Page 14 of Ride the Wind (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation 8)

“Well, Ryan, how am I supposed to know if you’re eating? You won’t let me come see you, and you refuse to come here.”

“I’m twenty-six years old, mom. I don’t need you checking up on me to make sure I am eating.”

“Who is going to then?” she demanded. “Everything is so hard and confusing when it comes to you. Your dad and I just want to help you, Ryan.”

Yeah, sure they did. More like they just wanted me back in Rockton so they could control me. “I don’t need any help right now, mom.”

“Then what do you need right now?”

Fuck if I knew. “To be myself.” That sounded good.

“And you can’t do that in Rockton?” Her voice was soft, and I could tell she was hurting. I was the reason she was hurt. I could easily fix it but packing my shit up and going back to Rockton, but then I would be the one who was miserable.

Granted, I wasn’t exactly happy right now, but I was hoping eventually I would be. “Why do I have to be in Rockton?”

“Because this is where your whole family is. Your whole life is here.”

My old life was there. I wanted more. “I’m here now, mom. Maybe we can try to get together next month. I’m pretty busy with the club right now.”

“Ryan,” she sighed. “I wish you could talk to me honestly.”

I was. At least the best I could. It was hard to put what I was feeling into words. “I’ll call you later, mom.” I ended the call and dropped the phone on the floor. I propped my arms behind my head and stared up at the water-stained ceiling.

This place was a hell hole. At least my bedroom was. The ceiling leaked for days after it rained, the sink in my bathroom was busted off the wall, and my closet didn’t have a door. The worn hardwood floors were scuffed and scratched with three missing boards by the closet.

Compared to the room I had back with the Devil’s Knights, this place was hell.

But this was my choice, and I was going to stick by it. At least for as long as I could.

A knock sounded on my door.

“Yeah?” I called.

My door opened, and MW stood there. “You have a chick here asking for you.”

“Me?” I asked.

MW nodded. “Yeah, bro. You want me to bring her to your room?”

I had no clue what woman would be looking for me here. I hadn’t been with any woman since I had left the Devil’s Knights, and I sure hadn’t even tried to talk to a woman.

“She older or younger?” I asked.

MW leaned against the doorframe. “Probably in her twenties.”

Huh. There went my hunch that it was Meg and the aunts trying to get in here. “You ever seen her before?”

MW shook his head “Nah, man. Not that I can remember.”

I wasn’t sure how much help that was. It didn’t seem like MW remembered much of anything. “If she’s cool with it, have her come here.” I wasn’t interested in having the prying eyes of the club on me when I met whomever this chick was.

MW nodded and headed back down the hallway. I rolled off the bed and grabbed my phone off the floor. I shoved it into my pocket and turned when I heard a throat clear.

“What the hell?” I grunted.

Reese pushed her hair behind her ear and looked around nervously. “Uh, hi?”

“What the hell are you doing here, darlin’? I thought we both agreed we weren’t going to see each other again.”

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