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“So, you came to Shine from Nebraska?”
“Yup. Mom moved out there from Knoxville before I was born.”
“Ah, that explains Knox then. And Linc. Short for Lincoln?”
“Yup. Real original, my mom,” he remarks and lets out a chuckle.
“Aw, I think it’s cute.”
He laughs. “It’s never bothered me. What’s in a name? Knox used to get irritated because people would call him Tennessee. Then again, there wasn’t much that didn’t irritate Knox when we were growing up.”
That doesn’t surprise me when I think about the aloof biker who only seemed to soften when I saw him with his mom.
“What made your mom move from Tennessee to Nebraska? That’s a big change.”
“She met my dad. He got a job out there, and they decided a fresh start would be good for them. She had Knox right out of high school and was a single mom until my dad came around. He wasn’t the nicest man.”
That’s the sense I got when Tanya and I talked for a few moments the other night. I had no idea he was Linc’s dad, though.
“He beat the shit out of my mom, but would usually leave us alone. She kicked him out so many damn times, but he would come around asking for money and refusing to leave until she gave him some. One night, she put her foot down, and he decided to take it out on my brother. I jumped on his back, and he threw me off. I landed headfirst into the coffee table.” Linc pulls his hair back and shows me the faint scar on his hair line. “Mom hit him in the head with a pan, and he ran out the door. That night she packed us up, and we started driving.”
“Wow, I had no idea.” I take a sip of my coffee. “Did you ever hear from your dad again?”
“He came to find us a couple years later. I guess he got in contact with my mom’s sister. Her sister thought he’d changed or something. Turns out he didn’t.” Linc clenches his jaw like he’s chewing on his next words. “He followed my mom home from work one day and broke into our house. From what I gather, he was trying to make her pack and convince her to go back to Nebraska. She could tell he was unhinged and high on something. At first, she played along ’til she could get away and call for help. He ran out to his car to grab something, and she took her chance to run out the back door. She didn’t make it past the backyard before he caught her and dragged her back in the house.”
The fear his mom must have felt is so similar to what I’ve felt myself many times over. That moment right before a beating when you know it’s going to happen, and you can’t escape it.
“He started wailing on her, just beating the hell out of her. Knox and I walked in and saw him on top of her punching her head while she tried to fight him off and protect herself at the same time.” His eyes close, reliving the memory of a young boy seeing his mother being beaten by his father. A man who was supposed to protect them. It’s absolutely heart-wrenching to witness.
“We liked to play baseball at the little league field down the street, so there was a bat by the door. God, my mom would always yell at us to put our stuff away, that she was tired of tripping over it all the time.” He lets out a huff. “I’m glad as hell we didn’t listen. Knox picked up the bat and swung it across that fucker’s head. Knocked him off our mom and knocked him out cold. I called Trick, then we grabbed our mom and ran out front to wait for him.” A small spread across Linc’s lips.
“It didn’t take more than two minutes for Trick and three other brothers to show up. My dad was still knocked out cold in our living room. They hauled him into a van and sped off. Trick stayed with my mom and cleaned her cuts while she sobbed. Fuck, that was hard to see.” He pauses, taking a long sip of his coffee. “Gramps and Janine showed up a little while later. My brother and I were sitting on the stairs in front of the house when Trick came out. That was the first time I saw him as more than my friend’s dad. When he walked out, he was every inch the MC president. He looked at us and said, ‘Good job calling me. You always call family when you’re in trouble. That man is not your family, and you’ll never see him again.’” Linc sits back in the booth and shrugs his shoulders.
“And we never did. That night, Gramps decided to teach us how to fight ‘London style,’ he called it.” He barks out a laugh. “It wasn’t much different from how we messed around, only a whole hell of a lot dirtier.” When a smile lights up his face, I see the respect and love he has for the man he calls Gramps.
“So, that’s my sad story. That’s why I love the club and everyone in it like family. From that day forward, I had a real family who would put themselves in the line of fire for me, and I’d do the same for them.”
“And that’s why when you saw me, you couldn’t turn a blind eye.”
Linc nods. “That’s exactly why. It’s also why I’ll protect my brothers until my dying breath.”
The waitress comes back with two bacon cheeseburgers the size of my head and a huge portion of fries for each of us. My eyes are the size of saucers when I see the gigantic meal.
“You like to eat, and I like to feed you. Told you that you’d like it.” A wide grin overtakes Linc’s face as he picks up the burger. “Best burgers in Shine.”
I take a bite of mine and groan in agreement. “You’re not wrong.”
Conversation is nonexistent as we devour the food in front of us. When we’re finished, Linc asks me if I’m ready for dessert.
“How can you possibly consider more food after that?” I wave my hand at his plate.
The devious twinkle in his eye tells me he wasn’t referring to food.
“You’re insatiable,” I say with a giggle.
“Only for you, babe.” The sexy wink he gives me causes butterflies to riot low in my belly.
Linc throws a few twenties on the table, enough to cover our tab and leave a generous tip. Getting back on his bike, I lean forward and brush my lips against his neck.
