Hollow (Hollow Point #1) (7 page)

“Yes, Knox. I am avoiding answering a personal question asked by someone I barely know. It’s called boundaries.”

“Fine.” He shrugged as he took another large bite of his food and I could feel his eyes on me as I chewed.

Sitting down my fork and knife, I looked back up at him. “
What
?”

“Boyfriend troubles?” He asked.

“What part of it being
none
of your business did you not understand?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just weird.” He shoved a French fry in his mouth before taking a sip from his milkshake.

“What’s weird?”

“I didn’t think someone like you even had feelings, let alone cried.”

I rolled my eyes as I picked up a fry from his plate and bit off the end.

“You have your own fries.”

“Mine are all hard. I like the smooshy ones. And I wasn’t crying. It’s allergies. I’m not used to so much nature.” I cringed, and he shook his head, snatching a fry from my plate and dipping it in his shake before popping it into his mouth.

“I’ll eat the hard ones, but you’ve got to try it in the shake.”

I picked up another soft one from his plate and dipped it into his drink before taking a small bite. “Woah.”

“Right?”

We continued eating, and before I knew it, Beatrice was at our side asking if we’d like anything else before placing the check face down on the table. On the back was her name with a smiling face. I rolled my eyes as he pulled his wallet from his pocket, leafing through a thick stack of bills, and placed cash on top of the paper. I couldn’t tell how much he’d left, but it was definitely more than what we owed, even with a tip.

“I can pay for myself.”

“I’m sure you can.”

I grabbed my purse and dug around for my wallet. Knox reached across the table and put his hand on my arm, causing me to still.

“When we’re together, your money is no good. Understand?”

“Why?”

“Life lesson.”

“Which is?”

“I could tell you, but it’s better if you experience it.”

“Where did you even get that anyway? Are you a drug dealer?”

“It’s called work, Princess.”

“Where do you work?”

“Tell me why you were crying and I’ll tell you. A question for a question.”

I raised my eyebrow, intrigued. “My dad proposed to Piper,” I confessed, and his smile fell as he leaned back in his seat. “He’s not even divorced from my mom yet, and now it seems like it is going to be impossible...” My voice trailed off. “She already got out of… the program she was in, and he’s not there. I don’t know what will happen to her if she is out there much longer without us.” I braced for him to ask what type of program she was in.

“That’s why you want Piper gone.”

I nodded, fresh tears pricking my eyes and I swallowed hard, refusing to let them fall.

“Shit. Come on.” He stood from his seat and held out his hand for me, I reluctantly took it, and he pulled me effortlessly to my feet.

We walked outside, and I got into my car as he rounded my vehicle and slid into the passenger seat.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I pushed the button on the dash to start the car.

“I’m going to show you where I work.”

“You drive like shit,” He grumbled as I turned off the highway onto Mable Road.

“It’s not my fault I have to swerve around potholes every five feet,” she countered, causing me to chuckle.

“We should have taken my bike.”

“There is no way I am getting on one of those death machines.”

“We’ll see…”

“So, that girl…”

“What about her?”

“You know her?”

“Most of us have lived here our entire lives. What do you think?”

Her eyes had cut to me before she readjusted her grip on the steering wheel. “You left her an awfully big tip.”

“That’s what she said.”

Riley glared at me, and I shot her a wink, not bothering to elaborate. She was nosey as hell, and I knew it was eating away at her that I wasn’t offering to gossip with her.

“She an ex or something?”

“Nope.”

“Current?”

I smiled as I looked out of the passenger window. “I don’t do the whole girlfriend thing if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I wasn’t,” she shrugged. “Why not?”

“For fuck’s sake, Riley. You’re going to make my ears bleed.”

“Just curious.”

“Remember what curiosity did to the cat?”

NINE

We drove for about twenty minutes outside of the small town and parked outside of The Hollow Hole Bar alongside a row of motorcycles.

“You’re a bartender? You could have just told me that. Why did we have to drive all the way out here?” I asked as I unbuckled my seatbelt. He grinned at me before slipping out of the car and waiting for me to join him at his side. Slinging his arm over my shoulders, he guided me in through the front door, nodding at the older man behind the bar and greeting a few of the customers who looked like they’d been sitting there so long they should be collecting dust.

We made our way back a narrow hallway and passed the bathrooms, and he pulled me closer to his side as he typed a code into a keypad, unlocking a door that read:

HOLLOW HELLIONS ONLY

“This is getting weird.” I hesitated before he leaned down, his lips dangerously close to my ear and causing me to shiver as his breath fanned over my cheek.

“Just try not to talk, for a change, and don’t leave my side.”

I nodded, swallowing hard as he pushed open the door. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark room that was more like an oversized garage. I was terrified. People like me didn’t go to places like this and as scary as it was, my blood was pumping so hard I felt like I might pass out.

“Hey, Salty,” Knox called out, nodding his chin to a guy who was wrapping some sort of tape around his hand, a gash on the apple of his cheekbone weeping fresh blood. It looked like it could use a few stitches but he didn’t seem bothered by it.

We walked around a bloodstained concrete slab that was roped off. A man was inside dumping something that looked like sawdust onto the floor to soak up any of the liquid not absorbed into the ground.

I sunk deeper into Knox’s side, now terrified but his body was relaxed, and he wore an easy smile as we stopped in front of an older man who was tall like Knox but with brown eyes instead of Knox’s blue and his hair was a shade lighter and peppered with gray.

“Decker,” Knox called out.

“Knox, I haven’t seen you in a while.” He had looked to me before his lips pressed together into a thin line. “You know the rules about outsiders when it’s not a fight night.”

“She’s not an outsider. She’s with me.”

His eyes looked over me again as he took in my clothing before nodding to Knox and smiling. “Well done.” He clamped his hand down on Knox’s shoulder as he stood, rolling his head from shoulder to shoulder. “You here to get on the roster?”

“No,” Knox shook his head. “I’m here to see Father Time. He’s holding something for me.”

“Christ, is no fucking place sacred?” A voice called out from the other side of the ring as he pulled his shirt over his head. I immediately recognized him as the asshole from Knox’s living room.

“Topher,” He barked out, causing me to jump. Knox smiled down at me, his palm rubbing against my forearm. “When are you going to learn to mind your own fucking business?” Knox was pissed, but he wore a smile.

“This place
is
my fucking business. She doesn’t belong here and until you decide to be all in, you don’t either.”

“Hey, we just stopped to grab something from the old man. Take it down a notch.” The little bit of playfulness in his tone was gone, and I could tell he was growing irritated with his supposed friend.

“You can run your mouth all you want at Greta’s, but you don’t get to tell me what to do here,” Topher snapped as he walked toward us. I could smell the alcohol wafting off him from several feet away.

“You don’t want to do this, man,” Knox tried to diffuse the situation, but it only made Topher more hostile as the liquid courage pumped through his veins.

“You fuckin’ scared?” Topher laughed, and I felt Knox stiffen beside me.

“I’m not going to fight you.”

Topher laughed, his gaze dropping to me. “What are you afraid I’ll beat your ass in front of
her
?”

Knox was clenching his teeth as he looked at me before shaking his head. I could tell he didn’t want me to see this side of him, but he couldn’t walk away. “Get in the fucking ring before I drag you in.”

“Watch this,” Topher pointed at me, and I shrank under the glare of all of the random men who were now intently watching the confrontation.

The man who had dumped the sawdust was now pushing it from the floor with a large, flat broom. His eyes danced between the two guys before he slid between the ropes and headed off to a door near the back of the room.

“You couldn’t just shut your fucking mouth,” Knox groaned.

“You want to tape up or change?” Decker turned to Knox, who was shaking his head.

“Nah. This will be quick.” His eyes narrowed at Topher, who was climbing in the ring.

“You should save it for fight night. We can make big bank.”

Knox took a step away from me, and I wrapped my own arms around my chest, wanting to run from the room but uncertain that my legs wouldn’t buckle.

“You don’t need to do this,” I whispered as Knox turned around to look at me, a grin spreading across his face. “If you need money or something, I can help you out.”

“Look at you playing nice with others,” he joked. “I
want
to do this. This asshole has it coming. I don’t give a shit about money. This is about
respect
.” He winked and even through the fear, butterflies took flight inside of my stomach. Knox pulled the bullet necklace over his head and placed it in my palm, folding my fingers around the small metal object.

Knox slipped between the ropes before pulling his t-shirt over his head. My eyes danced down the ripples of muscles as he tossed the shirt over the top rope. Topher was already bouncing on the pads of his feet, rolling his neck from side to side. Knox looked more relaxed as he pulled his arm across his chest, gripping his forearm with the opposite hand and stretching his shoulder.

“Play fair, boys. Let’s give the lady a show but keep it easy. I need Topher in top shape for his match on Tuesday.”

The next few seconds were a blur. Decker stepped back, and Topher and Knox moved around each other, waiting to strike. Topher swung, but Knox dodged his fist. He swung again, this time missing with his right before connecting with his left on Knox’s chin.

Knox’s head had cocked to the side before a smile spread across his lips that were now smeared with blood. “You hit like a bitch,” Knox laughed before his right arm swung wide, connecting with the side of Topher’s face and sent him falling to the hard floor below. His head made a sickening thump as it bounced off the cement.

“Damn it, Knox,” Decker yelled as he bent down to check out Topher. “I said take it fucking easy.”

“He earned that one.” Knox shrugged before grabbing his shirt and slipping between the ropes. His tongue ran out of his lip, wiping away the blood as his chest heaved from his heavy breathing.

“
This
is what you do for a living?” I choked out, still in shock.

“No, this is what I do for
fun
.” He shrugged as he pulled his shirt down over his head. “Drinking, fighting, gambling… it all goes hand in hand around here. There’s not a lot to do in a small town.”

“But he’s your friend.”

“I don’t have any friends, Princess. Come on.” He draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me toward the desk by the door we had come through that lead to the bar. There was now an old man sitting behind it.

“Hey, old man, you got that clutch gasket?”

The older man with a gray beard pulled a small metal piece from a shelf and held it out to Knox. Knox pulled some cash from his wallet and dropped it on the desktop before taking the part and thanking him.

We made our way back to the parking lot and the evening sun was blinding, and I had to squint as we made it to my car. After we had got inside, my finger hesitated before hitting the start button.

“What’s that for?” I asked, eyeing the small round piece in his hand. “It’s for a bike I’m restoring.”

My gaze dropped to the cut on his lip.

“It doesn’t hurt.” I held out his chain and he took it, slipping it over his head.

“Why didn’t you just use that money you have to buy a new bike?”

“They don’t make ‘em like they used to, and I’m saving that money for something else.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, my body still shaking from the adrenaline that was pumping through my veins. “Where to?”

“My shop.”

***

The ride to Knox’s shop was back toward my home. The building was small and square with a freshly hand-painted sign along the road that read:

HARD KNOX

HOLLOW HELLIONS TERRITORY

HELLRAISER

“This place is yours?” I asked, in shock that he had his own business.

“It’s not much, but it’s all mine. Welcome to Fort Knox,” he joked.

We stepped out of the car and into the warm air.

“Come on,” He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the front door before flipping on the lights. The building smelled of grease, and there were motorcycles in various stages of repair around the floor.

“How did you learn to do this stuff?” I asked as I ran my finger over the gas tank of one of the bikes.

“That ones for the show they’re filming here. Gonna be able to pay off my debts to the club with the commission.”

“It’s incredible.”

“My dad used to ride, and he was always working on one when I was a kid. If I wanted to spend time with him, I had to be into it too.”

“Where’s your dad now?” I asked as I looked up at him.

“Question for a question?” He asked, his eyebrow raised.

“Fine.”

“Honestly, I don’t know where he is.”

“That’s it? That’s your answer?”

“What do you want from Tatum?”

“Nothing.”

He laughed, running his palm along his jaw. “That’s it? That’s your answer?”

I tried to hide my smile as I shrugged.

“You’re just as stubborn as me.” With a loud groan, he shook his head. “My dad left my mom when I was thirteen years old. He preferred getting high to being a father. Last I heard, he was down in Maryland, but most likely his body is rotting away in a basement somewhere. I don’t know. Don’t care.”

“Holy shit,” I mumbled, shocked by his confession. “And your mom?”

“Question for a question. Princess. I answered yours…”

“Nothing.”

His eyes had narrowed before his tongue ran out over his lower lip, brushing over the cut. “I should be getting back. Mind giving me a lift to the diner so I can get my bike?”

“Sure.”

We rode in silence for most of the trip. I was lost in thought about my dad proposing to Piper and what it meant for my mom.

Knox reached out and turned down the music, and I could feel his eyes lingering on me for a moment before he spoke.

“You know, divorce isn’t really that bad.”

I glanced over at him, smiling. “You speaking from experience?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Just trying to make you feel better.”

“No offense, but you’re not really good at this whole comforting thing.”

“Yeah, so I’ve been told. Turn left at this light.” I slowed down as I pulled into the parking lot of the diner.

“Thanks for trying.”

I dropped Knox off at the Starlight Diner, and as I waited to pull out of the parking lot, I watched Beatrice in my rearview mirror as she came out of the front door while untying her apron, smiling broadly as she made her way to her little beat up car. When she noticed Knox, her face lit up. 

He acknowledged her, and as they began to talk, he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. A car pulled up behind me and beeped it’s horn.

“Shit! Jesus! Can’t you give me a minute?” I yelled as I pulled out onto the road and headed back to my house.