7. Reese
Reese
Summer and Nate climbed into my SUV. I did a quick scan of the parking lot, the street, and the strip mall across the way. No bikes. No rumble of motorcycle engines. That didn’t mean they weren’t around, but maybe we’d get lucky.
I got in and turned on the engine.
“Are these windows bulletproof?” Nate asked from the back seat.
Summer and I answered at the same time.
“No.”
“Yes,” I said.
She whipped her head toward me. “Wait, they are?”
My tone was nonchalant. “Of course they are.”
Nate ran his fingertips down the glass. “Cool.”
Still checking our surroundings, I backed out of my spot.
“Don’t get fingerprints on the window,” Summer said.
Nate jerked his hand away. “Sorry.”
I grinned a little. “Don’t worry about it, chief.”
I took a right onto the street and stopped at the next light.
“Where do you live?” Summer asked.
“Near the diner.”
“Then why are we going in the opposite direction?”
“Making sure we’re not followed.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“Mom, is there a gang after you?”
I glanced at Summer out of the corner of my eye.
She sighed. “No. Yes. Sort of. I promise I’ll explain it later.”
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Reese’s house.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to. I said I’d explain it later.”
Looking a bit sullen, Nate crossed his arms.
I took a circuitous route through town, making sure we weren’t followed. I had a feeling Summer’s ex was waiting at her apartment, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Especially because there were three of them lurking in town—maybe more.
“Mom?” Nate asked from the back seat, cutting through the silence.
“Yeah?”
“I have to pee.”
“Can you hold it?”
“I think so.”
Summer glanced at me.
“We’re not far,” I said.
With no sign of pursuit, I drove to my house. It was on a quiet residential street a couple miles from the main road through town. Like most houses in the neighborhood, it was tan stucco with a tile roof and a high concrete wall surrounding the backyard.
I hit the button to raise the garage door and pulled inside. We waited until the door closed behind us before getting out, and I led them through the mostly empty garage and into the house.
The living area was sparsely furnished. Just a couch facing a TV on a low cabinet and a cheap coffee table. The dining room was empty—I’d never gotten around to putting a table there—and the walls were bare.
The blinds were already closed to keep the sun out. I checked the back door to make sure it was locked—although it was always locked—and walked over to take a quick look out the front window.
Nothing.
“Mom?” Nate stood awkwardly, his weight on one leg with the other knee bent inward. “I gotta go.”
“Oh, right,” she said. “Where’s the bathroom?”
I pointed at the half-open door to the hall bath. “Right there.”
Nate shuffled inside and closed the door behind him.
Summer let out a long breath and set her purse on the counter. “What a day.”
“Do you want to sit down?”
“Sure.” She went over to the worn beige couch and took a seat. “I still can’t believe he showed up here.”
“What’s his name? Asshole?”
She grinned. “Axel. Actually it’s Aaron Gunderson, but of course he doesn’t answer to that anymore. I should have called him Aaron. It would have made him furious.”
It was hard to imagine how she’d ever been with a club member. I knew the kind of women they usually attracted, and nothing about Summer seemed like their type.
“I know it’s not my business, but how did you get mixed up with a club member?”
Leaning her head back, she groaned. “My mom’s been with a member for years. Stryker. He’s one of the higher-ups in Mayhem. That’s how I met Axel. In my defense, I was young and stupid.”
I put up my hands. “I’m not judging. I know all about being young and stupid.”
“Don’t we all.” She rubbed the space between her eyes. “I wish I knew what Axel really wants. He said he just wants to see Nate, but like I said, I don’t trust him. At all.”
The toilet flushed. I had a feeling I knew exactly what he wanted.
His son.
Nate came out, and for a second, my temper flared. He was not that asshole’s son. Not in any way that counted.
“Better?” Summer asked.
He nodded. “Are we getting the car back?”
“At some point, why?”
“I left my backpack.”
“I’ll take care of it,” I said. “Can you live without it for a day or two?”
“I have homework, but I’m suspended, so…”
Summer sighed and closed her eyes for a second. I decided not to comment. It wasn’t my business.
“I’ll have it towed,” I said. “I know a guy. He’ll take care of it until you can pick it up. That way, if they’re watching your car, it won’t lead them anywhere.”
“I can’t afford—”
“You won’t have to. He owes me.”
“Thank you. Again.” Her eyes flicked to Nate, and she patted the couch next to her. “Come here, buddy.”
I went to the kitchen to see if I had anything for dinner. It was only midafternoon, but they’d get hungry eventually. And I wanted to avoid leaving the house for the rest of the day if we could help it.
“I promised I’d explain what’s going on,” Summer said. “You know how I told you that I’m not with your dad because he made a lot of bad choices?”
“He’s in jail.”
“Right. Or, he was.” She paused. “That man who was outside your school… His name is Axel, and he’s your father.”
Nate shot up from the couch so fast he kicked the coffee table. His muffled grunt twisted my heart a little. Poor kid.
He walked around the room for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure what to do or say. Or maybe just walking off the pain in his shin. I couldn’t see Summer’s expression—she was facing away from me—but she didn’t get up. She seemed to be giving him space to figure out how he felt.
“Is he in the gang?” he asked, finally.
“He’s in a motorcycle club, yes.”
“What does he want?”
“Well…” She paused again. “He said he wants to see you.”
Nate clenched his hands into fists. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but my house wasn’t very big. There weren’t a lot of other places to go.
“Why?” His voice was laced with anger.
“Why does he want to see you? I guess—”
“I’m ten, and he never even sent me something in the mail. They can do that from jail, you know. I asked Ms. Mindy. They can get mail and they can send things.”
“I know, honey.”
“I hate him. I don’t want to see him. Ever.”
“That’s okay.” Her tone was soothing. “You don’t have to see him.”
Nate fought back tears. His jaw tightened, but his lower lip trembled, and his brow furrowed with pain.
“Oh, buddy. I’m so sorry.” She rose from the couch and held out her arms. “Come here.”
He cast about the room, like a caged animal desperate for a way out. Without another word, he darted toward the back door. It took him a second to unlock the dead bolt before he threw it open and stormed outside.
Summer pressed a hand to her forehead, looking defeated.
The backyard was enclosed, but I didn’t like the thought of him being out there alone. “How about I keep an eye on him while he calms down?”
She nodded while a few tears trailed down her face.
The urge to hold her swept through me. But I didn’t want to leave Nate outside.
And who was I to her?
I could help her—and I would. But there were lines I couldn’t cross. For so many reasons. Considering her past, mine was a problem.
I hated keeping secrets.
So I left her standing there and followed her son outside.
The afternoon heat evaporated the sweat from my forehead before it had a chance to bead. My backyard was landscaped with rocks and a few desert plants—stuff the previous owner had put in—and surrounded by a high wall.
Nate sat in one of the cheap plastic chairs I’d put out next to the grill. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, eyes on the ground. He didn’t look up when I dragged the other chair forward and took a seat next to him.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I wasn’t sure what to say to him, or if I should say anything. I didn’t have much experience with kids.
“Do you have a dad?” he asked finally, breaking the silence.
“Yeah.”
“A dad who was with your mom and lived in your house?”
His questions weren’t surprising, but he had no idea the kind of shit he was asking me to dig up.
“Yes, but he’s not my biological father. Do you know what I mean by that?”
“He’s your stepdad?”
I nodded. “He raised me, though. I always called him Dad.”
“What happened to your real dad?”
“He left.”
Nate turned toward me, his eyes full of surprise. “Your dad left, too?”
“Yep. Left my mom on her own with three little boys.”
“Why? Was he in a gang?”
“No. He made bad choices, but in different ways. He wasn’t gone because he was in prison. He just didn’t want us.”
“My dad didn’t want me, either.”
“Well, that makes him a fucking idiot.”
His eyes widened.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t say that in front of you. I’m not very good with kids.”
His mouth twitched in a subtle smile. I figured the f-bomb was worth it if it cheered him up a little.
“Are they dangerous?” he asked. “The guys in the gang? Or the club. Mom seems scared.”
“Yes. They’re dangerous.”
His voice changed from sullen and angry to hard and determined. “They’re not going to hurt my mom, are they?”
“No. I won’t let that happen.”
The hope in his expression made my chest feel tight.
“Are you my mom’s boyfriend?”
Now that caught me by surprise. I opened my mouth to answer, but fumbled my words for a second before I could figure out what to say. “No, I’m not her boyfriend. Just a friend.”
He glanced away, his shoulders slumping. Was it my imagination, or did he seem disappointed in my answer?
“I’m going to make sure nothing happens to either of you,” I said. “And you heard your mom. You don’t have to see your dad. I’m probably not supposed to tell you this, but she doesn’t want you to see him. She doesn’t trust him with you.”
“Good. I hate him.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame you.”
“Do you hate your real dad?”
I hesitated. “I used to. I don’t really feel anything for him now. He just…doesn’t matter.”
“Do you like your stepdad?”
Man, that was a loaded question. But he didn’t know that. “I do like him. But I don’t think he likes me very much.”
“Really? Why not?”
“We’re all capable of making bad choices.”
He sighed heavily. “Yeah. I made a bad choice. I punched Joey Conroy at recess. That’s why I got suspended.”
“Did that happen today?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you hurt yourself?” I reached over and gently took his hand so I could inspect his knuckles. They were red but not swollen. “Can you make a fist for me?”
He opened and closed his hand.
“Does that hurt?”
“Only a little.” He made a fist again. “Aren’t you going to tell me I shouldn’t hit people?”
“I’m sure your mom already did. Did he deserve it?”
He shrugged. “He calls me fat ass all the time.”
A flash of anger flared through me. I doubted I’d been that mad at a ten-year-old since I was one. It made me want to find where he lived and scare the shit out of his parents—teach them to make sure their rotten kid did better.
Fortunately, I had the presence of mind not to say that to Nate.
“You know, kids like that are usually miserable for some reason. They lash out at other kids to make themselves feel better. Doesn’t make it okay. But it says a lot more about Joey Conroy than it does about you. He’s the real ass.”
That got a genuine smile out of him.
“Wanna go inside?” I asked. “It’s hot out here.”
“Sure. My back is sweaty.”
We got up and I found myself wondering—just for a moment—if it was hot back home, too.
Summer looked like she’d been pacing with her arms crossed. She pressed her lips together, and I wondered if she was stopping herself from asking Nate if he was okay.
Maybe he wasn’t. But he would be. He had a fire in him that even a shitty father couldn’t smother.
I caught her gaze and gave her a reassuring nod.
“I’m not going to see him,” Nate declared.
“You’re right,” Summer said. “You’re not. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“And Reese said he won’t let them hurt you.”
Her lips parted in surprise.
“You should believe him, Mom. Look at him.”
That made us both laugh. Our eyes met and her smile spread warmth through my chest.
“How about this,” I said. “You two stay here for the night. You can have my room. I’ll take the couch. You’ll be safe here.”
“Thank you,” she said. “That would be a relief. But we can sleep out here. You don’t need to give up your room.”
“It’s fine.”
“But—”
“Summer.” My tone was firm but gentle. “There’s only space for one out here. Take my room.”
She nodded. “All right. Maybe if we stay hidden long enough, Axel will give up and go home.”
“Maybe.”
I couldn’t tell if she believed that. I certainly didn’t. If we made it difficult enough, he might give up eventually. I had a feeling it would take more than hiding them for the night to get rid of him, though.
But at least they were safe. For now.