Page 113 of Lake
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Lake
I couldn’t even begin to tell you how tense things were for the club. There were brothers everywhere. Rotating in and out every few days and coming in from every chapter. We were crowded and sharing rooms. Ones that hadn’t been completed yet were utilized. We simply got a bunch of air mattresses and heaters that were powered by running a shit ton of extension cords all over the place.
It was a fucking mess, to say the least.
And as it neared the new year, we still hadn’t tracked down Keften.
I missed Bridget like crazy and I was surprised that I’d been able to talk to her as long as I had on Christmas. And that day had been odd as hell. Because when there was chaos all around, the heart of the club— the significant others and family— banded together to help keep the club strong.
It meant that Abigail, Gwen, and Chris were in the kitchen making all kinds of shit that tasted good. It meant that Laurel and Cami were dragging everyone down to the kitchen for a special holiday breakfast. It meant that they took no lip when it was time to open the gifts that were under the tree. A tree that they made us all pitch in and help set up.
And they were also the ones that made sure that everyone there, no matter what chapter they were from, had at least one gift under the tree.
You want to see a bunch of badass bikers get teary eyed?
Then give them a holiday like no other.
Seriously, most of us were sniffling and blinking away the moisture from our eyes at some point.
It was nice to forget for just a moment.
To stop and look around and see the love that you had surrounding you.
Some days I took it for granted, I think. Or maybe it was more that I didn’t see it because it was there every day. It was there in the way that Cami always smiled at me when she came into the room. And the way that Abigail and Gwen were always making sure that we had food in our bellies. How Laurel always tried to make conversation whenever I was around.
And Chris, well he was my dude-bro. Sure, we weren’t as close as he and Brand were, but he was still someone that I considered family. Maybe even more so than my club, which was saying something.
But all too fast, it was over.
And reality hit hard again.
I hadn’t had much time to talk to Bridget after that.
Hell, I had only seen Mr. Watkins once in like two weeks. Which I hated. But he told me he understood.
Still, it made me feel shitty and I couldn’t wait until this whole thing was over.
Only, I didn’t think it would be anytime soon.
Each passing day, I felt like we were getting closer to finding Keften, but only a little. We weren’t going to give up, that was for damn sure.
“Got a minute?” I asked Iron after knocking on his office door.
“Yeah, what’s going on?”
He looked as tired as I felt.
I had decided it was time and I just couldn’t hold off any longer, danger be damned.
“I need to take a couple of days, if that’s alright?” I asked and tried my hardest not to cringe at the request.
“I think that’s fair. You’ve been busting your ass. And I appreciate it.”
“I just want to get that fucker.”
“I agree.” His head bobbed with a slow nod. “Heading to Florida?”
