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And it cost me the man I loved and my best friend.
Now I have to find a way to get them both back—or die trying.
CHAPTER 1
ROYAL
“TIMEBOMB” — MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
Standing on the small front porch, I shot off a text to Smoke, letting him know I had arrived and I would be by the clubhouse this afternoon after I dropped off my few meager belongings.
“You’re here!” Long, dark hair went in my mouth as I sucked in a breath when a tiny body slammed into me. She practically choked me with the tight hold she had. I almost stumbled back off the edge of the concrete platform.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I murmured as I closed my eyes and tightly hugged my little sister. It was good to be home, but I hated the reasons behind why I was back in Texas.
“God, I’ve missed you so much!” she mumbled into my neck. From the break in her voice, I could tell she was doing it to hide the fact that she was on the verge of tears. I understood because since she’d left for college, it had been like a part of me was physically missing.
Not wanting to embarrass her, I picked her up and carried her into the small living room. “Your neighbors are gonna get the wrong idea, Lacie.”
Pushing away as I set her to her feet, she sniffled and grinned. “Whatever, you weirdo. Where’s your stuff?”
Strolling back to the porch to grab the saddlebag inserts that I’d dropped when she launched into my arms. I lifted them up to show her.
“That’s it?” she asked as her eyes bugged.
I shrugged. “I travel light.”
“Travel?” she asked as she stared at me like I’d sprouted a dick from my forehead. “You moved here, Max.” Standing on her tiptoes, she looked over my shoulder. “Where’s your truck?”
“I sold it.”
“You sold it? You loved that truck!” Her mouth hung open. Maybe when I told Lacie that I broke up with Shelly, I hadn’t gone into details. In my opinion, they’d never met, so there wasn’t much to say.
Not making eye contact, I did my best to act nonchalant. “It’s just a fucking truck.”
“Just… a… truck.” It wasn’t a question, but she said it like she needed to verify what she’d heard. The 1940 Ford pickup had been a diamond in the rough when I found it in an elderly woman’s barn. It had belonged to her father, who had bought it new off the showroom floor. I’d cleaned it up and did the majority of the restoration myself.
No way was I explaining to my little sister why I sold the truck that had been my dream since I was sixteen. The reason my ex up in Denver was my ex was because I caught her fucking our neighbor in it.
Of all places….
Thankfully, I didn’t go through with my initial impulsive decision. Which was to beat the shit out of him, toss her out on her ass, and then torch the motherfucker. At least I had a moment of sanity in which I sold it and made enough to live on for quite a while.
“It’s no big deal, Lace. I’ll get another one someday. Now what’s for lunch?”
She eyed me suspiciously, but thankfully let it drop. “I made soup. I’ll show you to your room so you can drop all of your belongings there. Are you sure you can handle so much by yourself? Should I help you?”
The sardonic lift of her brow had me rolling my eyes. “Lead the way.”
I followed her through the small living room to a short T-shaped hallway.
“Bathroom right there,” she pointed straight ahead, then she motioned to the left. “My room is that one.”
She went right and opened the door. “Voila! Your castle awaits!”
I chuckled and squeezed past her into the room. My gaze swept over the sparse furnishings. A twin bed—that was gonna be interesting—a nightstand, a tall dresser missing a handle, and a door I assumed was the closet.
“It’s not much, but the rent is cheap for here. If you want a bigger bed, you’ll have to get it. That one was my old roommate’s that she left behind when she moved in with her fiancé. Money’s kinda tight for me right now. You’re actually saving my ass by moving in,” she explained as her gaze dropped to the worn carpet.
