Chapter 19
DRIFTER
“Hey, man,” Goose called. “Where ya headed?”
“Got a shift at the Vault.”
“Me, too.” He started toward me, and I could tell by his expression that something was on his mind. “I’ve gotta make a pitstop first. You up for tagging along?”
“Depends on the pitstop.”
“Gotta run by the Black Crown.”
When you run with Fury, you learn which names carried weight and which places you didn’t walk into blind.
The Black Crown Casino sat high on the list. Partly because it had ties to Preacher and his ol’ lady.
And partly because her sons, the Volkov brothers, owned the place and had connections to the Russian mafia.
“Something going on?”
“I don’t know yet. But I plan to find out.”
“Think you’ll need back up?”
“Nah, nothing like that.”
“Alright… yeah, I’ll go.”
Goose nodded, then walked across the parking lot and got on his bike.
A minute later, we were both pulling through the gate and driving toward downtown.
The ride over seemed to take forever, not because of the distance, but the fact that my head was all over the place.
And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to settle.
Goose rode ahead of me, steady and sure, like he’d made this trip a hundred times before.
I kept pace behind him, and it wasn’t long before the casino came into view.
The place was enormous and sat right on the river like it belonged there.
It had sleek lines, dark glass, and polished steel that caught what was left of the daylight.
It was all class, which made it easy to see why the place was packed.
Goose didn’t hesitate. He cut straight toward the front, and I followed.
We pulled up to the entrance like we had every right to park there.
We killed the engines, and a few glances darted our way as we removed our helmets and started inside.
Inside was exactly what I expected and more. The lighting was low but intentional, just like everything else in this place. While it was clean and polished, it was still just a casino with your typical slot machines and game tables that were filled with both high rollers and blue collars.
There was security, too. Lots of it. Hell, there was a guard at every corner, and more cameras than I could count.
None seemed to be bothered that Goose stormed through the place like he owned it.
I stayed a step behind, watching as he walked up to one of the suits and announced, “Looking for Nikolai.”
The guard didn’t hesitate. He just tilted his head and replied, “At the main bar.”
Without missing a beat, Goose was on the move again.
I kept following, and when we reached the bar, I spotted him.
I didn’t need Goose to point him out. He had owner written all over him.
He was in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, and he was dressed in a black button-down and slacks that looked like they’d been tailored.
But it wasn’t his clothes that caught my attention.
It was the ink.
His sleeves were pushed up just enough to reveal the edges of tattoos that wrapped around his wrists, disappearing beneath the fabric.
I had a feeling there were more, lots more.
I watched as several moved around him. They gave him space without making it obvious, and their eyes tracked him without staring.
Some of it was out of simple respect, but there was more to it than that.
Maybe it was fear, or maybe it was simply awareness.
I held back, watching as Goose charged over to him. He didn’t ease into it or try to play it cool. He walked right up to him and barked, “Is it true?”
“Well, that’s quite the greeting.” Nikolai took a slow sip of whatever was in his glass, then set it down like he was completely unfazed. “What’s got you all riled up?”
“You.”
“Me?” Nikolai asked as he stood to face Goose. “What are you talking about?”
“Lila.”
That got a reaction. It was small, but it was there. Goose saw it, too, and pushed, “What the hell happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Then, why’d you ghost her?”
“It’s not like that.”
“The fuck it isn’t,” Goose growled. “You get her all wrapped up in you, and then, you ditch her. What the hell is that?”
Nikolai appeared completely unbothered by Goose’s threatening tone as he shook his head and said, “I’ve been busy. I haven’t had a chance to get back to her… You know how it is.”
“No, I don’t.” Goose took a step closer. “If you don’t like the girl, that’s fine. I get it. She can be a lot, but come on, man. Have the balls to tell her you’re not into her.”
“You got it all wrong, Goose.”
“Then explain it to me.”
A few heads turned. Goose had drawn their attention, but no one intervened. Like me, they stayed put and watched it play out, waiting to see if things went sideways.
“Lila is everything I ever wanted. Beautiful. Smart. Passionate.” Nikolai didn’t raise his voice. He just looked at Goose and said, “I just can’t…”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Leave it, Goose.”
“She spent half the night bawling her eyes out over you, and you just can’t… That’s the biggest copout I’ve ever heard.”
“It is what it is.”
Nikolai’s jaw tightened in a way that let me know that there was more to this whole thing than he was letting on. Goose must’ve picked up on it, too, because he glared at him and said, “She deserves better.”
And without another word, Goose turned and walked off, and he didn’t look back. I gave Nikolai one last glance, and there was no missing the struggle in his eyes as he watched Goose disappear into the crowd. I didn’t know what it was, but there was something up with Nikolai and that girl.
And if I had to guess, it wasn’t good.
I went after Goose, and he was already back at the bikes. He grabbed his helmet and muttered a stream of curses as he got on his bike. “Fuck me.”
I climbed on my bike and scoffed, “Would’ve been nice to have a heads up.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, man. I should’ve stayed out of it, but Pres…” He let out a long, defeated breath. “Pres was upset that her sister was upset, and damn, man. I love her. I can’t take seeing her all torn up, even if it’s over her crazy sister.”
“Maybe he’s got a good reason for backing away.”
“I’m sure he does.” Goose shrugged. “Lila has a way of sniffing out trouble and jumping right into it, and she usually pulls her sister into it with her. But all in all, she’s alright. She would’ve been good for Nik, and he was certainly good for her.”
“I know it’s tough, but maybe you should just trust him.”
“You’re right. He’s never given me a reason not to, until now. But I got no dog in this race. What they do is on them. Not me.”
“Yeah, it might be best to just do like he said and leave it.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He slumped his shoulders. “Damn. Now, I feel like an asshole for coming at him like that.”
“You two are friends, right?”
“I like to think so.”
“Then he gets it.”
Goose gave me a quick nod, then announced, “We’d better get to getting. Seven will have our asses if we’re late for our shift.”
“Waiting on you.”
Goose slipped on his helmet, and I did the same. In a blink, we were pulling out of the Black Crown’s parking lot and speeding toward the Vault. I had to give it to them. It was never a dull moment with these boys.
Goose’s tense mood was written all over his face as we made our way over to the Vault, and it remained there as we headed inside and took our post. I got it.
Men like Goose didn’t get involved in personal shit unless it mattered.
But this thing with Nikolai and this Lila chick was a tough one.
They both meant something to him, and he felt pulled to intervene.
But sometimes leaving something alone was the only move that didn’t make matters worse. I had a feeling this was one of those times, but Goose would have to decide that for himself. I glanced over at him, and he was still as tense as ever.
Thankfully, it was a slow night, and other than a couple of rowdy drunks, folks seemed to be behaving themselves. They were just looking to have a good time, spend money, and forget about whatever they had waiting for them outside those doors. That was something I understood.
I finished my shift and managed to keep my head where it needed to be, and when it was over, I didn’t linger. I was beyond tired and ready to crash, so I drove straight to the house. The place was dark when I pulled in, and the house felt a bit hollow as I headed inside.
Nothing had changed. It was the same as it’d been when I first moved in, clean and void of anything personal.
Preacher had taken it all when he moved to Tabitha’s, leaving only a few stray pieces of furniture and dishes in the cabinets.
It was ready for someone new to step in, which ended up being me, but it still felt like his house.
It was nothing I could point out. It was just the bones of the place, like I was just passing through instead of living there, and I wasn’t sure anything would ever change that. I dropped my keys on the counter, and the sound echoed through the room a little louder than it should have.
It was too damn quiet.
It was a strange thought. I used to live for the quiet. Now, it just seemed to pull me under. I moved through the living room and into the kitchen, flipping on one light after the other, but it didn’t make it feel any less empty. If anything, it made it worse.
I had no idea how I could make this place mine.
I wasn’t even sure I wanted to. Some places just weren’t meant to be settled into, or maybe this hollow feeling was just me.
Maybe I was the one who wasn’t meant to settle.
I was too tired to think about it, so I stripped off my clothes and collapsed on the bed.
It had been a long day. It was the first time I’d actually stopped moving long enough to think about anything outside of what was right in front of me. I grabbed my phone off the bed, and when I looked at the screen, I saw I had a missed call from Stone.
It had been a couple of weeks since we last spoke, so I assumed he was calling to check in. I considered calling him back until I saw that Raelyn had messaged me.
Raelyn:
Is tomorrow night good for dinner?
Me:
Yeah, that works.
How’s 5:30?
I didn’t expect her to answer back. It was a school night. She and the boys were probably sound asleep. But then, the screen lit up with a response.
Raelyn:
That would be perfect.
Me:
You should be in bed.
Raelyn:
Then, why are you texting me?
Me:
I didn’t think you would answer.
Raelyn:
I couldn’t sleep.
Me:
Everything okay?
Raelyn:
Yes. Just thinking.
Me:
That’ll do it.
Raelyn:
I told the boys you were coming.
Me:
They good with it?
Raelyn:
I think so. They’re pretty curious about you.
Me:
I can imagine.
Raelyn:
You made an impression on them at the diner.
Me:
I hope that’s a good thing.
Raelyn:
I guess we’ll see tomorrow night.
Me:
Looking forward to it.
What are you in the mood for?
Steaks or burgers?
Raelyn:
I was thinking burgers, if that’s okay.
Me:
Okay. I’ll grab some stuff on my way over.
Raelyn:
No need.
I already bought it.
I was getting groceries and thought I’d grab the stuff while I was there.
Me:
Okay. Sounds good.
Get some sleep, Rae. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Raelyn:
You too.
Night, Walker.
Me:
Night.
I put the phone on the nightstand, and the room went quiet again. But this time, it didn’t feel quite so empty.
The next day passed faster than it should have. I slept late, checked in with Preacher and the boys, and washed my bike. I tried to keep busy, but no matter what I was doing, my mind kept circling back to dinner at Raelyn’s.
It didn’t make sense. I wasn’t a man who got nervous. Not about anything, but when I thought about meeting her boys again, it rattled me. Clearly, this night mattered to me more than I’d realized. I wanted to make a good impression, so I ran by the store and grabbed a bottle of wine.
That was an easy pick. Finding something for the boys took some thinking.
I looked around for a bit and decided on a couple of packs of Big-League Chewing gum.
It wasn’t much, but I hoped they might get a kick out of it.
I checked out and headed over to her place.
I pulled up the driveway and parked behind her Tahoe.
As I removed my helmet, I glanced up at her house, and even outside, it felt completely different from the one I’d just left.
I grabbed the bag and walked up to the door. I hadn’t even had a chance to knock when it eased open, and there she was, smiling at me like I already meant something to her. And damn, that did something to me.
Her hair was pulled back, and even in her leggings and oversized t-shirt, she was all class. Without thinking, I muttered, “You’re beautiful.”
“Oh, please,” she laughed, shaking her head. “You don’t have to do that. I know I look rough, but the kids wore me down today.”
“I wasn’t.” I leaned in, brushing my lips just below her ear, close enough to feel the way her breath hitched when I repeated, “You’re beautiful, Rae.”
A light blush crept across her cheeks as she motioned me forward. “Come on in and make yourself comfortable.”
I followed her into the kitchen and was surprised to find the counter loaded with food. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to grill, so I just grabbed stuff for burgers and hot dogs. I hope that’s okay.”
“Dinner was my idea.” I placed my bag down on the counter. “I was going to get the food.”
“I know, but I was already at the store…”
“Still, not what I intended. I didn’t want to add more to your plate.”
“It’s really okay.”
“Well, next time, dinner is on me.”
“Next time?” She smiled. “You sure you don’t want to see how tonight goes first?”
“You don’t?”
“Have you met my two boys?”
“Oh, ye of little faith.”
She smiled that smile, and just like that, the tension in my chest eased. I just might survive this night after all.