Page 24 of Emmy's Ride

“Damn, girl, it’s been too long,” Candy murmured, squeezing me tight before pulling back to look me over. “Still gorgeous, still got that sharp-ass attitude, I bet.”

I had to laugh. “You know me.”

Candy flopped onto the bed beside me with a dramatic sigh. “Yeah, I do. Used to be my partner in crime, remember? Back when we’d sneak shots from the bar and pretend we weren’t totally wasted?”

A snort escaped me. “I remember you being wasted. I was usually the one dragging your drunk ass back to your room.”

She grinned. “Details.”

She nudged my shoulder. “I missed you, Em. I thought you were going to college in town, and then you just up and disappeared.”

Guilt twisted in my chest. That had been the plan. “I had to leave.”

Candy studied me for a long moment, then nodded like she understood. “I get it. But you were happy here, Emmy. At least, I thought you were.”

I looked away. “It wasn’t the place, Candy. It was... everything else.”

She leaned back on her elbows, watching me. “By ‘everything else,’ you mean Austin?”

“That obvious, huh?”

“You two were practically legendary. Everyone in the club saw it. Hell, some of the ladies even took bets on when he’d make you his old lady.”

That surprised me. “You’re kidding.”

She shook her head. “Not even a little. You were it for him, Em. And I think he was it for you too.”

Something thick settled in my throat, and I swallowed hard. “Doesn’t mean it was enough.”

Candy was quiet for a moment before saying, “You never wanted this life, did you?”

“No,” I admitted. “I couldn’t do it. The danger. The violence. The way the club always came first. I watched my dad die in this life, and I spent years terrified Luke would die in it too. Now he’s missing. A nightmare come to life.” I let out a slow breath. “I wanted more. I wanted something stable. Something safe.”

She nodded, understanding in her eyes. “I get that. But, Emmy… the club isn’t just about the bad. It’s about family. Loyalty. Taking care of your own. The kind of love that doesn’t break, no matter how much time passes.”

I blinked, caught off-guard.

She continued, “Yeah, it’s dangerous, but so is life. At least in the club, you know someone’s always got your back. You know if you’re in trouble, there are people willing to go to war for you. It’s a family that everyone here chose. I’ll admit, Austin’s father was a shit Prez. But now our pride is back, and we have the leadership of a good man.”

Candy smiled, softer now. “I just think… maybe you left because you wanted to prove you could. That you weren’t just Luke’s little sister or Austin’s girl—that you could stand on your own, make a life for yourself outside of the club. And maybe youdid. But you and Austin? You two have always been fire, and I don’t think fire like that ever really goes out.”

I looked down at my hands, emotions swirling inside me. I’d never thought of it that way. I hated to admit that she was probably right. My job dealt with counseling children and young adults—why had I not been able to realize my own issues? Not that it really changed anything. Candy had given me a lot to think about.

Before I could find the right words, she clapped her hands together. “Anyway, enough with the deep shit. I actually came here for a reason.”

I sat up straighter. “You never need a reason to visit a friend, and I hope you still are.”

“We are. Heard you were looking for Luke.”

My heart kicked. I swallowed. “You’ve seen him?”

She shook her head. “Not recently, but we used to go to fights together. Underground ones.”

Underground fights?

She must’ve seen the surprise on my face because she gave a slow nod. “Yeah, babe. Luke fought back in the day. Helped him make ends meet.”

My heart dropped, how did I not know. Fights? Luke had never told me that. Not once.

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