Page 50 of The Kings of Kearny

“You didn’t push the subject?” I asked. “This is kind of important.”

“Nah,” he said, gunning the engine as the light turned green. “We start torturing people to get answers out of them, and the town will turn on us.”

Um... what?I eased away from him in my seat. “I was more referring to bribing someone into answering your questions.”

The fact that he skipped right over that option and went straight to torture was a little concerning. My moral compass might not point due north, but I was beginning to think that Jakob’s wasn’t even functional anymore.

He glanced over and grinned when he caught sight of my expression, just a flash of teeth that was too feral to be a smile. “I was kidding, Krista.”

“Oh.” I relaxed a little.

He turned back toward the road. “There’s no point in torturing people. You can’t trust anything anyone says under that level of duress. Eventually they’ll tell you whatever you want to hear just to stop the pain.” He spoke with an authority that made me think he might have learned this information firsthand.

I frowned at his profile. “You know, I’m starting to worry about where you fall on the psychopath scale.”

In answer, he tipped his glasses down and shot me the most deranged expression I had ever seen. “Turns you on, doesn’t it?”

Despite myself, I laughed.

I was going straight to hell when I died. Because actually, it did.

~*~

KATHERINE JENKINS WASnot what I expected. If someone had asked me what the woman who defended an outlaw gang of bikers looked like, I probably would have described the quintessential ice queen: tall, commanding, blond, and with a gaze that could freeze you in your tracks.

Katherine shot that assumption straight to hell. The door of her luxury SUV swung open as we pulled into a parking space beside her at the police station, revealing a short white woman in her midfifties. She was dressed in a fitted gray skirt with an expensive-looking top tucked into it. Her brunette curls were pulled back into a low bun, and what little makeup she wore had been expertly applied. Despite the classy getup, she looked like a mother. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why—maybe she matched some imaginary maternal figure I’d dreamed up as a kid when my own mother turned out to be an asshole—but the second my eyes landed on her, my brain just went tomom.

Her smile was welcoming as we climbed out of the Mustang. Our gazes met, and I saw something earnest in her brown eyes, a sort of unspoken “Everything will be okay. I’m here to take care of you, dear.”

“Hi. You must be Krista,” she said, extending a hand. Her voice only reinforced the mom vibe. Warm and melodic, it sounded like she was about two seconds away from asking me if I wanted a second helping of pot roast.

“I am,” I said. We shook. “Thank you for helping me on such short notice.”

“Of course. Any friend of the Kings is a friend of mine.” Her smile widened as she looked from me to Jakob. “I hope you’ve been staying out of trouble, young man.”

If he felt patronized by her words, it didn’t show. He cocked a brow at her, one corner of his lips rising in amusement. “I never get in trouble.”

Katherine made a low harrumphing sound. “Thanks to me, you mean.”

Jakob grinned. I could count on one hand the number of people I’d seen him smile at. He must really like her. Not that I could blame the man. Three minutes in her company, and I already wanted her to invite me over for a family dinner.

Katherine’s eyes met mine. “Remember, you’re not to answer a single question they ask you.”

“I remember,” I said.

She held my gaze. “It is imperative that you let me do all the talking. The police may try to say something to incite you into responding. Don’t.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, clicking my heels together and throwing her a salute.

She looked heavenward. “Great. Another smartass.”

I dropped my hand, grinning even wider than Jakob.

Katherine shook her head at me and turned toward him. “You need to stay out here. Kearny PD will know that she’s involved with the Kings because I’m representing her, but they don’t need a visual reminder shoved into their faces or a club member antagonizing them.”

Jakob adopted an innocent expression. “Since when have I ever antagonized cops?”

Katherine gave him a look that made me think she would be a stricter mom than I first thought. “Do you really want me to answer that, young man?”

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