Page 56 of Claimed By a King

“He doesn’t have an appointment, but I can hear him yelling at Loretta. He wants to see me now. Something about getting in an early Devil’s Night fuck.”

“Fuck. Refuse. Don’t let him in your room. You know he’ll rough you up again.” I honk my horn at a car going too slow as I enter the highway, heading north toward Santa Cruz.

“Can’t you come here and stop him?” she whimpers and I fucking plant my foot to the floor, trying to make this fucking tin can go faster.

“I’m on my way, but it’ll take me at least twenty-five minutes to get to you.”

“Twenty-five?” she screeches. “Shit. He’s walking across the lot.”

“Don’t open the door,” I yell, but she hangs up.

“Fuck!” I slam my fist on the steering wheel before juggling my phone in one hand and calling Slasher.

“Prez?” He answers after the first ring.

“Who do we have near the Sleep-Eazy?” I ask, overtaking every fucking car I can.

“Sully is near there,” he answers quickly.

“Call Sully. Tell him to get over to the Sleep-Eazy. Tell him to remove his cut and look like a fucking civilian. Loretta will give him a room number, and I want him to pretend he’sdrunk or fucking on something and get into that room. Tell him to act like he’s there for his appointment.”

“Okay. What’s he really there for?” Slasher asks as I punch the horn again trying to get people out of my way.

“Adam has just turned up. I told you what he did to Erin last time.”

“Yeah. I remember.” He growls like the prospect of it happening again pisses him off.

“Well he’s back to see her. I need Sully to run interference so he doesn’t rough Erin up. Tell him to take Adam’s punches if he has to, but he can’t let on that he is a Cruz King. I need him to keep Adam busy until I get there, and I need him alive so I can follow him.”

“Got it.” Slasher hangs up and I call Loretta next, giving her a physical description of Sully so she knows she can trust him when he gets there.

I make it to the Sleep-Eazy in about twenty minutes, breaking almost every fucking traffic law there is on the way. Pulling up outside the office, Gertie comes to greet me casually like I’m just a regular customer, and from inside the car, I watch in the rearview as Adam beats up my man.

“Want me to stop it now?” Gertie asks and I nod.

“Yeah. Tell him the cops are on their way.”

Giving me a sharp nod, she pushes back from the car and calls across the lot.

“Cops are on their way! Best you clear out!”

I watch as Adam heaves a breath, swiping some blood from his nose where Sully obviously took a shot at punching him, then gives him one last kick to the gut before swinging around and pointing to Erin and Loretta standing in the open doorway of the motel room.

“I’ll be back to collect.”

Loretta snarls something that I can’t hear from my open window, and Adam throws his head back laughing as he moves to his bike and throws his leg over.

“Is Erin alright?” I ask Gertie, not taking my eyes off Adam.

“Yeah.I think so.” She huffs. “You do know all of this drama is bad for business.”

“Whose? Yours or Loretta’s?” I scoff and she rolls her eyes.

“If business is bad for Loretta, then it’s bad for me. How do you think I pay the bills around here?”

I chuckle. “Do me a favor. Make sure Sully is looked after.” I insist, holding up a wad of cash.

“Of course.” She smiles, more than fucking happy at seeing the roll of Benjamins.

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