Page 29 of Undone

“Uh-huh. Come on. I want some alone time with you before she gets back.” I took her hand as we walked out of the diner. Mac was smoking a cigarette; his bike parked a few rows from Will’s truck. I took from the campground, knowing it would piss the old geezer off. Screw it. I’m the Prez. I wanted to be able to talk to Luce on the drive back; get to know her better. I gave Mac a nod. No matter where I went with her, someone would always tail us. It was part of who I was; the cost that came with having the gavel of the MC in my hands.

“Who is that?”

“Mac.”

“He’s young.”

“He is. But don’t let that fool you.”

She shivered next to me. “He has the eyes of a killer. Cold and flat, while having the face of a male model.”

“Prettier than mine?” I teased, trying to get her comfortable again.

“Maybe a tad.”

“Brat.” I laughed and smacked her ass playfully as I opened the passenger door for her to climb in. I wanted to get to know her. I’ve seen her naked, but I want to see everything in her head. I want her past, present, and future. But she won the bet. I shook on it. If she won—I’d answer her twenty questions. It’s too bad I didn’t win. But I’ll get my answers one way or another—even if I have to play dirty and seduce them outta her.

“First girl to break your heart?”

“Mandy,” I grumbled.

“Worst childhood memory?”

“My father.”

“Doing what?”

“Living.”

She winced but continued.

“What does it feel like to wear the Prez patch?”

“Exhausting.”

“That wasn’t the answer I was expecting.”

I massaged her bare feet as they rested in my lap as we sat on the porch to Rog’s rental house. The flowers Devon planted when she moved in were still in bloom. Their sweet fragrance drifting by with the breeze. “It’s not like the TV shows. If we shoot our guns—real bullets fly. The blood that’s spilled is as real as it gets. I carry the lives of my men on my back. It’s the burden I bear; the one that comes with the patch.”

“Why did you join the MC? Was it something you always wanted?”

“That counts as two questions, babe. I joined because Duke asked. I’d do anything for him. He’s my brother. I never thought I’d be in an MC, much less the Prez of one. But that’s life, right? You never know what’s around the next curve.”

“I never saw you. That’s for sure. But I had hoped. I had hoped I’d meet someone here… if I’m being honest.”

I shifted, my hands going to the back of her head as my lips came down on hers. “You did, baby. I’m in the center of your road and I’m not budging. Good luck getting around me.”

She smiled softly as she gazed over the side lawn towards the woods. “Everything is different here. Instead of honking horns, rolling tires, and a sun that sets against tall glass buildings—all I hear are crickets in the grass, the breeze rustling the leaves on the trees, and a sun that turns the sky pink as it sets behind trees just as tall as city buildings. It’s easy to see why Devon chose to stay even before she fell for Rog.”

I was so lost in her I almost forgot—I needed to get to the bottom of why her best friend really came to Springdale.

“Is Devon in trouble, sweetheart? You can tell me.”

“H-how do you mean?”

“Is she running from someone… someone trying to hurt her?”

“No. It’s nothing like that. She did have her heart broken pretty badly last spring. He moved on very fast and it was a slap in her face. So, when she had a chance to put some distance between him and look for a fresh start somewhere new, she took it. Devon has a lot of guts. Not a lot of people would just leave everything they’ve known behind for something unknown.”

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