Page 77 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“See, that is more like it.”

Rick caught the tail end of Kaylee shaking her head and Josie’s sly smile, before she said, “You know, it’s okay. I’ll sit next to Colin. I’ve seen the view before.”

Hope flared in Rick’s chest as he wondered if Kaylee had given her the silent no because she wanted to sit next to him. He didn’t want to read too much into it, but on the way down, Kaylee didn’t make a single snarky comment or reference to liars at all. It was a start.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Ansel

Ansel stepped out of the clubhouse with Johnny, neither of them saying a word as they walked to the outbuilding where their bikes were parked. He’d suggested they go for a ride because, despite the chilly weather, the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day to ride before the weather turned, and besides, he needed Johnny for something important.

They rode their bikes out to the cabin, and Ansel stopped thinking for a moment, simply enjoying the wind on his face and the roar of his engine. Even though he’d loathed his dad, the one thing the son of a bitch did was instill a love of motorcycles in his preteen son, before he’d headed to Folsom Prison for a life sentence. He’d never visited him, and as far as Ansel knew, he was still alive, but he had no plans on joining his father in prison. He’d rather go out in a blaze than be locked in a cage.

They stopped midway up the driveway to the cabin and pulled off the road to talk. Neither of them had brought their phones because Ansel couldn’t be sure who was listening. He put his helmet on the back of his bike and sat on the seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I need you to leave now and get Kaylee.”

Johnny frowned. “I thought we were worried about the feds and the heat leaving the clubhouse could bring.”

“If they knew where she was and she’d told them anything, they would have already brought her in. I think she ran, and if she ran, that gives us a chance to make her see reason.”

“Or I can just put a bullet in her head and be done with it.”

Ansel launched himself to his feet, grabbing Johnny by the neck. The other man made a strangled sound as Ansel squeezed.

“Who makes the decisions around here?”

“You, boss,” Johnny rasped, his hands coming up to grip Ansel’s wrists.

“Then why are you making any suggestions on what we should do?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper and his skin turning an unhealthy shade of purple. Ansel released him after one more squeeze of warning, now rolling his shoulders back as Johnny fell to his knees, trying to suck in air.

“Back to the matter at hand; I want Kaylee brought to me. I wanna have a conversation with her before we do anything permanent.”

“When do you want me to leave?”

“Now.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

RICK

Rick pushed off the tree he’d been leaning against when Kaylee stepped out of work and noticed him right away. He’d been waiting for her, just like he had been the last three days. Ever since they’d gone to lunch, things had been more amicable between them, and she smiled as he fell into step beside her, greeting him with, “Hello. Been waiting long?”

“Not at all.” He didn’t admit that he’d been hanging out for over an hour in case she got off work early, reading on his phone. She already knew she had him by the short and curlies; no need to give her more power. “How was work?”

“It was good. How was your day?”

Woke up thinking of you, and it hasn’t stopped. “Just fine. I hung out at the inn. I read.”

“Oh, what are you reading?” she asked.

Rick held up his phone. “The next book in the Ice Planet Barbarians series. I downloaded them onto my phone so I didn’t have to haul a book everywhere.”

Kaylee scoffed. “You are not.”

“I am, too. It’s a fascinating read.”