Page 14 of All Our Ghosts

I nod, “I figured that.”

He looks over at me again, a look in his eye that tells me he's debating on how much to divulge. "We protect our own. Right now, that includes you if you're going to help out and live at the garage."

Cole clears his throat adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. "Some of the guys can be a little... much. So if you run into any problems, you come find me or Trey, our vice president, and if they get really out of line, you find Wolfe. He'll handle it."

"You get how that sounds awfully suspicious right?" I can't help but chuckle leaning back against the seat and swallowing the nervousness gathering in my throat.

This time he laughs, shaking his head. “Yeah, I can see where those red flags might pop up. Look, you're welcome to any part of the property. There’s the clubhouse where the guys go to unwind. A few of them stay there, but if you need anything just ask the prospects, Quinn and West. You met Quinn earlier—”

The sound of Maria's ringtone fills the cab of the truck, interrupting Cole. "Sorry," I say, giving him an apologetic look.

"You can take that if you need to." He glances over at me with that same crooked smile.

"Thanks," I mumble softly before answering. "Hi, Maria."

“Jesus, Kade, where are you?”

“Uhm, Pine River. The Comet broke down last night. I had to get towed into town, and it looks like I’ll be staying here for a while.” I explain quickly, knowing she’s going to have a millionquestions. I chance a look at Cole, who is trying his hardest to pretend like he’s not listening.

“What do you mean?”Worry laces the question as Maria asks.

“It needs a new engine. There’s a local mechanic who is gonna help me get it squared away.”

“You can afford that?”

I keep my eyes on Cole. “He’s giving me a job and a place to stay while I’m here.” I see Cole smile slightly. “I promise, Maria, I’m okay.”

“This sounds like the start of a horror movie, Kade. What if he’s actually a serial killer? You know small towns have those.”She sighs.

I laugh and glance over at Cole, “You aren’t going to murder me are you?”

He grins, “Yes, yes I am.” He winks and turns back into the garage parking lot. I roll my eyes knowing that Maria heard him.

“See!”She bellows,“Kade, I know you don’t want to come home. I get it—”

“I’m not talking about this right now, Maria. I’m fine. I’m safe. That’s all that matters,” I interject, knowing what’s coming. I love Maria. She’s one of the only people who didn’t turn on me after I went public with the things Jeremy did. But she tries to fill the hole my mother left and I hate it.

“Promise me you’ll call me if things get too bad? If you need money—”

“Maria—”

“No, Kadence. If you need anything, please call me.”

I sigh and close my eyes letting my head drop to the back of the seat. "Okay," I concede, "Okay, I will. I have to go Mar. I'll call you later, okay?"

Maria huffs on the other end. "Alright."

"Love you," I say softly.

"Love you too."

“You ready?” He asks as I hang up. I can tell he wants to ask who Maria is, and at this point I would probably tell him, but he doesn’t say anything as he gets out of the truck and grabs my bags.

He leads me up a set of stairs on the side of the shop to the apartment. Cole pushes the door open and flips on the light. It's small and more of a studio apartment, but it smells recently cleaned, and I don't need much. A bed, a shower, and a place to put my things.

“Make yourself at home. There’s a bathroom and a small kitchen around the corner, and if you want groceries, I can point you to the store that's a few blocks away.” Cole sets my bags down on the bed, turning on his heel towards me.

I wrap my arms around myself, taking in the space. It feels weird to be in a place I can call home, even if it is temporary. If it was up to me I'd be back on the road by now but the more time I spend here the more I feel like the Comet broke down here for a reason. It made it over three thousand miles, just to break down outside of Pine River.

---