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Kong searched over the heads of the crowded bar, seeking out Creature, who’d moved and taken up residence in a corner booth near the side door.

Strategic placement in case they decided to take things outside, or had that been the only spot available?

Changing course, Kong detoured to the bar, ordered two whiskies, neat, and carried them over to see that the one Creature had by his left hand was mostly empty.

“Are you sitting or are we kicking those back and brawling for the next hour?” Creature asked when he spotted Kong.

“Up to you,” Kong replied. “Though I won’t deny that I headed over here to try and kick your ass.”

“As long as you know that all you’d have been able to do was try,” Creature shot back, cool and calm as could be as he slid the glass back and forth between his hands. “Personally, I think there are plenty of other ways we could deal with your aggressions, but that’s all up to you, too.”

“We’ll see how talking goes first.”

“Works for me,” he replied before downing the last of the amber liquid in his glass.

Kong slid him one of the two he’d bought, and Creature inclined his head in thanks, then went silent, waiting for Kong to start.

“Now that Scout’s out of the hospital, I’d like the chance to talk to him without the rest of you interfering,” Kong blurted.

“That’ll be up to Scout.”

“Which I could have asked if you’d brought him tonight.”

“Him and Axel have seen enough violence lately,” Creature replied.

“They asked to stay home in case you showed up and things got dicey. They didn’t want to see us fight because, despite what you might think, Scout still has some lingering feelings for you that I think fighting with me would erase. I doubt you wanted that.”

“I’ll concede that point.”

“Thank you.”

“So, he decided not to come,” Kong muttered, needing a moment to mull that over.

“He asked if he could stay home, and when I said yes, Axel decided to stay home with him,” Creature stated. “It was as simple as that.”

“I see.”

“Do you?” He asked, his gaze drilling into Kong until he squirmed and stared down into the drink he’d hardly touched.

“Yeah,” he said. “I get it. Sounds like getting beat to hell trying to protect his brother has him feeling some kind of way right now, and it might take him a while to get over it. I got the impression that he’ll go through hell and back for someone he loves or a cause he believes in but isn’t really one for conflict if he can avoid it. ”

“Precisely,” Creature grumbled. “And I aim to make sure he doesn’t feel pressured to have to use his fists if he doesn’t want to.

Until he starts at the garage he’s gonna get some surfing time in with Mark, who’s also going to make sure he doesn’t try to help out in any way, since Scout isn’t good at keeping still.

I’m telling you this in case you want to head down there one morning and ask him if he’s willing to talk to you, but if he says no, and you don’t leave it at that and walk away, you get to deal with Mark, and then you get to deal with me. Understood?”

“I can accept that.”

“Good, because you really fucked with his head,” Creature growled. “And that was bullshit.”

“Was never my intention, either.”

“Whatever your intentions were, you fucked them all to hell with the way you acted.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Then do better. He deserves it.”

“What if it isn’t just him I want to do better for?” Kong blurted, deciding it was now or never, since he really needed to get it off his chest.

“What are you proposing?” Creature asked, leaning forward a little, glass still held between his hands.

“That we stop pussyfooting around with one another and see where shit goes.”

“Why would I want to do that when I have two boys at home?”

Licking his lips, Kong fought down twin feelings of fury and disappointment so he could say what he needed to say, even if it was much too late and wouldn’t mean a damn to Creature.

Being glib and tossing out a line about there always being room for one more wasn’t likely to get him anywhere either, so best to just check his ego and lay bare his soul.

“Because there are times when I don’t want to be in control either,” Kong admitted.

“I think you know that, but every time we’ve gotten close to touching on it, other shit popped off and interrupted us.

I’m tired of not getting what I want. That’s one of the reasons I came back here.

Because a part of me has always known that you were the only one who could give it to me. ”

Creature nodded at that, took a sip, and waited to see if there was more that Kong wanted to say.

“Scout was a pleasant and rather unexpected discovery,” Kong admitted.

“But I’ve never been conflicted about who I am and where my desires lie; I’ve just never had the opportunity to explore them with anyone.

You know how it is. They take one look at guys our size and automatically start making assumptions. ”

“Yeah, I get that part,” Creature said. “What I don’t get is why you and I couldn’t just have this conversation years ago, instead of you fucking around trying to make me earn something you clearly wanted to give?”

Kong hung his head at that, because there had been moments he’d wasted, challenging Creature on the arm-wrestling table and anywhere else there was a chance to display physical prowess.

For Kong, it had always been about preserving his image in the eyes of the club.

His gaze was drawn back to where Sky still knelt beside Scuzzy’s chair.

That dude was six foot three and built like a middle linebacker, and yet there he sat, without a care in the world, a serene look on his face as he leaned against Scuzzy’s chair.

Maybe Kong hadn’t just been limited by the way others saw him.

Maybe the way he viewed himself had played a big part in how things had played out for him in that regard.

Kong knew he was the only guy in the club with a master’s degree and one of the few who had come from an affluent background.

His size and the fierceness he’d cultivated over years of dealing with challenges he’d never wanted, from people he’d only tried to fit in with, had been what had led him to the club in the first place.

Once he’d found his place among them, he’d been desperate to turn his back on his old life in middle-class America, where he’d been mistaken as the gardener, handyman, and so many other things over the years.

His folks had always stressed that he shouldn’t let people’s assumptions upset him, but they’d downright pissed him off!

What had always aggravated Kong more was being told he shouldn’t try to solve his problems with his fists.

Especially when knocking someone’s tooth down their throat seemed to be the only thing some of his tormentors understood.

Even at a young age he’d been bigger. They’d started their taunts with all the usual animal names, like giraffe and elephant boy, adding Gargantua, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and later, Kong, in an utterly spectacular lack of creativity.

Not looking like the two people who’d raised him had been reason enough for others to give him shit, but he’d been a clumsy big guy who’d utterly failed at sports only to excel in the realm of academia.

Talk about life setting him up.

“At least you’re thinking about it,” Creature muttered as he raised his drink to his lips.

“And starting to see the issue began and ended with me,” Kong admitted, raising his head as he said it and locking eyes with Creature.

When Creature’s eyes widened a fraction as a slow smile drew his lips up, Kong thought about kissing them, as pleasure surged through him at having said something that pleased Creature.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Creature declared. “In case you’re wondering, there hasn’t been a time since I met you that I haven’t wanted to see what would happen if you gave in.”

“Well, I’m giving in now.”

“Good. Then make things right with Scout, and we’ll figure out where all the pieces fit. I can’t promise that Axel will be interested, but I’m sure he’ll let you know whatever he decides.”

“Fair enough.”