Page 3 of Kyle

TJ laughs, probably because he knows my fake nonchalance won’t last thirty seconds. And he’s right. I can’t help my eyes from roving over her.

Sutton has that surfer girl look—sun-kissed skin, ocean blue eyes, and sandy blonde curls. We met her on the wharf at Santa Cruz last year. It wasn’t until a week ago that I heard she’d moved to town to be with Rafe.

The two of them wander toward the pool tables. Sutton scans the clubhouse until she finds me. Then she smiles, before Rafe tugs on her arm and they disappear toward the back.

TJ’s gaze follows them, then he twists to study my face. “I don’t understand why you let Rafe move in on her. I heard fromBrayden she was into you that day you all met. She coulda been yours, Kyle.”

“Rafe wanted her. End of story.” I tilt my beer up.

“But so did you. What rule says you always gotta let him win?”

“She’s with my brother. I’m happy for him.”

“Live life for yourself and no one else, Kyle.” TJ offers advice I don’t want to hear. “His happiness is not your responsibility.”

“Just drop it,” I growl.

“You can’t keep making everything easy for Rafe. What happened that night at Gigi’s shop was not your fault.”

“Enough,” I snap, and several heads turn my way. Last thing I want to do is relive the night I almost lost my brother.

CHAPTER TWO

Kyle—

It’s not long before Harry Silver’s widow leaves, and Cole emits a sharp whistle.

“Church, boys. Now.”

We all follow down the hall and into the room, gathering around the scarred wooden table with the Evil Dead emblem carved into it—three skulls that look like they’re screaming.

Cole sits at the head, and the officers take chairs around the table. Crash, our VP, Red Dog, Billy’s father, Green, Shane, Jake, Cajun, Reckless, and my father, Wolf. The rest of us stand along the side.

I cross my arms and lean against the wood paneling.

Once Cole dispenses with the formalities of roll call, he gets down to the business at hand.

“We’ve got two charity runs before Sturgis, boys.”

It’s mid-March, and Sturgis is five months away. I don’t know why he’s already bringing it up, but I don’t really care. He talks with some of the officers about making plans.

I’m wondering if he’s going to say anything about the chick in the Mercedes, when he gets quiet, rubbing his palms back and forth and staring at the table.

“I’ve, uh…we’vebeen approached about something. Most of you never met him, but Harry Silver was our club’s attorney. Had been for years. I first met him back in the day when Mack ran this chapter.” He looks around the room, and the corner of his mouth pulls up. “Some of you were too young to remember much from those days. Anyway, Joselyn thinks he was murdered. Wants us to find out who killed her husband.” Hedrags a hand down his jaw, stroking his beard. “Not a lot to go on. She filled me in on what she could.”

“And what’s that?” Wolf asks.

Cole motions to Crash. “You want to give ‘em the details, VP?”

Crash leans forward, his gaze traveling around the room. “He was found in the aqueducts north of Santa Nella.”

Green frowns. “Santa Nella? That’s across the Diablo Range, ain’t it?”

“Out where Christ lost his shoes,” Red Dog mutters.

“Actually, there are a lot of almond growers out there. The place is covered with orchards,” Crash explains. “His widow thinks he had taken on a case of one of them—a grower by the name of Machado. Claimed his orchards were being contaminated. Thought it was coming from a nearby construction company. She said he talked about some gravel pit where he thought chemicals were being dumped.”

“That all we’ve got to go on?” my father asks.

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