Page 20

Chapter twenty

Knox

I t’s been a week since Mia and I went to the club—a week since the first night I used my ropes on her. But it wasn’t the only time this week. Last night, I had her legs and torso tied in a beautiful array as I positioned her on her side and fucked her so deep she came three times before I was finished. Fuck, I’m getting hard just thinking about it as I pack an overnight bag.

We’re headed to Michigan again for a run to the Iron Disciples clubhouse. The Monaghans dropped another shipment to us yesterday and Linc, Jude, Wyatt, and I are taking a load to them. I hate the thought of not sleeping next to my woman tonight, but duty calls and all that shit.

There’s a knock on my door, and I check my phone to see what time it is. Mia left about thirty minutes ago for work, and I doubt any of my brothers who aren’t going on this trip are awake yet.

I walk to my foyer and look out the window, seeing my mom’s car.

When I open the door, my mom is standing on the other side with a plate of something in her hand.

“Hi, Son. You going to let me in?”

“Shit, sorry, Mom.” I step aside, giving her room to move past me after she places a kiss on my cheek.

“I know you’re heading out. I just wanted to drop off a plate of breakfast to you before you left,” she says, looking around the house.

“Mia isn’t here.”

My mom walks into the kitchen and sets the plate on the counter. “Just checking,” she says with a smile.

“Breakfast, huh?” I walk into the kitchen and remove the aluminum foil she has covering the plate. “Wow, chicken-fried steak, even. My favorite.”

“I make it every once in a while for Trick. It’s kind of a pain in the ass.” My mom grabs a couple of paper towels from the roll next to the sink and a fork from the drawer, setting them next to the plate. “Do you mind?” she asks, pointing to the half-full coffeepot.

“Help yourself. And while you’re at it, maybe tell me what you’re really doing here.” My lips tip up in a half smile, and my mom laughs.

“I’m that obvious?”

“Not usually, no.”

I grab my fork and start with the eggs before my mom hands me a knife to cut the steak with.

“I wanted to check in with you. We haven’t seen a lot of you lately, and I want to know where your head’s at.”

“With what?”

“With Mia. Where you see this going. You know, all the stuff that moms worry about.”

“Did you have this conversation with Linc when he met Charlie?” I ask around the mouthful of food.

My mom smiles and sits next to me with her coffee in hand. “You and Linc are different, honey. Things with Charlie happened at Mach speed—like most things with your brother.”

That’s the fucking truth. I’m pretty sure when he showed up at the clubhouse with Charlie in tow, he’d claimed her before he'd even touched her. After she got here, we were almost immediately thrown into the Mob bullshit we barely got finished with.

“You’ve always taken things slower and more methodically. Ever since you were a kid you would weigh out every decision before you made it. But when you picked your path, you went full force. So, I'm wondering where your head’s at. I know you, son, and I know how deeply you care and how fiercely protective you are of the people you care about.”

“I love her. She’s…it.”

A wide smile spreads across my mom’s face. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.” My mom looks out my glass patio doors for a few moments, then back to me. “When we left Nebraska, hell, even before that, you had to deal with more than anyone your age should have. I think it closed something off in you. Your life became about protecting me and your brother, then it was about your club.”

“Of course it did. That’s what family does.”

She reaches over and places her hand on my forearm. “I know. And I know how seriously you take the responsibility you have as an older brother and the club’s VP. Sometimes I’d worry that you were so busy looking after everyone else that you didn’t take time for yourself. Or take the time to find someone who would be willing to be there for you the way you’re always there for the people you care about.”

“Are you checking on me or making sure Mia is happy?” I ask only half-jokingly.

My mom laughs. “Maybe a bit of both,” she answers and shrugs one shoulder. “I really like her. And the way she looks at you is every mother’s wish for her kids.”

“Yeah, how’s that?”

“Like the sun rises and sets on you. And you look at her the same. Maybe I just want to make sure you aren’t letting anything stand in the way of the happiness you both deserve.”

“Mia makes me forget all the shit I went through,” I start, then shake my head. “No, that's not right. She’s the balm for everything. Everything I thought about myself, feeling like I wasn’t good enough for someone like her. She makes me realize I never felt this way about another person because the only person right for me is her. That’s why I’ve always guarded myself. Because I hadn’t met her yet. Does that make sense?”

My mother looks at me with a sheen in her eyes. “It makes perfect sense, son.” She takes a sip of coffee and nods toward the plate. “Now finish your food.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mom starts to leave a few minutes later, and I let her know I’d like to have a big family dinner over here with her, Trick, and Mia’s grandmother.

She looks at me with a happy smile on her face and affectionately pats my cheek like she used to do when I was a kid. “I’d love that.”

When I get to the clubhouse, Linc and Jude’s bikes are parked next to the van. Walking inside, I find Ozzy drinking a cup of coffee, sitting at the bar with a newspaper in hand.

“Hey, Oz,” I say in greeting.

“Hey.” He sets the paper on the bar, and I read the headline.

“Still no clue who killed that girl, huh?”

Ozzy shakes his head. “No. I realize this kind of thing can happen without ties to all the shit we dealt with last year, but it makes me nervous, especially considering it’s so close to home, know what I mean?”

“Yeah. Maybe Jude can have Liam look past any possible Petrov ties and see if we can’t get some answers.” I pick up the paper and begin reading the article. Whoever did this to these girls is one sick fuck.

“Liam’s out of the country with Cillian and Nova for the next few weeks. But this isn’t club business, so I don't feel right about asking him to make it a priority. Nik assured Finn that the Russians had nothing to do with it, and Finn said there was no way that any of Farina’s men who he let live would defy him. They were just as disgusted with what Farina was doing as the rest of us.”

“Guess the Italians have some morals after all.”

“The ones who are still alive seem to.”

Our club has never had the best relationship with the Italians who were absorbed into the Monaghan organization, but I suppose that was before the Monaghans—and us—took out the heads of their organizations. Now, they answer to Finn, and the man is practically family at this point, thanks to his lieutenant being engaged to Cooper’s little sister. Cooper might be gone, but Nova is still family, and by extension, so are the Monaghans.

Jude and Linc walk out of the kitchen, each carrying a rolled-up pancake with sausage inside.

“Your women don’t cook you breakfast?” Ozzy says.

“Have you met Lucy?” Jude remarks with a smirk.

“I didn’t want to wake up Charlie banging around in the kitchen. She was up late studying last night.”

Wyatt emerges from the hallway, freshly showered and looking like he’s ready to get out of here.

“Who’s in the van?” I ask.

Jude and Linc raise their hands.

“We’ll take the van there if you take it back,” Linc says.

“Sounds good,” Wyatt replies. “I’m going to grab some breakfast before we go.”

As the guys finish eating, I speak with Braxton about security over at Midnight Rose. He’ll be the point of contact while I’m gone.

“Everything still quiet over there?” I ask.

We never figured out who put a knife in my tires, but so far, there haven’t been any other incidents.

Braxton nods. “I don’t know, man. Maybe it was a pissed-off boyfriend or customer or something.”

He could be right, but something doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe because this is our town, and I’ll be damned if any asshole off the street thinks he can get away with fucking with our shit. But in all the years the club’s been active in Shine, the town has pretty much left us alone, minus the shitty stares and the occasional attitude we’ve had to deal with. But to outright vandalize our property? That’s never happened.

“Check in with Sylvie and make sure she got the delivery today. But otherwise, everything should be good on that end. I hired an extra security guard over there so we don’t have to have a brother there every night.”

“Not gonna lie, I didn’t mind my security detail,” he says, wearing a smirk.

“You better not be harassing the girls, fucker.”

“Define harass .”

I shake my head, my eyes rolling toward the ceiling. “Shut the fuck up.”

Braxton laughs and Linc walks over. “Ready, brother?”

“Yup, let's get on the road.” We file out the door and put Jude and Linc’s bikes in the back of the van before Wyatt and I get on ours. The prospect opens the gate for us, and we head out. It’s a beautiful day for a ride. Although I’d prefer to have my woman on the back of my bike, having this time with my brothers settles the same thing in me that it always has. This brotherhood gave me a place before I found mine with Mia, and I appreciate every second we get to do what we want on our terms and at each other's sides.

About six hours later, we stop at a little roadside diner. It marks our halfway point before we get to the Iron Disciples’ clubhouse. We all need to stretch our legs for a bit and grab some dinner since we’ll be on our bikes for another six hours. All I know is we’d better leave a hell of a lot earlier tomorrow morning than we did today because I plan on falling asleep with my woman tomorrow night.

The waitress has just dropped off our food when my phone rings.

Charlie's name flashes on the screen, and my brows furrow. “Hey Charlie, what’s up?” I ask, and Linc meets my gaze with a surprised look on his face.

“Have you heard from Mia? She was supposed to meet Lucy and me at Thorn and Thistle, and I can’t get a hold of her.”

“No. I didn’t know she was going over there.”

“It was a last-minute thing. But she was supposed to be here over an hour ago, and she isn’t answering her phone or text messages.”

“When was the last time you talked to her?”

“When I called to see if she wanted to meet us. Nice job on the flowers, by the way. She was gushing about them on the phone.”

I stiffen and stare my brother in the eye. “Charlie, I didn’t send her any flowers.” A thought comes to my mind about the newspaper article this morning. Something about the women last year and the one they just found being buried holding a bouquet of white tulips. “Did she say what kind of flowers they were?”

“White tulips.”

Anxiety grips my throat. “Charlie, I want you to stay at the bar. I’m sending Cash and Barrett over there.”

“Why?”

“I have a bad feeling, and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Okay. Is Linc with you?” she asks, nerves apparent in her voice.

“Yeah, call him.”

I hang up, and a second later, Linc is pulling his phone from his pocket and answering Charlie’s call while I dial Mia.

No answer.

I try again and the same thing happens. There’s no answer. My next call is to Braxton.

“Hey, man,” he says when he answers my call.

“Where are you?”

“At the clubhouse.”

“Are Cash and Barrett with you?”

“Yeah…what’s going on?” he asks, confusion lacing his words.

“I’m not sure, but I need Cash and Barrett to head to Thorn and Thistle to hang out with the girls, and I need you to look for Mia. She was supposed to meet the girls there and never showed,” I say, trying to keep the alarm out of my voice.

“Where am I looking?”

“Try Main between the bar and the high school. If you don’t see her car, make your way to her place. Do you know where it is?”

Braxton calls out to Barrett and Cash before answering, “Yeah, Tanya had me pick some shit up from her grandmother a few months ago.”

“Call me and tell me what you find.”

Linc hangs up with Charlie at the same time I disconnect the call with Braxton.

“Charlie’s a little freaked out, man,” he tells me.

“She’s not the only one,” I reply.

“What do you want to do?” Jude asks me.

“Wait here until we know something.”

“I’ll call Silas,” Wyatt says.

“Not yet. If it’s nothing, then there’s nothing to tell him.” And I hope like hell I’m overreacting.

I flag the waitress down and we pay for our food, though we’ve only eaten about half. We head outside, and Jude lights a cigarette, something he does when he’s stressed out.

About fifteen tense minutes later, my phone rings. I look at the name and am disappointed to see Braxton’s and not Mia’s.

“No sign of her car at the school or between there and the bar. I’m going to drive to her place now.”

“Okay, thanks, man.”

“Yup.” He hangs up, and the rest of the guys look at me expectantly. I shake my head because there’s nothing for me to report, and I don’t know if I can form words past the lump in my throat.

There’s this thing that happens when you grow up around someone who is violent and unpredictable. It’s almost as though you feel a disturbance in the universe before everything goes to hell. I became adept at reading that feeling, and it's served me well in my life. It’s as though I’m drowning in it now, but it’s coupled with a helplessness that hasn’t been there in years, considering I’m hours away from my woman.

Then it happens.

I answer the phone when I see his name light up the screen.

It only takes ten minutes between my last call with Braxton and this one for my world to crash around me.

“I went to her house. The door was wide open and everything in her purse was all over the floor. A bunch of shit was knocked over on her kitchen counter, too.”

“Fuck!” I scream into the night.

“There’s more. There’s blood on the corner of one of the counters. She’s gone, man.”