Page 34 of Gator (Bourbon Kings MC #1)

The second I entered the scrapyard, I whistled loudly and waited. Within seconds, I heard an owl hoot, a robin chirp, a raven squawk, a dog howl and, of course, Donut shouted, “Over by the bus!”

Rolling my eyes, I headed deeper into the scrapyard, my guns ready for anything.

The smell of rust and oil filled the air as I navigated the maze of twisted metal and discarded dreams. Shadows stretched long and jagged under the dim light of a flickering streetlamp, turning the scrapyard into a graveyard of forgotten machines.

My heart pounded in rhythm with each cautious step, the memory of that hooded figure still fresh in my mind.

As I approached the bus, the scrapyard seemed to close in around me, the jagged edges of broken-down vehicles forming a labyrinth of danger.

I felt every nerve on edge, every sense sharpened to a razor point.

Donut’s silhouette appeared suddenly in the haze, his lanky frame outlined against the rusty hulk of an ancient bus.

He waved me over with a happy grin, and that’s when I noticed a bag of beignets duct taped across the front of his chest.

“Seriously, Donut?”

“What?” the man scoffed. “Can’t go into battle without food.”

“Who’s the unwanted visitor?” I asked as Juju walked out of the shadows, swinging his bat.

“That would be Garland Coltraine. Idiot thought he could sneak in and steal from us again. Found him snooping around when the boys and I secured the shipment. We’ve just been playin’ hide and seek with him ’cause he said it wasn’t a fair fight. Five against one, ya know.”

“Yep.” Donut nodded, digging into the bag of beignets attached to his chest. “Told him if he could escape the scrapyard before we found him, we’d let him walk away. Gotta say, though. He ain’t real good at hidin’.”

Annoyed, I looked at Juju. “Then where is he?”

“He’s out by the front gate,” Worm said as he, Braveheart, and Thore walked over. All three looked bored. “Does he not understand the rules of hide and seek?”

“I woulda’ thought he’d be good at hidin’,” Thore grumbled, just as we all heard Devlyn scream.

Joking forgotten, we all ran to the entrance of the scrapyard to find Garland Coltraine on the ground, cupping his balls.

“Man,” Braveheart said, scratching his beard. “He’s really not good at hidin’, is he?”

“Pick the fucker up and chain him to something. I’ll deal with him later,” I ordered Braveheart when we all heard my woman scream bloody murder, which was followed by a very distinctive hiss.

“Oh crap,” Thore muttered.

Slowly rounding on my brother, I glared. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“Well, I weren’t takin’ no chance that fucker got away. They only wanted to help. They would never hurt a lady. I swear, boss!”

“Right then,” I said, trying for a casual tone that utterly failed given the circumstances.

Above me, Devlyn clung precariously to a rusty scaffolding pole like a terrified monkey, holding a mangy kitten that was currently trying to claw its way under her skin. “They’re... they’re... GROWLING!”

Trying as hard as I could, I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Well, Chèr , that’s what they do.”

“Make them stop!”

“And just how would you suggest I do that?”

“I don’t care!”

“Out of curiosity, just how in the hell did you even get up there?”

“Trust me, it wasn’t like I had a choice, but when they saw the kitten, those things went psycho!”

The ‘things’ in question were Thore’s unique security deterrent.

Two fully grown alligators named Nibblet and Kiki.

Generally, they were pretty docile because Thore kept them very well fed.

But something must have set them off, ’cause even I couldn’t get close to them as they continued to snap and hiss up at Devlyn.

“Just give them the kitten!” Braveheart shouted, and Thore lost his shit.

“NO!” the big guy screeched bloody murder. “That poor baby is scared to death. Look how it’s clawin’ at Devlyn! You hold on to that little kitten, Dev!”

Glaring at my critter-lovin’ brother, I snapped, “I swear to God, Thore, if that cat scratches my woman’s face, I’m gonna beat your ass!”

“Ain’t the kitten’s fault, boss,” Thore grumbled.

Worm sighed, shaking his head. “Survival of the fittest at its best. Kitten knows it’s at the bottom of the food chain.”

“Keep talkin’, Worm, and you will be too,” Thore threatened.

Munching on his bag of beignets, Donut chuckled as Nibblet opened his mouth, allowing Donut to throw a beignet into its mouth. “Hey, look, boss. Nibblet likes beignets too.”

“Donut, stop feedin’ the damn gators!” I barked, smacking a beignet out of his hand. “The last thing we need is Nibblet developin’ a sweet tooth.”

“Too late,” Donut replied with a smirk, pointing at the other gator. “Kiki’s already eyeballin’ the powdered sugar.”

Sure enough, Kiki was inching closer to the stray beignet Donut had dropped, her eyes fixed on it like it was the finest filet mignon. Thore, ever the animal whisperer, crouched down on the ground, hands outstretched like he was about to perform some kind of reptilian séance.

“Kiki,” he cooed, his voice dripping with faux sweetness. “You don’ want that junk, girl. Not good for ya. Bad for yer teeth.”

“Thore,” I growled, pinching the bridge of my nose. “She don’ care about her dental hygiene. She’s a damn alligator.”

“You don’ know her like I do,” he shot back defensively.

“ Chèr !” I hollered again, trying to refocus the chaos. “You can climb down now. Thore will corral the gators.”

“Yeah, about that,” Devlyn called from her perch on the rafters. “I can’t!”

“What do you mean, you can’t?” I hollered back up, trying to sound reassuring. “Thore is putting the gators back in their enclosure.”

“I can’t!” My woman winced as the kitten scratched at her arms, trying to get to safety.

“Why not!”

“Because I’m scared of heights!”

I’m sorry.

Did she just say she is scared of heights?

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I asked, “Then why in the hell did you climb up there?”

“Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!” Devlyn shouted, her voice laced with equal parts fear and indignation.

Donut chuckled as he looked up at her. “And now?”

“And now,” Devlyn snapped, “I’m seriously considering taking up permanent residence up here if it means avoiding those gators!”

Thore sighed, already shooing Nibblet and Kiki back into their home, his boots squelching with each step.

“Alright, Dev, my babies are safe. Now let’s figure out how to get you down without upsetting them even more,” Thore grumbled, glancing up at my woman as she clung to the scaffolding for dear life.

Donut stepped forward, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “We could always use the trampoline. You know, the one Kiki loves bouncing on.”

Devlyn shot him a glare that could have curdled milk. “Unless you’re planning to catch me yourself, Donut, I suggest you come up with a better idea. Preferably one that doesn’t involve me breaking every bone in my body!”

Thore rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about “drama queens and dire situations.” He grabbed an old tarp and spread it out with Braveheart’s help.

“Alright, Dev, here’s the plan,” Thore called up. “You’re gonna ease yourself down as far as you can and then let go. We’ll catch you.”

Devlyn eyed the tarp suspiciously, her voice dripping with skepticism. “Catch me? With that? I’ve seen sturdier napkins!”

“Trust me,” Thore sighed, already bracing himself, “if I can handle gators, I can handle you.”

“Are you trying to kill my woman!” I shouted, exasperated. “I’ll just climb up there and get her.”

“And my new kitten?” Thore pouted, dropping the tarp.

Rolling my eyes, I groaned, “Yes, and your new fucking kitten!”

Thore smiled.

Shaking my head, I shrugged off my jacket and started climbing. The rickety scaffolding creaked under my weight, and I couldn’t help but throw a glare down at Thore. “This thing feels like it’s held together with spit and hope!”

“Hey! That’s quality spit and hope, thank you very much,” Thore shot back, crossing his arms. “I built that thing myself.”

“Uh, boss.” Worm’s eyes widened as he inspected the scaffolding. “I don’t think the scaffolding will hold you both.”

“Just hold it steady, Worm!” I barked, just as another ominous creak reverberated through the scaffolding.

Despite Worm’s warning, I pressed on, determined to reach Devlyn. The scaffolding groaned louder than a pirate ship in a storm, but I wasn’t about to back down.

“ Chèr , just hang tight—well, not literally—I’ll get you down.”

Above me, my woman shifted, sending a few loose screws rattling down. “This whole operation feels like the setup for a cautionary tale!” she hollered, gripping onto the beam for dear life.

Thore chuckled from below, clearly enjoying the show. “You’ve got this, boss! And hey, if the whole thing crashes down, I promise to write a very flatterin’ eulogy.”

“Oh, shut up!” I snapped, reaching for the next rung.

Each step felt like a gamble, a mix of shaky metal and gravity defiance.

Worm muttered prayers under his breath, clutching the base of the structure like it could miraculously grow sturdier, as Donut shoved another beignet in his mouth, eyes wide with anticipation.

Finally, I was within arm’s reach. “Alright, Chèr , on my count, you’re gonna grab onto me, okay? And we’re gonna get down—hopefully in one piece.”

Devlyn raised an eyebrow. “You’re trusting me to not accidentally knock us both to our doom? Bold move, Wade.”

“Do you have a better plan?” I shot back.

“Fair point,” she muttered, inching closer.

I steadied myself, taking a deep breath to silence the pounding in my chest. “Alright, Devlyn, on three. One... two...” The scaffolding jolted suddenly, and I nearly lost my grip. “Okay, let’s just skip to three!”