Page 98 of His Road Dog

Chapter 38

Nicole

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THE LAST CLIENT OFthe day walked out of Sally's Style Barn. Kristi stood behind the counter and held out an envelope to Nicole.

"Thanks." Nicole shoved her pay and tips into her bag. "I don't mean to split, but I need to get home."

"Do you have a date with the big biker, man?" Kristi wiggled her brows. "For all the doubts I had about you hooking up with a guy much older than you, you do seem happy lately."

"I am happy." She walked to the front of the building. "But, no date for us. My parents are arriving at any minute, and I want to be there before they reach the house."

"Last minute cleaning?" asked Kristi.

"Something like that." She opened the door. "See you Wednesday."

Jogging to the car, she quickly slid into the driver's seat. Priest had bought her the car after she'd asked him to go car shopping with her last month. Before they could find time in their schedule to visit the car lot in the next town, since the one Roy owned had closed, he'd surprised her by showing up at her work with a title in her name in his hand and a vehicle parked at the curb. The car was perfect for her, and many years newer than she could've afforded on her own.

Despite her trying to give him money to pay him back, he shrugged it off as a gift. He wanted her safe during those times when he couldn't pick her up at work, or she needed to run an errand.

Having a car to use came in especially helpful tonight. Her parents would arrive at the house at six o'clock with plans to spend three days with them before heading back home to the commune.

She trusted Priest. She did.

But she would do everything possible to protect her parents from being taken advantage of by Tarkio, and wanted to be there to make sure they were treated fairly.

She pulled out on the street. Rolling down the window, she let the warm summer evening blow in while she watched for traffic.

It'd taken her a long time to understand what Priest wanted to offer her dad. She'd spent her whole life keeping what happened in the commune a secret, all in the name of protecting everyone's need to live a life close to the earth and among likeminded people.

She'd left home to set out to see the world and experience how regular people lived in a fast-moving society. During those years, she hadn't been blind.

While she admired the lifestyle of bikers living as a family, finding ways of remaining free of the government, and truly grabbing the pleasures in life, she wasn't naive about the crimes and dealings that happened within a motorcycle club.

The assumptions she'd made about Tarkio MC remained unspoken because of Priest.

Her mom had given her advice when she'd left home, and at the time, she hadn't understood the message.

Her mom had said, 'Nicole, you can run your whole life to avoid the truth, but karma has a way of making you run straight into it so that you have to face it. What you do then will decide your happiness.'

Since falling in love with Priest, she understood what her mom had tried to tell her. She was done running.

Her mom had stayed in the commune because of her dad. As an adult, she understood how her mom could overlook the truth of living off the state's land, tax-free, and living off the profits of illegally growing marijuana crops.

Love was the ultimate winner.

She turned onto the highway, went one mile, and took the exit to get access to the road leading up to Priest's house.

She would trust Priest and overlook the secrets surrounding Tarkio Motorcycle, and she wouldn't run from the truth. She could do that, because she loved Priest.

Driving up the side of the mountain, she gripped the steering wheel tighter. No more running.

She'd face the truth.

She'd trust Priest.

Viewing the house ahead, she gazed in the driveway, looking for her parents' minivan. Instead, she found not only Priest's Harley but five other motorcycles parked out front.

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