Page 103 of Misrule
“’Kay,” he said hoarsely, sliding from Megan’s lap. “I going by Diesel.” Still sniffling with such force his shoulders shook, he walked from the room.
Knox supposed Outlaw’s adopted son was somewhere watching over the brood of kids as he usually did.
Shaking his head, Johnnie walked behind the bar. “What are you drinking, Knox?”
There was a definite strain on the man’s face. He looked sad and angry and on the verge of exploding. If Knox couldn’t sneak Roxanne away later, maybe he’d ask Johnnie to join him for a drink.
In the meantime… “I’ll take a Scotch neat.”
“I see your ass almost all healed from the whipping Outlaw gave you, Knox. What your ass did this time for Outlaw to fuck you up like you was? You was to’e up from the flo’ up,” Digger told him. The sergeant-at-arms sipped from his bottle of beer.
“I resent that.” The bruises from Outlaw and Mortician’s punches were practically non-existent now. Still, he didn’t think either man had gone and broadcast the fact that they’d beat him. Scowling, he accepted the glass of Scotch that Johnnie held out to him. “How do you know it was Outlaw? I could’ve fought someone else and won.”
“Not,” Val put in. “You don’t go places to fight.”
“I’m always in dangerous places. I’m a PI,” Knox reminded them, ignoring the lift of Cam’s eyebrow, his business partner, that called bullshit on the claim.
Cash grinned and elbowed his husband, Stretch. “Barely. I can do better investigating than you.”
“Fuck, CJ can do better than Knox,” Digger added.
“All right. Give the poor man some slack,” Johnnie demanded. “He’s under a lot of pressure right now. Something I can identify with.”
“You and Kendall going to work things out, John Boy,” Mortician said with reassurance.
Everyone glanced at Outlaw, but he said nothing to Johnnie and instead looked at Knox. “Still enjoyin’ bein’ en-fuckin-gaged, Knox?”
“Yes. It’s wonderful,” Knox replied. “How did it feel when you were engaged?”
“Ain’t never was engaged. Ask John Boy. He know.”
“Hewould,” Knox retorted.
“You share Val disease, Knox,” Mortician told him with a smirk.
Knox sipped his Scotch, then looked at Mortician. “Which is?”
“The fucking masochistic need for Outlaw to beat your ass every couple months,” Mortician said, grinning at the laughter of Digger, Val, Cash, and Stretch.
“You’re funny,” Knox gritted.
“Fucking hilarious,” Mortician agreed. “Just so you know, me and Bailey was never engaged either.”
“I see,” Knox said with irritation. “That’s why you’re encroaching on my wedding to her mother.”
“Encroaching?” Mortician echoed. He started to say something else, then huffed out a breath. “Knox, I don’t want Bailey and Roxy wedding to have a cloud hanging over it. If we have issues and problems all through the planning, it might make for a shitty wedding day. Let’s keep shit friendly.”
“Since when have you become so fucking superstitious?” Johnnie asked.
“Since all this bullshit started. You and Kendall not together. Never thought I’d see that day. Then, Knox bitch-ass momma and Charlotte-fucking-Redding started with their bullshit. Personal bullshit sometimes more vicious than club war.” He nodded in the direction of the women. “They waiting for Red to get here, so they can start looking through that stack of wedding magazines. And, fuck…I just got a bad feeling about tonight, man.”
“Bailey and Roxanne gonna get it to-fuckin-gether, Mort,” Outlaw promised. “They already got the motherfuckers walkin’ them down the aisle. Shit gonna fall into place. I fuckin’ swear. Anytime Val got his fuckin’ ass shot off and I fucked up my old man on me and Megan second weddin’ day, and shit still went on, ain’t nothin’ so bad that it’ll stop the upcomin’ ceremonies.”
Instead of responding, Mortician drank more vodka.
Knox decided to take matters in hand and confront Mortician, so he could move back in with Roxanne. He’d done it once. This time, he’d prevail.
“Mortician, I’m moving out of the club.” When Knox had gotten back to his room at the clubhouse, he’d found Roxanne’s dress, stuffed under his pillow, her scent clinging to it. Memories of the morning flooded back and made his cock so painfully hard that Knox had jerked off, his cum exploding from him and raining on his hands and stomach—as well as her dress.
