Page 79 of Truck Stop Titan

I was about to probe when the familiar, fuckin’ beautiful rumble of an engine drew my attention out the window, and despite the knot in my gut, I couldn’t help the tug at the corner of my lips. Fuck, I’d missed riding.

Hammer strode through the door like he owned the place, searching the room for threats, before his eyes landed on Moriah. The fucker actually had the audacity to pretend he hadn’t noticed I was at the same God damn table, shooting her a menacing grin.

“Trailer.” He nodded, coming to my side with a hard clap on the shoulder.

“Hammer.” I chanced a glance at Moriah and winced at the blush in her cheeks, and the way she studied the dirty bastard.

Uninvited, Hammer plopped his ass in the seat next to Moriah, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Who’s this pretty lady?”

Moriah tried to speak, her words catching in her throat. She coughed, straightened her spine, then offered her hand. “Moriah. Nice to meet you.”

Hard to tell if she was nervous, or ready to barf, so I slapped the table. “Hammer. Mind movin’ your ass. Moriah needs to get to work.”

With a grunt, he removed himself from the seat. Moriah wasted no time getting to her feet. She held my gaze, that skin between her brows crinkling. Not a chance in hell I was going to let Hammer witness her effect on me, so I tore my glare from her troubled expression, and focused on the dickhead.

“So—” she started to speak.

I needed her gone, away from my poison.

“Mim will be fine. Don’t worry,” I offered, tone flat, trusting she understood the severity of the situation.

Moriah’s shoulders stiffened, but she played along, blowing her niece a kiss with a, “Bye sweetie.” Then, she shot me a warning glare and pushed past Hammer, throwing a casual, “Later, Dane” over her shoulder.

Damn, how I wanted to chase her down and send her off with a goodbye she’d feel for weeks. Instead, I tucked an arm around Mim and settled in my seat, doing my damnedest to appear relaxed.

Hammer raised his chin, eyeing the little girl in my arms. “How’s she doing?”

Like he gave a shit.

“What do you think?”

“Well. She ain’t screaming like the last time I saw her. Got some color in her cheeks.” He winked at Mim, and her tiny body tensed. Then the scary bastard puffed his cheeks and gave her a cross-eyed grin.

She shoved her face under my armpit and damn near fused herself to my body. What the fuck?

I wanted Hammer gone. “How’d you know where to find me?”

“You never could keep your eyes off the chick who runs this joint,” Hammer answered, studying Mim like she was a puzzle he needed to solve. “Club’s got eyes and ears everywhere, trailer boy, you know that.”

Trailerboy. Hammer’s way of cutting me down a peg.

“Who’s the chick?” he asked, tearing at a napkin, presumably feeling every bit as uneasy with the visit as I was.

“Mim’s aunt.”

“How’d you find her?”

“I know a guy.”

“Shit.” He blew a low whistle, turned his head to stare out the window. “You tappin’ that ass, ’cause—”

“The fuck you want, Hammer?”

He pounded the table, two raps with his fist, then gestured toward me like I was the crazy one. “Low-Key is moving his mom to a home in Eastern Washington. Had room in the van. Brought your bike.”

The asshole had ulterior motives. Not a chance in hell he’d deliver my ride. “Prez know?”

“His idea. Said he was tired of staring at it.”

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