Page 37 of My Hotshot

But maybe it wasn’t just about losing something. Maybe it was about getting something else in return.

A new kind of time. A blank page. I just had to figure out what to write on it.

I started the car and shifted into drive, heading down the quiet street.

And that new page?

It was going to include pizza.

And finally finishing the painting in the hallway.

Chapter Thirteen

Dice

The text stared back at me.

Hello.

One word. Simple. Harmless. And it was currently ripping a hole through the middle of my chest like it was laced with dynamite.

I had told myself,promisedmyself, I needed to wait on Lainey. That it wasn’t the right time. Not when things were the way they were with the club. Not when Boone and Gibbs were still breathing.

But now… here she was. Texting me.

“You good?” Pirate asked and leaned forward to squint at me across the table.

I gave him a tight nod and kept my eyes on the screen.

“Bro, you’re lookin’ at your phone like it bit you. What the hell is up?”

Without saying a word, I turned the screen toward him so he could see.

He wrinkled his brow. “The wordhellopissed you off?”

I turned the phone back to me, and my thumb hovered over the screen like it might detonate. “It’s from Lainey.”

Pirate’s expression softened. “Oh. Things not good between you two?”

“Things are fine, I just…” I trailed off, jaw clenched.

The thing was, I had told myselfvery clearlythat I needed to let her go for now. Told myself I couldn’t bring someone like her into my life—especially not now. She had a daughter. Alife. And I came with blood on my hands and a target on my back.

But then she’d gone and texted me.

It had been four days since I left her place with a mumbled half-asleep goodbye from her. I said I’d talk to her later. Apparently, she decidedlaterwas now.

“You just what?” Pirate prompted when I didn’t finish.

I sighed. “I just don’t want her wrapped up in all this club shit. She’s got a kid, man. What kind of asshole tries to date someone when his daily reality includes guys trying to kill him?”

Pirate gave a little shrug. “I mean… yeah, fair. But have you talked to her about it? Told her the situation?”

“Pretty sure Yarder wouldn’t be thrilled about me handing out details of the Iron Fiends’ current shitstorm.”

Pirate nodded at my phone. “Then don’t tell her everything. Just give her enough to understand thekindof storm she’d be walking into. Let her decide what she wants.”

I pressed the heel of my hand to my eye socket and groaned. “Right. I’ll just say, ‘Hey, I’m being hunted by a couple of psychos, and if they find out we’re close, they might slit your throat in the grocery store parking lot. So… want to grab dinner?’ Sounds like a hell of a first date.”

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