“I’ll have what she’s having.”
Of course, he would. We sized each other up across the table, refusing to see what Liz had seen in the other. I wouldn’t be the first to turn away, but I could see Liz sneaking peeks at each of us. She’d stay glued to my profile until her eyes went across the table to him. When she thought she’d snuck enough glances at him, she’d quickly focus back on me. I wasn’t angry with her, but I wanted her attention. She was mine.
“This is…silly.” Liz was the first to speak, and Alex’s head tilted in her direction. This was the first time he’d heard the stutter, and I studied his face as the confusion settled in, but he brushed it off.
“No, what’s silly is you think your place is here.” He leaned forward with a gleam in his eye. I didn’t like it, thinking he was going to interrogate her.
“My place…has never…been…with you. It’s with…my family.”
“It’s with me.” He crossed his arms over his chest, staring her down. I would have stepped in, but she squared her shoulders, prepared to fight. “It’s with your son.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You…took…Pe…Pe…Peter. Not mine.”
He sat back in the booth, still analyzing her. “When did you start to stutter?”
The server picked that moment to pop up with our food. I wasn’t sure I was going to eat, but I wouldn’t show weakness in front of him, even if I had to choke down the fucking burger. The server must have sensed something was off because she dropped the food and ran. I didn’t blame her there either. If I could, I would have grabbed Liz and taken off, too.
Alex started in on Liz as soon as the server was out of earshot. “Why? How?” he asked one question after another, and I could tell she was having a hard time. I prepared to step in, but before I could say anything, she placed her hand on my arm.
“One…question. At a…time.”
“If you stress her out, I’ll bury you.” I leaned forward, my elbows on either side of my plate.
He chuckled, shaking his finger at me. “If we weren’t on opposite sides, I might like you.” He mirrored my position, lowering his volume. “My father put a gun in my hand when I was four. Don’t think I won’t end you and then come home to my wife…” He looked at Liz. “…with not a care in the world.”
“I’m…right…here.” Liz closed her eyes. “His wife.”
He sat back,his gaze never leaving her.
She opened her eyes, sitting up straight again. “Accident.” She didn’t break eye-contact with him. “Lope…Lope…Lopez. Hit my…house. Came here…Pe…Pe…Peter biker.” She stopped, taking a sip of her soda. “Jumped.” She brought her hands up and circled her head. They stared at each other, daring the other to speak first.
Neither one moved, but Alex’s breathing picked up, and when he noticed, he pulled his poker face firmly back into place.
“Peter is my heir.” Alex’s brow creased. “There’s no reason for him to be with the Knights.”
“He was…prospect…for the…Shield. Didn’t…recognize…him.”
“Peter’s never been this far north. He’d have no reason.” Alex didn’t believe her. “He sends me constant updates.” He stood up from the table, throwing a hundred-dollar bill down. “Wait for my call.”
***
Liz hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open on the way back to the clubhouse, so I’d taken her straight to our room and put her to bed.
“Bob…by? How…did…I…do?”
I said nothing as I sat on the edge of the bed, linking my fingers with hers. Bending down to kiss the top of her knuckles, I laid my forehead against the back of her hand. “You were a queen.”
“Ti…tired.” Her eyelids fluttered, and I waited until she fell asleep before I stood. I had to tell Sabre what happened in case today’s excitement leaked. I quietly left the room and headed toward Sabre’s office. When I reached his door, I knocked and waited.
“Come in,” he called.
I opened the door and stuck my head in. “You got a minute?” I was pretending as if everything was fine. If it had been, I wouldn’t be at Sabre’s door.
He shifted the papers and waved a hand towards the chair in front of his desk. He scanned my face, and whatever he saw couldn’t have been good. “What happened?”
I quickly explained the events that had transpired from the time Liz and I had walked out of her appointment until I’d brought her back into the clubhouse and put her to bed.
“Fuck,” he said, rubbing his hand over his eyes. “Fuck!” He picked up his phone, quickly setting it back down on his desk. “When you take Aunt E, which car do you use?”