Page 38 of Daddy Issues

At some point, he’d hung his cut and flannel shirt on the bedpost at my feet and tried to get comfortable. His head was kicked back awkwardly and his legs splayed over the ottoman. But otherwise, he looked comfortable.

I tiptoed to him and covered him with the throw blanket before crawling into the bed fully and sleeping.

The music had stopped, which meant the sound of gravel slinging on metal and the front door banging open shot me straight up. Puck jerked upright, too, dropping his feet to the floor and pulling on his boots.

He leaned across the space between us, bracketed me with one arm, and placed one finger against my lips. But his eyes were still heavy and for a breath, I prayed he’d kiss me.

I shivered once, the air cool, and he grabbed his flannel shirt and thrust it at me. “I’m going downstairs. Want me to lock the door?”

Someone shouted. More voices, louder, the sound of someone charging down the steps.

“No, I’m getting up.” It was almost dawn, and the party had just wound down.

Puck flicked on the light and shrugged into his cut before heading out. He didn’t look back, just shut the door quietly and left me there alone.

Something big was going on. There was an urgency to the noises below that were different from the dust up earlier. For the first time, fear licked at my heart. I checked my phone, nothing from David. Hopefully he was home, sleeping it off.

I tugged on Puck’s shirt and grinned when I saw he’d left my panties on the bedside table.

Riley was at the end of the bar when I came down the stairs. Seemed like all the commotion was in the kitchen. Her cheeks were pink and her hair messy, like they’d just ridden in.

“We had just got home when Cam got the text,” she said as I walked up.

“What’s going on?”

She blinked at me. “Two of the guys got jumped. One I think they took to the hospital. The other…” She glanced at the door.

“Band Aid here?” I asked.

“Yeah, medic guy?”

I nodded. “Where were they?”

“Cam said Millers Bar.”

“Outside of the county,” I told her. Dani, part-time bartender and former dancer at The Black Cat, was full-time bar manager at Millers.

From just outside the kitchen, I could make out the voices. Someone was saying they’d stolen their cuts. I grew cold, wrapped my arms around myself, and glanced over to where David’s cut hung among others. I’d never heard of someone stealing a cut.

That was a big deal. Someone would pay for it.

Standing there beside Riley, I thought back to that night at the frat house. “This will get ugly.”

She cast me a brief glance, but didn’t say anything. Because we knew firsthand what happened when you pushed the Desert Kings. That was a bear nobody should poke.

The door swung open and Jester, still shirtless, strolled through, followed by Merc. Who stopped to glance at me. “Your friend still running Millers?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to text you a couple of descriptions. Ask her if she’s seen them around.”

I nodded. “I work tomorrow—tonight. She should be there.”

Jester mussed my hair, winked, and strolled toward the door, the whites of his eyes showing a little crazy. “Let’s go hunting, boys! Suuuuu eeee!”

Cam came out next, taking a drag off a cigarette. “Kenna, can you take Riley home for me?”

I nodded. “Of course.” But I wanted to wait until Puck came out, to say goodbye, tell him to be safe. Almost like I was his ole lady

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