Page 17 of Tater
Ren didn’t answer. She didn’t have one.
He finally looked over his shoulder. “If you ever get tired of it, come find me and the Bastards. We don’t scare easy.”
“You offering me a home?”
He shrugged. “A little bit of peace if you want it. Chaos if you don’t.”
“Peace and chaos,” she said. “That’s your pitch?”
“That’s life,” he said.
The dragon whispered, “Stay.”
“Maybe,” she said aloud.
He smiled—slow, dangerous. “Yeah. Maybe.”
Back in the present, the memory faded with the fluorescent buzz overhead. Ren’s body still ached, but her chest felt lighter, like the echo of that ride still rattled in her bones.
“You still smell like smoke,” Ren murmured to no one.
The dragon stirred, “you like it.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I do.”
CHAPTER 6
The Weight of Kingship
The ceiling light flickered once and steadied, and the hum of engines outside told him the Bastards were awake again.
The chapel smelled like oil, blood, and rain.
Old wood table scarred by years of bottles and boots sat in the middle, their patch banner hanging behind him. The skull and crown glared down like it was waiting to see if he’d flinch.
Eagle was pacing, boots heavy on the concrete. He does that when he’s thinking too much and trying not to say it.
“She’s awake,” he said. “Still beat to hell, but talking.”
“Talking means breathing,” he said.
“Yeah. But she’s already asking questions. You gonna tell her about the video or keep pretending she won’t find out?”
“She already knows,” he said.
He stopped pacing. “Then she also knows it was shot from our side of the county line.”
Tater looked up. “You saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I’m saying the Hades Hellhounds don’t know that road. Not unless someone drew them a map.”
That sat heavy in the room.
The rest of the patched were quiet. Ghost, Mouse, and Brick sat along the wall, all of them watching him like he might break or burn.
The weight of the cut on Tater’s shoulders felt heavier than usual. President. The word sounds like power until you’re holding the ashes that come with it.
“She left her chain,” he said. “I found it outside the door. You know what that means?”
