Page 27 of King

“I’m trying to expand my vocabulary, asshole,” Steve growled back, pushing one of the men back to the ground, who was trying to stumble to his feet.

“Oh, and egg is the word of the day?” Sid snorted, shaking his head.

“Maybe,” Steve said after a long pause. “How about dickhead. I’ll even use it in a sentence like I did with egg. Sid is a big fucking dickhead.”

King chuckled at Steve. Damn, the fucking kid said some off-the-wall shit. His eyes moved to Amara, who watched Sid and Steve arguing back and forth. Her eyes were wide, and there was a massive grin on her face just as Ronan walked up.

Ronan approached last, tipping his hat slightly. “I’m Ronan,” he said in his deep, southern drawl. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Amara smiled as she shook his hand. “The ma’am thing comes naturally, doesn’t it?”

“As naturally as my boots and this hat,” Ronan replied with a wink. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice tinged with gratitude.

King broke the moment, nudging one of the downed men with his boot. “This guy’s the mouthpiece,” he said to Ronan. “Got a van coming to pick them up?”

Sid checked his phone. “Yeah, Jax is on his way. Should be here any minute.”

“Good,” King said, his attention shifting to Amara. “I’m getting her out of here. You got any food cooked at the compound?”

“I will as soon as I get these assholes put away,” Sid answered, then chuckled. “Damn King, do you ever stop eating?”

“No,” King replied seriously. He had a healthy appetite, and Sid cooked like a fucking boss. “But Slade needs Amara to eat good tonight. She has to give blood for Joey’s surgery tomorrow.”

“Yeah, bring her to the compound.” Sid nodded just as Jax pulled up with the van. “I’ll fix something up real quick.”

“Thanks, appreciate it,” King said, returning to Amara and taking her hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” King got on the bike and then looked at Amara, who just stood there staring at him.

“Do you think we can go back to Joey’s?” Amara asked with such hope he hated to say no, but it wasn’t safe for her there.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Amara.” King shook his head.

“But my bag is there, and I really need to shower and change clothes.” She said with such pleading in her eyes he knew he couldn’t say no. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

King sighed with a nod. “Get on,”

“Thank you,” she said as she climbed on. “And King, you lied.”

“About what?” King turned his head toward her.

“These guys aren’t assholes like you said.” Amara grinned, putting her arms around him. “They’re very nice.”

“Eh, they’re okay,” King said, then laughed, shaking his head. Pulling out, he stopped by Sid. “Hey, you think you, Ronan, and Jax can handle these guys. Amara wants to go back to Joey’s house to get her things. I’d feel better with backup.”

“Yeah, we got it,” Sid said, then yelled at Adam and Steve to follow King.

Nodding, King waited until Sid informed Steve and Adam of the plan.

“Are you going to stay awake this time, or do you need to ride up front?” King called out over the noise of the engine.

“I wasn’t sleeping!” Amara spoke loudly over the noise of Steve and Adam starting their bikes.

King shook his head, smiling as they pulled onto the road, Steve and Adam flanking them. His grin quickly faded as he scannedtheir surroundings, every nerve on edge. He had no intention of letting anyone get close to Amara again, not on his watch.

CHAPTER 14

Kane sat in the corner of a dimly lit pub, nursing a beer that had long since lost its chill. The amber liquid barely moved in the bottle, his fingers loose around the bottle. His sharp eyes scanned the crowd, darting from face to face. The place was buzzing with chatter with an occasional burst of laughter, but Kane’s focus was singular. He was looking for one specific person.

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