Page 153 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

“Rome, if you disrespect him, you’re disrespecting me,” she warned him.

“No reason for you to be with someone like him.”

Her eyebrows pinned together. “What do you mean,like him? You mean white?”

“Mean a fuckin’ pig. But as for the other?—”

“How about you keep your opinions to yourself?” Liyah dismissed him with, “Have a great run, Romeo. Dad, I’ll talk to you another time.” She tugged on Nox’s arm, pulling him away from the Knights’ president before things went sideways. “Let’s go.”

She could not be more aware that both clubs were watching the exchange very carefully. If things took an ugly turn between Nox and Romeo, it could get both clubs popping off. She did not want to be the cause of that.

“Aaliyah,” Magnum called out.

She pulled in an irritated breath but paused and turned to face her father. “Let’s keep everything between the two clubs civil, please.”

Magnum pursed his lips and his dark eyes flicked from her to Nox and back. “Don’t like this.”

“I’m already aware but thanks for once again making that clear. I know sharing your feelings is difficult.”

Nox snorted softly next to her, causing Liyah to tug at his arm again.

When she heard a very familiar female voice call out her name, she once again paused on their way back to Nox’s bike. “Can you give me a minute?” Liyah asked him.

He glanced at the blonde woman hurrying in their direction. “Are you going to be all right?”

“Yes. That’s my… stepmother.”

“She looks our age,” Nox murmured.

“That’s because she is. She’s only about a year older than me.” And that meant she was Nox’s age.

His head jerked back. “Do you find that weird?”

“I did at first. But now… Look, Cait’s the best thing that ever happened to my father. He got cheated out of raising me and my brother and from seeing us grow up. He finally got that chance with Caleb and Asia.”

“Your younger half-siblings.”

“Yes. And to be honest, seeing how good he is with them made me even more angry with my mother for a long damn time. We were robbed out of a relationship with him. Would he have been a good father as young as he was when he had us? Maybe not the same as becoming a father again in his forties. However, no parent is perfect. You learn and grow as you go. Can you wait for me at your sled, Nox? I’ll be okay. And if any of your brothers are concerned about having issues with the Knights, please assure them they won’t.” She sure as hell hoped she wasn’t wrong with that assurance.

He stared at her for a moment before once again lifting his eyes to the woman joining them.

“Hi,” Cait greeted the man standing next to Liyah.

“Hello,” Nox responded in his rich, low voice.

“I’m Cait.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “The big man who thinks he’s scary is mine.”

He jutted out his hand. “Bradley Lennox. Everyone calls me Nox.”

Cait took it and gave it a firm shake. “Very nice to meet you, Nox. And ignore their bluster. I’ll make sure there aren’t any issues between the two clubs. I don’t remember seeing you before but I’m sure you know that both clubs have participated in charity events together and no one has died. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Axel.”

“Good to know.” Amusement tipped the corner of Nox’s lips upward. “I’ll leave you two ladies alone to talk.”

“Nice to meet you, Nox. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Same,” he answered before turning and heading back to his group.

Liyah kept one eye on the BAMC and one on the DKMC.

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