Page 91 of Stone: The Precursor

I think about Stone doing drugs, and it doesn’t feel right. “He smokes these brown cigars, but I don’t think they are laced with anything. And I don’t get an addict vibe from him. He could be selling it, but that also feels wrong too.” Despite his assholeness, there is something in my heart that tells me he doesn’t sell drugs. “I think it’s more like he’s committing some sort of crime.”

“Oh God is in the Mafia? Your guy is embodying all the romance tropes, my love. Maybe he’s their enforcer? Like he roughs people up? Or he could be the leader, sending out hits on people? Do you think the Mafia?”

He does have a commanding, leader-type energy. “I don’t know. But I do know he’s in a motorcycle club.”

She raised both brows. “Well, that’s close enough. What’s the name of his club?”

I remembered seeing it in a picture in his shop. “The Legion Lords.”

“Hmmm. I don’t know that one, but give me a second.” King picked up her phone and dialed, and I sat beside her while she placed it between an empty jar of pickles.

A deep gruff voice came over the line, and King smiled when the voice almost purred. “There’s my Kiki. How are you, baby girl? You in town?”

My best friend, who has been with me for over ten years, blushed and grinned at me. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Hold on a second. It’s noisy as fuck in the bar. Let me go to my office. Don’t hang up.”

I blinked in complete shock and mouthed.Who is this guy?

Kingsley leaned over and whispered in my ear.“He’s a guy I messed around with for one summer. The summer you were in Paris. I stopped at a local bar out of some small town outside of Chicago and saw him behind the bar. 6’7 giant, huge grey beard. Sexiest man I have ever seen in my life. I’m a sucker for gray hair, it seems. We fucked for like three months straight. Some of the best sex of my life. A shit ton of bikers come into his bar. Whenever I’m near his place and feeling horny, I stop by and he takes me to Pound Town. It’s great. Friendly.Casual Coitus”

I whispered back, “You call him Daddy?”

She nodded and whispered back. “He’s 50 years old and hot as fuck.”

50 years old!Holy shit! Seems I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.

I remembered that summer. We were both 18 and freshly graduated from our boarding school. The trip to Paris was a birthday gift from Jace. He took me to Paris with his friend Eleanor at the time. They were dating, and as amazing as the trip was, I often felt like a third wheel. My father was thousands of miles away. He hadn’t shown up at my graduation. Just Jace. Adam was still recovering, undergoing physical therapy. It was a break from the chaos at home.

King’s friend’s rough voice gets back on the line. “How’s my King Kitty?”

I grin at the nickname and poke her in her shoulder. King fans my hand away. I’ll get it out of her later.

“I hate that name, Zig.”

“It fits. You have the best pussy in town, so King Kitty it is.”

“Oh my God.” She rolled her eyes again and smirked. “That is not why I called. What do you know about the Legion Lords?”

“Christ, King, don’t tell me you’re fucking with one of those!?”

“Why, what’s the problem?”

“You’d be way out of your league.”

“I handled you.” She grinned and laughed into the phone.

“That you did, but I’m nowhere near what they are, babe. Maybe once upon a time I might have been borderline into what they do, but the only trouble I get into now is in my bar.”

“Tell me everything.”

“Not until you promise not to go near them. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“It’s for a friend,” King stated, looking at me, a worried expression on her face. “Why are they so dangerous?”

“How long you got?”

“How long do you have?” She parried right back.