Page 22 of Scatter the Bones

There’s a full-page picture of Shelby and Rooster wrapped around each other after one of the shows. My scary face is visible in the background to Rooster’s left. Both of our cuts with our Lost Kings MC patches on display.

Shelby Morgan parties with bikers after sold-out show.

Dex, Pants, and a few other guys that had also been on tour are also visible in the background but I’m the only one who was dumb enough to be glowering straight at the camera.

“She knew your face.” Cain taps his finger over Rooster. “And your friend. She wanted me to keep it and track you down when the time came.”

Meaning, after she died.

“Why?”

His expression hardens. “You and Jezzie are the only family I have left.” He shrugs. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. Thought I’d do some traveling and look you up.”

My stomach knots at the mention of my sister. No fucking way is Cain getting near her until I can trust him.

“What about your stepfather?” I ask. What’d the guy do, toss him out after Ruth died?

“What about him?” Cain shrugs. “I said he was better than our father. I didn’t say he was great. He treated my mom good. Tolerated me.”

He rubs his hand over his chest and frowns. “She left whatever money, life insurance, and stuff to me. He wasn’t so happy about that.”

Is that his way of letting me know he’s not looking for a handout?

“That’s shitty.”

He tilts his head and levels a sarcastic stare at me. “I’m used to shitty situations.”

I snort. “Yeah, I feel that.” I mirror his pose. “You even old enough to be in this place?”

A blush creeps over his cheeks, and he stammers, “I…I didn’t really realize what kind of establishment it was until…”

“Where are you staying?” Fuck, I can’t bring him back to my place. I can’t even let him stay at our clubhouse next door. If he’s blushing about stepping foot inside a strip club, he’ll probably die at the antics that go on over there after Crystal Ball closes.

“I got a room at a hotel over by that big mall.”

I nod, knowing where he’s talking about.

He shrugs. “For a few days at least.”

“How’d you get here?”

“Rode. Took about a week.”

“You ride?” Guess we have more in common than I thought.

He nods. “Stepdad was into motocross. He taught me how to ride. Mom had picked out a Kawasaki Ninja for me for graduation.”

“Nice.” My back aches just thinking about riding the foreign sport bike that far.

The ache in my chest is worse. What the hell am I supposed to do with this kid?

“How’s Jezzie?” he asks as if he’s trying to steer the conversation back where he wants it. He frowns at the closed office door. “She doesn’t…she doesn’t workhere, does she?”

“Fuck no.” What kind of asshole does he think I am? “She’s in college. Just talked me into letting her take a part-time job at a pizza shop.”

That’s not enough info for him to find Jezzie. There have to be more than two hundred colleges in New York and three times as many pizza places near a campus.

While this little family reunion’s been surprisingly non-lethal, he’s not getting near my sister, my club, or my girlfriend.

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