Chapter Eighteen
Luna
“And she’s here on her own freewill?”
I rolled my eyes and reached over the bar to grab a glass. “I can hear you talking about me, fucker. And you have said the same thing for the last four days.”
Frost chuckled. “There is the Luna we all know.”
Indiana patted my hand. “And love. He forgot to say we love you.” Indiana glared at Frost. “You would think you guys would be nice to each other since you’re cousins.”
I reached for the bottle of whiskey and poured two fingers worth in my glass. “The love is there behind the sarcasm and bad jokes,” I scoffed.
“Can you feel the love,” Pie sang.
Hero walked into the common room and sat down next to me. “You talk to Ransom lately?”
I shook my head. “Last time I heard from him was a couple of hours ago.” I was trying to be good and not go barging into the station and demand he tell me what was going on with the magazines. It was damn hard to sit my ass at the clubhouse and be a good little girl.
It had been a week since we had found the magazine in the storage unit, and so far, Ransom hadn’t been able to figure anything out from them. No fingerprints. No special markings in them. Nothing other than they were all four Popular Mechanics.
Seven days had passed since Avery had been killed, and once again, we had no idea who had killed her.
At least I had been able to work on the reopening of Sultry Knights and hired Margo’s cousin as the new cook for all of the theme nights. She had been rather shocked when I had told her the names, but once I had shown her the recipe cards Bristol had made, she was all on board. I told her she couldn’t be shocked by Pasta & Pussy or Taco & Titties if she was going to be cooking in a strip club.
Opening night was in three days, and it was the only thing that was keep me sane. That and having Ransom in my bed every night.
For two years, I had fooled myself into thinking that I didn’t need anyone that close to me. That I would only get hurt in the end.
I was wrong.
I needed Ransom just like I needed my family. Even my asshole cousins who weren’t really assholes but the only way they knew how to show that they cared about me was to be assholes. Good thing I was good at giving what I was getting from them.
“You guys need to have like bowls of nuts or something,” Indiana sighed. “I’m sitting at the bar, and I don’t have anything to snack on.”
“Long day at Pole Stars?” I laughed.
Indiana laughed. “You have no idea. I have a ton of stuff that needs to get done before we open in a couple of months, but you want to know the thing I do most every day?”
“Uh, wax poles?” I guessed. I wasn’t sure what else there was to do at a pole dancing studio.
“Keep Meg, Cyn, and Gwen off the damn poles,” she exclaimed. “I swear to God, one of them is going to break a hip and then I’m going to have to explain to King why his ol’ lady needs a walker.” Indiana ran her fingers through her hair. “I’d rather be at Hair of the Dog with Reva giving dogs baths and blowouts.”
Frost sat in the stool next to Indiana and pulled her into his lap. “Is she telling you about Meg and Cyn thinking they’re in Showgirls?”
“Dear, God,” I moaned. “Thank God my mom rarely comes to the clubhouse, otherwise they would probably have her swinging around on the pole.” That was something I never ever needed to see in my life. Never.
“I’ve been trying to get Reva to go over there with me after she gets off work, but she keeps putting me off.” Hero reached for an empty glass. “I think it’s time we test out the poles.”
“Hell no!” Indiana shouted. She pointed her finger in Hero’s face. “You will not go into Pole Stars and have sex with your girlfriend on every possible surface.”
Everyone in the common room stopped what they were doing and looked at Indiana.
She stood and glared at everyone. “That also goes for all of you fuckers unless you’re okay with Frost and me doing the nasty on every lift and toolbox in the body shop.”
“Jesus,” Frost groaned.
She turned back to Hero. “Or in the tub at Hair of the Dog.”
Hero wrinkled his nose. “If you really wanna do that, I’m sure Reva would give you the key, but that tub is stainless steel, and it really isn’t comfortable.”
Frost sputtered and patted his chest as he hacked on his laughter.
“Please do not tell me you’re had sex in the dog wash at Reva’s,” I pleaded.
Hero grabbed the bottle of whiskey from me and poured a shot. “Of course not.” He cleared his throat and raised the glass to his lips. “Though we tried.” He drank the amber liquid. “Twice,” he wheezed.
Frost cheered for Hero while Indiana threw her hands up in the air.
None of this really surprised me.
Just another day at the Devil’s Knights clubhouse.
“Luna.”
I turned at my name and saw Ransom in the doorway.
“Let’s go home.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. Not when it came to Ransom telling me to come home with him.
“Ask him what’s going on with the case,” Hero said lowly.
I rolled my eyes. “That sounds like club business of a club that I’m not a part of.” I drained my glass and set it on the bar. “Maybe you could try to get Bear in bed and see if he can tell you anything.”
I waved to Indiana and felt a little guilty about leaving her here with the boys, but one of the boys was hers, so she had basically signed up to be surrounded by the club.
Me? I wasn’t part of the club. Not yet.
I walked over to Ransom who was talking to Easy, but he held out his hand to me when I got close. He grabbed my hand and threaded his fingers with mine.
Easy bumped fists with Ransom, and I gave him a weak smile.
I was ready to leave.
Most of my injuries from the kidnapping were healed except for my wrist and the raging headache I would get at least once a day. Ransom had asked me before if I was having headaches, but I didn’t want to worry him. I knew they were just from having a killer concussion and knew they would go away eventually.
I was right in the middle of one.
Ransom looked down at me as we walked to his car. “Are you okay?”
I pasted a smile on my face. “Never better. Hero was talking about how Reva and he have sex at the groomers, and my aunts are trying to be pole dancers over at the pole dancing studio. If I wasn’t scared already from growing up in a motorcycle clubhouse, I am now.”
Ransom chuckled and opened my door. “I can see how that might not be things you don’t need to know.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss to my lips.
“You’re off work early,” I sighed when he pulled back.
“I’m about ten minutes away from going blind if I have to stare at those fucking magazines ever again.”
I frowned. “Still hitting a wall?”
He stepped back and motioned for me to get it. “A big brick one fifteen feet tall.”
I chuckled and slipped into the car. He closed my door and rounded the front. I fastened my seat belt as he got in and leaned back in my seat.
“Bristol didn’t happen to sneak into the house and drop off a tuna casserole, did she?”
I sighed and leaned back my head. “God, that would be amazing if she did, but she’s been at Wyndemere all day. I think we have to figure out dinner on our own from now on.”
Last night, I had cooked the last meal Bristol had brought over when I had gotten out of the hospital, and it had been just as amazing as the other ones she had prepared.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I could go for a burger and a shake for dinner.”
I glanced over at Ransom and laid my hand on his thigh. “Now that is the kind of problem solving I like. To the Burger Shack, Detective.”