Page 81 of Deception
He nods to her hand. “What’d you do?’
“Oh, uh, I punched something.”
When she’s vague like that, Lucas knows it’s because she either doesn’t want to or can’t say something. He brushes it off and licks his lips as the nerves kick up.
“With you and Colt adopting me… Is there an expectation that I’ll join the club, too?”
“It’ll be your decision, just like it’ll be Noah’s decision when the time comes. You didn’t grow up in it like Colt did, or even Noah has, so I suspect it’s a little different for you.”
“That makes a difference?”
Lucas never really thought about the difference between him and Noah in that regard. The club life is still very new to him, but from what he knows, it’s pretty cool. Cool, but maybe not so much for him.
Crossing her legs, Lex nods. “Yeah, I think so. When you grow up in from birth, you don’t know anything else. You see these big, biker guys who are tough and rugged, and you idolize them. But coming from the outside, I can see how it wouldn’t be the same.”
“Would it, uh, be a problem if I… didn’t join?”
“Did you know Noah’s named after his uncle?”
He frowns. Colt has a sister named Klaire, and Lucas is far too familiar with Lex’s brother, Zane. It’s difficult to forget the man who smacked him around and tried to kill the woman who helped save him. “You have another brother?”
“Me? No. Thank God. I can only imagine how much another brother would want me dead,” she says with a chuckle. “Colt had a little brother. He was nine when Noah was born.”
“I don’t think he’s ever talked about him before. Where is he?”
“He died when he was seventeen. There was an incident with another member, and Noah was unfortunately collateral damage. TK’s brakes were tampered with, and Noah was the one driving it that night.”
His eyes widen.Colt lost a little brother? I can’t imagine losing Noah, and we didn’t grow up together. Oh God, that must’ve been so hard.
“Noah had a choice when he realized the brakes weren’t working. He could hit the semi-truck head on, or he could go off-road. He chose off-road, but he hit a divot. With the speed, he flew right over the handlebars and hit a boulder so hard he broke his helmet.”
“He died out by the highway?”
Lucas’s heart races as he remembers seeing the spot where his dad died. The accident was out on the highway, and he’d been hit by a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
What if they died in the same spot? Maybe it was some type of divine plan to bring me here with them.
“They had him on life support. The truck driver saw what happened and stopped, but I was there the night they had to pull the plug. It still haunts me sometimes.”
“That’s terrible.”
“It was. I think it’s something Colt is still trying to get over. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but bikers aren’t exactly big on dealing with their feelings. Unless it’s anger. It typically takes about fifteen times longer to heal from tragedy than the average person.”
“Not that I don’t like taking these rides with you, but I’m not sure I understand where we’re going with the family history lesson.”
Smiling, Lex leans forward, and he can’t help but look at her bright red knuckles. Whatever she hit, she hit hard.
“Colt always says Noah was the good kid. He was going to become a doctor and cure cancer. The struggle Noah had was wanting to follow his dreams and following in TK’s footsteps. He was going to be something special, and I know he would’ve gone to college. Maybe even med school.”
“That was okay with TK?”
“I think he would’ve been proud. He already had Colt in the club, so his legacy was safe, but to know he raised a son who was not only smart but could have become something TK never thought he was capable of himself would’ve been different.”
Nodding, Lucas sighs. “So, you’re saying that if I don’t join the club, it’ll be okay?”
“Whatever you choose to do will be okay. Would Colt love to have you join the club? Absolutely. But he will never be upset if you have another dream you want to pursue. Unless you want to be a cop. We don’t really like cops, but we’ll still support and love you.”
He shakes his head. After seeing the cops in this town, he has no desire to ever become one. They make it seem like there’s a maximum IQ requirement to join the force. And it’s not very high.
