Page 98 of Blue

The guy from last night with the handlebar mustache peered at the engine. “Although, I don’t know much about cars.”

Kiss jumped out of the vehicle and stood next to me. “Ansel, this is my boyfriend, Blue.” She slipped her hands into the front pockets of her jeans and nervously shifted from one foot to the other.

I gave a slight nod as a greeting. “Do you have jumper cables?” I asked him because there weren’t any in Jazzy’s car. Something I’d rectify today.

“I do.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll pull my car around.”

I nodded and swallowed the sticky taste of jealousy coating my mouth as Kiss jogged to catch up with him.She used her hand as she talked, tucking her hair behind her ear, and then using it to gesture something I couldn’t hear. But the body language spoke enough. She was comfortable standing close to him, fucking smiling, and chatty.

The guy nodded at something she said, clasped her on the shoulder, and his gaze landed on me before quickly snatching his hand back and turning away. They couldn’t have spoken more than a few sentences. But Kiss must have liked what he said. She smiled, turned, and made her way to the hood of the car.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“I thanked him for last night.”

I wiped my hands on the thighs of my jeans. “Last night?”

“Yes, last night when you left, and I panicked. I didn’t have a car, no money for an Uber, and no way to get to you.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I didn’t know what was going on with you, but I knew it was no one’s business. Anyone from the MC would have questions. You scared me. All I could think to do was get to Cruz. I figured you trusted him because of what happened with Sam. I didn’t realize I could go to Bullet and Rogue.”

I curled my fingers around her nape, tugged her close, and pressed my lips to hers. “Good thinking.”

“Did you tell Rogue or Bullet anything else about what happened with Sam?”

“Rogue made sure I understood I was to include him and Bullet next time I need to take a guy out.”

“Sounds like something Rogue would say,” she mumbled. “I was desperate, Blue.” She angled her head back. “Ansel gave me a ride to the MC. He didn’t ask any questions, and I didn’t tell him anything.”

Ansel drove his car over and parked the front end of his vehicle close to Jazzy’s. He handed me the jumper cables and checked his watch. “I really need to be inside.”

Several people entered the building.

“This should only take a couple of minutes,” I said.

“Do what you need to do.” Ansel handed his keys to Kiss. “The meeting starts in ten minutes.”

“She’ll be there,” I said and attached the cables.

Ansel went into the community center, and Kiss climbed behind the wheel of his car.

“Start it up,” I said to her. Ansel’s engine turned over and quietly hummed.

After two minutes of the engine running, I sat behind the wheel of Jazzy’s car and turned the key. The engine sputtered and rolled over.

Kiss smiled as she jumped out of Ansel’s vehicle. I stood between the hoods, disconnected the cables, coiled them into a tight circle, and stored them in his trunk.

Kiss got behind the wheel of his car and parked in the adjacent stall. “I need to go in.” She twirled the keys on her finger. “Do you want to stay for the meeting?”

“Do you want me to stay?” I’d do whatever she wanted.

“Yes. I need the meetings. I want you to feel comfortable with my sponsor, but she won’t be here today. And I want you to meet Georgia, Ryatt, and Brad.”

“I’ll come find you.”

With her lips stretched into a wide smile, she kissed me. “It means everything that you’re here with me.”

She took off for the door. Jeans rode low on her hips and molded to her ass. She no longer had the holloweyes of a junkie. Staring into her eyes, I didn’t see judgment or disgust. Not from Kiss. Before she entered the building, she turned to me. The breeze caught her hair. She pulled the strands from her face, then waved at me before disappearing inside.

My chest tightened. After last night, I could almost believe my scars wouldn’t tear us apart. For the first time since I’d walked out of my parent’s house, I’d trusted someone with my secret. And for the first time, I had a glimmer of what it might have been like if I’d been believed when it mattered, before Carl had fucking poisoned my brain and pissed on my soul.

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