“I’ll let him know,” I promise. “The man does love to tinker.”
“I think he misses his shop,” Kira whispers conspiratorially.
“It wouldn’t surprise me. For as long as I can remember, the club, Ky, and that body shop were his whole life.”
Kira tucks some shiny blonde hair behind her ear as she gazes into the garage. There are what seems like a dozen-and-a-half luxury cars and a handful of custom bikes lined up in two neat rows
It’s unfathomable the amount of money some people have. “I wouldn’t worry your pretty little head about anything. You and Kristen are more important than anything in his previous life.” I wink.
Kira smiles warmly, and I’m struck with an unexpected bout of jealousy. Not because I want Kira, but because I want what Ky and Kira have. And I want it with Liv.
I step into the garage and stop short with a sudden thought. Turning back to Kira, I ask, “Can you keep my little visit with Gerard between us? It isn’t anything Ky needs to worry about.” I turn up the charm despite the train wreck my face looks like.
She gives me a skeptical look, but nods her head in agreement. “Just don’t ask me to keep anything from Ky again.”
It is a straight-up order. I hear her loud and clear. I’m not keen on keeping anything from my Prez. But there’s just some shit a guy has to face alone.
Kira and I go our separate ways. Her back into the house, me into the cavernous garage.
I find Gambit sitting next to a frame with a billion parts scattered all over the floor. I whistle. “Looks like you got your work cut out for you.”
He lifts his head when he hears me, and his expression is a mix of surprise and concern.
“What in the fuck happened to your face?” He stands and clasps my hand. He looks like the old Gerard. Clothes covered in grease and a bandana tied around his head.
“Bumper cars gone awry.”
“Right,” he scoffs with humor. “Been there more than a few times.”
Ain’t that the truth? Him, my dad, and the Bowman used to roll hard. Any given day, one of them would have a black eye or swollen lip. And they would always make some kind of joke about it. Those were the good ol’ days. When the adults were the only ones getting beat up. “To what do I owe this surprise visit?” He knows something’s up.
I crack my knuckles, deliberating my response. Deliberating just how much I want to tell him.
“I need to take off for a little while. And I just wanted someone to know.”
Gerard isn’t ruffled by this news in the least. Instead, he rubs his stubbled cheek thoughtfully. “I had a feeling this might happen. How much do you still owe?”
He knows everything. All of it. How my father’s debt fell onto me after he died, and how I’ve been secretly paying it off for years. He and the Bowman fought for me. Tried to convince Pony to let the debt absolve, but he was adamant he wanted his money. So, the best they could do was a payment plan that financially strangled me.
“Enough,” I’m cryptic.
“Ky should be here for this conversation,” Gerard advises.
I shake my head strongly. “I don’t want to involve him in this. I don’t want to involve anyone.”
“You sure that’s the smartest way to go?”
“Probably not.” I rub the back of my neck.
“You got a plan?” Gerard comes to stand right in front of me. I remember when I used to look up at him — literally. Now he has to lift his head to look at me. He’ll always be the man I admire most. As much as I loved my father, there were some days I wished my last name was Parish.
“Somewhat.” I’m only half-confident.
Gerard frowns. “You want a loan?” he offers an alternative. And as appealing as it is, I’m going to have to pass.
“That’s a generous offer, but no. I don’t want to owe anyone anything. I want to be free.”
“I get that, but I’m worried about you, son. Going it on your own is a gamble. You have people to depend on.”
