29. Kane
TWENTY-NINE
KANE
Sunlight scattered through the breaks in the leaves as I traveled down the gravel lane toward my house. My bike vibrated below me, its power thrumming through my veins.
It was nearing four, the late afternoon settling in.
I had known that I had to make that trip. There was no other choice. I couldn’t know the horrible shit that was happening and ignore it, and there was only one way to permanently take care of the problem.
So I’d taken care of it.
But as I neared my house, there was a brand-new call tugging at my spirit. An anticipation that ignited in all the sacred places that I’d never believed would come alive again.
But there it was, burning bright behind my eyes as the old house came into view. But it wasn’t the walls and roof that made the impact. It was what was waiting inside.
Of course, I was going to have to go through Theo to get to them.
Theo who casually leaned against his bike with an ankle crossed over the other, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets as he warily watched me coming up the drive.
Speculation carved in every ferocious line of his face.
My bike rumbled and chugged as I came to a stop beside him, and I stretched out my boots to balance myself as I killed the engine then kicked the stand.
“Brother,” I said as I swung off the bike. “How’d it go?”
“Pretty sure I should be asking you the same thing.” Suggestion lined his statement. Fact that he didn’t buy that I’d had a work trip for a second.
But this wasn’t something I involved them in. Not that they wouldn’t tackle it. It was just a burden I’d taken. A debt I had to pay after what I’d unknowingly done.
I shrugged a shoulder. “Went off without a hitch.”
I hated deceiving him. For years, I’d slinked under the radar undetected. Gone and back before any of my crew had any idea I was gone.
No guilt in what I did because I made a promise to make a change whenever I could, no matter the cost. But there’d been no chance I’d leave Maci and Emery unprotected, so I’d had to involve Theo.
“And exactly what was that?” he pressed.
“Met with a new brewer down in San Diego. Did some taste testing and negotiations. Going to feature them in all four bars.”
That wasn’t a lie.
The cover I’d used, which had turned out to be a two birds one stone sort of situation. It was always good to bring in new brands to my bars. The travel and expenses legitimate.
I just happened to make a very important pit stop after.
“That so?”
“Yup.”
Worry that presented as disbelief pulled tight on his sharp brow. “Don’t know why you think you need to front with me, man. You think I don’t know you’ve got something going on? You think I don’t know you always have? Have known it since you jumped ship from the MC.”
Unease churned in my guts.
My entire crew and I had ridden for the Iron Owls MC back in LA. Had lived a life of wickedness and corruption.
Guessed I was the first one for things to go sour, but it happened to be right around the time when things were also going south for Trent, our vice prez, and his father, Cutter, the crazy motherfucker who stood at the helm of our club.
I probably would have wound up dead if the club hadn’t splintered, my disloyalty and betrayal lost in the cracks of the club imploding.
I’d been the first to tell River and the rest of the guys that I was finished, and right after, River had found his own purpose that had become all of ours.
Sovereign Sanctum born.
I’d just always wielded an extra arm of it that the rest of my crew didn’t know about.
Except I wasn’t so sure about that right then with the way Theo was looking at me.
Decided to level with him the best that I could. “That’s not something you need to worry about, brother.”
A frown creased the edges of his eyes. “You think I don’t care? If you’re in something, you don’t need to hesitate to ask me to go in with you.”
“Know that.”
He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Then take it to fuckin’ heart, man. We’re in this shit together. We’ve always been. There’s no reason for secrets.”
Emotion clotted in my chest. The shame I’d carried. The mess I’d unwittingly gotten into. The mess I’d tried to stop but had failed.
The rose tattooed on the back of my hand burned.
The same way as it’d done when I’d so clearly heard my mother’s words all those years ago.
“Fight for love and what’s right. I know you will…because it’s who you are. And always, always take care of the ones you love most.”
I’d known I couldn’t go on the way that I had been, and in that moment, the sole purpose of my life had been changed.
One direction.
One reason.
Until now.
Because my head whipped to the side when the front door suddenly clattered open and that adorable little tot came bounding out onto the front porch, hands clapping over her head as she jumped toward the steps.
Wearing a white sundress with strawberries all over it, her blonde hair loose and bouncing around her shoulders.
“My Mr. Kane, my Mr. Kane! Did you get back from work? I been missin’ you as many as the stars.”
My soul clutched. Grabbing on to the type of light I hadn’t known existed.
This love that came pouring out.
I stretched my arms out to the sides as I turned toward her. “Sure am.”
“That’s really good because we gotta be with our very best friends.” She said it as she clambered down the steps and came racing to jump into my arms.
I picked her up and hugged her close as I inhaled her precious scent.
Drawing her goodness in, a thousand brand-new oaths made in a heartbeat as I held her.
It only magnified and lifted when I felt the presence slowly emerge from the house.
Both tentative and eager.
That thing that thrummed between us sparking to life. A vibrating glow in the afternoon light.
“Hey,” I said when Emery came to stand at the top of the porch steps, her stunning face and that tempting body basically obliterating my mind.
Words lacking because there just weren’t enough of them to describe what she did to me.
“Hey,” she whispered back.
“Better get on my way. Have things to catch up on at The Sanctuary.”
With Maci still in my arms, I turned to look back at Theo. “Thank you, brother, for being here.”
Sincerity deepened his expression. “I’m always here, Kane. For whatever you need and whatever that looks like. ”
I gave him a tight nod. “I know.”
The jut of his chin felt like a pact.
“Thank you, Theo.” There was a speck of confusion in Emery’s words, not sure why I’d insisted that he be here.
“My pleasure,” he told her.
“I hope your dinner was your pleasure because it was so, so good!” Maci peeped.
Theo laughed a warm sound. “Dinner was definitely my pleasure. Bye, sweet thing.”
He ruffled tatted fingers through her hair.
“Bye, Uncle Theo!”
My heart skipped a beat, unsure where the sentiment had come from, but fuck, it sounded right.
My daughter becoming a part of this family even when she didn’t know it.
We watched as Theo climbed onto his bike, the powerful engine rumbling when he kicked it over then took it to the driveway.
When he disappeared around the bend, I turned, my footsteps slow as I eased up the steps. I stopped at one lower than Emery, bringing us face to face.
Toffee eyes swam with uncertainty. With all the questions that blazed between us.
“Missed you,” I said.
Didn’t fucking care that it was inappropriate.
Against all the rules that she was setting for us.
The fire between us made it clear what we were supposed to be.
Giggling, Maci grabbed my face in both her little hands. “I fink you missed bof of us.”
“Yeah, Angel Face, I definitely did.”