Page 97 of 12 Months of Mayhem

I felt my muscles relax slightly as if Shay’s presence had the same ripple effect on me.

Dad wasn’t the touchy-feely type, but the way his and Shay’s bodies reacted to each other said everything that needed to be said about their relationship.

They anchored each other.

Him in her calm.

And her in his strength.

It was a balance they’d somehow got completely perfect, and a little part of me was envious of the way they were together.

Especially after spending the past few hours with Adrian and struggling to feel anything more than… eh.

“Looks like I’m coming to Scorch,” I announced, instantly feeling like I needed to vomit.

Dad looked down at Shay, and she grinned wide. “Thank God because I booked this little place a few streets from where the boys will be. Darcy, Missy, and Kadey wanted to camp, but…” She screwed up her nose as my eyes lit up.

“We don’t have to camp?” I could already feel the itching of the sand and dirt on my skin.

“I’m not a fucking monster,” Dad growled, rolling his eyes, the tension between us having settled now that I could imagine at least being able to sleep in a house, on a bed, and use a real bathroom during the night.

It didn’t take away the sick feeling of dread, knowing I probably wasn’t going to escape an entire week without at least one uncomfortable and painful run-in with my past.

But if there was no other choice, at least I’d have air-conditioning.

CHAPTER FIVE

Lock

The hum of the bikes beneath us faded as we pulled into the gravel parking lot of a small roadside diner. The neon sign flickered OPEN like it wasn’t quite sure it wanted to commit. The place looked like it hadn’t been updated since the ‘80s, but the smell of frying bacon and coffee drifting through the air was enough to make it worth the stop.

We’d only been cruising for a couple of hours, Scorch being no more than a five-hour ride from Tucson, but as we were coming down the road, I recognized some rides parked out the front with a handful of men hanging around—every one of them with a familiar logo on their cuts.

Hell’s Bandits MC.

“Stretch your legs, boys,” I called out as I killed my engine. “We’ll fuel up and head out after.”

A chorus of grunts and nods answered me, everyone climbing off their bikes and making a beeline for our brothers from out of town with wide grins and claps on the back.

I strode toward the entrance, the door jingling as I stepped inside, and my eyes immediately landed on a table near the back and the bastard sitting at its head.

“Rune, you son of a bitch,” I drawled with the widest fucking grin on my face as I stomped across the diner.

He got to his feet, meeting me halfway. “Brother, is it good to see you.” I clasped his hand in a firm shake before pulling him in for a quick, hard pat on the back. “Didn’t think I’d run into you here.”

I smirked. “Saw your line up outside as we were coming by, didn’t think it would hurt to give the boys a short break.”

“For sure.” He nodded. “We can ride out together… if that’s good with Dime.”

We both turned, looking out at the brothers gathered at the front of the building.

The air between us grew tense as we watched Dime hold court, surrounded by men who listened with guarded expressions, eyes flickering with doubt when they thought he wouldn’t notice. The guy had the look of a man who believed he could still command the loyalty of the brothers, but he couldn’t see that every response he got from them was polite and with respect because of his patch and his title, but that was fucking it.

Rune’s voice dropped, his tone heavy with the weight of knowing too much. “You know Scorch is looking to be pretty fucking important this year. There’s talk. More than just whispers. They’re looking at him, Lock. They’re waiting for you to make a move.”

I could feel the muscles in my jaw tighten as I watched Dime laugh at something one of the men said, the sound grating on me like nails on a chalkboard. A flicker of something dark passed through my chest—a mix of anger, betrayal, and helplessness.

He was the leader now, but he was failing.

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