Page 4 of Renegade

Grey was the type of guy that Brisco and Scandal hunted down. If I wanted to be like those guys, then guys like my dad and Grey were my enemies.

I tried to stand up again, but fell back against the dead grass and desert rock, landing on my butt with a painful thud. I’d spent my entire life looking up to Grey—wasted countless hours wishing he were my father. It had all been for nothing.

I heard voices coming through the open window upstairs.

“Where the fuck did he go?”

“Look, there he is! Stay right there, kid. We’re coming down!”

I dropped my head back against the side of the motel.Great. My dad was going to love this.

The footsteps grew louder as they rounded the side of the building. Grey knelt down next to me and I jerked back in surprise. I’d expected the same guys who’d been upstairs.

“What’s the damage, Mikey? Anything broken?” He felt along my arms and legs, stopping at my ankle when I cried out in pain.

“I’m fine.” I forced my voice to remain calm, but Grey shook his head.

“You aren’t fine. Your ass should’ve been home in bed—not out here getting indoctrinated into club life. You’re eleven, for Christ’s sake!” He raised his voice and I squeezed my eyes shut in preparation for what was to come.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Grey grabbed my chin, forcing my face toward his. I risked a quick glance to judge where he was going to hit me, but he looked more sad than angry.

“You think I’m mad at you, Mikey? You’re just a kid—this isn’t any place for a kid to be hanging around. You hit eighteen—that’s a different story. I don’t want you making any decisions on club life until you’re done with school. You hear me?”

I nodded before asking the question that was dominating my mind. “You’re the bad guys, aren’t you?”

Grey looked away from me before responding, “Nothing’s ever black or white like that. I think you’ll understand what I mean when you’re older. There’s more to life than just right or wrong.”

I laughed softly. “That totally sounds like something a bad guy would say. For me, there’s right or wrong. You’re either with the good guys or you’re against them. When I grow up, I’m gonna be one of the good guys.”

He lightly squeezed the back of my neck. “I hope you are, kiddo. I hope to hell that you can do it. C’mon, let’s go find your dad and get you home.”

Grey wrapped a muscular arm around my back and lifted me up to my feet, allowing me to use him as a crutch as we made our way back toward the front of the motel.

“You learn anything tonight?” He paused to ask me as we reached the dirt parking lot.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, don’t go diving out of second-story windows. It’s a long way down.”

He let out a low chuckle. “Well, I’ll be damned, Mikey. You just might be smarter than your old man—it usually takes him three or four times to learn his lesson.”

I smiled, but I really didn’t agree. My dad never seemed to make mistakes, or at least he never admitted to them. He also didn’t have any patience for anyone around him screwing up either.

Wolverine was back on guard duty near the front doors when we walked up.

“Where’s Comedian?” Grey asked.

Wolverine shrugged. “Off fucking Beast’s ol’ lady the last I heard. You need me to take the kid home?”

I clenched my jaw in anger at the thought of my father off with another woman. I wasn’t sure whether to direct all of my frustration at him or my mom—after all, she was constantly messing up things at home, which just made him angrier.

Grey’s lip curled downward slightly. “I’ll take him—just keep an eye on things while I’m gone. And watch the language when the kids are around.”

We passed Grey’s motorcycle on our way to his truck and I had to hide my disappointment. I’d really wanted to ride on the back of his bike—needed to feel the wind blowing in my face while we went flying down the highway. If nothing else, I’d have had a sweet story to tell my buddies at school.

I’d just opened my mouth to ask when a loud scream echoed off the canyon walls. Grey immediately stood up a little straighter and began scanning the dense mesquite trees for the source of the sound. I’d heard of this—a mountain lion could sound like a woman in trouble when it screamed. I’d never seen one up close though—the guys at school would never believe this.

I spotted several large cottonwood trees about a hundred yards away and, forgetting the pain in my ankle, took off for them. The adrenaline coursing through my veins had me feeling invincible—I was going to see a big cat up close. Grey and most of the bikers followed closely behind. “Mikey, get your ass in the truck and stay there!” He made a move to grab me, but I darted away from his grip and scrambled up one of the trees—quick as lightning.

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