Page 19 of Saint's Sinner

“Fucker told me I’d better never switch up my body wash or stop smokin’ cloves because that’s how he can always sniff me out,” Saint said. “Then he made some crack about hopping in the wrong lap after I’d given Zero one. Man, that old bastard’s face went pale as death when I gave him the stink eye later and growled at him about trying to steal my boy. Bet that’s the last time he’ll ask me for a cigarette.”

“I missed that.”

“Too bad. I was chuckling about it for days. He still makes himself scarce when Sinn heads his way.”

“Which I’m betting he does just for shits and giggles.”

“Perhaps.”

Only the way he said it, Night knew it had to be true.

“It was just one of those things, ya know,” Night said. “We were layin’ on a dune and he was going off about Teddy being a dick to him while they were hunting for frames and that if it wasn’t for Cody, Teddy would have made him sit in the truck all day. He said that he didn’t get what Teddy’s issue was when they’d barely interacted, and I just let him rant while I listened to the waves roll in.”

“That boy’s got no cause to be making Sinn’s life miserable and I’m about fed up with his shit. If I didn’t know Sinn would rain hellfire down on my head for trying to fight his battles for him, I’d have delt with the little bastard by now.”

“What’s his deal anyway? Teddy’s? Why does he have it out for Sinn?”

“A mishap, nothing more,” Saint explained. “Sinn hadn’t learned his way around the house yet and accidentally crawled into Mark and Kat’s bed by mistake. He realized it as soon as he’d snaked an arm around Kat’s waste and caught a whiff of her hair. Shewasn’t pissed in the slightest, but Teddy came in while a naked Sinn was putting on the clothes Kat handed him and threw an absolute hissy fit.”

“Jealous much.”

“No shit. Kat was none too impressed about it either and Mark was livid, not about Sinn but about Teddy’s behavior over it,” Saint said. “Hell, Kat even made a map of the place for him. That woman is a genius. She used hole punches of different sizes and shapes to map the route to my room, the kitchen, living room and den, laminated and everything with an easy to follow key. Said she thought about using buttons at first, but decided against it for fear they’d fall off. I swear she is one of the most thoughtful people I’ve known in this lifetime. No one asked her to do that, and unlike Teddy, she didn’t try to accuse Sinn of crawling into bed with her to fuck and insisted there was no harm done. Teddy, however, has been making a stink about it ever since and went around telling some of the others what had happened while painting Sinn in the worst possible light. Kat and my brother put a stop to it, but the damage was done at that point and there are still a handful of idiots who believe Teddy’s bullshit and back him like simpering sheep.”

“They’re the blind ones if they believe there’s any truth to that,” Night said. “Anyone looking at you two together can see who he wants to be with.”

“Then how is it you know more about his past than I do?”

“We had a little Hannibal Lector moment and that’s some of what came out of it.”

“Well, I don’t see any scars on you that look like you’re missing a liver so I’m guessing it’s the quid pro quo part.”

“Pretty much.”

“That conversation he’d overheard, where I was cussin’ someone out. It was my cousin tryin’ ta rope me into some shit I had no interest in.”

“Which led to you talkin’ about family.”

“Yeah.”

“Only you didn’t come to us affiliated the way he did.”

“Naw, my people are nomads, what’s left of ‘em anyway. But the outlaw shit and growing up on the wrong side of the law, that’s what we have in common.”

“I don’t remember hearing about that when you asked to prospect.”

“Specifics, no, but I admitted to the time I’d done and what I was in for,” Night snarled shoving away from the tree and feeling himself bristle at what sounded like accusation in Saint’s tone.

“Never said you didn’t,” Saint replied, steadily holding his gaze until Night relaxed against the tree trunk again. “I was there, remember?”

Okay, so many he was just working himself up for nothing “Yeah.”

“Was there a reason you left the rest of it out?”

“Several.”

“Go on.”

“My people aren’t just nomads; they are anti-MC. Anti everything that ain’t family. Got no love for the government,law enforcement, or any sort of organization or outsiders.If you ain’t blood, you ain’t shitis my Grandfather’s motto, one of them anyway. He doesn’t believe in using credit or taking a government handout, but he’ll steal you blind then set up a roadside stand to try and sell your shit back to you once he’d done modified and disguised it anyway. A little tweak here, a lick of paint there, some disfigurement and a long soak in some dye is usually enough to fool someone. Whatever it takes to make a buck and as unscrupulous as they come, that’s Gramps.”

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