Sterling: Kings of Carnage MC - Prospects (Kings of Carnage - Prospects Book 2)

by Sapphire Knight

  “Of course not. You know how Bash is about keeping that boy away from the law.” She says it as if we’re talking about a teenage troublemaker and not a twenty-two-year-old man prospecting for the club who doesn’t have a rap sheet.

  I bob my head, wanting more deets. “He’s okay, right? Sterling, I mean.”

  “Yes. Probably upset the club showed up to ruin his fun, but he shouldn’t have pulled that without consulting your father first. Regardless, he pointed out the problem, and Dad was able to make sure you’d be safe in the future. And, yes, Sterling did that for you. He’d do whatever he had to, to protect you. He’s been that way for as long as I can remember.”

  My lips tilt into a smile. Hearing her say it makes it real. I wish he would’ve said something when I saw him earlier. There wasn’t a mark on him—I’d have noticed—so Bruce must’ve not gotten a chance with Sterling coming at him. I wish I could’ve seen it. I don’t generally seek out fights to watch, but that would’ve been one I’d have paid money to witness.

  “Thanks for telling me. See? There’s no real reason for you to worry. I’ve got my protectors if I need something.”

  “Thank God,” I manage to catch her muttering under her breath before she stands, holding her hand out to me.

  I say nothing about it, as I don’t think I was supposed to hear her comment. I place my palm in hers, and she helps tug me up. She asks, “Are you going to be okay going into work today? I came over to make sure and let you know what time it is.”

  Nodding, I offer her a hug and say, “Yes. I’m feeling a bit better having come out here. I needed time to decompress and think.”

  “Hey, I’m not complaining, quite the opposite. I’ll keep ya here as long as you’ll allow it.” She offers me a wide smile, and I can’t help but return it. She really has been the best mom to me. So many people I know ended up fucked up, and I’m grateful I’m not one of them. I’m sure people out there would argue, being that I grew up around an MC, but they have no idea what they’d be talking about.

  “I’ll be back for Sunday dinner, promise,” I say as we stop beside my driver’s side door.

  “I better see you before then.”

  “You will.” I pop a quick peck on her cheek. “Love ya, Mom.”

  “I love you. Drive safely.”

  I nod as I climb into the small Honda Civic. Backing out of the driveway, Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell’ comes on the classic rock station, and the song has me belting out the lyrics as I head for my apartment. The music, along with thoughts of Sterling beating up Bruce for me, is enough to consume my thoughts for the ride.

  “Your brother and Sterling are here,” Shauna, the other employee, informs me as I finish taking money from a customer.

  I tell the person waiting on their smoothies, “It’ll be right out, thank you.” I slide the drive-thru window closed and spin around. “Did they ask for me, or are you just letting me know?”

  “They ordered, but asked if you’d make their drinks.”

  “Okay,” I easily concede. “Want to switch with me?” I gesture to the window and she nods, heading to the other blender area. The shop isn’t too big, but it’s large enough for us to have two bars full of smoothie ingredients, along with a wall of flavors for snow cones. It’s nothing grand, but I’ve worked here since I was sixteen and I enjoy it. The customers are used to me and are friendly enough.

  I don’t need to see the ticket to know what they’ve ordered. My brother only gets one thing: the banana pudding smoothie with protein. Sterling goes for the Oasis which has strawberry, coconut, and orange. I like that one too. Go figure. I grab the drinks and make my way to one of the five booths the shops has. They’re sprawled out over each side like they own the place. “Hey,” I mutter, setting the smoothies before them.

  “Sterling said you were weird when you left the studio,” Ruin begins, not one to beat around the bush.

  “That was three days ago,” I remind, glancing at each of them as I sit in the spot next to my brother. I attempt not to linger too long on Sterling, but I can’t help it. He has an alluring presence. It’s always been that way where he’s concerned. “I’ve been too busy working every day to stop back by or worry about what y’all have been getting up to,” I toss in for good measure.

  Sterling grunts, taking a long draw from his straw.

  “You should start bartending. You’d make so much more money,” Ruin comments. He always says the same thing.

  I reply in tandem, “I love my job and Dad would lose his shit. You know it as well as I do.”

  He scoffs. “I have a porn business. Doubt you can do any wrong in his eyes. No matter what it is, let alone bartending. It’s what you do now, only for adults.”

  I grow quiet as he brings up his business. Don’t get me wrong, porn itself doesn’t bother me, neither does Ruin filming it, or possibly being in the videos himself. The only thing that grinds on me is knowing Sterling is doing it with other women. If he wants to record himself fucking, then at least let me be in it with him. “Did you come here to lecture me, or was there another reason?”

  Sterling finally says, “Your mom wanted us to remind you about family dinner.”

  I roll my eyes. “So, in other words, she sent you guys to check on me. When will all of you realize that I’m fine? I’ll ask for help if I need it!” I declare, exasperated.

  Sterling’s palms shoot up, his gaze taking me in and warming a few degrees. “Hey, I know you’re a capable woman, believe me.”

  Ruin shoots him a glare. “Bro, shut the fuck up.”

  I can’t help but grin at the sudden glowering going on between the two of them. I know nothing will come of it. They’ve gotten pissed in the past at each other and it never lasts long. One always gives in to admit they were wrong and their friendship goes back to normal as if the hiccup never existed.

  “Tell her I’m fine. Where’s Tyra, anyhow?” I bring up his chick to change the subject.

  “With Poe. She was gonna do a few piercings and stuff for him.”

  I nod and tease, “Must’ve gotten sick of you wanting her to call you daddy.”

  Sterling chuckles while Ruin rolls his eyes, ignoring the dig. “She’ll be around later.”

  “What about you, Ster?” I can’t help but ask.

  “I won’t complain if you call me daddy, but Ruin may be uncomfortable,” he flirts.

  “Does that ever work?” I ask.

  “You’d be surprised what names I can get out of a chick’s mouth,” he retorts, and I’m back to being pissed off again.

  I stand up, determined not to huff and make them aware I’m angry. “I’m out of breaks. I’ll see you guys later.”

  Sterling’s face twists in confusion as my brother says bye without a second thought, then follows suit. I head back to the counter area to let Shauna know I can get back to the drive-thru. I don’t know why I’ve been getting emotional around Sterling lately. It’s definitely gotten worse. I was never this bad. I’ve seen my fair share of women with him. Even if they were splashed across his body like a leech and sucking face, it never made me angry in the past. Now, however, I’m positively fuming inside.

  I throw myself into helping customers and cleaning anything I get a chance to. It helps my night go by quickly, and I know the owner will be pleased with the way everything looks. Working a smoothie shop may not be everyone’s dream job, but I happen to love it. I have fun mixing up new flavors and I’ve gotten fairly good at it. The owner has let me take over the specials, and once a month I come up with a new combination to offer customers. They’ve been a hit and we’ve gotten lots of requests for those recipes, even after the specials are over and we have new combinations. Someday, I hope to either take over this place completely or open up my own shop. Maybe sell some cool merchandise along with specialty drinks or something of that nature to bring it to the next level.

  My friend Magnolia texts me, inviting me out. We haven’t been as close lately like we used to be. She opt
ed for college, whereas I decided to work more hours. I figure I can go to college when I’m ready, if I’m ever ready, that is. People glorify getting rich and having special titles far too much, in my opinion. Family and happiness are the most important things in my mind, and college doesn’t seem to fit into those priorities right now. Not that the other route is wrong or anything. I mean my mom went to college and graduated, as did my aunt, and Savannah, Sterling’s mom.

  I text her back that I’m too tired tonight, but maybe another night. Lord knows I need to do something to get Sterling off my mind. A night out couldn’t hurt, along with a hot guy or two to play with. I don’t even attempt to find a guy to replace Sterling anymore. I know it’ll most likely never happen. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun until the stubborn prospect wakes up and finally realizes I’ve been waiting for him.

  I head home, managing to spook myself in the parking lot. I’m not completely used to Duke not being by my side and it’s had me a bit on edge. Not to mention, I miss him more than what people probably consider normal. I get inside my apartment, lock the door, and pull my phone out again. No matter how many times I check it, there’s never a message from Sterling.

  I’m home. Love you guys.

  I send the text to our family’s group chat. I know they worry, and instead of allowing it to annoy me, I give them the small piece of mind with a text. I send another off to Sterling, telling him I’ll be partying with Magnolia tomorrow and to stop by if he wants. He won’t, but one day, I hope he will.

  My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

  - Maya Angelou

  “You free for this next run?” Dad asks, and I nod immediately. The club and my prospecting duties come first at this point in my life. They probably always will, my future included. I want my patch so badly I can practically taste it. I’ve been a grunt for the club for too long already, tired of doing the dirty work of washing bikes and running errands. I’m ready to be a brother and receive the respect that comes along with that patch.

  “Of course. Anything you need. When will we ride out?”

  With another run under my belt, it’ll be another step closer to getting my hard-earned spot. I’ve never wanted something so badly in my life. Get voted into the Kings of Carnage MC and work alongside my father amongst everyone else I’ve been surrounded by my entire life. They’re my family away from my immediate family and I couldn’t imagine taking a different path. What Chaos and my dad pay me for the runs are pennies compared to the payout I’ll receive once I wear a member patch. Hell, most prospects don’t get a cut at all, but I’m risking my life for this club every single time I’m either driving or following our gun shipments, and they recognize as much.

  “Few days, waiting on one last transaction to come through,” he grumbles, grabbing two beers from a club slut. He hands one to me and we both twist off the caps, taking a deep pull from the chilled beverage. “Your mom was taking Sawyer to get her license today,” he eventually says, and my mouth drops. It explains his gruff demeanor today. I thought he may’ve been pissed at me over something I’d done, but I guess this is the true culprit.

  “Why?”

  “Cause she’s sixteen. Lord fuckin’ help me.”

  “But Stryker can take her wherever she needs to go,” I argue, not ready for my baby sister to have that freedom without a bit of protection from one of us.

  “Trust me, I said the same damn thing.”

  “And?”

  “Your momma wasn’t having it. Thought the woman was gonna twist my balls and serve them to me on a platter for even mentioning we wait on Sawyer getting her license.”

  “Sawyer’s so…innocent. How can we protect her if she’s not around one of us?” I finally ask. My sister is smart and quick-witted, but she’s a huge nerd. I don’t mean that in a negative sense. It’s just the truth. If one of the club's enemies went after her, she wouldn’t stand a chance, and I can’t imagine a world that doesn’t have Sawyer in it. She’s special…to all of us.

  He shakes his head. “Gonna stroke out over the shit if I don’t let it go and have confidence in my girl.” He takes a hefty swig of the beer and it has me thinking the old man will be doing shots before the day is over. Mom will have to come pick his ass up, no doubt. Not that she minds. My parents love taking care of each other and never hesitate to go out of their way for each other.

  “I understand that. Sawyer’s intelligent, but Dad, she’s so tiny.”

  He blows out a heavy breath, shooting me a glare, and digs his smokes free. “I fucking know it. I’m still trying to come up with something.”

  “You have ideas?”

  He nods, placing the cigarette between his lips and lighting it up. He’s never been a heavy smoker. Only when he’s stressing about something. “Thinking about putting a tracker under her car.”

  “Hell yeah, I say we do it. Maybe find another to toss in her shoes or something. We can have her location pegged twenty-four hours a day.”

  He snorts. “Have you seen how many pairs of shoes she owns? That’d be half her damn closet. Think, son. She may not have her phone on her all the time. Otherwise, I’d just keep up with her that way and not worry about a backup plan.”

  “What about putting one in a necklace?” She doesn’t have a lot of jewelry, so if it were something dainty but nice, she’d probably never take it off.

  His eyes sparkle as he exhales smoke in the opposite direction of me. “Now we’re talking.” He drums his fingers, thinking aloud. “It’d have to be waterproof. I wonder who makes something like that around here. I wonder if there’s a spot in Atlanta that could pull it off without Sawyer being tipped about it?”

  I shrug. “Probably. I’d at least check into it. Ask Mom. She’d know.”

  He mutters, “Not sure I should mention it. She may rip me a new one. You know how independent she is, and she expects it from Sawyer too. I don’t think my girl’s got that bit of wild in her that your momma does though.”

  “You’re being protective. Mom can appreciate as much. She’ll probably be on board with it. Don’t be surprised if she’s suspect in the future if you give her jewelry though.”

  He chuckles. “No shit.” Then nods, “You’re right. And if you’re not, then it’ll be up to you to follow Sawyer around town.”

  I huff. Forever the oldest. I wouldn’t trade it though. My siblings may be pain in the asses at times, but they’re my family and I love them. “A prospect riding at her back all the time, yeah, she’d be thrilled with that one. You wouldn’t just have Mom on you. It’d be Sawyer as well. Have fun with that.”

  He shrugs. “I’ll always do what I have to, to protect my girls. You and Stryker are too damn stubborn. Never had to worry about you assholes.”

  I laugh, ‘cause it’s true. “Glad I don’t have any kids to worry about.”

  His brows jump. “Someday, just watch. A woman will come along when you’re least expecting it. She’ll knock you on your ass, and then all you’ll be able to see is her and your future.”

  “Well, if that ever happens…I still have plenty of time to go before then. I’m focusing on the club and Porn Kings. Everything else can come down the road,” I reply adamantly, with Leigh’s face popping into the back of my mind.

  He grunts. His gaze is full of something I don’t want to ask about. I don’t care what he may know through his experience that I don’t. I meant what I said. I have plenty of time before I have to worry about anything or anyone new coming along and settling down.

  Chaos approaches, grabbing his own beer, Ruin and Jinx at his side. “Everything good over here?” he asks.

  My dad replies, “Yep, just filling Sterling in on the newest Sawyer development. Kid’s helping me come up with ideas.”

  Chaos chuckles. “I told you, shit wasn’t fun for me when I was going through it with Leigh. I fucking lucked out, being she’s such a good driver
and I could keep up with her driving speed on our insurance app. I’d never tell her as much though. I want that girl staying vigilant.”

  Jinx says, “With Ruin and Sterling, they’d been riding dirt bikes since they were this tall.” He holds his hand waist-high. I’ve heard this story several times. “Little shits belonged on a bike. It’s in their blood. Never have to worry about them fucking off, and at least we’re only stuck looking at a few of their ugly mugs and not all of them,” he razzes me and Ruin while our fathers chuckle and agree. They’ve always been this way, easygoing and giving us shit. It’s how you know they care. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t acknowledge us. The men around here are a bunch of stubborn old asses, but they’ve seen some shit in their time together, so I can’t blame them for it.

  Sly approaches, tucking his cell away. “Glad I caught you guys together, that old bike and auto shop down by the pub was hit hard when the last club rolled through. I’ve been getting a few calls from the girls at Centerfolds about shit they’ve overheard.”

  “Fuck,” Chaos grates, and we all dip our heads in agreement.

  It hits me what’s beside the pub and I ask, “Wait, Jupiter’s business?” We all know the place, having had to stop by from time to time. The old owner’s daughter took it over and she’s never been one to snub us. This doesn’t sit well with me, she didn’t deserve any blowback from club shit. I need to stop in and have my tires aligned. It’ll give me the perfect opportunity to check out the damage and make sure she’s straight. She’s young too. This certainly can’t be easy on her.

  Dad murmurs, “Doesn’t look good on the club, and we’ve finally made a name for ourselves here. It’s taken long enough. I don’t want any old ghosts or rumors to come crawling back.”