Page 17 of Bones

“Stay on high alert.” His tone softened as he added, “I know it’s quiet. I know it might seem like these guys have given up and moved on, but I think we all know that’s not the case.”

“Yeah, we don’t have luck like that,” Maverick scoffed. “These guys are out there, and it’s only a matter of time before they rear their ugly heads. But you don’t gotta worry, Prez. We’ll be ready when they do.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” With that, Cotton turned to Big and me. “You two have been at this for weeks. It’s time for you to take a break and step away from this shit for a bit.”

“Nah, we’re good, Prez,” Big argued. “We don’t need a break.”

“It’s not up for discussion.” Cotton’s eyes narrowed. “You’re done for the day. You can start fresh tomorrow.”

Big gave him a nod. “Whatever you say, boss.”

“Church is dismissed.”

Cotton stood, then immediately followed Guardrail and Maverick out of the conference room. I sat there for a moment, trying to steady the mix of guilt, shame, and all-consuming anger that was brewing in the pit of my stomach. Even though I knew Big and I had done everything we could possibly do, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d let the brothers down, and that didn’t sit well with me. In fact, it had me all kinds of fucked up.

Sensing my distress, Stitch came over and placed his hand on my shoulder. “This isn’t over, son. We’ll find ‘em.”

“I know.” I glanced up at him as I said, “I just hate we haven’t been able to track them down.”

“Tomorrow’s a new day.” He gave me a fatherly pat, then said, “Go get away for a bit. Blow off some steam and clear your head. It’ll do you good.”

I nodded, then stood and walked out of the room. Without saying a word to anyone, I continued down the hall and out to the parking lot. I was on edge and in dire need of some lengthy wind therapy, but as luck would have it, it was too fucking cold for the Harley. Having no other choice, I got in my truck and drove through the clubhouse gate. As soon as I was on the open road, I hammered down on the accelerator and sped down the old, winding road that led to my house.

My head was all over the place.

One minute I was thinking about the guys and what was going on with the club, and then, I was thinking about Elsie and how incredible she looked when she left for her fucking date. It was just another twist of the knife. I hated that I’d let things with her get to this point. I had no one to blame but myself.

At first, I didn’t think anything of the draw I felt towards her.

I thought it was just a really strong friendship. It wasn’t until the night of Savage’s birthday party that I realized our connection was something more.

Savage had just patched in, and the brothers were hell-bent on showing him the night of his life. They’d packed the place with friends, ol’ ladies, and hang arounds. Some were playing beer pong, while others were busy shooting darts or playing pool. All were drinking heavily, and while it looked like a great time, I wasn’t in the mood to get wasted.

It had been a long, fucking week, and I just wanted to sit by the fire and clear my head. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen. I was on my way out the back door when Rooster shouted, “Yo, Bones. Get over here and play a round with us.”

“Sorry, man. I’m heading out.”

“Come on, brother.” Rooster nodded over to the beer pong table as he complained, “These girls are kicking my ass! I’m pretty sure they’re cheatin’.”

“We’re not cheating.” Elsie giggled as she told him, “You just suck.”

“And they’re mean, too!” Rooster shook his head. “Damn. I need your steady hand to help me turn things around.”

“Fine, but only one round.”

“One round is all I need.”

I walked over to the table and stood beside Rooster. There were only a couple of solo cups left on his side but a full triangle at the other end. Rooster wasn’t exaggerating when he said the girls were kicking his ass. “Damn, Roost. You really do suck.”

“I don’t suck. I’m just a little off tonight.” He nodded towards Lacy as he whispered, “Lace and that short skirt of hers are fuckin’ with my head. If I lose, I’m gonna look like a schmuck. You gotta help me out.”

He placed a ping pong ball in my hand, then stepped to the side, holding his breath as I dipped the ball in the water and tossed it across the table. When it landed in the center of one of the cups, Rooster slammed his fist into my bicep and shouted, “Hell, yeah!”

“Well, done,” Lacy smirked at Rooster. “Now, let’s see if you can actually make one this time.”

A look of determination crossed his face as he stepped over, dipped the ball, and tossed it across the table. Like many times before, the ball missed the cups by a mile. He dropped his head and cursed, “Dammit.”

“Our turn!” Elsie stepped and took her shot, and the ball sank into the cup. “Yes!”

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