Page 2 of Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC 4)
For once, my love of playing with my food would be of use.
It was the only reason why I agreed to this recon in the first place. Not like I had a choice in the matter, but I still tried to rationalize it to myself. To make myself okay with it. And the only reason I had was the fact that if I found myself face to face with Skeleton? I had permission to do whatever I wanted.
And oh, did I have ideas for when I strapped that fucker to a table.
Plus, things were really tense in the bar. And the clubhouse? Forget it. I didn’t even go there if I didn’t have to. Granted, the bar had practically taken over the role of our clubhouse. But every once in a while, we’d peek our heads into that place. Have a quiet cup of coffee and brood in silence.
I hated brooding in silence.
Such a waste of energy.
As I stood in the middle of my living room in the run-down house I purchased for myself, I sighed. I’d been living in this shack at the end of my block for two years now. And in those two years, I had drawn up schematics for how I’d redo this place. Walls I’d knock out. Flooring I’d put down with my own two hands. And absolutely none of it had gotten done. The brown water spots on the ceiling kept slowly growing. The leak in the kitchen sink bothered me at first, but was now the only thing that lulled me to sleep. The stairs going up to the second floor creaked and groaned with my weight every time I walked upstairs, not to mention the cracking hardwood that practically cried out for a bit of moisture to come its way.
This house needed a complete overhaul.
Yet, I never found the time to start.
“Maybe after this recon,” I sighed.
Then, I turned and headed for the front door.
With my keys in my hand, I walked out to my bike. A horn on a child’s bike honked as it rode past, and I looked up long enough to see Miss Alistair’s daughter peddling as hard as she could down the block. I grinned as I watched the little girl ride away, booking it for her mother’s porch. For as long as I’d been here, Miss Alistair had been here longer. And the first person to ever greet me to the neighborhood was that sweet daughter of hers.
Seven now, I think she was.
“Hey there, Kay!”
I looked up and found the young single mother waving at me from her porch.
“Miss Alistair,” I said as I waved back.
“Going on a road trip!?”
I nodded. “Something like that.”
Her daughter stopped peddling. “Morning, Mr. Knuckles, sir!”
I grinned. “Morning, Miss Katie.”
And as I watched that sweet, innocent little girl take off back toward her mother once more, a loneliness settled like lead in my gut.
Don’t even go there.
I shook my head and focused my eyes back onto my bike. I had a job to do and a promise to keep in the process. Bowser made me promise not to come back until I had steady evidence that Skeleton and his pals were at that warehouse. I promised Link I’d clock their movements over the course of a few days, picking out their favorite places to go and where they went to get food. But I also made a promise to myself.
And it was a promise I couldn't default on any longer.
After, Knuckles. After the journey.
I tossed my keys into the air and caught them in the palm of my hand. As I made my way to my bike, I prepared myself mentally for the journey ahead. I already had the motel picked out that I’d stay at. I already had an I.D. in my hand to help me check in without raising flags. All I had to do was what I did best.
I had to sit back and watch.
With my backpack over my shoulders and my leg tossed over my bike, I slid the keys into the ignition. Miss Katie clapped with delight off in the distance as I cranked up the engine. It killed me every time I heard the noise. I had to bury the smile that threatened to cross my cheeks. No matter how many times I did it, Miss Katie was beyond thrilled to hear the roar of my engine.
It made me briefly wonder if my daughter would be as thrilled with the noise.
“Well, well, well. I never thought I’d track you down.”
The hairs on the nape of my neck tingled as my eyes followed the sound of the voice.
Pointed, hearty, and sassy as hell, the first thing I saw were legs. Long, tanned legs that bled up into a soft pair of hips. The dip of the waist only stopped my heart as the body of this familiar figure took form. And as the engine of my bike hummed between my legs, I caught a glimpse of the fabulous rack this woman had jutted out.
