Jake (Demented Souls #16)

4

M att waited until they were back to the park to start questioning her. “Are you sure he doesn’t have ties to the club in Mobile? The one your dickhead ex got mixed up with?” he asked as he dismounted from the bike.

“While I can’t be a hundred percent sure, I’d say ninety-nine percent sure.” She handed him her helmet so he could secure it. “He was a nice kid. His folks moved him out of Mobile while we were still in high school, and he said today he hadn’t been back. Aaron could have lied, but why?”

“Why? Because he is mixed up with those assholes and doesn’t want you to know.”

Heather fought the urge to roll her eyes. Usually, it was her being paranoid about anyone she didn’t know being tied to that club in Mobile, but then again, she felt like she knew Aaron.

But did she? It had been so long since she’d seen him last. And while she thought she’d known him then, she also thought she’d known Mitch, and look how that had turned out. Her mind began to spiral. Was she wrong about Aaron? Was he here looking for her? Did he plan to take her back to Alabama and the hell she had no doubt waiting for her there?

She shook herself and told herself that was stupid. Aaron had always been the first one to step up and stand up for anyone being mistreated or bullied. While she had no doubt he’d changed in the interim years, she didn’t think he’d changed that basic part of himself.

At least she hoped not.

She didn’t want to think about what he would have had to go through to change what she considered such a basic, core part of him.

“I’m sure. He’s not mixed up with them.” She didn’t tell Matt about her doubts, one person thinking them was enough.

Matt didn’t respond but watched her a moment, as if trying to figure out what she was thinking. After a moment, he nodded.

“Let’s go see what everyone’s up to and find something to drink.” He turned, waiting for her to join him before they headed into the park.

Heather took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around his waist, giving him a quick sideways hug before releasing her cousin to walk beside him. She appreciated the way he’d taken her in, and that he was doing everything he could to keep her safe. She straightened her shoulders and decided to push away thoughts of Mitch and his idiot friends in Mobile. Today was a day to have fun, and she was determined to do just that.

Their first stop was at the row of several coolers they’d brought down from Dickenson with them. She knew several of them held food, but just as many had drinks of all kinds.

“What do you want?” Matt asked.

“Did we bring any Northern Route?” she asked about her favorite craft brew, made by a brewery in Dickenson. She’d fallen in love with it the first time she’d tried it, now it was her beer of choice.

“Miles knows how much you and a couple of other women like it, so I’m sure it’s here somewhere,” Matt said as he opened one cooler, pulled out a coke and dropped the lid, pressing it closed with his knee before moving a couple of coolers down and opening that one. From the way he’d gone straight to the cooler with the cokes in it, she knew there had to be some kind of system for what was where, but had no clue what it was.

“What are you looking for?” Miles asked as he stepped up, a wide grin on his face.

“She wants that Phat Fish beer some of the girls drink,” Matt said, digging through one of the coolers with one hand.

“The Phat Fish is in that one over there.” Miles indicated the cooler at the end of the row.

“Thanks,” Matt closed the one he’d been digging through and went to the one he’d indicated. After a moment of digging, he pulled out a can, closed the cooler and brought it to her. “Here. Want to find a place to sit, or you want to wander around a bit?”

“I’ll mingle, you go have some fun. You don’t need to babysit me all the time.”

Matt didn’t say anything for a moment, but watched her, one brow lifted, as if he was asking if she was sure. She used the hem of her shirt to wipe off the top of her can, then opened it and took a long pull before using her free hand to shoo him away.

“Now that you’ve run him off, what’s your plan?” Miles asked after Matt had reluctantly wandered off.

“I didn’t lie to him. I’m going to mingle.” She scanned the park, wondering where to start, then spotted Ava and Cowboy to one side, talking with a couple she didn’t recognize. Might as well start there. Maybe she’d learn more about Aaron and these Demented Souls they were getting together with.

She didn’t understand the whole thing, the meeting up with another club, but she was only on the edge of the Kings, so it didn’t matter if she understood how it worked. Besides, she didn’t know how long she would be around anyway. But maybe she could get an idea of what kind of man Aaron was now, maybe learn a little bit about his friends.