Chapter One #2
“Shit.” She muttered.
She walked over to her bag, pulled out her phone, and hit her playlist. Garage grunge with a little country, heavy metal, and a pop song to even her mood.
She grasped the back of her neck, eyeing the bike.
It was best to get started now considering she had limited time today.
But she was too eager to read Cleo’s letter.
She pulled it from her bag, ripped open the envelope, and unfolded the purple stationary.
Dear Addison,
How are you? I hope things are going great. Your bar sounds like a lot of fun to work at. We have a local one here that I go to every so often with Wraith. Best burgers ever.
I’ve finally finished all the decorating in the house and moved on to the porch and front yard landscape.
There’s a bed that I planted with flowers.
Then we got one last frost, and it wiped them out, so I have to start from scratch.
I don’t mind, I like it. But I hope the cold is finally behind us.
Killcreek is really pretty in the spring.
You should see all the trees…it’s peaceful and gorgeous.
Not much happening here. Since we text so much, I guess I’ve run out of things to write. But let’s keep doing this. I love getting your letters almost as much as I love talking with you.
Love, your friend,
Cleo
PS. I included a picture of my house and the creek. It’s pretty, right? I wish you could see it.
Addison dug in the envelope and pulled out the picture.
The house was adorable, and the creek was picturesque.
Cleo talked a lot about Killcreek, though she always got the impression that Cleo was being careful with her words.
She never gave many details. It left the small town a bit of a mystery and piqued her curiosity.
It was Knox’s home too for a very long time.
I wish you could see it.
Addison tucked the letter back into the envelope and glanced down at the return address. Maybe it was time she did see Killcreek. And Cleo.
****
“This is so exciting.”
Cross eyed the petite brunette standing in front of Wraith. He towered over her by about a foot and a half. They were opposite in most things besides height, weight, and overall appearance. No two people could’ve been any more different. But then again, no couple was more suited for each other.
Knox would’ve liked seeing them together.
Would’ve liked it a lot. Cross being so tight with the brother was privy to a lot of his thoughts before his death.
Knox never outright said he wanted them to end up together, but he did want his sister to find a man who could appreciate and love her. And Wraith does.
It had taken some time, but Wraith had finally claimed Cleo. He’d moved into her house next to Grizz’s. He remained present at the clubhouse and within the club, but he always went home with Cleo. A lot had changed in the last nine months.
Cross scanned the open land behind the clubhouse and snorted.
No bigger change than adding a secret neighborhood behind the clubhouse.
There’d been talk in the past about building homes for the members.
Killcreek was a huge town with very few residents.
They had the land, but it had been nothing but talk for a long time.
Wraith and Cleo changed that. Ace had offered a piece of property to them, but Cleo was adamant about wanting to stay in Grizz’s cabin.
Cross understood it. Cleo had never really had anything of her own.
It was her first, and she wasn’t ready to replace it.
It didn’t matter to the club, but it had sparked interest from some other brothers.
Living together at the clubhouse had its perks.
For most of them, it was the first semblance of family they’d ever had.
But others were growing restless, yearning for their own space.
Cross hadn’t given it much thought until it was brought to the table.
If being given a house and land was offered to Wraith, it should be available to everybody.
There were stipulations. Spreading the brothers throughout the town, for as big as it was, had a few on edge.
It left members vulnerable should there be an ambush or other attack.
Part of the reason so many lived in the clubhouse was that they were stronger in numbers.
Safety played a huge factor in the decision.
Ultimately, the club found common ground.
There was about a hundred acres between the clubhouse and Grizz’s property. Killcreek would build within those parameters. It was enough for two streets and forty houses. It was safely nestled in the confines of Killcreek property and allowed enough privacy but closeness, if needed.
There’d only been three takers, as of now.
“I’m going to get a closer look.” Cleo rushed forward a few steps, then halted, turning back. Her smile slipped when she met his gaze. “Is it okay if I check it out?”
One of those takers had been Cross. He liked the idea of his own space.
A separation from sharing a wall with Gent and his particular sexual fetishes.
It hadn’t bothered him in the past, but as he inched toward forty, hearing a breathless woman screeching, ‘harder, daddy’ had lost its initial amusement.
“Yeah,” —he lifted his chin across the yard— “have at it.”
Cleo smiled and double-timed her steps across the paved road to his house.
It wasn’t complete and wouldn’t be for the next few months.
He’d insisted that another brother’s house be finished in time for when he came home.
Jekyll, who was currently incarcerated, had also taken the offer. Cue was the third.
“Am I the only one who finds this fucking weird?” Oak laughed. “We’re gonna have a hidden neighborhood in the clubhouse’s backyard.”
The setup was unheard of, but the concept wasn’t original.
Another club in the southern territory of the state had been the first to do it.
They’d basically purchased all the land of the original birthplace of the Ghosttown Riders MC, and when they’d had enough to take over, they’d moved in.
But there were differences. Ghosttown was a lot more civilized than Killcreek.
They hadn’t ran off the people living in the town.
Their members lived among the residents.
They had a main street with retail stores, owned and operated by outsiders.
From his understanding, they’d made it work.
But Killcreek isn’t Ghosttown. The members, the clubs, their lives were very different. The last he’d heard, Ghosttown Riders had become ninety-five percent legit. That would never be Killcreek. It wasn’t their way of life, and they didn’t want that.
“Yeah, you’re the only one who thinks it’s fucking weird,” Cue said.
Gent chuckled, sidling up next to Cross. “Leaving a lot next to yours open. That for me, brother?”
“Not on your fucking life, asshole.”
They’d had the sewer system done for the area and divided the land into an acre and a half lots.
Instead of scattering the new builds, they lined them up for anyone who wanted it.
Cue was the first on the street, then Cross with one empty beside him, and Jekyll being the fourth.
Hyde hadn’t expressed any interest, but it was a club decision to leave it open for him.
The cousins had always been extremely close and grown up their whole lives together.
One would think they’d yearn for some separation. Not Hyde and Jekyll.
“Well, I’ll visit,” Gent said.
Cross scoffed and twisted his lips. “The fuck you will. Your psychotic ass won’t step foot in my place. I’ll see you at the clubhouse. That’s plenty for me.”
Gent laughed, slapping his back. “We’ll see about that.”
Cross ignored the brother and walked through the leveled dirt onto the road a few feet from his house. Most of the exterior had been done, and the plumbing and electricity was installed. But the interior was still bare bones. Until Jekyll’s house was done, it would stay that way.
“Surprised Ghost didn’t jump on this. That solitary little fuck,” Gent said.
Cue shook his head. “He won’t give up the roof.”
Oak snorted. “Who the fuck gives a shit about sitting on a roof?”
“Ghost,” Cue said and arched his brow. “Cleo.”
It was true. The brother would spend hours up there. Alone. But Cleo was known to join him occasionally.
“Speaking of, anything new from Cleo’s pen pal?” Gent asked.
Cross stiffened, keeping his eyes locked on the construction space. He’d always had a physical reaction to the woman he’d never met. Tension rose high when the subject was brought up, especially for him.
The inquiry came out of the blue, but it had been a frequent invasion in Cross’s mind for the last nine months.
Since the discovery of the correspondence between Knox’s sister and the woman who’d gotten his heart came to light, the club as a whole had been slightly on edge.
They’d done their due diligence. Cypher had done a complete investigation on Addison Huxley’s life, her connections, and any possible threat to the club. Or Cleo. He found nothing.
By all accounts, Addison was a civilian with zero ties to their world. Except for having Knox’s heart. She lived several states away. Aside from keeping in touch with Cleo, there were no connections. And nothing to be concerned about according to Ace.
Cross was still coming to terms with the news. Knox, who shared almost everything with Cross, had never mentioned being an organ donor. Then again, did anyone as young as Knox in healthy condition consider death often?
Cypher side-eyed Wraith, and the brother gave a curt nod. Permission.
“They started to text about two months ago.”
Up until now, they’d only connected through letters.
Cross clenched his jaw. “Why?”
Cypher shrugged. “A lot quicker than regular mail. Though they still do that.” His face softened. “Old school pen pal. Not many people these days are down for that. I’m thinking it’s Cleo’s idea.”
Definitely Cleo’s idea.
“They talk?” Cross asked.
Texting, while more intimate than writing letters, didn’t hold the same closeness as actually speaking on the phone. When neither man answered, his muscles tightened, and Cross internally cursed.
Fuck.
Obviously, there was something going on.
Cross pulled his cigarettes from his chest pocket, shifting his gaze between the brothers.
They were tighter than most, and with their connection to Cleo, it had only strengthened the bond.
Cross respected that. But this wasn’t only about Wraith’s woman. He squinted, lighting his cigarette.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Cross took a deep drag, eyeing Wraith.
Wraith’s jaw squared. “Cleo’s talked to her a few times.”
“About what?”
Wraith narrowed his gaze. “Girl shit. A little about Knox. I was there when Cleo called. She’s not trying to hide anything, Cross. And she knows the rules. Cleo’s the last woman who’d betray this club, and you fucking know it.”
I’m not worried about Cleo.
Cross had no choice but to let it go. For now.
Wraith had assured him this wouldn’t be a problem when it originally came to light that Cleo and Addison had been in contact.
There wasn’t anything in those letters to raise concern.
He’d read them himself. As long as it remained so, Cross would stay silent.