Page 95 of Together We Burn
I smiled and slid my hand into his when he pushed from his position and offered it for me to take. Alex jogged to my nephew, grabbing his waist before ruthlessly tickling him, then slinging him onto his back and taking hold of Rocky’s lead.
“Will is a bit tied up right now and won’t be able to help with our rescue mission.”
“Is that so?” Jake dropped my hand and wrapped it around my shoulders, drawing me into his side and pulling off the baseball cap to kiss the crown of my head.
Clouds hung low in the sky, dark and heavy with the threat of rain, as we walked along the sidewalk to Alex’s truck. Cars whizzed past, and taxis honked their horns–the daily hustle and bustle of everyday life filling the silence until Nate announced, “I’m hungry.”
“Okay, buddy, what are you in the mood for?” Alex asked, his large frame catching up, so the three of us walked side by side.
“Erm, Chick-Fil-A,” he replied, getting excited, and bouncing on Alex’s back. “Spicy sandwich, no pickles with ranch… Oh, oh, and fries with Polynesian sauce and a sweet tea.”
“Who is this kid?” Jake laughed.
“Why don’t we order it to go, bring it back to Jake’s, and finishIron Man 2?” Alex asked. “My big brother is coming over, so we need to get back, okay?”
Nate nodded and tightened his grip around Alex’s neck while relaying everything that had happened in the film so far.
I glanced up at his happy little face, a sense of foreboding unfurling in my stomach.
Heavy boots joined two deep male voices, the sound getting louder as they came toward the kitchen. Holding both hands around my coffee mug, I listened as the footsteps stopped, and the voices hushed to a murmur.
“So, yeah, listen, man, I’m sorry about the whole kiss thing in Will’s office a while back. I’d no idea she’d do that.”
Mac was such a suck-up.
“As long as you keep your hands off my girl, we don’t have a problem.”
The sound of flesh slapping flesh hit my ears in what, I assumed, was one of those “bro” shake things, and then Jake walked into the kitchen with Mac behind him. Jake kissed the top of my head as he passed me sitting at the breakfast bar, plucking the empty mug from my hands and taking it to make more coffee.
I slid off the stool and walked into Mac’s outstretched arms. Leather and familiarity closed around me as his arms tightened across my back. I’d missed Mac. What with Chris, Emilia, and Will being a grade-A douchebag, it made the clusterfuck that was my dad’s letter seem unimportant.
Mac dropped into a chair at the dining table, and I took the one across from him. Reaching over, he patted the top of my hand.
“You alright, sugar?” he asked, then winced, withdrawing his hand. “Course, you ain’t. We’ll get her back, darlin’. But, Christ, your fuckin’ mom? That’s messed up.”
Alex entered the kitchen and gripped his brother’s shoulder in greeting before sitting next to him. “Nate’s watching a movie with Rocky.”
I nodded.
“You look like shit, brother,” Mac said, pulling Alex into an awkward side hug. He slapped his back, releasing him, and offered Jake a grateful smile as he placed a mug in front of him. Giving him a nod, Jake continued to give everyone their coffees and then joined us, stretching his arm across the back of my chair.
“Yeah, well, wouldn’t you if the girl you…” Alex cleared his throat. “If your best friend’s sister was missing right now.” He faced his brother, frowning as he took in his dark eyes, overgrown beard, and scraped knuckles. “What’s your excuse?”
Mac inhaled deeply. “Turns out our leader is more spineless than fearless. The clubhouse got raided the other night.”
“What?” I gasped. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because you’ve got a lot going on right now, darlin’,” he replied, looking at me with pity, which I hated. “And this is Bulldog shit. I don’t need your help fixin’ that.”
He tugged the elastic from his hair, the long dirty blond locks falling around his shoulders. Dishevelled, or any connotations associated with the word, wasn’t something I’d ever used to describe Mac. Even in his torn biker cut, dirty jeans, and mud-covered boots, he never looked anything less than perfect. But sitting across from me, he looked gaunt, like he’d lost weight, almost as though he was carrying something so heavy it was weighing him down.
“Mac, we’ve barely seen you recently,” I said, unable to hide my worry. Leaning into Jake’s touch, he lightly drew circles against the back of my shoulder, offering me the comfort I used to hate admitting I needed. “Family helps family. Tell us what’s going on.”
“Lockjaw ratted the crew out. The fucking pussy cut a deal with the D.E.A to save his sorry ass. More than half of our guys got arrested and detained.”
Lockjaw was the club’s leader and had been for the past fifteen years. I’d only met the bastard once, and that was enough to know I hated him.
“Thank fuck you weren’t there,” Alex said, staring into his untouched cup. “But shit, man, that sort of fucks up with our plans.”
