Page 82 of Baiting Kong

“Do you want me to switch the sign back to open?” he asked as he stepped into Creature’s embrace and pressed his cheek against his chest.

Sighing, Creature breathed in the scent of saltwater and seaweed clinging to Scout’s hair and immediately felt the last of his anxiety settle into calm resolve.

“Naw, leave it closed, and mark two of the motorcycle bays full through next week,” Creature said. “I’ll get you a parts list as soon as I have one put together. Rainy’s bike got beaten up pretty bad going over the embankment. We’re probably gonnaneed some help from your old man to track down a few things since Sawyer is still laid up.”

“Axel’s off tomorrow; if you have your list ready by then, he and I can head up and help Pops track down what we can,” he said. “I’m sure Mark won’t mind me postponing my surfing lesson.”

“Not in the slightest,” Creature said as he carded his fingers through Scout’s hair, thinking about the restore Jake had initially been sent out for.

“Why don’t you guys take Sinn and the SUV?” Creature suggested, testing the waters to see if Teddy’s issues with Sinn had rubbed off on Scout. “Will make it easier to bring back bigger pieces, which I’m certain we’re gonna need.”

“No problem,” Scout replied, immediately laying Creature’s fears to rest. “You can always shoot me a text if you come across anything else you need us to look for.”

“Thank you,” Creature murmured as he pressed a kiss to the top of Scout’s head.

“I’m off tomorrow; I can help too,” Cody offered.

“Perfect,” Creature said. “The more, the merrier.”

Cody had proved to be a big help with gathering parts for the build they’d set up for Dalton, but just as importantly, he worked well with Sinn and took direction beautifully now that Wreck and Bellamy had tamed much of the defiance and arrogance that had made him difficult to be around for the past few years. Creature knew Mark would be pleased at the way he was jumping in to help in whatever way he could, and Creature would be sure to tell him, since he knew Cody wouldn’t.

“Alright,” Creature said as he stepped away from Scout and turned him loose to resume his work in the office. “Anyone who needs to clear out at six, make sure you clock out and go. Anyone who has time to stick around, I’d appreciate it; now let’s get back to work.”

Sinn had already headed back to finish up the bike they’d been working on, but Creature knew he’d heard the conversation and would be ready to get in the SUV in the morning. Detouring, Creature decided to get a look at Duggan’s bike, since, as far as he could tell, it would be the easiest to deal with.

Sure as shit, it was mostly cosmetic. The problem was gonna be the airbrushing. Lucky had done the original paint job back when he was still a part of this chapter. Creature would need to get Lucky on the phone and see when he’d be free to come down and redo it once Creature had replaced the side panel and rear fender.

“How’d she feel when you were riding her back?” Creature asked.

“Solid as ever, nothing out of sorts.”

“I’d like to get these damaged pieces off and take a look beneath them, just in case,” Creature told him. “You got some time to hang around?”

“If it means I get to drive her home tonight, I’ll just park my ass in the office and wait for you to give me the go-ahead.”

“Pretty sure you’ll be able to.”

“Then I’ll wait.”

“Grab something cold from the fridge if you need it,” Creature told him. “Pretty sure there’s a six-pack shoved in the back of the middle shelf if you need something harder than water or pop.”

“After the afternoon I just had, I might just drink two.”

Creature waved him on before grabbing his tools so he could assess the situation. Jake passed him a water a few minutes later and crouched behind the bike to work on the fender, while Cody helped Sinn on the old Indian, retrieving things for him as he asked for them. Meanwhile, the rest of Creature’s crew got back to work. One thing about his crew all being club affiliated was the way everyone was willing to go above and beyond for a clubbrother or sister in need. They might be a maladjusted bunch, but they were also family.

Chapter 25

(Kong)

There were several types of gatherings at the compound. Ones that were considered family days, where everyone was welcome as long as they weren’t gonna start shit, and Chapel. Chapel was for patched members only. They didn’t even allow their prospects past the door into that sacred space. The gates were locked when Chapel was in session, and the only one allowed to tend the bar at the time was Teddy. When he’d been stripped of his position, there had been some concern over who could handle it. Turned out Mark already had the perfect person in mind. Bellamy had patched over from his home chapter, now an affiliate of theirs, when he’d hooked up with Mark’s youngest son, Cody. Bellamy and several family members had ridden all the way down to Texas with the Jokers after Sinn had gotten snatched. Was a good thing that it turned out the way it had, or Saint and some of the others would be behind bars right now.

As Kong listened to Creature explain to Scout that they wouldn’t be allowed to join them until they texted and let them know that Chapel was through, he studied their expressions, a little surprised that neither appeared to mind being left behind.

“Do we need to bring anything with us?” Scout asked.

“Nope, just dress comfortably. Kong and I might stay late and play a bit of poker. You’re welcome in the room with us,but you won’t be allowed to play, and you’d have a few special duties.”

“Fetch and carry, clean up, run requests to the kitchen,” Scout rattled off.

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