Page 123 of Steel

I rake my hair back, taking a sip of my beer. “I’m trying.”

“You put too much pressure on yourself, Jameson. You do a lot of good for these men.” She glances back at the guys laughing around the barbeque. “Your grandad and your father would be proud of you. Our boy growing up. Living up to the legacy they left. I know you haven’t always wanted the pressure that cut places on you, but you’ve embraced it in ways even they couldn’t have thought possible.”

I look down at my president patch, remembering slipping this on for the first time the night my dad was gunned down. There was still blood staining the white stitching at the time, and I wore it as a badge of honor until I got revenge for his death. It was a reminder of what I was expected to give to my club if it came to it.

My blood.

My life.

I was young and thought I knew so much more than I did back then. It was a baptism by fire while I was on a path of vengeance. I had a lot to learn, and looking back, it took me far too long to do it.

I grew up with this club. Around these men. And in the process of being what they needed, I somehow found andlostwho I was. I forgot what we were really fighting for until Tempe stormed in and reminded me.

She had the blood of a traitor running through her veins, but she wasn’t him. She was fate trying to tell me something.

“I’m gonna ask her to marry me,” I admit, looking over at Grandma. “I haven’t said anything to the guys yet, but tonight, I’m going to ask her.”

Grandma smiles, and it’s the only approval I need. This part doesn’t require a vote from my men, and it doesn’t technically need Grandma’s either, but I want it.

She’s been here through my best and worst times.

Through my mom’s death.

My grandad’s.

Through my dad’s—her son’s.

She’s been here for me as much as the men in the club.

“Good.” Grandma squeezes my hand and sits back in her chair, smiling as she looks out at the water.

A slow breeze ripples the surface, and it tickles the back of my neck.

I glance back over my shoulder at the overlook above, but I can’t see the bathroom from here, and something about how they still haven’t returned feels wrong.

They should have been back by now.

“Everything all right?” Grandma asks, her gaze moving to where I’m scanning the hill.

“I don’t know. It shouldn’t take this long.” I climb out of my chair and set my beer down as I pull out my phone and dial Sonny.

It rings until it goes to voicemail, so I dial Reyes.

Same thing.

I start makingmy way across the beach with a sour feeling settling in my gut. “Havoc, why aren’t the prospects answering?”

He looks up from where he’s grilling burgers, immediately handing the spatula to one of the prospects milling around. “Where are they?”

“Austin had to go to the bathroom, so Sonny and Reyes took him and Tempe.” I point to the overlook as I start up the path up the hill.

Havoc meets my pace, pulling his hair back and reaching for his phone. He must not get an answer either because he just as quickly tucks it away.

“I swear to God if something’s wrong—” I shake my head and move faster.

“Steel?” I hear Ghost yell from a distance, but I don’t slow down.

I’m already up the hill and crossing the parking lot. It’s filled with our trucks and bikes, and the bathroom is on the opposite side.

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