9. Smitty #2
That was a regret. It wasn’t the only one. I had plenty of them, my biggest being the fact that I’d let my head get in the way. I let Brooke think there was someone else. I thought it would be the push she needed to finally cut the cord and move on. It worked better than I expected.
After that, I didn’t hear from her again, confirming that she’d seen us.
It pissed me off that it was that easy.
But beneath all the anger and the regret was something else entirely. It was a feeling I hadn’t had in longer than I could remember.
It was hope.
I might never get Brooke back, but tomorrow, I would finally get answers. And maybe, just maybe, we hadn’t actually come to the end of our story. Maybe there was more. Only time would tell.
I heard footsteps creep across the gravel and glanced over my shoulder to find Stacey walking toward me, looking like she’d just come back from the gym. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and she was wearing biker shorts and a tank top. “Hey. You okay?”
“Making it.”
“You want some company?”
“Appreciate the offer.” I took a drink of my beer. “But I’m good.”
She studied me for a second before giving me a knowing look. “Got a woman on your mind?”
“What?”
“That look on your face.” She shrugged. “Only a woman can give a man that kind of look.”
“If you say so.”
“Hope she knows she’s got one of the good ones.”
Without saying anything more, she turned and headed back toward the clubhouse.
I sat there long after she'd disappeared inside.
The beer in my hand had gone warm, and most of the guys had called it a night.
I decided it was time I did the same, so I gathered my empty bottles and made my way back inside.
It was after dawn before I finally gave in to my exhaustion and actually slept.
It was after ten before I finally rolled over and checked my phone.
I sat up and rubbed my hand down my face as I yawned and stretched, trying to wake myself up.
Eventually, I got up and dragged my tired ass to the bathroom.
I took a hot shower, and it helped clear some of the fog from my head. But, sadly, it didn’t do much for the knot in my stomach. I got dressed and headed to the kitchen for some coffee.
Goose, Memphis, Creed, and Drifter were gathered at the kitchen table, talking, but I had no idea about what. I had a feeling it wasn’t good. It was Sunday morning. These were days the guys usually spent at home with their ol’ ladies. The fact that they were here wasn’t a good sign.
I was still feeling my way around the change from prospect to brother.
I’d earned my place at that table. I knew that, and they knew it, too.
But I had the feeling that today wasn’t the day to press, so I kept quiet as I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee.
I took a quick sip, then turned to them and said, “Morning.”
Nobody answered right away, and that just seemed to add to the tension in the room. Eventually, Drifter glanced up at me and said, “Stone was hit last night.”
“Jesus… Is he okay?”
“No, he’s not. He was shot in the chest, but they got him stable.”
Stone is the president of the Kansas City chapter. I’ve never met the guy, but I’d heard the stories. He'd bled for this club more times than anybody should have to, and now, somebody had decided to take another shot at him.
Drifter shook his head. “He’s in a world of hurt, but he’s strong and stubborn as hell. We’ve got no reason to think he won’t recover.”
“That’s good... But how the hell did it happen? Didn’t they get the word that shit was going down?”
“They got it, but they couldn’t have known this was coming,” Creed answered. “It was raining, and he was in his truck at a red light. Two assholes pulled up next to him and started shooting.”
“Damn. This shit is getting out of hand.”
“We were just saying the same thing.”
“You thinking the Coyotes are behind this?”
“Maybe, but none from around here. We took care of them with the hit at the warehouse,” Goose answered.
“Maybe we missed a few,” I suggested.
“It’s possible, but Prez and Shep have been keeping tabs on things. So far, there’s been no mention of any that slipped through the cracks,” Creed added.
“Surely, something will come up soon.”
“Certainly hope so.”
I turned to Drifter as I said, “I’m sorry about Stone, man. I know he means a lot to ya.”
“He does, which is why I’m gonna head out there.”
Even though he’d been with us for the last couple of months, Drifter was still technically a member of the KC chapter. He’d patched in there, and he’d been their enforcer until he lost his wife and kid. He needed to step away and spent five years on the road, trying to get his head straight.
When he got word of a threat on our club, he came to warn us.
Met a girl, fell for her, and finally stopped drifting, but he kept the name.
It was the brothers’ way of reminding him that he’d found home.
But he hadn’t forgotten his roots, or the men who’d always had his back.
So, I wasn’t surprised that he wanted to go check on things for himself.
“When you heading out?”
“As soon as I can.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I need to check on him and figure out where we go from here.”
Nobody questioned it.
If one Fury got hit, every chapter felt it. Drifter stood and stepped over to me as he asked, “You up for tagging along?”
Normally, I would’ve answered before he even finished the question, but I couldn’t. I had to see Brooke first, so I told him, “Yeah, I’d be down for that, but I’ve got something I need to take care of first.”
He didn't ask what.
Didn't need to.
“Would you be good to go this afternoon?”
“Yeah, I can make that work.”
“Good.” He checked his phone before saying, “I’ve gotta stop by the house and let Rae know what’s going on before I head out. Does three sound good?”
“I’ll be ready.”
Memphis shifted in his chair. “I get you want to go check on Stone and all, but you sure it’s a good idea? Good chance you could run into more trouble.”
“Maybe, but it’s a chance I gotta take.”
“You should run it by Preacher.”
“I’m going either way.” Memphis gave him a look, and Drifter sighed. “But I’ll talk to him.”
With that, he tossed the last of his coffee in the sink and walked out of the kitchen. As soon as he was out of earshot, Creed said, “This shit is getting out of hand. We need answers, and we need them fast.”
“Maybe Stone and the boys there can give us some leads.”
“If this is the Coyotes, they’re as good as dead.”
I finished off my coffee and checked the time. I didn’t want to leave in the middle of the conversation, but I didn’t have a choice. I needed to get going. I told the boys I had to head out, but I didn’t tell them more than that. I didn’t have the time.
If I was meeting her at one and leaving for Kansas City at three, that didn’t give me much time. So, I left the clubhouse and drove over to my place. I packed a quick bag and was on my way to meet Brooke. We would only have two hours.
Two hours to sort out years of heartache.
Two hours to find out why she'd kept my daughter from me.
Two hours to decide whether we had it in ourselves to forgive each other.
It wouldn’t be easy. She'd been my first everything.
My first real kiss. My first love.
The first woman I'd ever made love to. The first person who ever looked at me and saw more than a broke kid sleeping in the cab of an old pickup. She'd believed in me before I'd believed in myself. Then she'd become my first heartbreak.
I'd spent years trying to convince myself I'd gotten over her.
Every mile pulled me closer to the place where it all started and where it ultimately ended. I didn’t know where things would go from here, but at least I would finally have answers. And I would have my daughter.
I parked where I always did and killed the engine.
Silence settled around me as I looked out at the lake.
It was hot, but there was a light breeze, and with all the trees, there was plenty of shade.
I leaned against my bike and stared across the lake.
Every few seconds, my eyes drifted back toward the road.
I was nervous. That was a new one for me. After a year of prospecting and putting my life on the line, it was a feeling I’d become numb to. But now, it was front and center, and with every second that passed, the feeling became even harder to ignore.
And then, a cloud of dust rose above the trees.
My pulse hammered against my chest as I watched her SUV come into view.
She came.