Page 73 of Law Maker

“Why not? It’s on fire right now, someone needs to command it.”

A laugh pushed through Lawless’ mouth as he finished the coffee and pushed the cup away. “I can think of a million better things to be doing with my time and money than trying to beat power out of everyone, Jay. Try enjoying life for a minute.”

“Do you? Enjoy life, I mean.” His eyebrow lifted into his dark hair; he had a slight dusting of pepper around his temples to show the time of passage they’d been apart.

“I told you, I ride free.” Not so much now, but still…

“Is it enjoyable, the MC life?”

Lawless heard what Benz wasn’t saying.

Did he enjoy the MC life better than the life they had run together.

Their time together was wild and that was putting it mildly.

Sex, drugs and rock and roll was coined for the pair of them.

Their hedonistic existence had been dangerous as much as it was entertaining.

It was on the other end of the spectrum in terms of the MC.

He led a full, rich risky life but he had people at his back if he needed it. He’d let them in and stuck around long enough to form friendships and they didn’t disappoint. Not even Snake.

“Yes. I’ll be going back to it when I get out of here,” he made sure to add so Jay could get those romantic stars out of his eyes if he thought he’d go Batman and Robin again once he was a free man.

Those days were over.

And he had other things to wait for.

It had been a long time since he last looked into Jay’s endeavors. He was sometimes curious if he got himself killed. But consensus was telling him that the life he led back then was still in full effect present day.

Same shit, different day.

Call him whatever psycho you wanted to, but Lawless liked variety in his days. If Rider had been a fanatical freak who only wanted to take over the world, Lawless would never have stuck around to work for the guy.

“Pity,” Jay said quietly, unblinking. And then. “What’s the real reason you’re in here, Penn?”

Dog meet bone.

But Lawless’ days of being the bone were long gone.

He rose to his feet and nodded to Dreyers to let the C.O. know he was ready to go back to the wing.

He cut his gaze down to Jay who was looking up at him, a tick working on his tight jaw. “Nice catch up, Jay. You can buy me a beer if you’re ever passing through Colorado when I’m out of here.” And for good measure, so his former boss and lover got the message he hardened his eyes even as he smiled. The guy would understand. It was him who taught him after all. “But don’t ever think of setting up shop in my town, you understand? Stick to your part of the globe. Later, Jay.”

He strode off, knowing Benz was burning a hole into his spine.

Unused to the feeling in his chest, fondness for the familiarity of sorts, he supposed. Benz had been his first friend in a lot of ways, his acceptance still colored Lawless’ life. Though that friendship went south pretty fucking fast when he got the first inclination Benz tried to put metaphorical shackles on him.

Unsure about the sudden return. Maybe he’d never know and that would chew the white meat inside his head.

But he could hazard a guess it was calculated and self-serving.

* * *

Once Jay was shown out, he inhaled hard and took fresh air that wasn’t steeped in despair into his lungs. Walking on autopilot back to his rented Mercedes, he depressed the mechanical lock and slid into the driving seat, turning the engine on so he could have some AC.

His mind was lost in turmoil and anger.

---