Page 32 of Jack

“No such thing.” Cloudy raises his beer high before taking another long swig.

“Miles, man. When did you get in?” I thought we'd run into him when Rodeo and I were traveling. We never did.

“Just did.” Miles and I clasp arms just below our elbows. He’s already dropped the black bandana from his face. The red one is still on top of his head. This skinny kid is a mess.

“How long are you staying?” Jay asks.

Miles shrugs. “Don’t know yet. Couple days? Maybe a week.”

Joe Milam is a wanderer. He’s not a nomad. He’s not looking for where he belongs. He’s actually a patched member right here in Willow Creek. He’s young, only twenty-two, an emotional age for my family. From the moment he got his license, he began following in his father’s footsteps. He’s determined to put as many miles as he can under his wheels before he settles down. The man literally has an app on his phone where he logs his miles every day.

“Jack!” Dad’s voice booms over the crowd. He walks up and clamps a hand on my shoulder. “Need you boys in the office in the morning. We’re going to sit down and talk next steps.”

He means Lily’s next steps. The guests standing nearby aren’t part of the club. They won’t understand. Our patched members do. It’s not common for an angel to stay long in one location until she’s at the place she chose to start over. I’m hoping to spend some time with Lily later before she has to make her decision.

“Hey, Mac.” Cloudy shakes Dad’s hand. “If you need an escort, I can ride.”

Cloudy has helped us transport hundreds of angels. As crazy as he is, he’s dead serious until the angel is safely relocated. The ride home is always interesting with him along. We learned earlyon not to let Cloudy lead the way home. The one and only time we did, we ended up at some lake I’ve never heard of in Georgia. To him, everything was fine because he knew several clubs in the area. Naturally, it turned into a party at the lake Cloudy Daze style. Needless to say, we dragged our tails home three days later. Mom was furious.

“Thanks, Cloudy. We’ll let you know tomorrow.” Dad’s eyes narrow when they land on Miles. He grabs Miles by the front of his cut and jerks the kid to his chest. “Look, you little runt. You need to settle down. Take your rightful place in this club like your dad.”

“Sorry, Mac. I…I…I will one day,” Miles stutters.

Dad releases the kid and shoves a finger in his face. “And stay away from my son. You’re the reason he took off for two years.”

“I didn’t tell him to leave,” Miles mumbles.

No, he didn’t say a word to me about wandering across the country. Seeing him do it is what put the idea in my head, though.

Dad forgets Miles completely when he notices Harley on the other side of the firepit. He cuts his eyes at Shepherd. “Shep, those are your guys. Keep ‘em in line.” Shep nods once. Dad turns to Jay and me. “You two handle that if they cross a line.”

“Yes, sir.” No one has to tell me to protect my sister. I’ll handle a man quick if he tries to hurt Harley, even if he is a brother.

Dad glares at Miles one more time before he goes back to the clubhouse. I swear this kid is going to shake right out of his skin.

“Y’all, don’t let him kill me.” Miles straightens his cut and releases a long breath. The rest of us laugh.

“You should listen to the Pres and drag your skinny self home,” Cloudy says.

“When he comes home to stay, we need to take him to the shop and get him a real bike.” Jay aimlessly pulls a knife from his pocket and starts flipping it open.

“And the gym,” Rodeo adds. Miles ignores him.

“Blade, I have a Harley,” Miles informs my cousin.

Jay laughs. “What you have, lil man, is a little gray bike with a Harley Davidson emblem. What you need is a custom build. I can hook you up.”

Jay can build a bike from the ground up. Men have come from states away for his designs or to have him rebuild their existing bikes. None have been disappointed. No two of Jay’s designs are the same.

“Well, I’m not ready.” Miles looks over both shoulders to make sure Dad didn’t slip back up on him.

While Cloudy and Rodeo continue to tease Miles, I glance toward my sister. My niece is hurrying across the center of the yard with her head down. That’s not a good sign. Everly’s headed toward the back gate that will take her home. Mom’s probably meeting her there. With the way things are going tonight, it’s best she leaves early. I look back to Harley. Her group’s still loud, and she’s still flirting. If Everly saw Harley like this, it explains why she’s upset.

Before I can slide off the table, someone steps close to my left side, and arms go around my neck. It happens a lot at the clubhouse. The older I get, the more I hate these moments.

“Ghost, glad you’re home. Where’ve you been hiding?” Jenny, one of the club girls, rubs up against my side.

“Why don’t you run along?” Rodeo suggests. He’s been a little quiet tonight.

---