Page 20 of I Should Hate You-but I Don't

"Not that I know."

She laughed. "Well, if you did, you'd know, silly."

He chuckled, glad to make her smile. "We've got a couple more hours. What do you think we should do after you eat?"

"I don't know. I want to be with you."

"Then, we'll sit here and be with each other." He finished his burger.

She kept her backpack on the whole time she ate. Her small shoulders weren't meant to carry such a heavy load.

"Why don't you take your pack off and give your back a rest."

She frowned. "I'm not tired."

"There's no reason to wear it when you're sitting at the picnic table."

"I don't want to take it off."

"Why not?" he asked.

She looked down at the box that had held her McNuggets. "It has all my stuff in it."

"Why do you carry everything you own in a pack you take to school?"

"Because I don't want to lose anything that belongs to me." She nibbled around the nugget until all the crispy outside was gone.

He watched her eat each piece of chicken and every fry until the food was gone. She fired questions at him as they came to her, and he answered her as honestly as possible.

She climbed up on the picnic table, crawled across the top, and straight into his lap. "Zane?"

She was too old to sit on his lap, but he couldn't deny her the comfort she sought from him.

"Will you help Kingsley find my sister?" She snuggled against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Please?"

"Kingsley is looking for her all the time." He cupped her head, holding her close. "I promise we won't stop until we find her."

Kenna was fourteen years old and had already gone to four different foster families in the past year and a half. Tracking her down each time she moved to a different home took time. Official records were hidden behind a firewall that nobody in Gem Haven Motorcycle Club could access. He'd tried.

Chapter Nine

River

––––––––

Taylor pointed through the window of the second-floor apartment to the street below. River peered down, finding it hard to believe so many people were downstairs at the pizzeria, and she couldn't hear any noise in the room.

"How do you handle the smell?" Taylor pressed her hand to the stomach. "I'd be hungry all day."

The aroma of baked pizza hung heavy in the air. While the building blocked out the sound, it failed to keep the fumes from the ovens out.

"I'm used to it now." Taylor walked over and sat on the couch. "The first few nights, I lived off pizza."

"I bet." She laughed, following her across the room. "You must love living here."

She could see the appeal. Taylor lived in the hustle and bustle of Coeur d'Alene, where she could participate in the faster lifestyle. While bikers ruled Gem Haven and enjoyed the mountain life, it was a man's world. Everyone knew the men were hands-off to the employees, including the kitchen help. She couldn't fault Taylor for wanting a social life and some freedom.

"How many days do you have to work?" she asked.

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