Luke’s cousin, on the other hand, was all prettied up, even at this time of night. She had her long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and light traces of makeup covered her face. I didn’t know her well, but she came into the salon occasionally to get her hair done, and she was sweet. Sly and tricky like her father and cousin, but charming, too.
“What’s he gone and done?” Errol laughed and shook his head as we helped Luke straighten, although he had more balance than he should have. I suspected he’d slept off some of his booze.
“He didn’t happen to drink some alcohol before he came to my house, did he?” I raised my eyebrows, and Errol’s laughter went louder.
“Just a couple of nips of homemade whiskey.”
Luke glared at him. “You made it stronger than usual.”
Errol held up his hands toward him. “You were a nervous wreck. I hadda calm you down somehow.”
I rolled my eyes. They were clearly related. “He could have killed someone on the drive to my house. It’s not a short distance.”
Errol waved his hand impatiently. “Ah, he knows how to handle his bike. He needed somethin’ to cool him down.”
Sophie sighed loudly and sent me an apologetic smile. “Men, right?”
I chuckled. “Where do you want me to put him?”
“Stay,” Luke said. He was so close to my ear that his breath tickled my neck and made me shiver. “Come meet my uncle Errol and my Sophie. They have the fire going.” He didn’t wait for my answer, stumbling toward the seats around the bonfire. I followed but only because I didn’t want him burning himself in his drunken state.
Errol, Sophie, and KC trailed behind us, and we each took a seat near the crackling fire, the heat a welcome feeling in the chilly fall air.
“So tell me about yourself, Quain. You have that salon next to my boy here, don’t you?” Errol leaned his elbows on his knees, staring at me curiously.
“I do. I’m a certified hairstylist.” I smiled politely at him.
“You’ve done my hair a few times,” Sophie said, tucking a loose strand behind her ear as she smiled shyly.
“I have, and you have beautiful hair.”
She chuckled and ducked her head, cheeks flushing deeply enough I could see them against the light of the fire. “Thank you.”
“Soph’s our pride and joy,” Luke said, his voice less slurred and more coherent. “She’s gonna be a doctor someday.”
She rolled her eyes. “I want to be a trauma surgeon,” she said to me. “Luke thinks that’s the most amazing thing ever. First I need to get into a good college. I want to go to Harvard.”
Luke snorted and waved his hand at her. “Harvard. You don’t need to go there. We got a good college here. Go to New Gothenburg State. Grant says they’ve got a great med school.”
She huffed and crossed her arms over her sweater. “We’ve talked about this, Luke. I want to go to Harvard. I have the grades for it.”
“It’s too far away,” he argued back, glaring. “And it’s for those rich kids, the pretentious ones. I don’t want that for you. And how are you going to pay for it? Not everyone gets grants and shit like that.”
She pouted, and I swore I saw tears glimmer in her eyes from the firelight. She sat on the other side of me, so I touched her arm in comfort, and when she turned to me, I smiled.
“If you get that acceptance letter from Harvard, then I think you should go there.”
“Easy for you to say,” Luke grumbled, poking me in the side. I glared at him. “You got the money. Harvard would cost a fortune, and we just don’t have the cash.”
“I’ll figure something out,” she whispered, her voice wavering on heartbroken. Luke must have heard it, too, because his shoulders slumped, and then he nodded.
“Yeah, we’ll figure something out.”
The interaction between them was intriguing. I’d seen Luke in many situations—with the Kings, at the shop, even with his uncle—but he truly was wrapped around his cousin’s little finger. He’d give her the world if he could, and that was a beautiful side of him to see. I smiled, my stomach growing warm again.
He frowned at me for a moment before his mouth curved, too.
“Okay, who wants to blow shit up?” Errol asked from his side of Sophie. KC sat on the end, and he leaned forward to look at me with wide eyes.
“Excuse me?” I said, surprised.
Errol stood, clapping his hands together with glee. “I got an old car just over there and some homemade bombs ready to use. All you gotta do is throw the little bastard and kaboom!” He said the last word unexpectedly loud, and KC nearly fell off his chair at the sudden decibel change.
“Are you serious?” KC asked, and I didn’t miss the excitement that washed over his face.
“No!” I snapped, standing. “No bombing anything.”
Luke laughed as he stood, too, touching my shoulder with a light caress I didn’t expect from him. “It’s fun. Releases the stress.”
“I don’t have any stress.” I didn’t push his hand away even though I should have. The touch was nice, and my insides melted. I really needed to get laid by someone who wasn’t Luke. My dry spell had gone on for too long, and now I was actually considering sleeping with my target.
All four of them—including my traitorous son—laughed like maniacs, and I glared at them.
“I don’t!”
Luke pulled me against his side and his warmth seeped through to me. His leather jacket was softer than I expected, and he smelled like rum and cinnamon. “Come on, it’s not going to hurt.”
I sighed. “Fine, but if anything happens to KC, I’m going to kill you.”
That was a promise rather than a simple threat, but Luke didn’t know that. He laughed again and guided me around the bonfire toward the old car his uncle had mentioned. Errol, Sophie, and KC were hot on our tail, and the kids were chatting to each other in excitement. When we reached the car, I noticed the bombs already in a container.
“You just leave bombs lying around?” I asked incredulously, pursing my lips to stop myself from giving them a lecture about bomb safety. I wasn’t the type of guy who used explosions to kill often—rarely ever—but even I knew what kind of safety measures to use for them. Errol and Luke clearly didn’t.
Errol cackled like a man possessed as he bounced around us and held one up to me. I grabbed KC’s arm, dragging him back and closer to my side.
“All you gotta do is flick this button”—he clicked a button on the side of the bomb—“and place it on the car.” He ran toward the car and placed the bomb underneath the rusted piece of metal. When he came back, he grinned at us in glee before he pulled out a detonator.
I yanked KC back farther, and he grumbled but came with me.
“We’re back far enough,” Luke said with a laugh, but I narrowed my eyes on him.
“I don’t trust you—or you.” I pointed at Errol. “Do you know how to make proper bombs? We’re not in the middle of nowhere. The cops could be here in minutes of you doing that.”
“Nah.” Errol winked at us. “The neighbors are used to it. We’re far enough out that the cops don’t care, s’long as I’m not blowing up other people’s cars. Trust me, I’ve been doin’ this since I was ten.”
“It’s true.” Luke stepped back to match our distance anyway and grinned. “He used to do this in LA, had the cops around my grandparents’ house nearly every week, until Grandpa told him to get out of town.”
“Was seventeen at the time. I packed my gear and came here.” Errol waved the detonator at us. “I know more about bombs than anything else in this world. Ready?”
“Can I hit the trigger?” KC asked suddenly, yanking at my hold on him to take a step closer to Errol.
“KC…,” I warned low.
He sent me an unimpressed stare. “Don’t lecture me about dangerous, Pa.”
I gritted my teeth because the little shit was right. I couldn’t. I’d tried so hard to keep him safe, while he had to worry about m
e every time I went on assignment. Sighing, I held up my hands in defeat. “Fine. Hit the damn detonator, but if you blow off your arms, I’m not helping feed you.”
KC rolled his eyes. “Can you get any more dramatic, Pa? Jeez.” He happily took the trigger from Errol and held it up. “Anytime?”
Errol slapped him between the shoulders with a jovial chuckle. “Anytime you’re ready, son.”
KC gave me a quick glance and then focused on the detonator again. His thumb lingered over the red button before he slammed it down on top. There was a loud boom and fire lit up from underneath the car, sending it flying into the air and crashing down onto the ground again.
“Woohee!” Errol shouted at the top of his lungs, dancing on the spot. “Would ya look at that beauty?”
Luke hooted, and Sophie giggled, but all I could do was shake my head at them. The car was lit up in flames, burning hot and high and now on its roof. Luke grabbed a fire extinguisher from near the bombs and went running toward the blazing fire, and he had it out in a matter of minutes. He’d obviously done this a lot of times before.
“Fucking beau-ti-ful!” Luke laughed, walking toward his uncle and giving him a high five. “Just fucking perfect.”
“Can we do it again?” KC asked, bouncing on his toes. It’d been a long time since I’d seen him this excited about something, and as dangerous as it was, I couldn’t protest him wanting another try. If I was here, I could keep an eye on him.
They moved from car to car, exploding each one, taking turns on who got to hit the trigger. Luke offered it to me, but I shook my head. At some point a couple of Errol’s neighbors from the right came over and joined in. The entire thing was crazy, but oddly fun, too. I might have smiled a few times, but I wasn’t going to admit I was enjoying myself.
Another explosion, this time bigger than ever, had everyone cheering. I laughed, shaking my head. Luke sidled up to me and tugged on my arm.
“Come with me, I want to show you something.”
I raised my eyebrows but followed him. He led me away from everyone and through the scrap metal. Thankfully I was wearing boots. I let him lead me through the junk piles until we were far enough away I couldn’t hear voices anymore. The only light we had was from an old outside lamppost that Errol had obviously installed so they could see their way through the junk.
“Did you bring me here to kill me?” I asked, teasing.
He laughed and pushed his hand against my chest. I stumbled backward against a car, and then he was on top of me, his body pressed against mine and his mouth devouring me. I knew what I should have done, but in that moment my need and desire for him took over my common sense, and I curled my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. I wasn’t even concerned about being cut by the rusted metal and needing a tetanus shot. He tasted like the rum he’d drunk, which was spicier than I’d imagined.
He humped against me like a dog in heat, his cock driving against mine, and while it amused me, I also couldn’t help the desperate moan that left my mouth. I needed a fuck so badly it hurt, and Luke was here, smelling and tasting delicious, with a cock I knew would satisfy me. I’d seen him in action. He knew what he was doing.
Cupping my cheek, he ate at my mouth with desperation, and I let him, eagerly kissing him back until he broke away to regain his breath. He laughed low in his throat. “Fucking Christ on crack. You’re so hot. I could shoot just from kissing you.”
I inhaled deeply and sighed. There was no way in hell I could tell him the real reason we shouldn’t do this, and even if I did, I had a feeling Luke wouldn’t remember or give a shit. He was buzzing, the smell of rum still lingering on him.
“You’re drunk.”
“So?” He grinned. “Liquid courage.”
“Courage for what? To kiss me? You did that fine at the clubhouse with only one beer,” I said.
He leaned in close, his breath tickling my mouth. “I want to fuck you.”
“Have you jerked off to the thought of it?” I wasn’t the type of person to tease. I got the deed done and left, but something urged me to give it back to Luke. He’d tormented me with his antics for too long, and now it was my turn.
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, the ink on his neck moving with it. “Fuck yeah. Until my cock was raw.”
Hearing him say it had a shiver sliding down my spine. I wet my lips and let my gaze travel down his body. He wasn’t insanely muscular like some of his biker brothers, but he had a sinewy type of body, like I had. Corded muscles that made him quick and strong at the same time. He could move in ways the bigger Kings couldn’t.
He smirked. “Want to watch?”
“I should go,” I whispered, while doing the complete opposite and grabbing his face, slamming my mouth against his again. His body was warm against mine and his hard cock nudged against my thigh. The heat of our kiss had my muscles in all kinds of knots, and I thought I’d come right then and there. We kissed until we ran out of breath, and then I reluctantly broke our contact. “I have to work tomorrow.”
“Yeah, me too.” He slid a finger down my face, caressing my jaw. “Tell me I can kiss you again, Quain.”
Fuck. “We’ll see how much you piss me off.”
He laughed and the sound wormed its way into my chest like a nail threatening to break the shell I’d built around myself. “Deal.”
I shook my head and slid out from where I was trapped between him and the car. We walked back to the others together, and KC gave me a knowing smile when I reached him. I glared in return.
“It’s time to go.”
We said our goodbyes, and to my surprise, Sophie and KC talked about meeting up in town one day after school. When we got into the car, I asked him about it.
“I like her. She’s cool.” He shrugged. “You were the one who said I needed more friends.”
I snorted. I hated when he threw my words back in my face, but I didn’t mind it this time. Sophie was a good girl, I just worried that our lives were becoming too connected with Luke’s. When this assignment was done, we’d both need to walk away, and I could already tell this was going to hurt KC.
I sighed. I was in trouble.
7
Barber
I stretched out my neck and grinned at the man kneeling between my legs, my gun pressed against his forehead. My face throbbed from where he’d gotten in a few good hits, but I’d laid him out on the plush beige carpet before he could get in any more. The bastard had surprised me by attacking; not many people would be so stupid. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in your head.”
The man—Holter or some shit—glared up at me, his wide nose bleeding profusely and his right eye already bruising from where I’d slammed my fist into it. “Because I owe you money. If you kill me, you can’t get it.” He smiled smugly. Fucker.
I laughed. “You got family, Holter? ’Cording to my pres, you got a daughter and a wife.”
Holter froze, his sable eyes widening in fear. From this position I looked down at his scared gaze, and satisfaction sat heavy in my chest. “Don’t touch them.”
“Give me a reason not to. You’re kneeling there throwing smart-ass comments at me. I should just put a bullet in you and then pay your pretty wife a visit. Think I can sell her for a couple of hundred every time a guy has a turn with her?”
He bared his teeth at me and glared. “I told King I’d fucking pay.”
“Really?” I made a show of glancing around the guy’s fancy office. The receptionist even knew to let me in, and from what King had said, more than one of my brothers had visited Holter. “Because I don’t see any money. King told me I was supposed to collect, and then you had the fucking balls to attack me.”
“I thought you were a Demon,” he hissed, tugging nervously at his red-and-white striped tie.
I snorted and patted the patch on my left shoulder. “Does this look like a fucking Demon to you, Holter? No, it’s a fucking King. I’m the royalty around here, and I deserve
the fucking respect.”
“I respect you.” He shifted forward on his knees, glancing around me at his door as though he could escape.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I growled out, pressing the muzzle of the gun tighter against his forehead. “You run and we’ll be the last people ever to see you.”
He exhaled deeply through his nose. “I don’t have it.”
I cupped my hand behind my ear and leaned forward. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you right. What did you say?”
He clenched his jaw and dropped his head, giving me a view of his silvery brown hair, gelled to keep its position. “I have a problem.”
“Yes, yes you do.” I shook my head and waved the gun around haphazardly. “Now here’s my problem, Holter. I have to go back to my president and tell him I don’t have his money. See how this is an issue, buddy? I’m gonna get my ass handed to me. So what should I do about that?”
He raised his eyes to me again and gave me a watery stare. “Please. I’m about to lose my house. My wife and daughter, they need me.”
I shook my head. “You should have thought about that before you bought coke from us.”
“It was for my boss. I needed to get into his good graces, and he likes it.”
Snorting, I held out the palm not holding my Ruger. “Why do I care why you buy it? Simple fact is that you did. Either give me the money, or I go back and tell King you don’t have it and he sends someone a lot scarier than me. Personally, I could kill you, but he’d want to make it hurt. A lot.” I leaned closer to him. “Between me and you? He’s kinda pissed that losers like you think you can buy but not pay up. He’s had too many of your type lately. The guy is generous, but only in good faith, if you know what I mean.”
Holter shuddered and gave me a pleading look. “I swear, I’ll get the money to him. I swear.”
I massaged my forehead. “Friend, you told him that a month ago. Why do you think I’m here? You’re lucky he didn’t send the messenger. Hound’s crazy. Likes breaking fingers and chopping off dicks. No lie. But lucky for you, he’s on another message for King.”
King's Barber Page 10
