Page 55 of Baiting Kong

“He’s gonna be okay,” Axel said as he drew his knees up until his feet were resting on the edge of the chair.

“I know,” Creature said, trying to ease some of the tension from his shoulders.

“Is Scout gonna come and live with us now?” Axel asked.

“I’d like him to,” Creature admitted. “If that’s okay with you. I don’t think bunking with Teddy is good for him, not when he’s still learning who to trust and who’s trouble.”

“Why is Teddy trouble when he was right about Kong?” Axel asked. “He ditched Scout as soon as they hooked up. That’s what Teddy said would happen, and it did.”

Sighing, Creature rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know what the fuck Kong’s issue is, but I think it had to do with the porn shoots,” Creature admitted. “The clubs had issues in the past, with one of our guys being taken advantage of by the guy Scout was working for. It caused a bunch of shit.”

“Does Scout know?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then there’s no reason for Kong to take it out on him, not when Scout was already stuck,” Axel said. “He could have gone with him. Maybe Scout could have gotten Sawyer without getting hurt.”

“I left Danger with Sawyer’s bike and sent Kong back for the flatbed,” Mark declared as he took the seat across from them.

“I’m sure Kat will be tearing into the parking lot any minute now,” he remarked, his words punctuated by the roaring of a bike outside. Glancing up, Creature saw the distinct markings on it as she maneuvered through the parking lot.

“Shocked there’s not a cruiser on her tail,” Mark muttered.

“They’re all headed to South Bluff, couple cars wrecked up there,” Creature murmured. “At least that’s what the dispatch radio said when we sat down.”

“Good,” Mark grumbled. “That should keep ‘em off our asses for a while. Just wish I knew how Scout intended to play this.”

“He’ll come up with something,” Axel said, a note of pride in his voice.

If Creature had any uncertainty left about whether there was a bond forming between them, he was no longer left to wonder. For a man who’d spent the last few years alone, the thought of having two boys to protect and watch out for was thrilling, though he doubted Kong was going to let the matter drop. Might be interesting to see how it all played out, considering the way they’d danced around one another for years. But if the porn was a deal breaker for him, then it was a good thing he’d stepped back. No one was shaming that kid for what he’d done to help his family. Not even someone who’d acted like he was interested in claiming him.

“How bad did he look?” Kat asked the moment she’d parked herself on Mark’s lap and hugged him.

“I couldn’t see him,” Mark said. “But his brother was beat to hell.”

“There was blood on his face, and he was dazed,” Creature said. “I’m sure he’s got a concussion. Had a bruise on his cheek too. I’m not sure what else. We had a hard time getting him to stay still. The only thing he cared about was his brother.”

“I called his old man before I left the house,” she said. “He’s on his way.”

“Wait, how the hell did you have contact info for the father?” Mark asked.

“His job application,” she replied, as he hugged her again.

“One of a billion reasons I love you.”

Creature slid a hand beneath Axel’s hair and gently squeezed the back of his neck until he sighed and rested his head on his knees, letting Creature massage the muscles there.

“He was scared that we were there to stop him from getting to the hospital,” Axel muttered, his voice half muffled against his jeans, but when Creature lowered his head, he could just make out what he was saying. “He said something about getting them money. He promised to get it for them if they’d just let him take Sawyer to the ER.”

“Yeah, he did say that,” Creature said.

“Oh shit, I need to make that call,” Axel said, sitting up so abruptly they almost cracked heads. “Or, or tell someone about the fighter.”

“I already took care of it, kid,” Mark said. “When we called about Sawyer.”

“Oh shit, thank you, I forgot. I was just focused on Scout.”

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