“Sure you don’t want to stay?” Henry asked from his side.
“I’m sure. Keep an eye on that situation.” He nodded at Penni as she went out the door. “If it gets out of hand, call me.”
“She’ll be fine,” Henry assured him.
“It’s not Penni I’m worried about. Jackal has a temper, and she’s used to dealing with a brother who doesn’t have emotions. Jackal is a hot-head, so when she pushes him, she’ll get more than she bargained for.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Henri promised. “You packed?”
“Yes, I was ready to leave a week ago.” King sighed. He had one last piece of business to finish. He nodded to Ice and Jackal who took a seat across from him.
“You talk to Deacon?” King asked the president of the Predators.
“I did; I warned him to back off Desmond.” Desmond had angered Deacon when he had bought a building Deacon wanted. While the two had been business enemies for the last three years, King had always managed to maintain the peace between them. However, now he was leaving, he worried Deacon would make a strike against Desmond.
“Did he listen?”
“He pretended to, even shook my hand and told me he would leave Desmond alone,” Ice stated. “Do I trust his word? Fuck no. I’ve placed a couple of my men on him, so if he tries anything, we’ll be on him like Max on Sherri.” The bikers laughed while Henry stiffened next to him.
King rubbed his temple. It was essential for Henry and the Predators to get along or Queen City would be out of control ten minutes after he left town.
“Max has four kids, all accidents. Desmond better not get hurt because of lack of precautions,” Henry said drily.
King watched Ice and Jackal’s reaction as the men gave Henry a respectful nod. His final doubt over whether Henry would be able to retain control evaporated. The bikers were aware that, with Henry and Desmond, they could keep Queen City in a stranglehold that would be lucrative to all of them.
He had chosen Henry as his bodyguard for a reason—he was able to spot trouble before it could do any damage. If the Predators and Desmond listened to Henry, he would be able to provide them with all the information they needed. The strip club catered to all walks of life, and men would let secrets drop when a beautiful woman was flashing her tits in their face.
He sat back, relaxing. He would miss his club and Queen City, but neither compared to being nearer to Evie and Lily. He was going to have to find a new challenge to keep him occupied.
Chapter 23
As King drove through town, he saw that church service was beginning with the congregation entering the front of the Church. He didn’t see Lily or Evie, so he continued on to the house he had purchased years ago.
It didn’t take long to get situated. He had unpacked his suitcase before he’d tackled the job of opening the windows to let the house freshen out. He was turning from the window after opening it when movement in the house behind his caught his eye. Looking out the window, he saw Evie come out of Lily’s house wearing a bikini and carrying a glass in her hand. He watched as she walked across the yard, sitting down on a lounge chair.
Why was she there? He had expected her to be at church.
Turning from the window, he went out the back door; there was no time like the present to let her know he was in town. It had been three months since he had seen her last. Three months of being away from her had taught him a valuable lesson—he didn’t want to spend another day without her.
He was finally free to pursue the woman who had left him without a backward glance. He had asked Lily about Evie, but the only information she had given him had been vague and incomplete, other than she no longer worked at the factory after accepting a job at a local doctor’s office as a NP.
He walked around the fence, seeing the opening between the two yards that a tree blocked.
She was lying down on the lounger on her back.
“Are you wearing any sunscreen?”
“That would defeat the purpose of lying out for a tan, wouldn’t it?” Her stiff voice showed she wasn’t happy to see him.
King ignored her smart-ass remark, pulling a chair from the patio table to move closer to her. Taking a seat, he lazily let his eyes rove over her glistening body.
“What are you wearing?” She sat up partially, leaning back on her elbows.
His eyes dropped to her breasts displayed by the bikini top she was wearing. The emerald green suit clung to her breasts, leaving her cleavage bare. The sight of her tattoo on her breast no longer aroused his jealousy, though. He had learned too late that, while she had shared her body with certain members of The Last Riders, she hadn’t given her heart to any of them. That had been reserved for a fiancé she had grown up with and now him, if he could get her back.