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He grinned and nodded. “Yeah.” He planted one last kiss on my lips. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I spun around and slowly made my way down the stairs, trying not to seem too eager to get away from him. And even though part of me wanted to run, the other part didn’t.
I’d always been conflicted when it came to Knox. One minute he’d be the sweetest guy I ever knew, but then he’d get this look in his eyes, a look I’d seen one too many times from the people in our trailer park and Mom’s dealers. He had a darkness to him. I wasn’t sure whether he was aware of it and holding it back or if he didn’t know it was there.
I maneuvered through the crowd of seniors and to my beat-up Toyota, pushed the key inside the lock on the driver’s door, and yanked it open. It wasn’t until I had the engine running, and I’d managed to take a calming breath, that I spotted Leo walking to the bus stop outside of school. Knox may have been right about him moving up four grades, but I didn’t for one second think Leo thought he was better than anyone else. It wasn’t like Leo and I would be best friends—he was just my table buddy in French class. But that wouldn’t mean I would ignore him. What Knox didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. After all, I was keeping a bigger secret from him than that.
One he had no idea about.
* * *
ASHER
It wasn’t often that the MC closed the club they owned, but when one of their members came back from being away—whether that be war or prison—it was members only. Well, members and family, and I was like family. So, as I walked across the parking lot, the stones crunching under my boots, I knew I wouldn’t be stopped at the entrance by the prospects.
The large neon sign above the door read Pink Feather, and my lips quirked at the woman sitting in a large martini glass. The sign was trying to say classy, and considering it was a strip club, it managed to achieve it. It wasn’t like the seedy strip joint on the other side of town. Pink Feather wasn’t full of dealers looking to sell to the dancers and anyone looking to party. Instead, it was a sanctuary for people who were struggling and needed help, even if it was only a job taking off their clothes.
“Well, fuck me!” a large, booming voice shouted. “That ain’t Asher in my club, is it?”
I snorted and turned to face Ryder, the president of the MC, also known as Jax and Al’s dad. His bulging arms wrapped around me, and even though I matched him in height, he still made me feel like a kid in his embrace. He slapped my back, almost knocking the wind out of me, and then pulled back and placed his hands on my shoulders.
“Hey, Ryder.”
“Where the fuck you been, Ash?” he asked. Anyone else would have thought he was threatening me, but I knew it was simply the way he talked. He was brash and straight to the point, something which I found refreshing. On the outside, he looked like a big bad biker, but on the inside, he was a big softie to those he cared about.
“Working,” I replied, and it was the truth. I didn’t have time to go out, not when I had clients who wanted drawings prepared for the next day.
“Heard business is going well,” Ryder commented, placing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me toward a booth near the stage. There were several girls dancing and spinning around poles, but I didn’t take any notice of them. I was too busy looking at Al, who sat at the edge of the booth, his gaze focused on his boots, and I knew, in his mind, he was somewhere else, probably back in the war zone he’d just come home from.
“I need to book a tattoo,” Ryder continued, stroking his gray beard.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, only half listening to him. “You know I’ll get you in anytime.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Ryder grunted and halted in front of the booth. “Look who I found lurking around,” he announced to the table, and several laughs followed. The table was surrounded by the higher members of the club, including its VP and Ryder’s best friend, Torch.
“Well, damn, we ain’t seen you in forever.” Torch stood and held his hand out, and I placed mine in his, shaking it. You wouldn’t have thought a bunch of rough guys who wore leather cuts would greet you with a handshake, but respect to them was paramount, and no matter what your background was, you were always an equal in their eyes. Where Ryder was rough and tumble, Torch was more logical, unless it came to his family, and then he fought fire with fire, hence his name.
“Been busy,” I grunted and pushed my hands in the front pockets of my jeans.
Conversation flowed around us, the table excited to have Al back home, but Al didn’t seem bothered one bit. He was in his own world, and although I wanted to greet him, I knew if I spooked him, it wouldn’t bode well, so I waited as Ryder and Torch spoke for a couple of minutes. As soon as I felt a sharp slap to my back and a belting laugh, my shoulders drooped, and my body relaxed.
“You fuckin’ came,” Jax boomed, trying to be heard over the new track playing in the club. I spun to face him, and my gaze drifted over the stage. Gone were the several dancers, and in their place was a lone woman.
“Yep.” I flicked my gaze to Jax, to Al, and then back to the stage. “How’s he doing?”
Jax’s sigh was loud and clear and told me more than any words could. “Not good.” He held his beer in the air as a club girl walked past us. “Get us two,” he told her. Thirty seconds later, we were both handed a beer, but the silence stretched between us.
“It’s just gonna take time,” I told him, even though he already knew that. At least when we’d come home, we could talk to each other, or simply sit in silence, but Al was alone. And I was guessing he hadn’t spoken to anyone about what happened while he was on tour.
“Yeah.” Jax’s gaze moved to something behind me, and I pushed my shoulders back as the hairs on the back on my neck stood on end. My instincts were on high alert as someone moved closer to us.
“Hey,” a new voice said, and I moved my attention to the other side of Jax and met Al’s stare. There was pain in his dark eyes, but secrets too
. Secrets I knew he would never talk about but wouldn’t be able to get out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried.
Jax cleared his throat. “Hey, bro.” He took a swig of his beer and widened his eyes at me, but I didn’t know what he wanted me to do. They were brothers, and I was the outsider, but I’d also been the logical one when we talked about the past. Maybe he wanted me to try and talk to him but now wasn’t the time or place, not in this club surrounded by club members.
“You good?” I asked Al, not able to help myself.
