Priest
The sutures in my gut and chest came out a few days ago, but the scars were still pink and stood out vividly on my skin.
Between Ratched mother henning me and Indigo’s insistence I “rest,” I was about to go crazy.
Bones had recovered our bikes from the Savage Delight parking lot and put mine in the compound garage, so while Indigo was at The Goldfinch, I figured I’d get started on repairing my baby.
First, I stopped by the infirmary, which had been rearranged so Bear could convalesce at home instead of at a hospital where they’d ask too many questions.
Rook had been spending a lot of time visiting with our brother when he wasn’t working with Clover and Ivan to dig up intel on the Consortium.
After shooting the shit a bit with Bear, I headed down to the garage.
I’d been avoiding seeing the mangled remains of my baby long enough.
Bear’s bike was in much worse shape than mine, as it took the brunt of the SUV’s hit.
Bones had taken that one directly to Rusty’s to salvage what he could, but my bike was waiting for me to put her back together.
The late October day was pleasantly cool as I made the journey from the clubhouse to the garage.
My old man was already there, tools spread out neatly on a bench and a large drop cloth draped on the floor where parts to my bike lay.
“’Bout time you got your lazy ass outta that bed and helped me,” Duke grunted as he worked on removing my front fender, which was bent all to hell.
We worked in companionable silence. Duke’s gruff words belied by the concerned looks he gave me when he thought I wasn’t looking.
“Blaze said they’re about finished with the new build,” I said a little while later, breaking the serenity of our workflow in the garage.
Duke wiped his grease-stained hands on a cloth he’d had tucked in the back pocket of his jeans and gestured toward the refrigerator in the corner.
I pulled two frosty bottles of beer from the fridge and passed one to my old man, who grunted his thanks.
“I know this one was meant to be a guesthouse for extended family when they visit, but I was thinkin’ maybe I could move into it instead. Get some space.”
Duke assessed me as my voice trailed off, his arctic eyes shrewd. “It don’t make sense for a single man to have an entire house to himself, you know that. If you want space, go rent an apartment in Sagebrush.” Taking a sip of his beer, Duke leaned against a tool bench and waited.
“I’m not a single man anymore,” I replied, in a tone that almost implied a challenge. Almost.
“So you wanna play house with Indigo, now?”
I chuckled, but there was no mirth in the sound. “I ain’t playing shit, Duke. I love Indigo, and I’m all in with her. We’ll take it as slow or as fast as we need to, but this is her home now.”
Duke nodded his head slowly and gave me a slap on the back. “You gonna make her your ole lady?”
I grabbed a pair of pliers from the cart next to the body of my bike.
“That’s my long-term plan, but whatever happens between us is gonna be on her time.
I’d marry her tomorrow if she’d let me, but she just found her place here.
She’s trying to figure out what she wants out of life, and I want her to have the time and space to do that. ”
“Good,” my old man said, a contented expression spreading over his face.
He took a sip of his beer and nodded. “The house is y’alls.
I got a feeling you’ll definitely need the room.
Life with her ain’t gonna be easy…or quiet.
” The look of approval on my dad’s face was a welcome change from the disappointment I’d put there over the past few months.
“I don’t want quiet, Dad. I just want her.”
Bones
I parked my bike in the Los Cuervos lot, one of the last to arrive for family dinner.
It was our first big gathering since the Iron Raider attack, and the parking lot next to the clubhouse was filled with bikes and family vehicles.
Tank and Blaze sat talking on the porch, and I took a moment to greet my brothers.
Thor, Priest, and Indi sat at the bar, playing a round of her crazy card game, and I saw Rose and Knuckles sitting with their kids and grandkids, who had driven up for the night.
Ratched was carrying a tray of food toward the infirmary, where I knew he’d join Bear for dinner, not wanting him to feel left out of family dinner but also unwilling to let him out of bed just yet.
Rook gave me a nod of recognition as I passed the bar and gestured toward the dining room, already knowing what my eyes were seeking as they roamed the room.
Rook might be our newest Crow, but it didn’t take an exceptionally observant person to know that I couldn’t stay away from my gatita.
She’d been distant lately, and I needed to find her and make sure she was okay.
Thank God, she wasn’t involved in Indi’s plan to catch Roark Callahan.
I didn’t think my heart could have handled seeing her in danger.
The food was already piled into chafing dishes along the buffet, with plates and cutlery stacked neatly to one side.
Duke, Lorna, Cricket, Sticks, and Lennon were already seated at the table, talking with various family members.
I took a seat at the far end of the table, watching Lennon and the way she moved her hands while she spoke.
She was so beautiful and full of life. My eyes greedily took in every inch of her I could see.
Her long, dark curls were pulled into a bun on the top of her head, a few loose strands framing her face.
I didn’t know how long I watched her like a hungry man who didn’t dare taste his favorite dish, but eventually, Duke rose from his seat to say grace and broke my trance.
“Thank you to the hands that prepared this food, and the hard work that provided it,” Duke said. Mutters of “amen” sounded from around the room, but before Duke could signal everyone to dig in, Lennon stood from her seat.
“Before we eat, I have something I’d like to say.
” Duke gestured for her to continue and shot Sticks a look, but his friend just nodded once and tilted his head in her direction.
He must know whatever it was Lennon wanted to say.
“I’d like to thank everyone here for their support while I worked to earn my cosmetology license.
Ellis and I always dreamed of opening a salon and spa one day, and it’s been really important to me that I make at least some version of our dream into a reality.
Now that I’m done with my program, I’ve enrolled in some business courses at the local community college.
I’ve secured an investor, and a property recently became available to lease in Sagebrush so…
” A radiant smile filled my girl’s face, and I sat back in my chair, completely unprepared for the bomb she was about to drop.
“I’m moving out. I hope you’ll all be there for my grand opening, hopefully sometime next year.
We’ve got a lot of great ideas, and I can’t wait to start this next chapter of my life. ”
My voice, deep and raspy with pain that I tried to smother, was louder than I meant it to be when I asked, “We? Who’s we?”
“That would be me,” Ivan said as he strolled through the door from the kitchen, a basket of bread in hand.
Setting it down on the table, the Russian prick strolled over to the empty chair at Lennon’s side and sat down like he belonged there.
He draped his arm over Lennon’s shoulders and completely ignored the glare Sticks sent his way at the gesture.
“My girl needed help finding an investor in her business and securing a location. I mean, just look at this face,” Ivan said, though his eyes weren’t on Lennon.
They were locked with mine. “How could I say no?” Ivan leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek, causing Lennon to blush and Sticks to growl under his breath and take a long pull from his beer.
I hope Riordan wasn’t too fond of this pinche culero because I was going to kill him.
Thank you for reading Keeping Indigo. Don’t miss Bones and Lennon’s story in the next book in the Damaged Goods Series, coming in 2026.
Keep reading for a special bonus chapter, but only if you’d like to see what happens when Indi finally gets to visit Georgia’s farm.
(You can’t tell, but I wrote that with a cheeky wink for my dearest readers.)