Page 66 of Kane

If anything, things had gotten worse. Not with the women thing, which had already been pretty fucking bad. The illegal shit, though, was at an all-time high.

The food came, taking their attention away from the conversation. He bit into his ribs and watched Mandy pick at her fries. “I thought you were starving.”

She frowned. “You didn’t answer me.”

Why would he think he could ignore the elephant in the room? “No,” he said softly. She was only talking about one part anyway. “It hasn’t changed.”

She dragged a fry around in the pool of ketchup. “How can you still be you and be one of them?”

He hated how unsure she sounded. With a sigh, he wiped his hands on the napkin, then turned to face her fully. “I’ve done shit I’m not proud of. If I’m being honest, I’m still doing shit I’m not proud of. I think maybe I forgot who I was for a little while, or maybe I thought I couldn’t be a good guy without you. Which is weak, and I’m not proud of it.”

She didn’t look up from her food.

“I’m trying to figure out how everything fits together for me right now. I can’t just walk away from them because I’ve found you again.”

No longer even pretending to eat, she folded her hands in her lap. “Of course not,” she murmured.

“But there are no other women. I swear it on my life.”

Now she looked up.

He couldn’t tell if she was angry or upset. “I haven’t so much as looked at another woman since you and I started talking again. I promise I wouldn’t betray you.”

She nodded, but the sparkle in her eyes had dulled. Calling over the bartender, she asked for a to-go box. As she scooped her food inside, she spoke quietly, “It’s getting late. I’m tired. Do you mind if we head out?”

“Sure.” He’d lost his appetite too. Dropping two twenties on the table, he followed her back to the car, and she drove the short distance to her condo, where he’d left his bike.

She parked right next to the Harley. Once they got out, she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for the game. I had a good time.”

He slid his hand over her arm. “Don’t give up on us. We can work all of this out.”

She revealed no joy in her smile, but she said the words he needed to hear. “I won’t.” She stepped back. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked away.

***

Two police cars were driving away from the clubhouse as Kane pulled up. Cue Ball’s big bald head shone like a beacon in the backseat of one cruiser, but he couldn’t tell who was in the back of the other.

Killing his motor, he covered the distance to the front door in a few long strides. He stumbled back a step once he got a good look inside.

Someone had trashed the clubhouse. Garbage cans rested on their sides, their contents scattered across the floor. All the shelves hung askew from the rickety entertainment center; the TV was cracked, broken DVDs all around it. The sofa cushions were strewn about the room, their stuffing hemorrhaging from newly acquired slashes across their centers.

Mama V sat at the kitchen table, her head in one hand, a cigarette in the other. It was the first time he had ever seen anyone smoke in the clubhouse since he was a child. She acknowledged him without looking up. “I guess you were right about the raid.”

He searched for a piece of furniture to sit beside his mom, but she seemed to have the only chair left unbroken and intact. He leaned against the counter to her right instead. “What happened?”

She took a drag from her cigarette and tapped the ashes directly on the floor. “They got here a couple of hours ago. SP, Cue, and the prospect were shooting pool. Your brother started spouting off when they showed their warrant. They dragged him out of here faster than you can say your name.” Another puff. “Then, the cops started tearing shit up.”

Cue Ball was too smart to cause trouble if he’d already seen Scott in cuffs, which meant… “They found something.”

She sniffed and gave a reluctant nod. “Your brother had some meth stashed in the chapel.”

Kane gaped. “I don’t understand. We knew they were coming. We agreed to get everything out of here.”

“It wasn’t much. They’ll get charged with possession, probably not enough for an intent to distribute, but maybe. He said he was going to deliver it to someone after your meeting tonight.” She stood and walked to the back door, then flicked the cigarette butt into the yard.

Dammit, Scott. Why couldn’t his brother listen to reason? Now someone had to go bail the guys out of jail, for fuck’s sake. But at least they didn’t get busted with a full-blown meth lab running in the house. The club stayed safe, at least for now. “Where’s Malcolm?”

Mama V shrugged weakly. “I don’t know. I tried calling him a dozen times, but you know your father.”

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