Page 57 of Ink

Are they seriously laughing at me?

“Is something funny?” I ask, crossing my arms across my chest.

They both lose it. Their loud, booming laughter echoes throughout the kitchen and can probably be heard from upstairs.

“World class butthead?” Ink asks, both of them pausing for a moment before busting out laughing all over again.

“You can say asshole, babe,” Cyrus says in between catching his breath. “No one is going to rat you out to your mom.” He wipes the small tears that have formed in the corners of his eyes from laughing so hard. “Fuck, I needed that.”

“You’re both annoying,” I declare as I turn my attention back to my burger, deciding I’m done with them.

“Sorry for bein’ so annoying, bunny.” Ink laughs as he gently squeezes my upper thigh. “Eat.”

Cyrus is looking at Ink like he knows something I don’t.

I wonder what that’s all about.

Chapter

Twenty-One

INK

Rapping my knuckles on Cain’s office door, I wait for his ‘come in’ before entering.

I left Sutton with Evan to hopefully figure out a temporary living arrangement. Putting the word temporary in front of it was the only way I could get Sutton to agree to take Evan up on the offer.

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone so god damn stubborn in my life. She has a ton of people that don’t know her from Adam holding their hand out to help her, but she doesn’t want to be a charity case. Shit’s whack.

“You rang, Your Majesty?” I call as I enter the office.

“Oh, fuck off,” Cain grunts, slamming his fist on top of a stapler. “Stupid fucking thing. Never fucking works.”

“It might you if you weren’t beating the fuck out of it.”

“Funny,” Cain mocks as I snicker.

“What’s up?” I ask as I take a seat.

“You good for a run?”

“Now?”

I won’t ever tell him no and usually I don’t give a fuck about staying in rotation for this type of shit, but I’ve never had something personal to take care of before. Anything personal died with my mom.

“I know you got shit goin’ on, but it’s the same guys as before and I want another read on them.”

“Who’s ridin’ with me?”

“I’m gonna send Hash, so they see another familiar face. I figure he knows ‘em as much as you do. I was thinking about sending Scotch too, but I don’t want to throw them off by sending a third now. They don’t need to know we think somethin’ is up. As soon as you two feel it’s safe, I want you to count that money, though. Every single fucking dollar.”

I rest my ankle on my thigh as I lean on the armrest, rubbing my fingers over the corners of my mouth as I think. “You think they shorted us on purpose?”

I’m not gonna lie. I was thinking about that being a possibility after our conversation the other week.

I’d lay my life down for my brothers. I can’t see any of them stealing from the club. Not even Levi. Kid is fresh but also way too eager to please. He wouldn’t jeopardize getting patched in over a few grand.

Someone like Sutton would notice a few grand missing, but an MC? That little amount of money is like twenty bucks, especially if you aren’t keeping track of shit.