Steel Justice (A Romantic Suspense) (36 page)

In the middle of the night, Flint had told her about Leah’s murder and what the MC planned to do about the Liberators. After hearing how they had killed Leah, any remaining shred of remorse over shooting the Liberators disappeared. They didn’t deserve her guilt, not after everything they had done.

It was difficult not to dwell on the situation. She had to trust Flint, Jesse, and the rest of the crew to take care of the Liberators. At this point, there really wasn’t anything left for her to do but try to be careful and pray for the MC’s safety.

Kendra forced her mind to think about something else. After a long night of being curled up close to Flint and talking about anything and everything, he had kissed her goodbye and slipped out of bed well before daybreak. The day had started out well and she felt good. She wouldn’t dare let herself wonder how long it would last.

She was a tad worried though about something silly. Flint had casually mentioned an upcoming cookout at his house on Sunday and had invited her to attend. He’d explained it was a monthly social event for members of the Steel Infidels and any friends or family they wanted to bring along. Everyone was welcome, from the crew to family members to the groupies who hung around the clubhouse.

While normally she would be thrilled to meet a new boyfriend’s family and friends, this was a completely different situation. She didn’t know how to act around Jesse or the crew after the incident with the Liberators on the mountain.

She wondered what the proper protocol would be in a situation like that. Was she not supposed to say a word and pretend it never happened? Was it okay to talk about her doctoring Flint up at the cabin but not the shootout and murders of four men?

The whole idea made her nervous and uneasy. She didn’t like secrets or covering stuff up. It went against everything she believed in. Honesty was important to her. In this case though, the alternative was much worse.

She also didn’t know what Flint had told the other members of the MC about her, if anything. If he wanted her to go to the cookout, she would, even if deep down inside she was dreading it.

A
s soon as Kendra arrived at the house Flint shared with his brothers for the cookout, he immediately pulled her into the kitchen. While no one was looking, he backed her up against the sink and planted a warm soft kiss on her lips.

“Thank you for coming,” he said, smoothing her hair away from her face. “I missed you.”

She looked at her watch. “It’s been all of nine hours since you were in my bed this morning.” Since leaving the cabin, Flint had spent almost every night at her house.

“I know. Doesn’t mean I didn’t miss you.” He turned her loose and swatted her butt. “And I’m really glad you’re here now to help me.” He waved a hand around the clean but disorganized kitchen. “We could use a woman’s touch around here.”

“I can see that,” she replied. “What do you need me to do?”

Flint pulled several packs of hamburger meat out of the refrigerator along with tomatoes, onions, and a couple heads of lettuce. “Ladies choice. Make the hamburger patties or cut up the vegetables.”

Kendra washed her hands and grabbed a package of meat. “I’ll do both since I’m sure you have plenty of other stuff to do. Who is in the charge of the cooking?”

“Jesse and Tom man the two grills,” Flint replied. “It’s been that way for years. We all have our little jobs to do. As you can tell, I’m the one always stuck working in the kitchen while everybody else is out there drinking and having fun.”

Kendra rolled her eyes at him, knowing he was exaggerating.

Jesse rushed into the kitchen. “Flint, you got those hamburger patties ready yet?” he yelled. He drew up short at the sight of Kendra. “Hey, doc! Didn’t know you were already here. Glad you could make it. Hope you’re keeping Flint straight. He’s falling behind on the job. We got hungry bikers out there and nothing to feed them.”

He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. “C’mon buddy, show some hustle,” he said over his shoulder as he headed back out. “Everybody will be here soon, and you know how this crowd gets when they’re hungry.”

“So does the crowd get unruly if you don’t feed them?” Kendra asked with a laugh.

Flint made a face. “I guess you could say that. It’s more a matter of they tend to drink too much and the alcohol goes straight to their heads without something in their stomachs. That’s why we like to keep them fed, fat, and happy.”

“Good to know! Thanks for the warning.”

****

I
t didn’t take Kendra long to realize she shouldn’t have been so worried about the cookout. The few members of the Steel Infidels who had met her before greeted her like an old friend with kisses on the cheek, and the new ones Flint introduced her to seemed genuinely glad to meet her. They all wandered into the kitchen to say hello to Flint and to check her out, she suspected.

To her relief, nobody mentioned anything about the Liberators or the safe house. If that was the way they wanted to handle things, it would work out just fine with her.

Before long, someone cranked up the stereo and an old rock song started playing. Kendra handed Flint the last plate of hamburger patties to take out to Jesse.

“Somehow I didn’t see the Steel Infidels as being a Southern rock kind of biker club,” she teased. “And what’s with the stereo? What is this, the eighties? And vinyl records for God’s sake! I didn’t realize those things were still around anymore. At least ones that weren’t scratched all to pieces.”

“The Steel Infidels are a little bit of everything,” Flint explained. “Rocco and Tom are pushing forty-five years old on one end and then we have Sam, our youngest member in his mid-twenties. So you’re likely to hear a mixture of all kinds of music when we’re together, even an occasional Willie Nelson country tune. We all learned a long time ago not to criticize each other’s taste in music. Caused way too many fistfights.” He laughed at the memory. “Now everybody gets their turn. The only thing you can count on is that the music will be consistently loud.”

He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be right back. Stay put while I run these burgers out to Jesse,” he said.

While he was gone, Kendra covered the platter of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions with plastic wrap then wiped down the counters with a paper towel. She didn’t notice the two women who had walked into the kitchen until she turned around to open the refrigerator. She jumped slightly.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you,” one of the women said. She was clearly the older of the two and looked to be in her early forties, with long brown hair that was turning grey around her face. She stuck out her hand and gave Kendra a warm smile.

“I’m Myrtle and this is Sarah,” she said, pointing to the younger woman. “We heard rumors that Flint had a woman hidden back here in the kitchen, so we had to come meet you.”

Kendra smiled back and shook both of their hands. “Kendra Shaw.”

Myrtle studied her face a moment. “You look so familiar. Have we met somewhere before?”

“I’m a veterinarian with the Shaw Wildlife Clinic,” Kendra explained. “Maybe you brought an animal in to the clinic?”

Myrtle nodded. “I know where I’ve seen you before. You helped out at one of the dog vaccination clinics, didn’t you? My Mama couldn’t afford to get all the shots for her little Lhasa Apso so I took her to one of the annual clinics you offered at the Civic Center. She sure did appreciate that by the way. Living on a fixed income, she really couldn’t afford to pay out three to four hundred dollars for her dog’s shots. Fifty dollars was a very reasonable amount for everything y’all did.”

Kendra was pleased to know someone who needed it had taken advantage of the low cost vaccination clinic. It was one of several community events she held throughout the year, an easy way for her to give back to the local people who supported her and keep their pets healthier as well.

“I’m so glad it helped out,” Kendra replied. “How’s her dog doing now?”

“Feisty and mean as ever,” Myrtle replied with a smile. “Those Lhasas can be that way, you know. Spoiled little stinker that he is. Tries to bite my foot every time I go over there to visit.” She leaned back against the kitchen counter and looked Kendra over good. “Well, I’m thrilled Flint has finally found someone decent to hang around with.”

When Myrtle noticed Kendra’s surprised expression, she immediately started backpedalling. “I didn’t mean he had brought around girls before that weren’t decent,” she explained. “I just meant I was glad he finally found a good woman.” She leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially. “Don’t tell him we told you, but this is the first time Flint has ever brought any gal to one of our get-togethers.”

“Really?” Kendra asked, both surprised and pleased.

“It’s not for a lack of female admirers,” Sarah added with an impish grin. She was in her late thirties with curly strawberry blonde hair. A tattoo of a dragon ran down the length of her right arm. “Those damn Sweet Butts throw themselves all over Flint and Jesse. They’re picky about their women though. In fact, I don’t recall seeing Flint with a woman since he’s been back in town.”

Kendra’s ears perked up at that tidbit of information. In their conversations, Flint had been vague about how long he’d been gone from Bardsville and when exactly he’d returned.

“Now, Flint’s brother, Sam, is another story,” Sarah continued. “He loves the girls and Lord have mercy, they sure do love him. He’s quite a little devil, that one is. I just hope to God he carries lots of protection and uses it.”

Myrtle rolled her eyes. “Ain’t that the damn truth!” Both ladies burst out laughing.

Flint walked back into the kitchen and frowned. “Oh no! What are you two ladies up to now?” He gave Myrtle a quick peck on the cheek and then did the same for Sarah. “What kind of no-good lies are you filling Kendra’s head with? I hope you haven’t told her too many bad things about me.”

The two women giggled. “Nothing that’s not true,” Myrtle kidded. It was obvious from the fond way the women looked at Flint that they thought the world of him.

“That’s exactly what I was afraid of,” Flint replied. “Don’t believe anything these ladies say,” Flint warned Kendra. “Come on, darling,” he said, taking Kendra’s hand. “Sam’s here and I can’t wait for you to meet him.” He tugged her toward the doorway.

“Hey Flint!” Sarah called out as they walked away. “Don’t let this one get away. She’s a keeper if you ask me.”

Flint grinned back at them. “Yes, ma’am. Don’t I know it!”

“What nice women!” Kendra said as they walked hand-in-hand through the living room. “I have a feeling they’re protective of you and were checking me out. To make sure I was worthy. It’s obvious they care a great deal about you.”

Flint chuckled. “I’m sure you passed with flying colors. After all, who wouldn’t like you? Myrtle and Sarah are a couple of the club’s old ladies. They’ve been around for years. They’re like mother hens, trying to boss us guys around all the time. It usually works too because we’re all so scared of them.”

He pointed to a handsome young man in his early twenties with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes standing in the middle of a group of girls across the room. “There’s Sam. Doing what he does best. Flirting with the ladies.”

“Dang!” Kendra replied. “He’s quite a looker, too. All of you brothers are. Your parents must have had very good genes.”

“Do I need to be jealous?” Flint said, suddenly serious.

Kendra gave him a curious look and laughed. “No! Of course not. Where did that come from?”

“That’s good,” Flint replied with a wry smile. “When we were younger, I had more than one girlfriend fall for Jesse after I brought her home to meet the family. After a while, I learned to stop bringing my girlfriends home.”

“Probably because he was older and therefore more mysterious,” Kendra said. “Trust me, I only have eyes for you.” Flint seemed genuinely relieved at her answer, and she wondered if there was more to the story than he was letting on. There seemed to be a lot of undercurrents going on between the three brothers that she hadn’t quite figured out yet. She hoped Flint would tell her some day.

Sam looked up and grinned when he saw them. “So you’re Kendra?” he said, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’m Sam, otherwise known as the baby brother.”

“And the talented tattoo artist too, from what I hear,” Kendra added.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Sam has built up quite a steady clientele,” Flint said. “He specializes in tattoos for women in...private places.” He wriggled his eyebrows for emphasis.

The Sweet Butts hanging on both sides of Sam giggled.

“Oh goodness!” Kendra exclaimed. “I’m afraid to even ask exactly what that means. You don’t have to tell me. I’ll let it stay a mystery.”

“You want one, Kendra?” Sam offered with a wink. “I’ll give you a special price. Family discount and all that.”

“Hell no,” Flint answered curtly “Absolutely not. Hands off, Sam,” he warned. “Besides, I already have something very unique for Kendra in mind. I’ll do it myself.”

Sam lifted up his beer bottle and laughed again at Flint’s expression. “Just teasing you, bro. That’s all.” He turned back to Kendra and lowered his voice. “I’m not so sure I would let him do a tattoo on me. I’m much more experienced, so when the time comes....”

Kendra frowned. “I thought Flint worked at the tattoo parlor with you?”

Sam slapped Flint on the shoulder. “That’s a good one. Fuck, Flint! What the hell you been telling this woman?”

Suddenly Kendra felt stupid, like everyone was in on a joke but her. A worried look crossed Flint’s face and he quickly hid it.

“So now you’ve met the infamous Sam,” Flint said jokingly before sliding an arm around Kendra’s waist. “Let’s go see how Jesse and Tom are coming along with those burgers. Sam, will you make sure all of the picnic tables and chairs are set up out back on the screened-in porch? It looks like just about everybody is here and we’ll be ready to eat in a few minutes.”

“We’ll help Sam,” one of the young, blonde Sweet Butts replied. She linked her arm with Sam’s and giggled again. Kendra resisted the urge to roll her eyes dramatically at the young woman and to suggest she might want to put some more clothes on. It was the dead of winter and the girl was dressed in a low-cut pink tank top to show off her ample boobs. Kendra knew she had to be absolutely freezing to death. Then again, maybe that was the point, judging from the look of the erect nipples poking through her shirt.