8. Never make panicked decisions.
Chapter 8
Never make panicked decisions.
Christian
S ilence surrounds me, and the only sound I hear is the pounding of my heart. It’s beating so hard and loud my chest feels like it’s going to explode.
We’ve stunned this gossiping, nosy community speechless. Local bad boy knocks up the town’s pride and joy and beloved sweetheart. As if my life choices and failures aren’t already bad enough. This is scandalous.
The day was coming when we’d have to tell her family that she’s pregnant, but I didn’t expect to have to face Amelia’s brothers today. It’s Grams’s birthday, and I didn’t want to spoil it. I always spoil everything.
Linden steps closer to us. His eyes dart from Amelia to Tanner and back again like he’s not sure he understands what they said.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He directs his question at Amelia.
She doesn’t answer him. Instead, she looks up at me with a worried look clouding her honey brown eyes.
“Don’t look at him,” Linden demands. “Look me in the face and tell me this isn’t true.”
“I … umm …” she mumbles before she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.
She’s trembling. I know she’s not afraid of her brothers, but she hates being a disappointment. Her family relies on her to take care of them and fix problems, not create them. I hate seeing her like this. It makes me want to wrap my arms around her and keep her safe.
Instead, I step in front of her, readying myself to take on the full force of her brother’s wrath. This one is on me, and I’ll protect her until I take my last breath.
Before I can speak, she rests her hand on my shoulder and whispers. “I’ve got this.”
Then she pushes her shoulders back and stands tall. She presses her hand to her stomach before taking a deep breath. When she meets her brother’s angry glare, there’s no fear in her expression. She looks so strong and sure of herself. I’m filled with pride. I wish I had half her strength.
“Yes,” she says clearly. “You heard correctly. I am pregnant and Christian is the father.”
Linden’s hardened face crumbles and he stumbles backward. The shift in his expression confuses me. He looks hurt and devastated.
He shakes his head and mumbles something under his breath that I can’t make out. Then he looks at me and all I see is anger. That’s the reaction I expect from him. “How could you? Why? You could have anyone, but you took my sister. You’re going to pay for this.”
“Linden, it’s not like we made a conscious choice. It just happened,” Amelia says.
“Hush.” Linden lifts his hand to silence her. “I want to hear the excuse from him.”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s the—”
“I said hush,” he yells. His hand is shaking, as is his bottom lip. Linden has always carried himself in a way that says he’s angry at the world, but I’ve never seen him this furious before. I expected this from him, but it still pisses me off.
This time I don’t give Amelia a choice, and I step in front of her to shield her from his anger. “Don’t talk to her like that. She’s not some child you get to push around.”
“She’s my sister and I’ll talk to her however I damn well please.”
“Not when I’m around, you won’t.” I take a step closer to him, which causes him to do the same. There are only mere inches between us. “You will respect her.”
“You don’t get to tell me how to treat my sister.” Linden pushes against my chest, but I don’t budge. “Know your place, Mutter.”
“My place is protecting her.” I growl. “Something you and the rest of your brothers have failed to do.”
“Christian, don’t.” Amelia wraps her hand around my arm and tugs me back. I glance over my shoulder and the look of fear on her face causes me to pause. I’ve never told anyone about that dreadful night. It’s her story to tell if she chooses.
I nod, reassuring her I won’t say anything. I may kick her brother’s ass even though she begs me not too—he deserves it—but I won’t tell him her secrets.
“Step. Away. From. My. Sister.” Linden’s words are harsh and demanding.
Like the asshole that I am, I laugh.
“Make me.” I cross my arms over my chest and stare down at him with a smirk on my face.
“Gladly.” Linden balls his hands into fists at his side and it only makes my smile grow. I’ve longed to fight this mother fucker and put him in his place.
“Alright!” Amelia shoves past me and wedges her body between Linden and me. “Enough. I will not tolerate a fight.”
“He dishonored you,” Linden says. “We’re fighting.”
“He did no such thing.” Amelia’s tone is almost mocking-like. I can hear her eyes rolling into the back of her head. “I willingly dated him. There’s no dishonor in that.”
“Willingly? What the fuck, Lia,” Tanner says. “You can’t be serious.”
She scoffs. “I’m very serious. It’s time that you all grow up and let this stupid feud go.”
“It’s not a stupid feud. They cheated us.” Linden points at me with a look of disgust on his face. “Once a cheat. Always a cheat.”
“They didn’t do anything.” Amelia shoves her brother in the chest, and he stumbles back. “They weren’t even alive when our ancestors lost the homestead. And yes, they lost it. No one stole it or cheated them out of it. It was a stupid game of poker. Our family should have had more sense.”
“Watch it, Lia.” Linden growls. He straightens his back and looks down at her with a threatening expression. I don’t like it and it causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand at attention. “I can’t believe you’d stoop this low.”
“What’s low is you guys barging in here and ruining Grams’s birthday party.”
“It’s okay,” Grams calls out. Her voice is cheerful and full of amusement. “This is quite entertaining. And I’m excited about the grandbaby. Best damn present ever.”
“This can’t happen, Lia.” Linden begs. “Think of our parents. This will kill Mom.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. No one is going to die because I’m dating Christian.”
“Dating I could handle because that I could put an end to.” Linden declares as if he has any control over Amelia. It’s almost comical. “But you went off and got yourself knocked up by one of them and then announced it to the entire town. There’s no easy solution to this.”
“We don’t need you to find a solution for us. Christian and I will work this out on our own.”
“The hell you will.” Tanner steps up and grabs Amelia’s arm. “You’ll have nothing more to do with that man. He’s no good for you.”
Amelia jerks her arm away. Tanner tries to grab hold again, but Amelia is too quick. She steps out of his reach before he can catch her. “You don’t get to decide who I love, Tanner. No one does.”
“Love!” Linden and Tanner yell out at the same time.
“Who the hell said anything about love?” Linden asks.
“Shit,” Amelia mumbles and drops her face into her hands.
I feel all the color drain from my face as her words sink in. After all this time, we’ve never put words to our feelings. Our connection is strong and the thought of living without her is too gloomy to ponder. But I’ve always assumed it would end someday. It has to because of the feud.
But love? She can’t love me. There’s no way. I’m not worthy of her love.
“Lia,” I whisper. “You couldn’t possibly mean that.”
“Of course she doesn’t mean it.” Linden answers for her. “No one could love an addict like you.”
“Linden, don’t.” Amelia demands.
“Don’t what?” he asks.
“Don’t be an asshole.” She steps closer to him and pokes him in the chest. “I’m so tired of how you push me around and try to force me into relationships with your friends. Your friends are also assholes. You hang onto this feud like it’s your only means of survival when it’s stupid.” She holds her hands in the air and groans. “I mean, it happened so long ago. Does anyone really even know what really happened? Let it go.”
“Let it go?” He scoffs like what she suggested is criminal. “Do you hear yourself? We can’t let this go. They took what is rightfully ours.”
“No, they didn’t!” Amelia screams. “They’re good people. Christian is a good person, and he makes me happy. Isn’t that what really matters?”
Linden shakes his head. “This can’t happen, Lia. You cannot be with him. You can’t love him .”
The way he says him makes it clear all he feels toward me is disgust and hatred. Well, the feeling is mutual. Despite our hatred for each other, it pains me to admit he’s right. She can’t love me.
“Lia, please.” I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close so only she can hear me. “You don’t mean that.”
She whips her head up and meets my stunned gaze. There’s a fire burning in her eyes that causes me to pull back. She’s ready for battle.
“Don’t you dare, Christian.” She pushes against my chest and forces me to let her go. “It’s been over two years. What did you think was happening between us?”
“Two years!” Tanner yells. “You’re gonna die, Mutter.”
Tanner lunges for me, but he doesn’t make it far. My brothers form a line between us, and Liam grabs him. I hadn’t even realized they had surrounded us. I’d been so focused on Amelia, the rest of the world faded into the background.
“There’ll be none of that,” Liam says. His tone is calm and collected. My oldest brother is always the voice of reason. “No one is fighting tonight. Besides, you’re outnumbered. You’ll never survive us.”
Tanner opens his mouth to argue, but stops. No matter what he wants to do, he knows Liam is right. They’re no match for us. Even if Jason and Aaron were here too, they still couldn’t take us down. We’re stronger and bigger.
Linden glares at Liam before he reaches for Amelia’s arm. “Come on, Lia. Let’s get out of here. We’ll deal with this at home.”
She jerks out of his reach. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Lia!” He growls.
“No!” She stomps her foot. “I’m not doing this anymore. You don’t get to tell me how to feel or what to do. I’m a grown ass woman. I can decide what I want for myself.”
“Clearly not,” Linden mocks.
She growls and covers her face with her hands. “I can’t do this right now.”
Then she spins on her heels and runs out the door. I’m left staring after her, surrounded by a low rumble of murmurs from the party guests.
Chase slaps my shoulder and chuckles. “Well, brother. You shocked me with this one.”
I furrow my brow at him, and he grins. “I fail to see why you’re smiling.”
“Gotta hand it to you. You always keep life interesting.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I mumble. Then I head to the door to find Amelia. I’ll leave my brothers to deal with the Koch brothers. I’ve got much bigger problems to deal with than those assholes.
I’ve got the love of a woman I don’t deserve. Something tells me I better figure out my feelings real fast or else I could lose her forever.
“Lia, wait!” She’s already reached her car by the time I catch up with her. She ignores me and climbs into the driver’s seat.
I grab at the passenger side door handle, but it’s locked. “Lia, please. Open the door.”
She hunches over in the seat with her head resting on the steering wheel. From the way her body is shaking, I’d say she’s crying. She’s never really cried like this. Lia is strong and generally a positive person. She never lets anything get her down. Seeing her fall apart is killing me inside.
I knock on the window, hoping that will snap her out of it. I need to hold her and try to make this better. Not that I have any clue how to fix this. She’s pregnant with my baby and our families are at war with each other. For all I know our brothers are tearing each other apart at this very moment. All because I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
Add in the fact that I’m a recovering addict with a penchant for messing things up and we’ve got a disaster on our hands. I can’t fix this mess between us but I can still hold her and pretend for a little while.
“Babe, unlock the door.” Her head snaps up, and she meets my worried gaze. The look of surprise on her face suggests she didn’t realize I was outside her car.
The lock clicks and I quickly open the door before she changes her mind. At some point, Amelia is going to realize I’m not worth all this stress and anxiety. A part of me will die on that day, but until then, I’m going to relish my time with her.
“Come here.” I reach for her and some of the tension in my body dissipates when she lets me pull her onto my lap.
I brush her hair back so I can see her face. “Please don’t cry. We’ll figure this out.”
“How?” She drops her forehead to mine. “Our families hate each other, and my brothers will never accept this. You saw how they acted tonight.”
She’s right, but I can’t think about that right now. Her admission of love is weighing much more heavily on me. “I don’t know, angel. But I’m here.”
She lets out a long sigh and slides her hands around my neck. Her lips are soft and gentle, almost tentative, when they touch mine. It’s been far too long since I felt her lips, and I miss them. We haven’t been intimate since she told me about the baby and I’m longing to feel her again.
She deepens the kiss, dragging a groan from me. I squeeze her ass and press her into my lap. My cock is already hard and begging to be inside her.
Her fingers make their way into my hair and fist around the strands. She tugs my head to the side and thrusts her tongue past my lips. There’s a sense of urgency to the way she’s kissing me now. Like she’s desperate for it.
I’m desperate too, but making out with her in her car so close to the community center isn’t a good idea.
“Lia, we should stop before your brothers find us.”
She growls and nibbles on my bottom lip. It makes my cock jerk in excitement. My angel needs to be in control, and I’m going to let her. “Fuck my brothers. I need you.”
She releases me and scrambles to unfasten her pants. She has them halfway down her legs before my brain kicks in and comes back to reality.
I glance around us. It’s dark outside, but her car isn’t hidden. Anyone could walk up to the window and see us clearly. “Angel, someone will see us.”
“I. Don’t. Care,” she says between several quick breaths. “Fuck me.”
“Babe,” I beg.
She grabs my face and forces me to look at her. “After tonight’s fiasco, the entire county will know about us come morning. No use hiding anymore. I need you inside me.”
I’ve no clue how she manages to get her pants off so fast while straddling my lap in the passenger seat, but she tosses them aside and wraps her fingers around my hard cock before I can respond. At this point, I can’t fight it anymore. If she wants me to fuck her in her car where anyone can see us, then that’s what I’m going to do.
I reach between us and unzip my jeans. The smile that lifts her face makes my chest feel light. This is the version of Amelia that makes my heart soar. She’s fucking gorgeous when she takes what she wants without reservation.
She helps me shimmy my pants down my hips and my cock springs free. She immediately wraps her hand around me and gives me a light squeeze.
“I can’t wait to have you buried deep inside me.” She positions my cock at her entrance and takes just the tip in. It’s agonizing and has my body trembling with need.
“Dammit angel.” I grab her hips and pull her down at the same time I thrust up. We both cry out at how quickly I fill her. Her body contracts around me, squeezing me so tightly I’m ready to come.
My grip on her hips tightens so she can’t move. If she does, this is over. And it can’t be over until she comes first. I take a few deep breaths to calm my hormones and get a hold of my dick. I’m so worked up that it’s not going to take long for me to lose it.
“Let me make you come,” she begs. “Don’t hold back.”
I shake my head. “You first, angel. Always you first.”
A smirk lifts her lips as she slowly lifts, making my hold on her useless. She glides along the cock, squeezing the life out of me with each millimeter until all the remains inside her is the tip. “Then make me come with you.”
“Fuck.” I release her hips and lower the seat back, giving her full control to ride me how she pleases. She wastes no time sinking back down.
Before pressing my thumb to her clit, I swipe it around her pussy to soak it in her wetness. She throws her head back and moans as I hit that spot just right.
“More,” she begs.
I grin because I know what she wants. I’ve spent the past two years learning all the ways to make my angel come fast and hard.
Sliding my other hand around her ass, I position my finger at the opening of her pucker. She gasps when I put the slightest bit of pressure there. I wait for her to lift from my cock before I push inside her. When she slams back down, she takes everything I have to give her. It’s a damn great feeling to be buried completely inside her with my finger in her ass.
She whimpers and sags against my chest as I slowly pull my finger out and add a second one to it. “Take it, baby. Take it all.”
“Oh God,” she cries as she slides down on me. I curl my fingers inward, pressing into her until her grip on my cock tightens. Then I thrust into her hard. “Yes, right there!”
Knowing I hit her G-spot, I swirl my thumb around her clit and spread my fingers inside her ass.
“Fuck! Yes! Yes! Yes!” she cries as her body tightens and trembles around me. I move faster and deeper, allowing my orgasm free as she comes apart on top of me.
Her body stills as she falls against my chest, but I keep thrusting and massaging her clit despite that my dick is getting soft. I’ll do whatever it takes to prolong her release. Sometimes when I fuck both her holes and stimulate her clit, she’ll roll right into a second orgasm.
“Can you come again for me?” I whisper in her ear. She lets out a soft mewl and shakes her head. I chuckle and keep working her clit anyway.
She sits up, taking my fingers deeper into her ass. “I love to hear you laugh.”
“I’ll laugh more if you come again.” I offer.
This time she laughs. “Not sure it works that way, but I’ll certainly let you try.”
“Oh, you’ll let me try, huh?” I continue moving inside her until my dick wakes back up. I’m going to need him too if I want to make this happen.
Her head falls back, revealing the slender length of her neck. If both my hands weren’t already occupied, I’d wrap my hand around it and squeeze. There’s something about the control it gives me and the fight it drags out of her that makes the sex phenomenal.
She grinds her hips down and lets out a soft moan. It’s enough to make my cock thicken. The noises this woman makes during sex are some of my favorite sounds.
The next sound I hear is not. Her phone rings loudly from the floor behind us.
“Shit,” she mumbles. Then she shakes her head and keeps moving on top of me. “Ignore it.”
“What if it’s one of your brothers?” I ask.
“Don’t care.” She swirls her hips as she cups her hands around my face and brings my lips to hers.
“You’ll care if they come outside and find you fucking me in the passenger seat of your car. I doubt anything could stop them from kicking my ass then, angel.”
“Ugh,” she frowns. “Way to kill the mood.”
I chuckle. “Reality, babe. Reality.”
Her phone rings again, and it’s enough to completely kill the erection I was working so hard to regain. I slap her ass and sigh. “You better see who that is.”
“Fine.” She relents and slowly lifts herself off me.
She reaches for her pants and pulls her phone out of her back pocket. “It’s Hadley. She must have heard what happened.”
“Call her back. I’m sure your friends are worried about you.”
“They already know I’m pregnant.” She admits.
I raise my brow. “Do they know I’m the father?”
She nods.
That makes me smile. The necessary secrecy of our relationship made this moment seem like an impossibility. But here we are. The news is out and we’re still fucking without shame in the front seat of her car.
She crawls over to the driver’s side seat before she hits redial on her phone.
“Hey,” she says when Hadley picks up.
I can’t hear what Hadley is saying, but it’s clear from Amelia’s responses that Nova is with Hadley and they’re on their way to pick her up.
While she clues them in on some of the details of the night, I pull up my pants and adjust myself. Then I open her glove box and grab a hand wipe to clean up.
My dick is sensitive and disappointed that our second round got interrupted, but it’s probably for the best. Now that I’ve got my wits about me, I realize we’re right next to a streetlight. Anyone exiting the community center can see us if they look in this direction.
I glance over my shoulder and don’t see any movement from the community center. I hope this means my brothers are keeping Amelia’s brothers occupied.
“Hadley and Nova will be here any minute. They heard what happened almost immediately.”
“I gathered.” I reach over and brush her hair from her face before I slide my hand around her neck and pull her lips to mine for a quick kiss. “Go be with your friends. They’ll be a better support for you right now than me. All I’ll do is make matters worse.”
She frowns. “Don’t say that.”
“It’s true, angel.” I rub my thumb over her cheek and force a smile. “I’m a Mutter and you’re a Koch. Add in my fucked- up past, and we just gave this town the biggest scandal it’s ever seen.”
Her frown deepens as her forehead wrinkles. She’s cute when she does that. “I thought you said we’d figure this out. We implies you and me together.”
“I did say that, but we’re not going to figure it out tonight.” I toss her pants at her. “You better put these on before Hadley and Nova get here.”
She stares at me a moment before she finally grabs her pants and nods. When she looks away, I swear I see tears in her eyes.
“Angel,” I cup my hand around her chin and force her to look at me. A tear breaks free from her eye and runs down her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb. “Please, don’t cry.”
“You’re going to leave, aren’t you?”
I meet her knowing gaze. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you always leave when things get really tough.”
I sigh because she’s right. I’ve been that way for years. Every time life gets too hard to handle, I disappear for a while. “I don’t know. Maybe. I need to think.”
“That’s what you said when I told you I was pregnant, and I didn’t see you for a week. How long will you be gone this time?”
I pull my gaze away from her and stare out the window. Leaving wasn’t something I was thinking about until she brought it up, but as soon as I leave her tonight, I’ll likely look for a reason to vanish. “I don’t know.”
She nods and wipes her eyes. “Go. I’ll be fine. Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself.”
Rather than answer her, I pull her into my arms and kiss her like it’s the last time we’ll ever kiss. This woman deserves so much better than me. If I were a wiser man, I’d never have let things get this serious between us. But here we are.
I release her, rub my thumb over her cheek one more time, and then slide out of her car. I shut the door behind me without a word.
“Christian,” she calls out. I turn around to see her standing outside the driver’s side door. “I meant what I said in there. I love you.”
Her words make my chest hurt in ways I never knew were possible. Shoving my fingers into my hair, I spin around. I can’t look at her when I hurt this much. I squeeze my eyes closed and take several deep breaths.
“You shouldn’t,” I whisper.
“Yes, I should,” she says with all the strength and certainty I’ve come to know she possesses. “And one day you’ll accept it.”
I turn around and meet her determined stare. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow them back. If I return her sentiment, then we’re both doomed to a life of hell and misery. I can’t do that to her.
Instead, I nod and walk away. She may end up hating me for leaving her at a time like this, but the day will come when she thanks me for it. I need time to get my head on straight before I screw things up worse than I already have.
It’s the best thing I can do for her.
Posey’s Lounge, the local biker bar, is slow for a Friday night. It may be owned by the local motorcycle club, but all the locals frequent it. It’s the only bar near Beaver where we can go out for drinks, billiards, terrible music, and even worse, dancing.
Largely because the corporation limits of Beaver are dry. Stupid if you ask me. We’re a German settlement with the lamest Oktoberfest in the history of Oktoberfests. What German community doesn’t drink beer?
But we have Posey’s just a few miles outside town. It’s a rough hole-in-the-wall, but that doesn’t stop us from going.
Fridays are karaoke nights, and I suspect the usual attendees are at Grams’s birthday celebration-turned-disaster. I imagine the news Amelia and I dropped on them will keep them occupied for quite some time. I hope that means I can sit here and drink in peace.
I take a seat at the bar and glance around. There are a few members of the MC here with their women, a couple of locals I don’t know well, and that’s it.
A woman who looks like she’s seen better days and needs a new wardrobe is on stage singing. Badly I might add. Her skirt is so short it barely covers her ass. She’s wearing fishnet stockings that have large holes throughout. They should have been tossed ages ago. Her shirt is a thin tank top that’s falling off her shoulders. She’s too thin, and the sunken look on her face suggests heavy drug use.
I shake my head, grateful that’s no longer my life. Even at my lowest, I never would have gotten on that stage to sing. I don’t care how strung I out I used to get. Me and singing will never happen. But the drugs. They used to rule. Still do to a degree even though I don’t touch them anymore. Curse of a recovering addict.
“Hey Christian. Your usual beer?” Sally asks. He’s one of the oldest members of the MC and one of the nicest. No one knows his real name, not even the new president, and he refuses to tell anyone. He earned the nickname Sally years ago because of his obsession with Sally Field.
I shake my head. “Need something stronger tonight. Whiskey straight.”
“Bad night, huh?” he asks before he turns to grab the bottle of Jack Daniels. Not my favorite whiskey, but the options are slim at Posey’s. You drink what they’ve got or you don’t drink at all.
“Something like that,” I say as he sets the glass in front of me. I down it in one gulp and slide it back, ready for a refill. “Is Edge around?”
“He’s in the office.” Sally nods toward the door to the side of the stage. “He won’t mind the interruption if you want to go talk to him.”
“Thanks.” I grab the fresh drink Sally hands me and take my leave. A few of the members nod and wave as I make my way to Edge’s office, but no one bothers to talk to me. They all know I’m not much of a talker. If I have something to say, I’ll say it. Many of the club members are the same way. One of the many perks of this dive bar.
I knock on Edge’s door. A few seconds pass before I hear him call out. “Come in.”
I crack the door and poke my head around it. “Got a minute?”
“Christian.” The way he says my name suggests he’s surprised to see me. “Shouldn’t you be at Grams’s birthday party?”
“Got cut short.”
He raises his brow. “Oh, yeah?”
I wave him off and take a seat opposite his desk. “I’m sure you’ll know the entire story by morning.”
He chuckles. “In this town, I’m sure I’ll know before my head hits the pillow tonight.”
“Truth.” I take a sip of my whiskey before leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. “I need to disappear for a few. Got any jobs I can go on?”
He studies me for a moment with furrowed brows. I rarely ask for jobs. It’s usually the other way around, with him begging me for my help. “Nothing that meets your criteria.”
“Fuck my criteria. I need to keep busy. Anything will do.”
“The bikes you’re building for us aren’t keeping you busy enough? What are we up to now? Three or four?”
“Four, but I need something to get me out of town.” I’m struggling to keep my frustration in check. I hate being questioned even by someone as powerful as Edge. As president of the largest motorcycle club in Ohio, he might even be more powerful than Charlie Fisher and his family. Politics rule, but nothing rules quite like those living on the fringes of society and completely outside the reach of the law.
He must not like the look on my face because he shakes his head. “Maybe you should focus on the bikes.”
“Not good enough.” I crack my neck before taking a sip of my whiskey. “I need more. Something to keep me moving. I need to get out of town for a few days.”
Edge lets out a deep sigh as he continues to study me. He’s silent for several minutes as he holds my stare. This is nothing new. He often operates like this, especially with potential prospects. It’s a strategy of his to determine just how serious they are about joining the MC.
It’s been a while since he’s studied me this closely. I may not be a member of the club, but I’ve been working with him for several years now. He recruited me when I was still using, and then he helped me get clean.
“Alright,” he finally says. “I could use a man like you on a job, but it requires travel.”
“How much travel?”
“Out of state.”
I nod. It’s not ideal, but it would certainly get me out of here. “Alright.”
“I didn’t think you wanted to travel?” he asks. “You’ve always said local jobs only.”
I shrug. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind.”
“You’ll probably be gone for at least a week. Maybe longer. You sure you’re up for that?”
I think about that for a moment. I’ve never been gone more than a couple of days at a time. A week or more might be too long, but I need to get out of here. If this is all he has, then I have to take it.
“Can I ask where I’d be going?”
“Montana.”
I let out a low whistle. Montana is not a quick trip and much farther than I recall any of his business dealings taking anyone. But I need it. “Yeah, I’m up for it. When can I leave?”
He digs his keys out of his pocket and unlocks the bottom drawer of his desk. He tosses me a large manila envelope and a set of keys. “You can leave now. Everything you need to know is in that envelope. The keys are to the black SUV parked next to the shed out back.”
“Okay.” I slap the envelope against my leg and stand. “Same check in protocol as always.”
“Yep, everything is the same. Make sure no one sees you putting your bike in the shed.”
“Of course.” I turn to leave, but he calls out before I reach the door.
“And Christian, there are four packages in this run. Big deal, so don’t screw it up.”
“Have I ever let you down?”
He snorts and shakes his head. “No, I guess not. But we’ve also never dealt with anything quite like this one, so heed caution.”
I hold his stare for a moment longer before I nod. Then I head out of his office without another word. He’s never acted like this over a job before, so it must be a big deal. Whatever it is. I can handle it.
I just need to get out of here before the entire town starts talking about how I ruined Amelia Koch.