Page 21 of Shame

“No?”

“No,” he says firmly, holding his chin up.

Noah is a good kid. Graduated top of his class, from what I heard. He’s smart. Could do anything with his life, but he’s stuck working in that tiny ass store with his father because that’s what these small-town folk make their kids do. They don’t want them to leave and have better lives. They want them stuck here just like they are. Fucking small town mindset bullshit.

Noah hasn’t grown into his man skin yet. He could pass for sixteen, but I’d believe it if he said he was twenty-one. His hair is too floppy and his skin too soft. The kid ain’t rugged enough. He needs to be toughened up, and by the look on his face, he’s okay with that.

“Why you wanna join?”

“I see what you do for the community, and I want to be part of it.”

He answers quickly. He’s been thinking about this.

“There are plenty of ways to help your community, kid.”

He shifts on his feet, stepping closer. “But this is different. This comes with family, with brothers. With respect. When I do something around here, it’ll mean something. Not just to me or the club, but the community, too.”

“Newsflash: a lot of this community don’t like us. Your father included.”

Noah shakes his head. “I don’t care. I want this. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in the Merciless Few.”

He holds my gaze, his brown eyes lit up with determination. I’m not sure the kid will cut it, but it’s been a while since we’ve had a prospect. Coyote may want him in here just to piss off Terry. The guys will be happy the place will be clean again, and they won’t have to do the shopping and shit.

“I’ll talk to the guys and see what they say.” He grins, but I hold a finger up. “But this isn’t a walk in the park, kid. This ain’t like a fucking science club, you got that? It’s serious work. It’sloyalty. Blood in, blood out. These guys here, you have to be willing to die for them, you understand that?”

“I understand. Really, I do.” He’s serious when he says it, nodding and everything.

I jerk my head toward the road. “All right, get outta here. I’ll be in touch.”

He smiles again, then takes off in a jog, getting into the beater pickup truck I see parked at the store all the time.

Fucking kids.

When I get back inside, my food is still waiting for me, but it’s cold. Doesn’t stop me from eating it. And when I’m done, I grab my phone from the charger, grinning when I see a text from Cora.

“Yo, Snapper!” I call. He lifts his head from whatever he’s doing on his laptop at the desk in the corner. “We’re getting lunch at the diner today.”

“We had lunch at the diner yesterday,” he says, as if that’s a reason to not go.

“And we’re doing it again today. Be ready, we leave at one.”

If my brother didn’t hate me before, he hates me now—and I can’t help but laugh about it.

When I said we leave at one, I meant twelve forty-five, which Snapper did not like. When you say something to him, youbetter stick to it. He’s been grumpy since. Though, according to Grizz, he was in a bad mood since this morning, so I guess it’s possible it ain’t my fault at all.

We park our bikes in front of the diner a few minutes after one and head inside.

Cora says she gets off at two, so we’ll eat till then and I’ll talk to her after.

The place is busy as fuck, like it usually is around this time. Cora and one other waitress are running around handling all the tables. I don’t understand how this place can always be so fucking short staffed. Management sucks. At least there’s a bus boy here today. Usually there isn’t.

I lean against the wall in the small alcove near the doors, waiting for a table to empty. There is a line forming behind us.

The young waitress, Fia, who works here often, stops in front of us with a tray up by her shoulder.

“See that table over there?” She points to one toward the back of the diner. “The one with the two older ladies?”

“The twins?” I ask, knowing them well.

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