Page 83 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Her father wanted to catch Nox still at the house.

“Just wanted the fucker to know who’s got your back.”

“He’s not a fucker and he already knows you’re protective of me, Dad. Anyway, I don’t think he’s afraid of you. And for the millionth time, I’ll remind you that I’m almost forty and not a teenager only starting to date.”

“So, you’re fuckin’ datin’ him,” Magnum growled.

“No, I’m not. He stopped by to drop off that container.”

“That takes a fuckin’ minute. The fucker was still hangin’ around when I left.”

“He sure was.”

“Who you got doin’ you, woman?” Romeo asked. “Whoever it is, I can do better.”

“No, you can’t.”

“You give me a chance, I’ll fuckin’ prove it to you.” Romeo wiggled his eyebrows.

“You can keep your cold sores and crabs to yourself, thank you very much.”

Liyah stifled a laugh at seeing his indignant expression.

“Don’t got crabs or cold sores.”

“Maybe not today. Tomorrow’s another story.”

“Man, Ali-Cat, you’re always playin’ hard to get.”

She ignored him and leaned in to plant a kiss on her father’s cheek. “Thanks for taking the boys this weekend.”

“Romeo’s interested,” Magnum mumbled as she pulled away.

Liyah rolled her eyes and shook her head. She turned to give Romeo her back and kept her voice low. “Romeo is interested in every woman. Period. And I can’t believe you’re encouraging me to hook up with him. Forget the fact that he’s the president of the Knights, he’s a damn dog who sniffs every hydrant. He’s not selective. Or loyal. And as you well know, I already had one man skip out on me.”

The man in question probably heard everything she just said, but none of it was a lie. So, he could simply deal with it.

“Somethin’ wrong with bikers?” her father asked, even though he already knew her answer since this wasn’t the first time this conversation had come up.

“Yes. A lot of things. Do you want me to start listing them?”

“Lotta shit right with us, too.”

For her, the cons outweighed the pros. “Anyway, thanks for your concern with my love life and my safety. It’s unneeded when it comes to Nox.”

“Nox,” Magnum growled. “What’s the rest of his fuckin’ name?”

Shit.“It doesn’t matter. I doubt he’ll be returning any more containers.”

“But he’s in that damn group of yours, so you’ll be seein’ him again.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Liyah, want the truth. He a pig?”

“He’s a human, Dad. And you know how I feel about you calling cops that. I asked you not to do that around the boys.”

“Boys ain’t out here. And your fuckin’ answer is makin’ me think he is.”

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