Page 23 of Finding Jeremy
“Yup, got it tacked up on the board.”
“Good deal,” Gray said. “Better take a picture of it before we head over; make sure what we’re looking at will fit the rightclass. In the long run, I don’t think the small car division is the way to go. They might be zippy, but it’s the big-bodied machines that always seem to make it through to the end, especially the late-model ones.”
“Yeah, we definitely want old, heavy steel, not this modern crap that crumples like tinfoil at the slightest bump.”
“Amen to that. Is Maddox going to join us?”
“Naa, he’s got some work to do tonight, so it’ll just be you, me, and Loki-bear. Jeremy is gonna stay late until closing time and man the gas station so Meadow can pick the kids up from day camp.”
“Sounds good. Let me stick this stuff in the office, and I’ll jump back on the Equinox.”
“Did you eat yet?”
“Spent all my time in the bookstore.”
“Figured you would, so I grabbed you a sub when I grabbed mine; it’s in the fridge.”
“Good lookin’ out.”
Nodding, Haven turned his attention back to his dog while Gray stashed his purchases in the office and headed to the fridge to get food, the encounter with Gerald still weighing heavily on his mind.
There were still a few things that didn’t sit right with him when he thought back to the night he’d gotten caught as well as the charges he’d eventually copped to.
Receiving stolen property had been a way better rap than if he’d been charged with the robbery itself, especially when there had been a discrepancy between the value of the items that had been reported stolen and what had actually been retrieved from his motorcycle once the cops had finished searching it. They claimed to have torn the thing apart, but if that was truly the case, wouldn’t they have found the hidey holes he and Chaos had built into it? They’d gotten creative and pretty damned inventivetoo, but if they’d dismantled it completely, there was no way they didn’t find more than what he’d had hidden in the compartment of his saddlebags.
He'd had a lot of years to think about those missing pieces of jewelry and why no additional charges had been added and hated that he was thinking about them again now. So much for leaving the past in the past, dammit all; he knew it was gonna gnaw at him the way it had the first few years he’d spent on the inside.
How the hell was he supposed to embrace this new chapter in his life with Gerald hell-bent on dredging up the past?
With no answers forthcoming, he bit into his sandwich, pausing only to shoot off a quick text to Chaos. Clearly, Gerald hadn’t been willing to listen to any of the warnings he’d been given, so maybe it was high time for Chaos to do as he’d threatened to do and run the man out of town for good. At least then, Gray might find some measure of peace and a future with the man he’d fallen in love with.
Chapter 10
(Jeremy)
“Thanks for the lift,” Jeremy said as he slid from the front seat of River’s pink VW bug and rolled his shoulders.
“No problem,” River said. “Thanks for sticking around and closing up for Meadow.”
“Glad I could help,” Jeremy replied, turning as headlights illuminated the driveway, accompanied by the rumble of a motorcycle and a second, brighter headlight. “Looks like Gray and Haven are back too.”
“Ohh, I can’t wait to see what they picked up for a derby car,” River replied, killing the engine and hopping out.
It was hard to tell exactly what was on the back of the flatbed as Haven drove it past them, just that it was big, the floodlights catching a hint of bright yellow as Haven headed for the machine shed, with Gray, on his Fat Boy, veering off to park it in thegarage. It was only after he’d killed the engine that Jeremy heard bellowing from behind the house and cocked his head, scowling.
“Hey! ‘Ey! Whoever the fuck is out there, you need to come back here and get me out of this shit!”
That was his old man!
Bolting, Jeremy took off at a sprint, vaguely aware of River, hot on his heels as they rounded the side of the house. The sight that greeted them brought Jeremy screeching to a halt, breathing harshly as he took a moment to fully appreciate the mess his old man had gotten himself into.
“The fuck?” River muttered, panting as he fought to catch his breath.
“Don’t just stand there!” Chaos bellowed. “Untangle me, for fuck’s sake! I gotta take a piss!”
Jeremy snorted. River snickered. Then Gray rushed up beside him, with the flash of something metal in his hands. It took Jeremy a moment to realize he’d grabbed the length of heavy chain Chaos kept coiled on one of the shelves in the garage, easily accessible for towing or yanking a stuck vehicle out of the mud, which happened from time to time. Gray’s bark of laughter was echoed by nearby crows, their raucous noise sounding a bit like laughter as they joined in.
“Pops, what the hell!” Jeremy said, fingers fumbling for the phone he’d shoved in his back pocket. No way was he missing out on the opportunity to capture this moment.
