HARD KNOX(39)

Knox and I never got a chance to go out like a real couple. It was just like before. Not that I mind what he did to my body but then he always seemed to have to go because of the club.

Even when I dropped to my knees and sucked his beautiful cock until there was nothing left to come out, he still had to go. I knew that though. I wasn’t sucking him off to keep him from the Reap. I knew what the life was.

That didn’t mean it didn’t bother me when he’d leave. Watching him go and knowing that each day was another one closer to the day he wouldn’t come back. Plus, he’d started a war with the family. For as close as I had been with Porter, I never got to meet higher up than Porter’s direct boss, Johnny. And even that guy wasn’t all that powerful.

All I could do was trust in Knox and the Reaper’s Bastards.

That took a lot out of me though.

I was feeling tired, sluggish, completely drained. Well, physically drained because of what Knox was doing to me. We were seriously making up on lost time with so much sex. I had so much of him inside me… between my legs, in my mouth, all over my body… I was coated inside and out with Knox’s cum.

And I loved it… no matter how dirty it sounded or made me.

I was his darlin’ and he was my outlaw. Just like before.

Mentally, I was shot. Too much thinking and not enough answers. Knox warned me that thinking too much would make me sick. For him, if he thought too much, he’d end up dead. So I guess I’d take sickness over death.

As I stood in the shower, rinsing conditioner out of my hair, I felt my stomach do a double front flip. It was so strong, I lurched forward and coughed. Then I felt it… I spun around just in time to get sick right there in the shower. Right on my own damn toes too. I collapsed to my knees and my stomach emptied itself out.

A wicked nauseous feeling went through my body and I ended up sitting on my ass in the shower. The water pounded against my chest and ran down my body. I caught my breath and swallowed until my mouth stopped feeling so dry.

Slowly, I got to my feet and finished my shower.

I got dressed and looked in the mirror, wondering why I felt better. It was like a one-time throw up thing. So weird, right?

I opened the drawer to get my brush and saw the pregnancy test from Megan. The one she left behind. I paused for a second started to think about things. Being so wrapped up in Knox… I wasn’t on the pill or anything like that. I hadn’t taken that in probably a good year, if not longer.

And Knox…

I had no idea why it never hit me before, but it hit me right then.

I looked in the mirror and my face was bright red.

For weeks now I had been letting Knox inside me. Unprotected. Bare. Beautiful. Coming. Filling…

I ran out of the bathroom and to the calendar on the fridge. I put a little red x on the date when I’d get my monthly friend. I peeled back to the previous month and let out a gasp.

Not only had I had lots of unprotected sex with Knox and not only had I felt sick… I was late - like really late.





twenty-three



(knox)



NOW



“Anthony and Tony work side by side,” Uncle Jakey said. “Tony has a thing for little tits on strippers and me and Hammer used to set up dates for him. Anthony is a hard-nosed prick who will get a blow job while counting cash and sucking on a fat cigar. They both report up to Vinny. Vinny is straight out of Reno. Bounced back and forth between California and Nevada with a few hideouts in Arizona, Colorado, and even Kansas, if shit got really bad. He set up a little house for his aunt with dementia. She was a nice woman, made a hell of a chocolate chip cookie. Not so much anymore.”

“What’s the point?” I asked.

Yeah, I know, I had gotten my dick sucked before leaving, good for me. But I wanted more than that with Ana. I wanted to surprise her with some flowers and a ride to the coast for something to eat and a night to ourselves. I looked like a damn fool with flowers on the back of my ride and all the guys made sure to break my balls about it.

“The point,” Uncle Jakey said, “is that when we meet Vinny, know who this guy is. He buries people. Literally.”

I reached into my leather cut and pulled out the piece of paper the old man had given me. “And we have this. The locations of a few of the biggest names in the family who went missing on Vinny’s rise to power. This would cause a major shit storm for them. This is our leverage.”

“Shit,” Matteo said. He sipped whiskey. “Shit, brother. This is wild.”

“Won’t they just dig up the bodies and move them?” Slam asked.

“Can’t,” I said. “There’s stuff built over the bodies. That means if we kick the can over… we’re talking major press in town.”

“That’s not good for us, Knoxville,” Uncle Jakey said.

“We won’t kick the can over,” I said. “This is just us showing our stance. That’s all. Reminding those around us that the Reap is alive and well. Which is why I want to do this alone.”

“What?” Uncle Jakey asked.

I put my hand up. “Give me a second here. Fuck. If we all show up, it’s going to cause issues. I want a one on one with this guy.”

“You know who I am?” Uncle Jakey asked.

He was a thick, worn out flannel shirt. His hands were permanently black from working on cars, trucks, and motorcycles for years. His hair was pulled back, grey. His beard to match. His was worn but his eyes were still a blue color.