Page 18 of Porter (Dirty Misfits MC 2)
Archer snickered. “I like your style.”
Brooks chuckled. “I’ll go ahead and call an end to this church meeting for now. Cole, I’m headed back to my room to check on Raven. But the second you get done with that call, come find me.”
Cole nodded. “On it.”
Brooks looked at Archer. “Go with him. Make sure he stays on track. And make sure he gives out all of the information I want him to.”
Archer followed after Cole. “Got it.”
I leaned over into Brooks’ ear. “Do you know what the hell you’re doing?”
Brooks waited until the rest of the guys dispersed before he turned to face me. “My honest opinion? No, I don’t. I’m flying blind here, but we don’t have much choice.”
I nodded slowly. “You think this is a trap?”
He heaved a heavy sigh. “It very well could be, which is why I want all of us there. I want us armed to the teeth, ready to fight our way out if necessary.”
“So, what do you want to do until tomorrow morning?”
He gripped my shoulder. “Be here at three. There are some things I want to go over before we all head out. Think you can do that?”
I scoffed. “You know damn good and well I don’t sleep much anyway. I’ll be here with coffee. I take it you’re staying here for the night?”
“You aren’t?”
I thumbed over my shoulder. “Figured I’d go check on Astrid. Make sure no one’s hassling her.”
He eyed me carefully before he licked his lips. “That’s good thinking. I don’t know where the fuck Chops just got off to, but so long as we don't have him in our sight, Astrid is at risk.”
“I think she’s at risk either way, which is why I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“You just gonna do a drive-by or something?”
I shrugged. “Figured I could do that. And if something looks off, I’ll just go knock on the door.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly. “You make sure she’s okay, all right?”
“Dude, it’s Astrid. She’s family. I’ll make sure she’s good.”
He nodded curtly. “Good.”
After dealing with one last prying look from Brooks, I started for my bike. I couldn't wait to get back to Astrid, even if I had to use the excuse that I thought something was off just to get back inside. I blazed a trail toward her house, keeping an eye on my rearview mirrors just in case I was being tailed by someone.
And when I pulled into the driveway, I didn’t hesitate to rush up to the front door.
Knock knock. “Astrid?”
I paused and didn’t hear anything behind the door, so I knocked again.
Knock knock. “Astrid! It’s me, Porter.”
I heard soft cursing behind the door and my hand flew to the butt of my gun. I gripped it with my hand as footsteps sounded behind the door, preparing myself to blast anyone in the face that wasn’t Astrid. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end as the lock flipped and the knob turned.
But when the door opened, I certainly didn’t expect the sight that followed.
“What do you want?” Astrid asked breathlessly.
I couldn't help my eyes as they slid down her body. She was soaking wet and she looked irritated as fuck, but her clothes clung to every curve of her body as water dripped down her peaks and valleys. I swallowed hard as my hand moved away from my gun, taking her in as much as I could.
And when my stare finally found her gaze again, she looked almost sheepish.
“You uh… you good?” I asked.
She groaned. “The kitchen sink is clogged to hell and back and I can’t get it unclogged. Do you know anything about plumbing?”
I resisted the urge to chuckle. “Yeah, I can help out. Show me where the issue is.”
She ushered me into the kitchen, and I saw the massive, chaotic mess spread out for what seemed like miles. The kitchen sink was almost filled to the brim with what looked like muddy water. There was a slight smell emanating from beneath the kitchen sink. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say the drain wasn’t clogged just beneath the sink, but a bit deeper down into the piping.
“You got a snake?” I asked.
Astrid walked up beside me. “Like, a python or something?”
I grinned. “No, a snake, for the plumbing. Like, something I can slither down into the drain to try and find the clog.”
She pointed to the kitchen table and I saw a metallic instrument with a small claw on the end. I slid off my jacket and reached for it, then made my way for the sink. I slid it down and immediately hit trouble in the pipe, so I dipped down to see what was going on.
And I found the first issue without pressing forward.
“You’ve got the wrong joint pipe connected to the sink,” I said.
