Penance Read online

  A chime dinged as I walked in, though the two arguing by the counter certainly didn’t seem to notice.

  “I don’t know you,” Mercy said, glaring hard at the big, hulking biker on the other side of her counter. The one I knew well enough to know he wouldn’t like some woman pushing him around.

  “Well, you’d better get to know me, sweetheart. Think of me like the local cop—you have trouble, I’m your 9-1-1.”

  “The Kennards are my emergency number. That’s who I called.” Mercy finally spotted me, looking all sorts of pissed until she locked eyes with me. The relief I saw there nearly knocked me to my knees. I was a Kennard, a protector of this town, and she acknowledged that with one look. I’d always let Alder and Bishop command those roles because they were the big, bad soldiers and I was the trouble they likely would have tried to keep off our streets. Not this time.

  “What’s going on here?” I asked, moving up beside Parris. “I figured you’d wait outside for me.”

  “Thought I’d jump right in, but Beauty here doesn’t seem to want my help.”

  If looks could kill, the glare Mercy sent Parris would have melted him into nothing. “The name is Mercy.”

  Parris leaned closer, practically growling his words. “Be thankful I’m not calling you Beast.”

  “Are you saying I’m ugly?”

  Jesus. We didn’t have time for this. “Hold up. Before we fall down the rabbit hole of name-calling and fairy tales, can we talk about what’s going on?” I paused, letting both of them refocus for a moment before looking to Mercy. “What did you see that made you call me?”

  Mercy glanced at Parris, at his motorcycle vest, then back at me. The woman had a smirk that could peel paint off a wall, and she unleashed it as she said, “Bikers. Lots of trashy bikers in town.”

  “Aw, Beauty,” Parris said, placing one hand over his heart as if wounded. “You’re breaking my heart calling me trashy.”

  “If the boot fits—”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath, trying hard to keep them focused. “So, you saw a group of bikers. How many? And where?”

  “Ten, maybe twelve. They drove down Main Street this morning heading toward the highway.”

  Which would put them on a path to pass by Katie’s restaurant. “You seen Gage this morning?”

  “Not yet, but I’m sure he and Katie are at the restaurant. You know he won’t let her open that place alone.”

  He sure wouldn’t. There was a protective partner, and then there was Gage. The man might as well have been Katie’s personal bodyguard for all the time he spent watching out for her safety, and part of that meant she was never alone in the restaurant she owned. Especially not for the before- or after-hours time she spent prepping and cleaning. Everyone in town knew that, though outsiders likely didn’t. That would work in our favor.

  Mercy didn’t have a Gage to be with her—at least not that I knew of. “Was it just you and Beckett this morning?”

  “Yeah. Just us.”

  “And the bikers—they didn’t come in here?”

  “No, they just rode past me. I would have followed them to see where they went, but Beckett’s upstairs and—” she glanced at Parris again, her eyes hardening “—I don’t trust bikers around my son.”

  I jumped in before Parris could even open his mouth. “We should head over to The Baker’s Cottage. Make sure Katie and Gage didn’t have any trouble. We can loop through town on the way back to be sure they’re all gone.”

  Parris never took his eyes off Mercy. “Sounds good.”

  Mercy nodded, flatly ignoring the man staring at her and keeping her gaze locked with mine. “Thanks, Finn. I appreciate you coming so quickly.”

  “Anytime. You can call me whenever you need to.”

  “Or me,” Parris said with a grin. “Like I said before, I’m your personal hero.”

  She finally looked his way, her face twisting into a sneer. “More like my personal zero.”

  “You wound me, Beauty. You really do.” He knocked on the counter once, as if purposefully grabbing our attention before he said, “You’ll change your mind eventually.”

  “Why don’t you hold your breath and wait for that moment?”

  “But then I’d miss breathing in that pretty perfume you wear.” He leaned over the counter, sniffing audibly as Mercy’s face flushed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. You like my attention.”

  “Back off, Parris,” I said, not sure whether Mercy was about to punch him, about to kiss him, or about to run. I wasn’t even convinced she knew how she wanted to deal with the man in her face.

  Finally, she took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest. Protecting herself. “You are insane. Finn, he is insane.”

  “Nah, I’m just a man who knows what he wants.” Parris moved away from her, giving her room to breathe again. Backing toward the door even as his mouth kept moving. “I’d say see you later tonight, my beauty, but I’ve got plans already.”

  “I’d say this playboy attitude is overcompensating for what you lack, you presumptuous asshole, but I prefer to be unique and not follow the trend of every woman you’ve ever met.”

  Parris laughed, looking totally at ease with the insult. “You’ll give in eventually.”

  “Never going to happen.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “You can just keep on looking because the only thing you’ll see is my middle finger.” Which she showed him. She even arched an eyebrow to go with it. Tough as nails, that woman.

  “Do you not want me to leave, or are you just the type of woman who has to get the last word?”

  Mercy’s mouth fell open before she slammed it closed with a click of her teeth. She stared at Parris for a long moment, silent and still, looking downright rage-filled. Then she turned to me. “It’s good to see you, Finn. Tell Katie to pop over if she needs anything. And try to keep your guard dogs chained up, would you?”

  And then she stormed out through the door to the stock room, leaving us alone in the store.

  It had to be said, and I was the only person around to say it. “That did not go well. She hates you, Parris.”

  “Nah. She’s going to fall in love with me. She just hasn’t accepted it yet.” Parris gave me a cool look as we walked outside. “You two have a history?”

  Fuck. “Yeah. An ancient one.”

  “Planning on keeping it that way?”

  I nodded, sudden thoughts of stormy gray eyes, ink, and scars on arms that I wanted wrapped around me again knocking out any and all other women in my life. “Totally.”

  “Good. I’m laying claim to that woman.”

  “I don’t think you can just claim a woman. She has to choose to be with you.”

  “Like I said—she’s going to fall in love with me. She just doesn’t know it yet. She’s a momma, that makes her defensive and protective. I get that. I can work with it too. I just need a little time to make her see how perfect I am.”

  “And humble. Don’t forget humble.”

  “Perfect for her, jackass. We’d be perfect together.”

  I shrugged because what the fuck could I say to that?

  Parris wasn’t finished, though. “You chasing Jinx’s tail?”

  And that…was a hard question to answer. “We’re friends.”

  “Son, men and women can never—”

  Thankfully or not, we were interrupted by Gage as he threw open the door of The Baker’s Cottage and stepped onto the sidewalk between us. Tall, thick, and intimidating, with a glower hidden behind the bushiest beard in Justice, he was a mountain of a man suddenly blocking our path. And he wasn’t happy. At all.

  He stared for a long, quiet moment. Looking from Parris to me and back again before asking simply, “Could Katie be in trouble?”

  So he’d seen the bikers roll through town. No sense in trying to sugarcoat things. “No, but I wouldn’t leave her alone.”

  He grunted, a slight shifting in his heavy beard the only visible reaction. �
��Got a reason Alder isn’t involved in this?”

  “He and Shye got engaged.”

  Another grunt. “Heard about that.”

  Parris said, “We’re handling shit while he gets his plan on.”

  “Makes sense. I don’t like it, but it makes sense.” He nodded once and held up his fist for bumps from Parris and me before saying, “You know how to reach me if you need anything.”

  But he had Katie to protect, and that seemed more important than having him as backup. At least for the moment. “We do.”

  “Good.” That beard moved enough for me to know he was grinning. A scary thought, for sure. “But if anything could possibly come Katie’s way and you don’t give me a heads-up? I’ll cut your fucking balls off.”

  Parris didn’t respond. He must have been used to being threatened with castration. Me? I nodded and said, “Understood.”

  “Nice to be on the same page. Now, go check that those fuckers aren’t holing up in the alley or something, then come in and eat.” Gage opened the door to head back inside. “Katie will be thrilled to have butts in the seats. She likes feeding people. Besides, it’s Thursday. She’ll expect you, Finn.”

  Cream of chicken soup day. The one day of the week I always showed up for lunch. I’d taken some to Jinx last week, and she’d liked the soup. I’d definitely take her more today. And some good, homemade bread. Maybe Katie had green stuff I could bring her. I still needed to get her green stuff.

  Fuck, I needed to get that girl out of my head for a few minutes. Or maybe get her in my arms for longer. “Give us ten, and we’ll be there.”

  The walk around the block of Main Street took almost no time, even with Parris jawing the entire way about Mercy. I had to interrupt him though because my mind was on a totally different woman.

  “Think we should call the bar? See if Deacon needs us? Or Jinx?”

  Parris grunted, not looking at me. “Jinx is fine. She’s got company today.”

  Company. That word tightened my gut. “Who?”

  “Deacon convinced your brother to let his little blondie head over for a visit.”

  Brother and blondie…Alder and Shye. “Alder let her be at the motel alone?”

  The snort Parris gave could have put my own to shame. “He’s got two layers of security on her. Deacon and Bishop.”

  “My brother’s in town?”

  That got his attention. “You didn’t know?”

  Nope. Not surprising, though. Bishop and I hadn’t talked since the last time we’d seen each other. The day he’d punched me in the jaw for my part in Anabeth’s leaving Justice in high school. One more apology owed, one more thing to feel guilty about. I’d deserved that hit. I deserved a lot more.

  “Bishop and I don’t really talk much.”

  “Huh.” Parris turned into the alley, pulling a gun from under his coat. “You really are the weak link in the Kennard chain, aren’t you?”

  “I guess so.” The words came easy, but my mind revolted at the notion. I wasn’t the weakest link—not by a long shot. I knew that, but I doubted anyone else would have. The frustration of that burned, and yet I knew it was my own fault. I chose to keep certain things private, to not burden my siblings with my past.

  We continued on our hunt for anything out of the ordinary, Parris leading the way and me following along. Distracted by my own thoughts. No bikers laid in wait, thankfully. Everything was as quiet and empty as I’d expect in the post-lunch, pre-dinner hours we were in. Most of the men in town were busy working at the mill, and there wasn’t anything in town for people to do unless they were going to eat or in need of something from Bell’s. Downtown Justice sat empty.

  Once we’d made sure the bikers had moved along, I headed inside the restaurant with Parris on my heels, finding my favorite seat at the bar and hopping up. Gage gave me a head nod before rising from his seat and lumbering into the back, while Parris took the stool next to mine.

  It didn’t take him long to fill the silence. “I’m surprised you’re not a military guy.”

  Not something I heard often, or ever. “Why’s that?”

  “You’re regimented. Orderly.”

  More like slightly compulsive. “I need to be.”

  “Learn that skill inside?”

  Inside. As in prison. Deacon wouldn’t have told him that about me, and I doubted he’d spent much time with the others. That meant Jinx had likely taken what I’d told her in trust and spread it. That hurt a lot more than it should have.

  “Yeah, prison. Jinx tell you why?”

  “Jinx doesn’t tell anyone shit, so get that thought right out of your head. If you talked to her, those secrets are safe. I saw the tattoo and put a lot of puzzle pieces together is all.”

  My ink. Twice now people had recognized it for what it was. A virtual calling card to a number of years spent inside, being caught in someone else’s web. “It’s just…not something I usually talk about.”

  Except with Jinx. And now with Parris.

  “I can understand that. But you’ve taken the best part from it, seems like. The regimentation.”

  “And then some. A lot of the same shit, different day, you know?”

  “Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I do.”

  That sounded literal. “You did time?”

  “A nickel.”

  Five years. Less than me but still long enough to leave a mark on you. “That’s a good chunk of time.”

  “And what got me thrown in there was worth every second.” Parris sat back and smiled as Gage brought out our soups with a basket of crusty bread. “You a waiter now, man?”

  Those black eyes pinned my seat neighbor in place. “I’m whatever that woman needs me to be, and right now, she needs me to run orders so she can finish the meatloaf for tonight’s special.”

  Parris grinned. “Smart man.”

  “No shit.” He set everything down in front of us, even retrieving packets of silverware from under the bar. “Need anything else?”

  “Nah, we’re good.” I grabbed my bowl and pulled it close. “Tell Katie thanks for this.”

  “You bragging on that soup and coming in every week to eat it is thanks enough, but I’ll tell her.”

  Parris sat quiet as Gage walked back into the kitchen, only making a noise once he tasted the soup. A noise very much like a groan of satisfaction.

  “That’s fucking amazing.”

  “It is. This is why I come every week for it.” I took a bite, practically sighing and sinking into the bowl in pleasure. “Don’t doubt my love for good food.”

  “I didn’t doubt you. I doubted something as simple as soup could be this good. Color me wrong.”

  We ate in silence for a while, both of us seeming to enjoy the fresh bread and soup combo that had become my staple lunch on Thursdays. I was just starting to think about what pie I might order for dessert when Parris spoke up.

  “I heard you’ve been asking around for a Soul Sucker named Coyote.”

  Coyote. The man who’d killed Camden’s wife, Leah. The man we owed a visit to. “What about it?”

  “Just wondering what you wanted with him.”

  “I’ve got a friend who owes him something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like something that isn’t your business.” I took a sip of my soda, side-eyeing the man. “It’s Justice business.”

  Parris just chuckled. “Son, I’m all up in Justice’s business already. But really, if you want Coyote, I might be able to help you find him.”

  “At what cost?”

  “A favor to be named later.”

  Dangerous. That was definitely dangerous, and yet… “I’ll take you up on that. You get me info on Coyote, and I’ll owe you one.”

  “Sounds good.” Parris set down his spoon and sat back, looking far from done with this conversation. “Jinx tell you about her mom yet?”

  That question left me in an awkward position. If my secrets were safe with Jinx, hers should be safe with me. And with
Parris. I didn’t want to learn anything new about her from him.

  “No. And I’d prefer if she tells me whatever it is you’re thinking about.”

  “Trust me, son. I wasn’t about to spill her secrets any more than she’d spill mine. But a word of advice? Ask her.”

  “About what?”

  “Her mom. It’s definitely not my story to tell, but you need to know it. So, ask her.”

  “You think she’ll tell me?”

  “Probably not. Ask anyway. And keep asking until she does.”

  I had a few questions left from our quid pro quo night. Maybe asking something more personal would work in my favor. Or maybe she’d clam up and never talk to me again. Either way, it was time for a subject change.

  “We hitting that club anytime soon?”

  Parris grunted. “Definitely. I’m waiting on one last bit of intel before we strike.”

  “They’re obviously playing a little cat and mouse with us, coming into town like they did today. I don’t like that.”

  “Me either, but I’m not going in unprepared.”

  “Now you sound like Alder.”

  “The man was Special Forces—that’s a compliment even for an old Marine like me.” He tossed his napkin over his bowl. “You’d have made a good Marine.”

  “My best friend spent a few years serving as a Marine, but with a brother in the Army and another in the Navy? The Marines wouldn’t have been an option for me.” The fights between Bishop and Alder over Army versus Navy were bad enough. Add a third branch in there, and we might have had our very own war, Kennard-style. “Besides, I never wanted to join the military.”

  “What did you want to do before you got caught up?”

  I shrugged one shoulder, thinking back over all the things I let go of while off chasing a high. “Go to college. Maybe med school. Have a life.”

  “You’ve got one.”