Page 37 of Keys

She sighed heavily. “Promise me that you running out right now isn’t because I screwed this up so badly.”

That made me smile. “Nah, you didn’t. I understand having expectations about crushes and then shit playing out differently than you thought it would. Happens to the best of us. I really do have to go though, and I’ll probably be gone a few days on this run.”

She nodded her head. “Okay. Raincheck for when you get back?”

“Sure thing.” I didn’t bother going to her, offering a hug, or anything else. Instead, I just turned and left. The fact that relief was the only thing I felt as I did so was pretty fucking telling. Still, I knew I was going to be the asshole who continued to string her along until I got over losing Keys.

~*~

“Thought Sweet was heading out with us?” Court was the man in charge of this run from Tallahassee to Canada. He was going all the way with it, but the rest of the support team would be trading out at each stop as we went.

“Shit came up,” I told him. Court nodded, the longer locks on top of his head fell forward masking his eyes momentarily before he pushed them back into the too long mohawk. There was no way the damn thing could stand up without some serious help, but it didn’t stop him from rocking the new look.

Both sides of his head were shaved down to the scalp without a single stubble of hair in sight there. His beard only helped the vibe he was obviously trying for. The man appeared menacing as fuck. I knew better though. Not that he couldn’t hold his own in a fight, but Mike Denning was an intelligent bastard, far too smart to not be president over his own chapter. Something told me he didn’t want the position though.

“Well, guess it’s you and me then. Have a crew already picked? Or do we need to figure out who goes with?”

“Think Sweet already had them chosen, we’ll go with whoever he was going to take with him. They should all be prepped for it.”

Court nodded again. “They know what they’re signed up for?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “If they didn’t know what they were signing on for when they decided to prospect for a club, then that’s on them. This is where we decide who gets patched and who keeps their patch.”

“Ain’t that the damn truth.”

“Walker, Snake!” Sweet called out as he headed toward us and clasped hands with Court. “Figured I’d send one of your boys with you.”

Court’s eyes narrowed on Walker as he strode up. “Thanks,” he huffed and even Sweet didn’t miss the sarcasm. His brows rose as he turned from Court to me. I simply shrugged. Apparently, there wasn’t a lot of love for his former club brother.

Court’s head tipped to the side as he took in the prospect patch on Walker’s kutte. “You fuck up?” He asked the man.

“Nah. Since I was such a new patch, they told me I had to prospect a bit for them too if I wanted the transfer.” He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck as the tips of his ears burned red. “Wanted away from my dad and his crew enough to keep taking the shit that gets dished out.”

“Well,” Court offered up. “Shit, gotta say, I’m shocked by that.”

“I’m not my father,” Walker replied emphatically.

“Understood. Respect.” Court clapped him on the back, seeming much friendlier before he turned to our other recent addition. “Court,” he introduced himself.

“Snake,” the other man told him.

“Prospect who already earned a road name?”

“Long story,” three of us said at once as we turned to grab our gear.

~*~

Our guys would only be going as far as Cedar Falls before swapped out with their men and heading back, but once we got there, we quickly realized that wouldn’t be the case.

“I need two of you to stay on all the way to the Dakotas,” Ghost told us.

“What’s going on?”

“Just some shit going down here, I’m headed out to Georgia to try to fix whatever the fuck Sweet broke with the women of S.H.E.” he gave me a knowing look that said we would be having a long chat before I got to knock out for the night. I tipped my head in acknowledgment.

“You good to go the distance?” Ghost asked Court.

“Yeah, already planned on sticking it out to the Dakotas anyway. Been a while since I was able to get up that way.”

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