Page 77 of Sweet Temptation

My instinct was to tell him to stay the fuck out of my job. But at the same time…

I wanted Sanchuk to sign that piece of paper.

“You have something in mind?”

“Let’s just say he’ll be instructed on what’s expected of him,” Piper said.

“You can consider it a peace bond of our own,” Blazer added. He gave me a feral smile.

At a glance, “Blazer” looked more like a dude who belonged in a motorcycle ad aimed at coke-snorting stockbrokers who wanted to play biker on the weekend, than an actual biker.

Though the tats on his knuckles that said SHIT HEAD spoke volumes.

“All I ask of you in return,” Piper informed me, “is once the restraining order is in place, if this Sanchuk fuck breaks any of the conditions, you see him around or Summer tells you he’s tried to contact her, you tell me first. Me,” he stressed.

“First…” I repeated. “As in, before the police?”

“Before anyone. I want to know the second it happens, if it happens. Though I don’t think it’ll be too fuckin’ likely. What do you think, Blaze?”

“Not likely,” Blazer agreed. “Not after we have a little afternoon tea with him.”

Afternoon tea?

Yeah, I did not want to know whatever that meant.

Piper took a step toward me, getting a little too in my face for my liking. “You let me deal with it,” he said in a lowered voice, “and it will get dealt with. Case I’m not being clear, that means you don’t tell the cops a thing.”

“No offense, Jeremy,” I said evenly. “But I don’t want any debt to the Kings, and I definitely don’t want Summer having any.”

Piper laughed. Then his hand landed on my shoulder, and he squeezed. Not too hard, but hard enough. “Relax, Sterling. You’re really not that important to me. It’s got jack shit to do with you or her.” He stood back a bit and looked me up and down. “Hear my man Maddox is takin’ care of her right now. Tell him I say hi.”

Then he slapped the side of my face, gently.

I ground my teeth.

… takin’ care of her…

Fuck, I wanted to slug him in the side of his smug face for that. Right on the fucking button. I was fast enough and I packed enough power into a punch that I was pretty damn sure I could land that strike and have him on the ground, out cold, before his club brother knew what happened.

But he knew I wouldn’t. Which was exactly why he was pushing my buttons.

Because he knew he could get away with it.

I didn’t want any war with him, because a war with him meant a war with the Kings. Only an idiot would let himself get baited into that.

He nodded to Blazer, and they took off. Got on their bikes and roared out of the lot. Blazer flipped me a tattooed middle finger as he rolled past.

I watched them go.

I would never have believed Piper—that this had nothing to do with me or Summer and therefore we owed no debt to the Kings for it—except that in this case, I knew it was true. It had everything to do with Piper looking out for his brother, and a whole lot of shit to do with the Kings and the Sinners that I’d rather not know about.

One thing I did know: now that Blair Sanchuk—God help him—was on the Kings’ radar, he wasn’t likely to show his face again. Call it survival of the fittest, street style.

A lowlife like that was bound to cross the wrong someone, somewhere along the line. And it looked like he’d just crossed that line.

If Piper said he’d be dealt with, he’d be dealt with. And maybe that should’ve made me feel better.

It didn’t.

---