Free Checkmate With Bishop: A Hellions MC Novel by J. A. Hornbuckle Page A

every valued piece that then dotted the floor.  “Help you how?”
    The kid cleared his throat on a deep rumble but his voice, when he finally spoke, squeaked more than a bit.  “I’m looking for my father.”
    “And who might he be?”  It might have been his fucked up state or even the residual ache that was screaming from his stomach, but Bishop had a hard time keeping up with the convo.  “What’s his name, son?”
    “I don’t…I don’t know his name, sir.”  Bishop caught the almost imperceptible hitch in the kid’s voice at the admission.  “But my mother is Adora Leone.  Or Dory.  She goes by Dory.”
    Bishop felt ice begin to fill his veins and he found himself straightening to his full height, the scattering of the small disks of the pain med forgotten.  ‘ Dory’s kid ’, his mind screamed. ‘ I’m on the phone with Dory’s kid .’ 
    “Maybe you need to be talking to her about this instead of me,” Bishop replied as the ice within him spread.
    “I tried to.”  The young man’s voice spoke of frustration, but Bishop didn’t have the stamina to explore it.  “She won’t tell me shit.  I was hoping you could.”
    Leaning an arm on the counter, Bishop let his head drop while pressing the phone tightly against his ear.  He recognized how J.R. felt.  Once Dory made up her mind not to talk about something, that subject was closed in such a way it was non-negotiable.  “I don’t know anything, J.R.  I knew your mom a long time ago but don’t know shit about your dad.”
    “Oh.”  The disappointment absolutely dripped off the kid’s one word response and Bishop found himself pitying the poor guy.  “Is there anyone else who might know, someone in Montana that my mom might’ve told?”
    “Sorry, kid.  Not that I know of.  But hey, your mom said that she was coming back to town so maybe when you guys get here…”
    “What?  What do you mean?  She said we were going to Montana?  When?”
    Bishop realized his gaff just by the excitement in the kid’s voice.  One that told him Dory hadn’t shared that bit with her son.  The young man’s voice, just like his mother’s, gave away secrets Bishop was sure the boy didn’t want revealed.  “I don’t know but said she’d give me all the particulars in a couple of days.” 
    Bishop thought for a minute, trying to find a way to cover his ass at blurting out shit that Dory had obviously not communicated to her son.  “Listen.  Maybe I shouldn’t have told you so you gotta keep that shit on the down-low, dig?”
    There was a heavy sigh before he heard J.R.’s response, offered in a simple, “yeah.”
    And which was followed by a couple of beats of silence.  A kind of quiet that the older man hastened to fill.
    “I’m sorry, J.R.  Sorry I couldn’t help.”  Those words, of any that Bishop had spoken during the conversation, were of the real and true kind.  “But, since you have my number and everything, maybe you could look me up when you’re in town.”
    “Sure.”  The youngster’s voice sounded like someone had kicked his puppy but Bishop had no idea on how to make it better.  “Thank you, sir.  For, you know, talking to me and everything.”
    “Wish I knew more, kid.  I really do.”  Bishop searched for a way to end the uncomfortable call.  “I’ll look forward to meeting you.  If you’re anything like your mom…”
    “Thank you again and well, goodbye, Mr. Bastian.”  And with that, the line disconnected, finding Bishop almost dizzy with how fast their convo was completed.
    And as he sunk to his knees, down onto the worn linoleum of the kitchen floor to start picking up the pills, he again wondered at what kind of life Dory had been living if she hadn’t even told her kid about his father.
     

Chapter Seven
     
    I pulled into the parking lot of the Rosemont, my tires crunching under the bits and pieces of the driveway, the dust puffing behind the car.  It wasn’t the best