Page 46 of Joy Ride

“That’s enough!”Quinn bellowed, making Walker pause.He looked up, and that’s when Dane clocked him again on his chin.“Dane!Quit it.This isn’t Wildfire.We don’t settle shit like this around here.You’re going to have to use your fucking words instead of your fists.Settle down.”

By the time Walker’s vision returned to normal, Van had grabbed Dane’s arms and pinned them behind him.He lifted Dane off Walker with a shocking ease that made it clear he had some experience in manhandling assailants.Walker knew the other guy was a beast and head of Kason’s security, but he felt even more comfortable having Joy and Arden at Hot Rides with people like him around.

He collapsed to the garage floor, trying to catch his breath.

“Are you okay?”Joy rushed to his side and dabbed at his lip with the hem of her shirt.Dane’s knuckle must have split it open.

Great, now he looked like a pussy on top of refusing to fight back.“Fine.”

Despite what Dane had accused, he wasn’t his father.He wasn’t planning on being anything like that bastard when he grew up.So maybe he needed to take Dane’s accusations to heart.It wasn’t only the simple things like obeying the law that would differentiate him.

Shit.

Still, he let Quinn help him to his feet as Trevon and Gavyn positioned themselves between him and Dane to prevent them from clashing again.After a few seconds, Dane quit struggling against Van’s iron grip.His brain reengaged.

“Shit.Sorry.I’m good now.You can let me go.”Dane dropped his head, staring at the floor.Walker had preferred it when he was full of aggression rather than deflated.

“You’re not going to start anything with him, are you?”Gavyn asked as he eyed Walker.

“What I’m going to do is keep minding my fucking business and get back to work.”Walker used his wrist to swipe at the blood trickling from his lip.

“Nah, you’re done for the day.”Gavyn put one hand on his shoulder to soften his decree, then shoved gently in the direction of their cabin.“You three have serious stuff to figure out.And I don’t want to see you back in the shop until you do.Arden and Noah are in the office.A lot of us came from rough places.That’s not the kind of environment we want for our kids.This can’t happen again—not at Hot Rides and not anywhere if you’re really trying to start fresh—hear me?”

“Damn it.I fucked up…more.”Dane slammed his eyes shut.He wasn’t entirely to blame, though.They all knew it.

Walked cursed under his breath since it had been his fault.Dane had a long fuse and he’d still managed to set the guy off.“You’re absolutely right.I might have screwed up again but that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid, dragging Arden into my old world, my old ways.”

“How’s that working out for you?”Quinn asked him with a raised brow.“Try a different approach, Walker.”

As if he’d been talking to Joy instead, she nodded, then took one of Walker’s hands in hers.Their connection erased each one of his aches in an instant.

“Gavyn, can you keep watching Arden for a few hours?”she asked.

“Yeah, of course.”He grinned.“And next time I want to be alone with Amber, you’ll get us back, right?”

“Absolutely.”Then she reached out and held her other hand toward Dane.“Let’s go home.”

Dane stared at her for a few seconds too long, so Van bumped Dane’s shoulder blade with the base of his palm.“Don’t you be stupid, too.You’re right to fight.There’s better ways to do it than this, though.”

“I apologize, Gavyn,” Dane said before turning to Quinn asking forgiveness from him too.“I’ll do better.Bebetter.I just…”

“We’ve all been there.”Trevon grinned at Quinn.“Sometimes you wish you could strangle the people you love most.”

Quinn shot his husband Trevon the finger, but they both laughed.

“Truth is, it wouldn’t help if you did.”Ollie chimed in.His words had a visible impact on Dane, since the two of them had struck up a pretty solid friendship.They were alike in a lot of ways, this one included.

“Yeah, I’m figuring that out.”Dane looked like he hated himself right then.

And that did nothing to improve Walker’s mood.Doing nothing, staying out of Joy and Dane’s way, conspiring to bring them together… None of those things had made them any happier or more whole at the end of the day.

As Joy tugged Walker and Dane toward their tiny home, Quinn called, “Don’t come back until you’ve kissed and made up!”

Wren, who’d emerged from her welding booth at the tail end of the ruckus, snapped a rag in Quinn’s direction, but when Walker glanced over his shoulder, they were talking together in hushed, concerned tones as they stood in a line and watched him, Dane, and Joy go.

He wondered if it had been this hard for them to work out their unconventional relationships.He’d have to ask to hear their stories sometime.

But not today.Because he had more important shit to figure out first.

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