Cease (Bayonet Scars Book 7) Read Free Page B

and yank him off the bench. He hunches over and turns his face to me, giving me a downright dirty-looking glare. Little asshole.
    "Shut up while you have the option," I bark loudly in his face. Fucking kid just stares back at me. Doesn't even blink or shriek back from how loud I'm being. Slowly, a shit-eating grin creeps to his lips. There's a twinkle in his eye that hasn't been there since the last time I busted him trying to light an M80.
    "It's okay," she says quickly. Her body curves inward and her torso bends slightly toward my boy. Her eyes dart from me to him and back to me again. "I don't want any trouble. I'm just looking for a job, but if you're full up, it's fine."
    "You got any skills?"
    "I can clean, tend bar. I'll do whatever."
    Somehow, by the grace of God or some shit, I manage to not ask her anything crude. I deserve a goddamn medal or something for it, too. The way she looks at me, all serious with a side of desperation, is like catnip for my dick or something.
    "Clubhouse is filthy. Pay is shit. You'd be around a bunch of assholes all day."
    I don't know a single thing about this woman, aside from her name, and I'm offering her a job. Rage would be taking a swing at me right now if he were out here. I could always sacrifice the kid to him when he finds out, since it was Ryan's idea after all.
    "This is not the first club I've been with, but I'm hoping it's the last. I'm just looking to provide for my boy, get him a little normal."
    I don't bother telling her that Forsaken is anything but normal for a kid. My attention falls to my own son before I catch sight of her son. He's got large brown eyes beneath a mop of light brown hair, pale skin, and a bridge of freckles across his nose. He looks too skinny to be healthy, and he seems skittish from the way he's desperately clinging to the waistband of his mom's jeans. I give him a half smile, hoping he'll let go of the damn woman for a second, but he doesn't budge.
    "You can stay in our house, Ruby," Ryan offers.
    "Son, shut your pie hole." I rack my brain but can't figure out what's gotten into him. Ryan's normally quiet until he's got something smart to say. But right now he's being talkative as hell, and it's making me suspicious.
    "Thank you, honey, but we have a place to stay." Ruby keeps her voice light, but it feels forced, like she's hiding something.
    "Where?"
    "Excuse me?"
    She blinks at my question as though she didn't hear it. I've spent enough time watching men lie to my face to know she's stalling.
    "Where are you staying?"
    "Oh, there's a motel down the road."
    I know there's a motel down the road, but it's a shit hole. I tell her as much, but she doesn't give. Instead, she just says, "We've stayed in worse."
    "You came in from Arizona? What're you doing with those assholes?"
    "Just passing through. Ian wanted to come out to California." She reaches around and place a hand on her son's shoulder, giving him a comforting pat.
    "Where'd you come from before Arizona?"
    "Texas. Is this the background check?" Ruby purses her lips and gives me a sly smile.
    I shake my head and rub the back of my neck awkwardly. Her story is full of holes and half-truths, but I don't push. The boy has a backpack strapped to his shoulders, and Ruby's got a medium-sized suitcase by her feet. I'm willing to bet these two bags are all they have in the world, which turns my stomach in some fucked-up way. Fuck. Being a parent is hard enough with all the support I have from my mom and the club. I can't imagine doing it all alone with basically nothing in this world. Nobody should have to live like that, especially not some poor fucking kid. I try to shrug it off by reminding myself that she's going to be working in the clubhouse, so I'll have time to get the rest of the story out of her. I'll just have to stay close enough to make sure she and the kid have enough to survive on.
    Finally regaining my ability to speak, I smirk at her. "No. You'll know it when I'm checking you out."