Page 19 of Redemption

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Sloane. We have other ways to find them,” I respond, making eye contact with my men, so they’re all crystal fucking clear I won’t let her get dragged into our little gun running arrangement.

Reaching out to put my hand on her back, I gently guide her back to my office.

“Are you alright?” she asks me, the moment I close the door behind her.

I nod, quietly exhaling as I start to stretch my back, at least until she shoves me hard enough that I bounce against the door behind me. “What the fuck was that for?”

“You aren’t a cripple! I mean how damn vain can you be to say that? ‘I’ll understand if you don’t want to get saddled with a cripple.’”

I suppose I should be grateful that she deepened her voice there at the end to mock me. In retrospect, I did sound like a whiny little bitch.

Reaching for her, I slam my lips down on hers, as I pull Sloane into my chest. I’m relieved to feel her deepening the kiss, not hesitating to wind her arms around me; her response is all the answer I need, for now, at least.

Chapter 8

Vector

Getting off my bike, my hand moves toward the pocket in my vest, but I resist the urge to check my phone. Next, I resist the urge to plant my fist in Piercer’s face when I hear him chuckle. It’s undoubtedly because Roman was mocking me, but of the two he has the slower reflexes.

Sloane has barely responded to any of my messages over the past week, and if it weren’t for Paul coming out to look at the work I want done on Bridget’s home, I’d wonder if she hadn’t left the state.

The old guy’s been relatively closed-lipped about her, so I’ve respected that, but I am not prepared to walk away from what I feel when I’m with Sloane. For all I thought that I fucked up my only chance at happiness all those years ago, now, in my heart, I know that I could never walk away from Sloane.

I’m just opening the door when the sound of another motorcycle reaches me, and I turn to see Cowboy pulling into the lot.

The last time I saw him, he was in a truck that was pulling a trailer full of goats—so I’m pretty relieved we don’t have to deal with that nonsense this time around.

Me and my brothers came down this way, following up on a lead on our missing goods when I got a text from Cowboy. He was concluding some business but had a message for us, so we took a fifty-mile detour, bringing us deeper into North Carolina, to save him the ride into Virginia.

“Hey,” I say, turning to Piercer, handing him a twenty before nodding to a worn picnic table at the side of the parking lot. “Why don’t you go get four coffees and meet us over there?”

Roman gives me a knowing look, and I once again tell myself that he should know about my leg. That it’s something that could affect all of us if the cramps come when shit is hitting the fan.

I stay standing, occasionally putting a foot on the bench to stretch my leg while we talk with Cowboy. The news he has is solid, and will save us from dipping down into the Satan’s Knights territory again, but it’s not going to help us tie up any loose ends.

At least not today.

Heading home, my pulse jumps when a call comes in over the Bluetooth, but I’m disappointed when I hear Paul’s voice.

“You on the road?” he asks me without greeting.

“Yeah, should be back in a couple of hours.”

“Good, good. I was hoping you could do me a favor. See, Sloane’s truck is in the shop, and I’m supposed to pick her up from work, but I, ah, a friend of mine wants to have dinner tonight,” he says and I grin to myself, liking where this is going. “Anyway, the two of you have been moping around all week, so I thought you could pick her up for me. Maybe keep her busy for a couple of hours, if you don’t mind?”

I grunt, not exactly pleased with the term that he used as it applies to me, but happy enough with the outcome.

“Just tell me what time she gets off.” I end the call as soon as he tells me.

Rolling the throttle, my bike momentarily surges ahead of Roman and Piercer, until they catch up to me. I’ll have just enough time for a hot bath and to organize a few things as it is.

*

“What are you doing here?” she asks me, slowing down when she catches sight of me outside the building where she works. There’s a little frown pulling her lips down as she looks around.

“Paul called and asked if I could pick you up.” My comment pulls her concern-filled gaze back to me. “You know when you’re a kid and you’re trying to sound like you have a sore-throat to get out of going to school? That’s what he sounded like when he explained that you had to drop your truck off at the garage today, and you needed a ride.”

“You’re sure he’s alright?”

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