Havoc (Tattoos and Ties 1)

Fox came inside and shut the door behind him. He looked concerned, much like he had earlier today. “I was comin’ to check on you. Things got shitty quick tonight.”

Keyes stayed quiet, going back to the chair to unlace his work boots.

“Your old man’s taken care of. He knows he needs to lay off you…”

Keyes edged the heel of his boot off. His socks had felt so soft when he’d put them on this morning. The pain in his heart closed his eyes.

“He’s comin’ to the bike shop from now on. He won’t be back at the tire shop until you give me the heads-up.”

Defeat landed on his shoulders. If only that were the real problem.

“I can’t help it if he sees you here, but I’ve talked to him, and Mack and Ace know to intervene if he breaks his promise. Chain’s stayin’ at your place with Smoke. He needed a place to stay anyway.”

Keyes nodded. Another layer of bullshit added to the already out of control bullshit meter of today. His father’s health and dumbass defiance required almost constant supervision.

“I know you, Key. You’ve put up with a lot. Don’t worry anymore. He’s not just your responsibility. You’ve done your time.”

He finally lifted his head and looked up at Fox.

“You should get that looked at.” Fox nodded down, causing Keyes’s brow to furrow as he followed the direction of that gaze.

Oh yeah, his knuckles. Keyes studied the gash in his hand. He’d lost the towel at some point, and the blood had started dripping on to the floor again.

“Fuck.” Keyes jumped up, going for his duffle bag, reaching for a clean white sock to wrap around the wound.

“Here,” Fox said, laying a wrapped manila envelope on the small dresser close to the door. “I divvied out extra. I didn’t expect the fight. Dev’s gotta cool his ass down. He could’ve fucked things up tonight.”

“I got his back,” Keyes said, which didn’t answer anything. He was just territorial and pissed off and hurt and sick of all this goddamn emotion roiling through him.

“I know you do. Y’all’ve always been tight. I’ll send Shanna to have a look at your hand.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m the boss here.” Fox was gone, and Keyes went to the dresser, opening the envelope. He counted ten thousand dollars in wrapped bundles of hundred-dollar bills. That was five thousand more than he’d ever gotten before. Keyes tucked the money inside the duffle. He’d go by his uncle’s in the morning before work and put it with his stash.

A few minutes later, there was a light knock. When he opened the door, Dev’s eyes stared up at him, but on a little five foot two inch female who might rival Keyes in the quiet department. Shanna was Fox’s daughter—Dev’s sister. She was also in nursing school and must have been nearby to have arrived so quickly.

“I’ll be okay,” he said, blocking the entrance to the room with his hand still on the doorknob.

“Just let me see.” She rolled her eyes and shoved past him, carrying a first-aid kit.

He stared down at the top of her head, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. Keyes towered over her in both bulk and height, but she owned every single one of these guys, including him. If Dev was his brother, Shanna was his sister, and the familiarity alone helped ease him. He left the door open and went to the chair. She was already unpacking the kit.

“Sit down. I don’t have all night.”

Five days later

Technically, this didn’t qualify as being stood up. There’d been no specifics mentioned. So Alec equated this to being jilted. Okay, not really like that either. Jilted implied relationship, and although Alec had been all prepared for that, he was pretty sure he’d gotten the brush-off way before boundaries had even had a chance to be established.

He’d been more of a hit it and quit it. Nail and bail. No strings, no commitment. The way he had always preferred things. Until now. Key had clearly wanted sex, a singular thing. Alec had wanted more sex, a plural thing.

More sex with just one man.

Lots more sex with just one particular man.

Alec might only be happy had Key stopped by every single night for the last five nights and pinned him against the sofa again—that rough, firm palm pressed between his shoulder blades, holding him in place as Key took him from behind.

Yeah. A deep unsatisfied breath escaped as a sigh.

Why were his feelings hurt? They’d had one night. Alec dropped his car keys in their place and went for the kitchen. He filled a glass with ice and headed to the bar. Once he’d poured a glass of Grey Goose, with a splash of soda and about the same amount of lime juice, he took a long drink.