Page 9 of King's Barber
“I can fix it for you. Not tonight, too late to get a starter, but I have a friend on the east side that has Ducati parts, even for the newer bikes. I could get you one for cheap.”
“Tomorrow?” I eyed KC. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your grandfather’s tomorrow?”
KC shrugged with a wince. “I’d rather not. He always gets me to go hunting with him, and I fucking hate killing animals, Pa. I can call him and tell him something came up. Or… you can?”
I squeezed the bridge of my nose, hard, and stared at KC’s pleading eyes. “Fine.”
He pumped his fist and turned to Luke. “I can do your bike. I’m not a mechanic, but trust me, I’ve pulled apart and put together more motorcycles than you probably have.”
I gave Luke a nod. “He’s good at it. He’s fixed the truck more times than I can count.”
Luke stroked his chin. “All right. How much are you asking?”
KC chuckled. “Nothing, man. You got me out of going to my grandpa’s. I’ll do it for free, but you gotta come with me tomorrow morning and pay for the starter.”
“Deal.” Luke held out his hand to KC, and my son grabbed it, shaking. “I like your kid, Quain. He’s a lot nicer than you.”
KC snorted. “You should stay here tonight. We could go first thing in the morning to buy the part.”
“What?” I snapped.
“Here?” Luke glanced around the living room again.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, KC. Who knows what will go missing if he stays the night?” I made a show of sniffing in disdain. What Luke didn’t know was that the house was rigged with cameras in every room, expertly hidden in case someone—namely another assassin or hitman—came into my home. No one threatened my safe space, especially not when KC lived in the same house.
“Hey, I’m a King, not a thief.” Luke rolled his eyes and flashed KC a grin. “Your dad worries too much.”
“We’re on Vert Island.” KC shrugged. “We get all kinds of cretins trying to rob houses around here. Not very smart considering the tech we have around this place. It’s Animus Tech security. I wouldn’t want to be trying to rob a place with that setup.”
He was lying, of course. Living on Vert Island made it harder for criminals to steal. The houses here all had high-end security and it cost a toll to get across the bridge. There was no other way to get here unless they wanted to go through the trouble of a boat. Thieves didn’t bother trying, and the ones who did usually ended up in prison. The mayor liked his rich friends and he made sure they stayed safe.
Luke frowned. “First time I’d heard of that kind of tech. What is it?”
I huffed and crossed my arms. “He’s not going to tell you what we use to keep our home safe. If you want to stay here, that’s fine, but don’t touch anything that doesn’t belong to you.”
He held up his palms toward me, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. I hated how attractive he looked when he smiled. The dimple in his chin just made it better—or worse. “Scout’s honor. I won’t touch so much as a pretty hair from your brush.”
“You weren’t a Scout,” I muttered, waving my hand at him. “Fine. KC, get him some of your boxers.”
“Mine?” KC’s eyes widened and his gaze jumped back to Luke. He looked him up and down and realization dawned in his eyes. “He’s wearing my clothes.”
“Yes, he is.” I sent my son a smug smile. “And since you invited him to stay the night, he needs more.”
“Why my clothes, though?”
I waved my finger at him. “I was the one who taught you actions have consequences. Your action was inviting him to stay the night, your consequence is that you have to share your clothes now. Mine won’t fit.”
“I am still here, you know.” Luke held out his arms, a silly grin on his face as he stared between us. “I think this is the kind of conversation you should have behind my back.”
“Nonsense. I like you seeing how much you annoy me.” I patted him on the shoulder then frowned at my hand. “At least take an actual shower before getting into KC’s boxers. I’m going upstairs to have a bath of my own.”
“How about I just join you?” Luke waggled his eyebrows, that dimple in his chin dipping even farther.
KC made a disgusted noise, his nose crinkling. “That’s gross.”
I shook my head. “You two figure it out by yourselves.” Waving my hand between them, I headed toward the stairs, which were past the bathroom Luke had changed in earlier. “Have a good night!”
I laughed when KC let out a sigh. I loved torturing him in the kindest ways possible, and I gave Luke ten minutes before he annoyed KC.
Or maybe five.
Chuckling harder, I made my way up the stairs.
