Page 37 of Desert Heat

I took out the hammer from the inside of my cut, pounded it on a rock next to me. “Church is over.” I ended the call, took out the SIM, smashing both into thousands of pieces with a trail rock.

“You good?”

“Never better,” I replied, handing Logan my cut to put back in the backpack with his before we trekked back down the mountain trail.”I think I might keep calling you Tank when we get home.”

He shrugs. “We’ve been here a week but it feels longer. It was so easy to just slip into another life.”

“I know. She is supposed to me my mark but it’s like she marked me without even trying.”

“She’s special. Different. You might wanna rethink things. The sooner the better…”

“I can’t ever tell her. Her loyalty is to the Outlaws. Mine the Bastards.”

“Then leave things alone. Cut and run. Find another way.”

“I think I did. His own charter is turning against him. If our intel is correct, they are going to take him out themselves for fucking things up with how far his man went. Get in touch with Diesel on the down low. Have him track down her father… we’ll snatch and grab his ass before he gets to his meet in Vegas. You know there’s plenty of open road in the desert… we need to get to Linc. Maybe set up the girl he’s fucking to trap him in bed for a pick up crew.”

“Instead of taking her prisoner… you’re gonna jack her old man?”

“Better me take him and hold him some where then him being killed by his own. She’ll thank me for it.”

“They’ll never accept her as your old lady.”

“Never said I wanted to make her one. Fuck, maybe I should just end things now. Break up with her and go my separate way. I thought…,” I stopped in the middle of the hiking trail to face Tank. “…that by taking the queen off the chessboard… we could win. Get leverage without shedding anymore of our brother’s blood. I wanted to rule differently, Tank.

Any Prez can pick up a Glock and order his men to ride. I have this,” I tap a finger to my head. “I’m actually gifted. My I.Q. is over 170. I got tested in school. This, here in Maine… could’ve been my real life if my parents weren’t so fucked up.”

“But they were, River. Fuck, I’m caught in the same fantasy, wonderin’ if I had given a shit about school and tried out for football… I could be living a different life too. But we aren’t. This is the fairytale we’re gonna wake up from and realize it was just a dream. Our real life is the MC.”

“…it’s just shaking me up that I’m living my double life. The one that could’ve been and the one that is on the same timeline.”

“Shiiittt, sounds like a screenplay we should shop to Netflix. imagine that? The new revenue pipeline for the Club? What re you doing now?”

I stop again, pulling out my cell. “Texting Savannah. I’m going to cool things off a bit until I figure things out.”

He raises his brows but doesn’t utter a word.

Me:Hey, something came up. I’ll catch you in class.

Princess:All ok? Should I come over?

Me: TTYL Just have some assignments I need to complete.

Princess:I got used to sleeping next to you :(

“Me too. It happened way too fast.”

I’d never admit it to her though.

She’s the quicksand I’m sinking in. I need a clear head to handle Club business first before I make her mine as Hunter Northport, waking her up to River Cruz.

A smirk flirts on my face as I picture her coming at me. She’s going to go into a blind rage when she finds out the guy she’s falling for is the Prez of the Royal Bastards. That girl is all fire and ice. She’s hot as fuck when she’s mad. I can only imagine what a rage will do to me. Turn me on, like nothing else.

Getting away from her for a few days to handle Club business will be a good thing.

“Is everything okay?”

‘“Yeah,” my throat was tight as I stared down at Savvy laid out on the back of the wagon with straw clinging to the silky strands of her hair.

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