“Hey, boss man. What are you all doing here?” I asked and nudged him with my shoulder.
“Thought we’d come check out the scenery, get some of those bear claws. We can only get them on Saturdays.” He rolled his eyes. “She won’t bake them for us any other time, and Will here hasn’t had any for months.”
“You know the woman who bakes them?” I asked, curious. Tugging Logan closer, I gestured to him. “Not sure if you remember Dec bringing him in yesterday, but this is Logan. Dec’s… friend.”
PD tipped his black bowler hat at him. “Pleasure to meet ya, Logan. People call me PD.” Then he shrugged. “Her name is Madam Winters.”
“Madam Winters?” I chuckled. “That’s the name of the blonde lady who bakes the bear claws?”
The Kings, minus Will and Jester, laughed, and I frowned at them.
“What’s funny?” I glanced around at each of them, then to Logan, who shrugged. “Is that a Southern thing or something? She likes being called Madam?”
“Sure,” one of the Kings I didn’t know said, his voice tinged with a British accent. His hair was shaved short, and he was the only King here who didn’t have any visible tattoos.
Beside him was a pretty man with long blond hair and glittery makeup that sparkled when he moved. He slapped the Brit lightly on the stomach, frowning in disapproval at the laughter. “That’s exactly why she likes being called Madam Winters. Isn’t the South charming, honey?”
I felt like I was missing something, but I had a feeling they weren’t going to tell me what. PD shook his head and grabbed my shoulder, squeezing it. “Don’t even worry about it, Jake. These guys are being jackasses.”
“As if you didn’t laugh, too, PD,” the Brit said.
“Don’t you even let them get under your skin, honey.” The blond man smiled in my direction and waved his hand, showing off pink-polished fingernails as glittery as his face. “They’re messing with you. It’s one thing Destiny has learned to deal with. I’m Destiny, by the way.” He held his hand out to me, and I took a step forward to shake it.
“Pleasure. I’m Jake.”
“Where is Your Highness?” PD asked, leaning his ass against the seat of his gleaming black Harley and crossing his arms.
I shrugged. “Practice. They’ve got back-to-back games coming up in Columbus.”
“Fuck. I don’t know how he does it. All that traveling.” PD grunted as he tilted his head forward.
“I hate it,” I admitted, scratching the back of my neck. “He’s away too long.”
“I bet you get to know your righty well.” One of the other Kings made a jerking gesture with his hand and nudged the guy next to him as he snorted in laughter.
“Shut up, Scar,” PD said, shaking his head.
I shrugged, not fazed by his accusation. “I have twins, actually. Rightinald and Leftington, and we have a really good relationship.”
Logan shifted uncomfortably beside me, and that was a sign that it was time to go. Bikers weren’t for everyone, and if you didn’t work with one like I did, I could see why it was easy to get intimidated by them. They were brash men who didn’t hold anything back, but that’s why I liked PD. He didn’t give me half-truths. If I did a good job he’d tell me, and it was just the same if I did something wrong.
“Time to go. Logan’s new in town, and I’m going to show him what New Gothenburg has to offer. I’ll see you at work on Tuesday,” I said to PD, and he slapped me on the shoulder again. I nodded my goodbyes to the other guys—Destiny got an extra little wave—before I guided Logan away from them.
“They’re a club around here?” Logan asked when we were far enough away.
“Yeah, that’s the Kings of Men. Well, a few of them, anyway. We’ve got a couple of other clubs in the city, I think, not really sure who they are, other than the Harlot Queens. They’re an all-ladies’ club.” While I knew the Kings had two other club rivals, I didn’t actually know their names, and PD made it his mission to keep club shit out of his business, which I appreciated. While I liked the Kings fine enough, I didn’t want to get involved in anything illegal. The most I’d ever gotten was a couple of speeding tickets.
When we hit the first market stall, the sweet smell of food invaded my nose, and I resisted the urge to moan. My mouth watered, and even though we’d already eaten this morning, my stomach rumbled. I wanted whatever smelled so good.
Logan laughed, the skin around his mouth crinkling for nearly the first time since I’d met him. “I heard that.”
“My stomach talking?” I shook my head but chuckled. “Give me food and I’m a happy man, even if I’ve only just eaten.”
“Me too.” He grinned in commiseration, and I took a moment to appreciate the happiness on his face. It was good to see something other than nervousness, and the joy fit his already young face. He had a sense of maturity about him I liked, and in a lot of ways he reminded me of Dec when I’d first met him. They were both older in mind than they were in age. I didn’t know Logan very well, but something about him called to me to protect him, because even though he’d laughed, his eyes still held a sadness.
He cocked his head, and I stared longer than I’d meant to at his neck, pondering what his skin would look like if it had some colorful ink on it. His flesh was so bare… like a blank canvas ready for my artistic touch, but I felt that way about everybody who didn’t have a tattoo. My skin didn’t have nearly enough art, either.
“You’re staring.” Logan nudged me, but his smile didn’t dwindle.
