Page 32 of Kiwi

"Well, you missed all the shenanigans." She laughs.

"Trust me. I got a good dose of it this mornin'." I shiver.

A few hours later,I'm at the bike shop. It's Monday, we don't officially open the doors until Wednesday, but I thought I would get a head start on a bike I'm hoping to have finished by the end of the day. The rumble of bikes draws my attention as I stroll across the shop. Nova, Riggs, and Logan pull up to the bay door and shut off their engines. The bike I'm working on is on the lift. Continuing with the task at hand, I begin working on the clutch line. "Fender said we'd find you here," Riggs says as my brothers stroll inside. Logan removes his shades to check out my other work in progress, a custom hardtail chopper I've been working on in between jobs.

"Goin' old school, huh?" he runs his hand along the unfinished frame. "You fabricate these z-bars yourself?" He's really taking in every detail.

I stop what I'm doing and wipe my hands with a shop towel. "I did."

"Damn, nice work, brother." Logan admires my craftsmanship.

"My dad taught me everything I know. He could take apart and rebuild just about anything you set in front of him." I pause as fond memories of working in my dad's shop back home enter my thoughts. Damn, I miss those days. Back when life was less stressful. "Can I offer you mates a beer?" I stride to the far end of the shop, where a refrigerator is found, and pull open the door. Retrieving the six-pack inside, I turn and hand each of the guys a longneck. "What's the plan for today?" I ask Riggs, knowing since the other chapter is in town, we'll most likely party the entire time.

"Everyone is gonna do their own thing for most of the day, then we'll show our brothers a good time hanging out at Twisted Throttle," Riggs says.

Nova's phone rings. Pulling it from his pocket, he swipes the screen. "Hey, Bean." He nods a few times. "Call me when you get to the hotel."

Hotel?

"I love you too," Nova says, then shoves his phone away. "Every damn grey hair I have is from worryin' about that daughter of mine." Nova lifts his beer to his lips.

"Did Piper decide to go back to Texas?" I ask, worried that pushing her away caused her to leave.

"Her girlfriend, Jia, talked her into a girl's trip. The two of them jumped on a plane for Vegas early this morning." Nova continues to speak, but I have no clue what he is saying because I tune him out. When I think of Vegas, only one name comes to mind. My stomach tightens as a knot forms, and my thoughts run wild with all the awful things that could happen. It doesn't take long for my worry to turn to anger.

"Vegas isn't a safe place for two young women to be on their own." I work hard at checking my attitude, but the tone of my voice gives me away.

Nova narrows his eyes. "She's safe."

"What's got you on edge?" Riggs asks, and I look at him. He's good at reading people. "Does this have to do with Donovan?" My fists clench at my sides, and Riggs takes notice. "He hasn't been seen or heard from in years."

"As long as we don't have a body to count for, I still consider him a threat," I tell him. Nova eyes me but says nothing. He knows the sorted details, but it's not my brothers who remain haunted by the fact Donovan Black is out there somewhere. And it doesn't change the fact that bad men prey on beautiful young women like Piper and her friend. My thoughts go to a dark place. Depression sucks, but I've been dealing with it for a long time now. I think about the young girls I met throughout the year I was in Vegas. Their faces burned into my memory, guilt eating at me daily. I helped the motherfucker. Even though I was unaware, I caused several women's disappearance, some of whom were never found. I feel like I'm choking on the thoughts swirling in my head.

"Tai," Nova calls me by my first name, and it jerks me from going any deeper. I look at him and try to shake the uneasy feeling I have. "You are not like him." His hand clasps my shoulder. "Piper is safe. I wouldn't let her go if I weren't convinced she would be okay. She's staying in an upscale high-security hotel and checks in regularly. We have nothing to worry about," he says, fully believing every word, but nothing he says is sinking in.