Page 10

Kingsley

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Razz walked out of the clubhouse's office after getting orders to take one of the quads to the other side of the mountain. Kingsley looked at Zane and shook his head. They were wasting a lot of manpower watching Zora.

They had no sign of trouble. Not around the woman or in Gem Haven.

With their dad in prison and the lack of communication, all they could do was follow the order in the letter, which continued to show everyone, especially Zane and Kingsley, that Ridge Stafford still ruled over Gem Haven from behind bars.

"Big John and Smoker left an hour ago to meet two riders from WAKOM Motorcycle Club. They're going to find out what's going on over in Washington. They met with Killere MC last week, so any news will be fresh. That should give us an idea if trouble will head our way." Zane leaned back in the chair. "I need to talk to Dad, but I can't get away for visitation anytime soon."

"I'll go."

Zane frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yep. I want to make sure he gets through to Burt Shay that Kenna and River need to see their dad." He shrugged. "Doubt it will help, but he needs to see you and I are on the same side, and he's going to need to turn us both down."

"Meanwhile, we're still running around, working our asses off for him." Zane pushed out of the chair.

He understood his brother's frustrations. As the oldest son, Zane was responsible for Gem Haven in their dad's absence. As the second son, Kingsley was taught to do whatever needed to be done to ensure Gem Haven stayed safe for the club and its members. He and his brother were a united front to everyone.

They loved Gem Haven as much as their dad.

"It's good that you'll visit him. Maybe you can find out why we're wasting manpower watching over some woman who wants to be left alone," said Zane.

"Yeah." He walked to the window and looked down the hill.

He studied the outside of the bar. A group of tourists congregated in front of the entrance. As he watched, they moved to the door and went inside. Their decision to open the bar to the campers had turned profitable over the last several years.

It was an idea they'd come up with to bring more money to the club and one their dad refused to do when he was here, thinking it would bring added danger to Gem Haven. But times were different now. They needed a legal cover to hide other activities that would land them in a cell beside their dad.

Zane walked to the window. "I'll feel better with you going to visit dad. I haven't heard anything so at least his privileges weren't stripped away, forcing him to miss visitation day."

Outside, Kenna walked past the bar, heading up the hill toward the clubhouse. His chest tightened. She wasn't working at the bar today. Usually, she stuck close to River but since filling in at the bar, she hadn't gone with River to work at the campground.

It worried him that she'd leave Gem Haven, and he hated having her out of sight. He had to trust her to stay, for her to learn to trust him again. If that meant giving her freedom around Gem Haven, then that's what he'd do.

"I better get out of here before something else pulls me in." Zane looked out the window. "Everything okay between you and Kenna?"

"She's talking to me again."

"That's good."

Since they got back together, she'd slept in his bed every night. There was no hint that she wanted to leave Gem Haven. But so much remained in the balance over her dad not wanting to see her.

Burt Shay would never understand the amount of pain and heartbreak he'd put on Kenna and River.

He turned from the window. "Did you ever find out the story behind Zora when you were going through Dad's records?"

"Nothing." Zane walked down the hall beside him. "I don't ever remember him bringing up her name before. Though, I do remember him grounding me for riding onto the other side of the mountain when I was around twelve. A few of us kids took off for the day and used the old place for target practice with our twenty-twos. Dad was livid."

"Was Zora living there at the time?"

Zane opened the door and stepped outside. "I have no idea. I thought the place was vacant."

"She's been living there for quite some time to grow all that shit. There're flowers and raised beds all around the cabin, with gravel pathways leading to different trails. It looks like she's self-sufficient. I didn't see any mode of transportation. She's getting her water from a nearby spring," he said.

"I don't understand what the fuck is going on."

Kingsley pulled on his beard. "Nobody could live there year-round without some form of heat. Maybe she only stays there during the summer."

"Nope, Big John had been checking on her. He confessed to bringing her firewood, food, and making sure she had water during the winter. He also takes her flowers into some florist in Couer D'alene who buys them from her."

"Is it Big John's woman?" he asked.

Zane shook his head. "He says she isn't."

Kingsley stopped. Kenna had spotted him and hurried in his direction. "Believe me, I'll ask Dad what's up with her."

He couldn't explain why the woman seemed familiar to him. But it wasn't the mystery of where he'd seen her before that bothered him. There shouldn't be a woman living alone on the mountain. Period. It was dangerous.

Kenna stopped short of touching him, looking between Zane and him. "Am I interrupting?"

"Never." He hooked her behind the neck and brought her to his side. "What's up?"

"The woman that lives at the cabin was at the house." She frowned. "She didn't stay."

"What do you mean she was there?" Kingsley shared a glance with Zane, knowing something was wrong. "Did you see her?"

"She knocked, but by the time I got downstairs, nobody was there. When I opened the door, I caught her hurrying into the trees. I'm sure it was her. I've never seen anyone with hair that specific color or that long." Kenna leaned against him. "She left a basket by the front door."

"Just a basket?" asked Zane.

Kenna shrugged. "There's something in it, but it looks like it's wrapped in material. I didn't look. I thought one of you might want to see what it is right away, so I came looking for you."

Zane motioned for Kingsley to go ahead and check it out. "I need to ride over to the campground. If it's an emergency, call the desk and get ahold of me. I'll be there for about thirty minutes. After that, use my cell."

"You're leaving?"

"No, I'll be at the bar. River's meeting Taylor—a friend, for dinner and to catch up." Zane walked backward toward his Harley. "You might also want to find out why Razz and Guy never spotted Zora leaving the cabin."

He nodded and walked with Kenna down the hill. It seemed like he'd spent a lifetime chasing women. First Kenna and River, and now Zora.

He leaned over and kissed the top of Kenna's head without missing a step. "Good day?"

"Boring."

"You could've come up to the clubhouse and spent time with me."

"You were working."

"When it comes to you, it doesn't matter." He veered onto the well-worn path down the middle of the front lawn.

She looked behind them. "Where's your motorcycle?"

"Up at the clubhouse."

"You're going back?" she asked.

"In a while." He pulled her close. "With you."

She smiled, apparently happy to have him include her. He stepped up on the deck and spotted the weaved basket. Squatting beside the gift, he pulled back the red and black material and grunted in surprise. There were cookies stacked in piles. He picked one up, brought it to his nose, and inhaled deeply. Taken back at the cinnamon aroma, he dropped the cookie in the basket and stood.

"She made you cookies?" asked Kenna.

"It looks that way." He pulled out his cell phone, tapped the contact number for the cabin at the campground, and asked River to have Zane call him the moment he got there.

Holding the cell in his hand, he walked away from the basket and stared at it as if it were a snake that would strike at any moment.

"What's wrong?" Kenna approached him and put her hands on his stomach. "It's just a gift, right?"

"Maybe." He frowned at the basket. "Maybe not."

"You're freaking me out." She stepped into his line of vision. "Are you upset she made cookies for you?"

His pulse echoed in his ears. He swallowed hard. "I'm not a big believer of coincidences."

"Explain."

He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought, but it wouldn't go away. "I don't remember my mom. The only thing I do remember were the cookies she'd make. They were my favorites. Snickerdoodles."

Kenna looked behind her at the basket and then at him. "Is that the same kind?"

"Yeah." But that wasn't all.

Ever since he'd talked to her at the cabin and informed her that Gem Haven Motorcycle Club would be running security on her and the cabin, he couldn't stop thinking that he knew her. She was familiar to him, but he hadn't seen her around Gem Haven before.

Now, she sent cookies to him. His favorite cookies he hadn't had since he was four years old.

"What are you thinking?" whispered Kenna.

He wrapped his arms around her and set her chin on the top of her head. "I need to find out Zora's relationship with my dad."

"Maybe she's an old girlfriend," suggested Kenna.

"Or, my mother," muttered Kingsley.

Kenna gasped and leaned back to see his face. He met her eyes and shrugged. "At this point, nothing would surprise me."

He'd grown up, believing his mother had run away from Gem Haven. She couldn't stand having her husband's attention on the bikers and not on her. According to his dad, his mom wasn't fit to raise two hellions and had run off when he was four and Zane was five years old.

Nothing more was said, and he and Zane never asked. Ridge Stafford had stepped up and become a single father, surrounding them with a new family. The members of the MC helped him raise his sons.