Page 34 of Catch a King (Five Kings 1)

“Through the back. Take your drinks and one for her, she’s having a bad day and could use the kick.”

Sawyer looks concerned and I see the pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugs and hands us some beers and a shot of whiskey for Rose. “She’ll be pleased that you dropped by with your lady; she was happy to hear you found someone.”

Skye smiles warmly. “You’re a lucky guy, Sawyer. Maybe when she sees what you’re really like she’ll realize her mistake.”

Sawyer rolls his eyes and pretends to frown. “Keep that to yourself, it’s still early days.”

He winks and I stare at him in surprise because who is this guy? He’s a different person here, and Skye seems like a normal person where I had given up hope any existed in these parts.

We head behind the bar and out into a corridor and Sawyer says in a whisper, “You’ll like Rose, Millie, she’s an amazing woman.”

“Who is she?”

“Billy’s wife.”

He laughs at the surprise on my face and whispers, “Come on, you’ll love Rose.”

We head inside the back room and I look with interest at the woman who is watching TV in the corner. On seeing Sawyer, her eyes light up, although by the looks of her, she’s struggling. She must be in her early fifties but obviously takes care of her appearance because her hair and make-up are done well and her clothes are smart and not cheap. She is elegant, which surprises me because she wouldn’t look out of place in a country club and picturing her as a biker’s wife is a strange one.

“Hey Rose, Skye sent this through.”

Sawyer heads over and drops a kiss on her cheeks and hands her the glass, which she accepts gratefully.

“Sawyer, it’s good to see you son, and…” She sweeps her gaze across me and smiles. “Must be the famous Millie I’ve heard so much about.”

She looks at me with interest and I can tell she’s appraising me, which feels a little strange. Then she smiles and her face relaxes. “I can see you chose well, come and sit near me, Millie, you look as if you have a few questions.”

Sawyer grins and pats the seat beside him on the couch. “Rose is Billy’s wife, although not many people know that, and certainly not Axel or Slade.”

“Why not?” I feel bad asking, almost as if I’m intruding on their personal family business and Rose laughs softly. “Billy hated the club which is strange considering he ran it alongside his brother. The thing is, he loved the business side, not the life. Billy was a kind, loving man and I wish I had met him earlier in life, but well, I was married to Buck and Billy had Saskia. When they both died, he began hanging around here more. We had a lot in common, and yet he knew I would never be part of his life at the Castle. So, Billy and I met in the middle and he went there on business and came to me twice a week to live a more normal life.”

“That must have been hard for you both.”

“It was fine, we made it work. When we married, it was just the two of us. We told no one, and that was because Billy didn’t want club business to endanger me, or my family. So, we kept it between us, our little secret and only Sawyer and Skye know the whole story because word spreads fast around these parts.”

She smiles fondly at Sawyer. “It’s hard, honey. Knowing I won’t see his kind face smiling at me as he comes through that door. Hearing stories that kept me going for a week about the goings on at the club. It’s lonely being without half your soul, and that’s why I’m happy you met Millie. Treat her right and make time for her. Don’t let a day go past without telling her you love her and make it your business to make her happy.”

She looks across at me. “Same for you, honey. You’ve got a good one in Sawyer, he’s like his daddy in that respect.”

Sawyer nods and I see the emotion in his eyes as he says with a slight edge to his voice, “I hear you’re having a bad day and don’t want to add to it, but…”

She looks at him sharply. “But what?”

Sawyer sighs. “Was Billy into anything that would make him a target? Axel thinks he was murdered for a reason, and I need to know what that is.”

I stare at Rose closely and see the fire in her eyes as she shakes her head, “Billy was a good man anddieda good man. He was killed for no reason at all and certainly not for anything he did, and if you want answers, you won’t find any here.”

Rose looks so angry I feel a bit awkward, and as she grips her drink and tosses it back, I look at Sawyer and wonder what he’s thinking.

Chapter 28

Sawyer

I’ve offended her, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I know in my heart Billy didn’t deserve to die; I know my father, and he was a good man. Rose is a good woman and I understand his reasons for keeping her safe, but I need to know if he mentioned anything at all that would shed some light on this.

She looks at me sharply, “Why do you ask?”

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