Page 61 of The Chase

The other man gently embraced his daughter, giving April a kiss on her forehead, then letting her go again. That was probably the only thing this man would be gentle about. He was a tough, rough bastard. He was the only man Colt was afraid of. The only man Colt idolized, adored, respected. Colt’s savior. Colt’s President.

Blue Rodgers. Former Black Coyotes President.

It was fucking Blue, alive and breathing, in the flesh.

Blue cleared his throat. “I goddamn well got you to guard April to avoid her falling in with the likes of you-”

“Yeah, but then you went and fucking disappeared, so someone had to step up and do your dirty work-”

Blue snarled. “Dirty work… I wanted April to be kept clean from-”

“Well tough shit, I got her dirty.” Colt smirked.

“Fucking animal, I’m going to cut off your dick and shove it down your-”

“Not before I slice your-”

“Enough!” April boomed, stepping in between them because they’d squared up to each other and she could clearly tell neither of the men would back down. “Colt, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t tell you my father was alive... in fact, I almost blurted it out at the clubhouse, but I’m glad I didn’t because that would have probably caused more problems… I was so confused why everyone kept harping on about his ghost... I had to sign something to say I’d never disclose… anyway, I’m sorry.”

Colt’s ears heard the words, and his brain began to rationalize what April was saying, but his body still raged with emotion.

“Daddy, Colt saved me, the MC kidnapped me and were going to keep me there at the clubhouse as a whore but Colt came back and rescued me and has been keeping me safe ever since. We’re being chased by the MC-”

Blue sucked his teeth. His gaze had been fixed on Colt, the most blue, piercing eyes you could imagine. Now his gaze flicked to April.

Blue reared back. “Cleaver?”

“Yes,” April tried to explain, flustered. “Cleaver is the President and excommunicated Colt, put a price on his head, so they could do some new deal with the Guardians of Purity or something… then Cleaver wanted to keep me as his sex slave. He said it was so the money from your cut of the pie could go back into their pot rather than paying me…”

Blue tutted. His gaze flicked back to Colt. “They cut off your colors?” he muttered, eyeing Colt intensely, knowing what that would involve.

Colt sniffed nonchalantly. “Nah. April persuaded them not to. Got it tattooed over.”

Blue nodded once, seemingly appeased. Why they were suddenly answering to Blue, Colt had no fucking clue. But that was the kind of guy Blue was. A leader. Wearing an unmarked leather jacket, his steel gray hair still thick and long, pulled back in a ponytail. He had a long earring in one ear. A little silver charm dangled from it, an arrow. In jeans and well worn boots. He had a hawk-like face, April’s delicate bone structure, Colt now recognized, but on Blue’s impressive stature and in his wizened, male skin, it came across as chiseled, handsome. But deadly. Like Niagara Falls, powerful, draws you in. Then sends you plunging down to an icy cold death.

Blue had a few extra wrinkles around his eyes than he had when Colt had last seen him. His hair was fully gray now. And, Colt noticed with a slight puff of smugness, Blue had thickened out around the waist and sported a little paunch. Whereas Colt was in the best shape of his life. Colt took a breath in and drew himself up to his full height, shoulders back, stomach in. Blue was the same height as Colt. Colt had no idea if Blue had all of his muscles under that easy living blubber or not. Colt had seen Blue shirtless, back in the day, fucking women in the clubhouse, or working out in the club’s gym. Colt had a flashback to being a skinny, malnourished kid, looking up to Blue, everything Colt wasn’t and wanted to be. And now Colt stood in front of his idol. And Colt looked at Blue now as his equal, Blue saw it too, knew it. He acknowledged it with a chin lift.

Colt realized he was at a turning point, a crossroads in his life. He was on the cusp of seizing everything he had ever wanted. April was sleeping in his bed every night. Taking his cock bare every night. Wearing the fucking ring he’d bought her. Yeah, he was going to claim her. Right here, right now. And their freedom so they could end the chase and get on with living their lives. He had to seize it.

Blue cleared his throat and looked back at April, any previous aggression doused. “I’ve been trying to track you as soon as I heard Cleaver had brought you in-”

“I wondered if you were in communication with them somehow. They’ve been tracking us, they seem to find out what van we were in, what route we were taking…”

Blue tutted. “One of the members has… close relations with the FBI…”

“You fucking with me?” Colt said, eyes wide.

“Wait, who? Someone in the MC you are in touch with?” April asked.

“Yeah,” Blue rasped. Clearly he still smoked more than he should. “We got a man on the inside-”

Colt hissed. “A rat? We? Who’s we?” Colt let out a roar of frustration, of impotence, he let it all go. “Why the fuck did you disappear? Why didn’t you come back? Why didn’t you come back for me?” Colt realized he was almost choking, he realized that he sounded like that lost, scared fifteen year old boy again.

Blue heard it, stepped forward and put his hand on the back of Colt’s neck. Despite all his anger and posturing and bravado, Colt let himself relax into Blue’s chest. And damn it, it felt good. The comfort, safety. Blue smelled the same, felt the same. He was the closest thing to a father Colt had ever had.

Blue knew that, too. “Son, I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t, still shouldn’t but fuck it, this family reunion and my old age is turning me into a sentimental old bastard. I kept tabs on you in prison. Why do you think you only did five years for what should have been a double digit stay? I pulled all the strings I could.”

Colt silently shook his head and stayed pushed into Blue’s chest. Leather, smoke and home filled his nose. Filled his chest and his soul. He snorted it up like it was the purest cocaine money could buy.

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