Trusting Thorn (Miami Saints MC #5)

Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

Thorn

Monday morning when I pull up outside of Saints Customs and hop out of my truck, I see the bay doors already wide open, and Knox and Kidd hard at work on a custom job that came in last week.

"Morning," I call out as I make my way to the coffee pot, glad that G already got the first one going.

Knox lifts his head so he can see around the bike secured onto the lift and his eyes narrow. “You look like someone pissed in your Cheerios.”

This is what makes him a great enforcer.

He doesn’t miss a fucking thing going on around him.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I lean back against the front desk and catch him up. “It's Oakland. She's been having issues with a doctor at the hospital.”

Kidd whistles low. “You gonna tune him up?”

“I fucking want to,” I growl, hating that Oakland has tied my hands. If I do anything to him, she’ll have my ass. “This asshole had a hard-on for her since the day she started working there. At first, she said it was just little shit like him watching her but then Friday night he asked her out. When she shot him down, he grabbed hold of her arm.” My teeth clench just thinking about that motherfucker putting his hands on my girl. “My girl likes everyone and don’t complain ‘bout shit. If this guy’s making her feel some kind of a way, that makes me think it’s bigger than she’s letting on.”

Knox puts down the wrench in his hand and moves around the lift, his face turning serious. “That's fucked up. Isn’t there some sort of fraternization rules or whatever the fuck they call it that keeps the doctors from trying to fuck the nurses they work with?”

“Fuck it I know.” I don’t know the first thing about the hospital’s policies.

“We could pay him a visit.” Kidd smirks, waggling his brows.

God knows I'm tempted. The thought of this fucker bothering my woman makes my blood boil. “I promised Oakland that I’d leave it alone for now.”

Knox lifts a brow. “That doesn’t mean you can’t ask Dex to look into this guy.”

He’s got a point.

Knox nods, a sly grin spreading across his face. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

“I heard that!” Comes hollered from up the steps.

“Who are we keeping secrets from?” When all turn to see G standing at the top of the steps, her hands on her hips and her pointed heel tapping out the beat of a pissed-off woman.

“Not you, baby,” Knox says, moving in her direction.

She points her finger at her old man. “Hold it right there, big guy.”

Knox ignores her demand and continues to prowl towards her.

“Oakland,” Kidd tattletales.

“For good reason,” I add, figuring it’s best to come clean before she starts to think I’m up to something and gets all the old ladies involved. Wouldn’t that be a cluster fuck.

“Really?” She lifts a perfectly sculpted brow.

“Really. She’s having problems with a doctor at work.”

“And she wants you to mind your own beeswax.” She says it as a statement, and I nod.

“Trust your gut,” is all she says before spinning around and hauling ass back into her office with Knox hot on her heels.

“They’re gonna fuck,” Kidd laughs, shaking his head as he turns back to the bike.

“Don’t they always?” I laugh as I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts to Dex's number.

If there’s anything to be found on Dr. Douchbag, Dex will find it.

Just as I’m about to hit call, Sparrow and Wrath come strolling through the open bay door.

“What’s up?” I ask, zeroing in on the look on Sparrow’s face.

Whatever is going on, it’s not good.

“You hear about George, yet?” Sparrow asks, going straight to the mini-fridge and grabbing a beer.

Kid and I look at each other, then back to him, shaking our heads.

“He's going to be moving to the Jacksonville charter. Gonna prospect for them and take over running their tech room.”

Damn. I know I won’t be the only one who’s going to miss the kid.

“Good for him,” Kidd chimes in. “I’m glad he’s finally spreading his wings,”

“What’s Dex thing about it?” Knox asks, strolling back down the steps.

“That was quick,” Kidd mumbles under his breath, drawing a middle finger from Knox.

“Heard these fuckers come in,” Knox replies, motioning to Sparrow and Wrath.

“Dex says he’s good with it, but I think he’s full of shit. Those two have been thick as thieves ever since George showed up. Always fucking bitches together and shit. Naw, I think he’s just putting on a brave face. Not to mention the fact he’s basically been training George since Viper brought him in.”

“We having a party before he goes?” Knox asks.

“Yes!” G, shouts from the office upstairs.

Knox shakes his head, but there’s a big smile on his face.

“There’s your answer,” Sparrow laughs.

I file that information away for later.

Right now, I've got bigger fish to fry.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket again, I scroll back down to Dex’s number and hit call.

He picks up on the second ring. "Yo.”

"Need you to look into someone for me," I say, keeping my voice low.

“Whatcha got?”

“There’s a doctor at Miami General South that works with Oak. His last name's Reynolds, first name unknown. Need you to dig up everything you can on him.”

There's a pause and I can hear Dex's fingers flying across his keyboard. “You got it, brother. I'll call you when I've got something.”

“Thanks, Dex,” I say, ending the call.

“You won't believe what I just did,” Easy, our newest prospect, says as he comes strolling into the shop with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Knox raises an eyebrow. “Got rid of the piece of shit truck and bought a new one.”

Easy flips him off, still grinning. “No, I put in an offer on the house next door to mine and the bank accepted the offer. I’m gonna flip it and rent it out.” The man is always on his phone looking for shit to buy and flip.

“Smart move," I tell him, clapping him on the back. “If you need any help with the renovations after you close on it, let us know.”

“Thanks, man. I might take you up on that.”

After everyone congratulates Easy on his investment property, the rest of the morning goes by in a blur.

“Yo.”

I glance up at Kidd. “What?”

“Your phone’s about to vibrate off the lift.”

“Shit,” I reach out and catch my phone just before it goes over the edge. Looking down at the screen, I see Oakland’s name. “Hey, baby,” I quickly answer, stepping outside for some privacy. “Everything okay?”

“Hey,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “Yeah, everything's fine. I was just on my lunch break and wanted to hear your voice.”

“Miss me already?” I tease.

She laughs and I imagine her rolling her eyes. “Maybe a little. How's your day going?”

I lean against the side of the building, wondering when I became a pussy who gets excited when his woman calls his phone. In for a penny, I admit, “Better now that you’ve called.”

Oakland laughs, and for the next few minutes, I listen to her chatter away about making balloon animals out of the latex gloves in the exam room for a little girl who had been involved in a car accident.

My woman was so fucking sweet.

“I’ve gotta get back out there,” she sighs.

“Okay, baby. I'll pick you up when your shift's over,” I remind her. Her car had refused to start again this morning, and I ended up driving her to work.

“Thanks, honey,” she says softly. “I’ll see you then.”

I slip my phone back into my pocket as I step inside and catch Knox looking at me with a knowing smirk.

“What?”

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Nothing, man. Just never seen you like this about a bitch before. It's... different.”

I'm about to tell him to fuck off when my phone vibrates again. I pull it out and am surprised to get a call back this fast.

“Talk to me,” I say, putting Dex on speaker so Knox can hear.

“You’re never going to believe this shit,” he says, his voice gravely. “This Dr. Reynolds? He's got a history. Two complaints of sexual harassment at the previous hospital he worked at in Chicago. Both were settled out of court, records sealed.”

“Fuck.” I rub the back of my neck.

“That's not all, brother.”

I was afraid he was going to say that.

“There's a police report from five years ago. A woman filed a restraining order against him, claiming he was stalking her.”

“Motherfucker,” I mutter, exchanging a look with Knox.

“There's more,” Dex continues. “I dug into his financials. The guy's in deep shit. Gambling debts, mostly. Owes some serious money to the Kings of Anarchy.”

My brows go up.

That’s some news I hadn’t expected. “The Kings of Anarchy down in Oden?”

“Yep.” This wasn’t good news for my woman at all.

Unless... I turned to Knox, “How pissed do you think Tacoma would be if one of his debtors disappeared?”

Dex started laughing on the other end. “Better talk to Viper about that shit,” Dex says at the same time Kidd says the same thing, “Maybe Viper can work something out.”

“Yeah, I need to bring him up to speed.”

“I’ll keep digging and hit you up if I find anything else.”

“Thanks, Dex,” I reply, my mind already racing as I end the call.

“What's the play, brother?” When I turn to Knox, his face is hard.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the rage building inside me. “For now, we wait. I promised Oakland I'd leave it alone, but if this fucker so much as looks at her wrong…” I leave the rest hanging between us. He knows first-hand what happens to the assholes who fuck with our women.

Knox blows out a heavy breath. “Thorn. We can’t take him out without a deal being made with the Kings. Dead men don’t pay their debts and from the sounds of it, this fucker owes a big one to Tacoma.”

“It is what it is,” I shrug, drawing concerned looks from Knox and Kidd.

I get what they’re saying.

The last thing we want to do is start a war with the Kings but if that’s what it comes down to, then so fucking be it.

I won’t let this asshole put my woman in danger.

“Let’s not put the cart before the horse, yeah? Dex will fill Viper in, and he’ll figure something out. He always does,” Kidd says optimistically.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

With that lingering thought on my mind, I send up a prayer to the Gods that Viper can work things out before things get any worse.