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“You cheated on me the first week after we returned from our honeymoon. Think about that for a minute. When I was all starry-eyed in love with you, you had already moved on to having sex with another woman.”
“This is not how it was supposed to be for us.”
“Maybe, but it’s the way it turned out. Look, David, I’ve gotta get back to planning my curriculum for next semester. I wish the best for you, I really do.”
“I’ll check back with you a month or two, Barb.”
“I’d rather that you didn’t. I’m sure we’ll bump into each other off and on. This is a small town, after all.”
Nodding, he didn’t look her in the eyes. Easing the door shut on the awkward conversation, she quietly flipped the dead bolt, hoping he’d stay gone this time.
~ Ace ~
Shoving his cell phone in his pocket, Ace turned his attention to his disruptive friend. “What’s so important it couldn’t wait for me to get off the phone?”
Jerking his chin toward the door, Ryder looked at him intently. “I got a bit of a problem. Are you up for a short road trip?”
“Always, brother. What’s this about?”
“I’ve got a life debt to pay back.”
“I’ve got your back,” Ace said without a second thought. “Where are we headed?”
“I’m headed to that little town where you shot me up the last time.”
“Mission Point?” Understanding clicked into place. “You’re out to repay that man who jumped my ass when we were brawling, aren’t you.”
“Yep, he saved my life that day. I’m a guy who repays my debt, and I don’t forget shit like that. Considering we were trying to kill each other that day, he’s probably going to freak out when he sees us together. We need to be careful about spooking him.”
“Why don’t you just send him a letter explaining the situation?”
“I wouldn’t know where to send it. He looked homeless to me.”
“If he’s in a bad way, we probably need to get right on it. Mission Point is less than a four-hour drive.”
They didn’t waste time getting on the road. Stopping to fill up their tanks, Ace rolled their quest around in his mind for a bit. The vendetta between Ryder and himself had been totally off the chain a few months ago. Ace had been told about his brother’s death back when it happened, but only learned that he was killed by a club member when he got out of prison two years after the fact. Since Joe had been his last surviving family member, Ace had taken the news pretty hard. Still raw from being in lockdown for almost ten years, Ace had rolled into a revenge spree. Ryder retaliated by tracking him through three counties, ending in Mission Point.
As he rode back to the town where his violence had finally exploded, Ace remembered every gory detail. He’d been driving an old junked-out pickup truck. They’d traded shots a couple of times before ending up at Mission Point. Fed up with the aggravation of being stalked by his relentless pursuer, Ace had run him down with his truck. Standing over his prone body, Ace remembered gloating as he savored the moment of pumping him full of bullets. It was him at his very worst.
Ace was self-aware enough to know that he could be a cold-hearted killer when the situation called for it. He honestly would have ended Ryder’s life that day, if not for the stranger who interceded on his behalf.
Glancing over at the man who had become a true brother, Ace had an epiphany. Although Ryder might owe his savior a life debt, Ace owed him something very similar. If not for this man, he would have killed Ryder and been hunted to the ends of the earth by the club he’d come to love. In a way, this stranger had saved him as well. Ace had saved him from making a terrible mistake that would have robbed him of the life he now enjoyed.
Rolling into Mission Point hours later, Ace surveyed the town with a critical eye. He’d remembered it as being pitifully small and run-down. Now it seemed much like any other small town. Maybe it was on the small side, but it was also quaint and what women might describe as charming.
Ryder bolted in and out of different gas stations in the area asking about the homeless man. Coming out of the seventh place, Ace noticed his facial expression had changed from somber to slightly relieved.
“Did you get a lead?”
Jumping on his bike, Ryder nodded. “His name is Earnest Parker, and they say he got picked up by the police three days ago on public intoxication.”
“Where the hell is a homeless person supposed to go to be intoxicated?”
Grinning, his Sargent at Arms shrugged. “You think the cops think that shit through? Trust me, they don’t.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. We need to verify that he’s been detained and find out his booking status. I suggest we start at the courthouse.”
“I hope they give us the information. I’m not keen on trying to find a lawyer in this small town.”
