his mom, his MC brothers, and St. John's.
"Gomez mentioned Rich used his one phone call to contact Bail Bonds. It was probably the message you got earlier. He didn't even call us." Chuck put his hand on the back of her neck and inhaled deeply. "I need to get you home. Notus is going over to bail his ass out and bring him back where he belongs."
She walked out without saying goodbye to the others. The other women would understand. The men needed their support now, more than ever.
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading Hard Mistake, the fourth book of the Notus Motorcycle Club series. As with each book in the series, I cover one of the four reasons why people go missing. In this book, Rachel went missing because of unintentional absence. A miscommunication with her sister. There would've been no story if Erikka happened to find the note that Rachel left or if her sister would've told her about the man she was seeing.
It seems so simple to communicate and let people know where you are going to be, but how many times do we make a choice to change our plans without telling anyone? You tell your spouse/friend that you're going to the library to pick up the latest Debra Kayn book and you'll return in an hour. But, on the way home, you see a sign for organic apples at the farmer's market across town. You go to the market, thinking you'll be fast and make it home within an hour, and the worst happens. You're kidnapped outside the market...a place nobody knew you were going to be. Now, where does your spouse/friend tell the police you were at? He/she only knows about the library. Already, the police have no trail, no leads.
So, readers. Use those phones, tell your plans to others, and check up on each other.
There is one more book in the series that will release the beginning of 2018. Yes, the final novel is Rich's story. It's time to meet the man who impacted every single member of Notus Motorcycle Club. I can't wait for readers to find out more.
I'd also like to thank the readers who leave an honest review and tell their friends about Notus Motorcycle Club series. I want to invite everyone to come over to my Facebook page and join my other readers to keep up to date, share your love of reading, and have fun with me.
Love,
Debra
Author Bio
Debra Kayn is published by Grand Central Publishing, Simon & Schuster Publishing, Carina Press - Harlequin Enterprises Limited, and repped by agent, Stephany Evans of FinePrint Literary Management. She has well over forty contemporary novels available worldwide where heroes and heroines come from the most unlikely characters.
She lives with her family in the Bitterroot Mountains of beautiful Northern Idaho where she enjoys the outdoors, the four seasons, and small-town living.
Website: www.debrakayn.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DebraKayn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DebraKaynFanPage
Debra Kayn's Backlist
Hard Mistake – Notus Motorcycle Club
Hard Drifter – Notus Motorcycle Club
Hard Escape – Notus Motorcycle Club
Hard Proof — Notus Motorcycle Club
The Higher You Fly
...or something – Ronacks Motorcycle Club
Don't Say It – Ronacks Motorcycle Club
Rather Be Wrong – Ronacks Motorcycle Club
Can't Stop Fate – Ronacks Motorcycle Club
Blow Softly – Red Light: Silver Girls series
Touch Slowly – Red Light: Silver Girls series
Fall Gently – Red Light: Silver Girls series
Wrapped Around Him – Moroad MC series
For Life – Moroad MC series
His Crime – Moroad MC series
Time Owed – Moroad MC series
Falling For Crazy – Moroad MC series
Chasing Down Changes – Moroad MC series
Breathing His Air – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Aching To Exhale – Lagsturns Motorcycle Club
Soothing His Madness – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Grasping for Freedom – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Fighting To Ride – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Struggling For Justice – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Starving For Vengeance – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Living A Beautiful War – Bantorus Motorcycle Club
Laying Down His Colors – Bantorus Motorcycle Club, anthology titled Melt My Heart
Archer – A Hard Body Novel
Weston – A Hard Body Novel
Biker Babe in Black – The Chromes and Wheels Gang
Ride Free – The Chromes and Wheels Gang
Healing Trace
Wildly – Playing For Hearts
Seductively – Playing For Hearts
Conveniently – Playing For Hearts
Secretly – Playing For Hearts
Surprisingly – Playing For Hearts
Modern Love - Anthology
Chantilly's Cowboy – The Sisters of McDougal Ranch
Val's Rancher – The Sisters of McDougal Ranch
Margot's Lawman – The Sisters of McDougal Ranch
Florentine's Hero – The Sisters of McDougal Ranch
Suite Cowboy
Hijinks
Resurrecting Charlie's Girl
Betraying the Prince
Love Rescued Me
Double Agent
Breaking Fire Code
SNEAK PEEK — ... or something
Ronacks Motorcycle Club, book #1
By Debra Kayn
Chapter One
The dart missed hitting one of the hundred colorful balloons pinned to the board at the back of the booth, and the little boy's head fell forward, disappearing below the edge of the counter. Battery lit another cigarette from across the flow of foot traffic at the carnival, watching the young carny girl knock on the plywood and slide one more dart in front of the child, even though the kid had already used up his throws.
At three tries for five dollars, she'd already made a killing for CrazyTown Carnival.
"Look at the balloon you want to hit. Don't take your eye off the target," she said loud enough Battery could hear her over the crowd. "Hop up on the stool so that you can see better."
His gut tightened at the smooth caress of her sultry voice. The kind of voice where he expected the next words out of her mouth to describe how he made her feel and what she wanted him to do to her. A voice he'd have a hard time ignoring and hell, a voice that made him want her to keep talking because he was feeling damn good listening.
The man behind the boy handed over more cash. The young carny shook her head in refusal and ignored the father. Battery inhaled a drag off his smoke. The odds were against the kid hitting any of the balloons tacked to the board. The slight rush of air from the dart usually moved the target. It's how the carnival made money.
But, it wasn't impossible to win.
The boy lifted the dart to his shoulder, aimed, and let it go. The sharp pop at contact almost knocked the kid off the stool, and his dad had to catch him. The carny whooped and raised her hands in the air, dancing behind the counter.
Battery forgot about his cigarette and stared at her young body barely contained in the tank top and cutoffs. He exhaled, and a low growl came from his throat. Anyone with half a fucking brain would know the girl was nowhere near eighteen years old—the required age to work for the carnival.
What they saw was sex. Her large breasts on a slender body. The wide hips that at first fooled you, until you noticed her walk was carefree and not calculated. Her movements animated and wil
d, untamed. Green eyes, more mysterious than flirty.
It had taken him five minutes to convince himself that the girl he found was indeed Bree. Though he felt it the second he spotted her.
That's what I'm talking about, folks." The girl pointed at the child. "We've got a winner and a future dart master at my booth. You won right on time because this booth closes in five minutes."
The boy smiled, his gaze already going to the large stuffed animals hanging above him. Before the kid could get his hopes too high, Bree jumped over to the side bin with the six-inch, China-made, cheap toys.
"Pick a prize from this wide assortment of beautiful toys." Bree picked up an alligator. "This one is looking for a new home. What do you say?"
The boy shook his head and pointed. "The dog."
She scanned the pile of stuffed animals and held up what Battery thought looked like a spotted panda bear. "This one?"
The kid nodded. Battery continued watching the girl. It was his second visit to the carnival. The first time he followed a lead and came up empty. Tonight, he'd finally found her, and he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. It'd taken him nine months to find out where she'd disappeared.
Nine months of hell and sleepless nights.
All of Bree's wild, red hair, going in every direction, had finally helped him catch her. He moistened his lip and smoothed the whiskers down at the corners of his mouth. He couldn't stop watching her.
Bree haphazardly pushed her wild mane of hair off her face with her arm and his gut tightened. She might as well be wearing a fucking neon light as opposed to her hair. Nobody ever forgot hair that color. The way her young body moved, unashamed and unembarrassed begged every man who crossed her path to spend more time with her. Braless and with the bottom of her ass hanging out of her shorts, she seduced every man and woman around her. He wished she was older. At least legal. It'd make his job easier.
She was tall at five foot nine inches. Her legs went on for fucking forever. But the more he observed her, the more he wanted to know how she ended up working at a dirty carnival. Someone should be taking care of her at home and keeping her away from the drunks that played her game only to scope her out, and the fathers who dragged their kid over to throw a dart so they could get a close up of her.
