“Take off,” Romeo said. “I know you’re freaking out. Talk to Tank. Tonight, at the MC, we’ll figure outwhat’s next. Ryatt doesn’t have the patch, but he’s fucking family.”
I nodded, afraid to speak with regrets choking me. I needed to tell McKelle. But other than he’d been arrested, I didn’t have the answers she’d want.
I sat on my bike and fired off a text to Tank.
Cruz: Ryatt’s arrested. I need a meeting with the attorney.
Then I lifted the sidestand and headed over to McKelle’s. The garage doors were open, and McKelle’s bike sat next to her dad’s Ducati. I killed the engine, dropped the sidestand, and peeled off my gloves.
I squinted against the sun. The animals were active. Goats bleated from their pens, and two horses grazed in the paddock down the path from the barn.
I jogged up the porch steps. The door was open. I knocked on the screen and peered into the house. “Hello?”
When there wasn’t any answer, I spun around and headed across the property.
Voices sounded from the stable McKelle’s mom used to treat horses.
“Yes, mark it there. Easy girl,” McKelle’s mom crooned. I wasn’t comfortable thinking of her as Linda. But calling her Mrs. Dixon made me feel like a kid. So I generally never addressed her mom or dad by any name. Avoidance worked best for me.
I came around the corner. Linda had her arm buried to the shoulder in a horse’s hind end. McKelle stood in front of a computer monitor. The horse whinnied and tossed her head.
“Hey.” I stood in the open doorway.
McKelle glanced over her shoulder. “Hi. I didn’t know you were coming out.”
I slid my hand into my front pocket. “Can you take a ride with me?”
Her gaze shifted from me to her mom. “I can’t. Once we get done with Buttercup, I need to pick up Cece from school. I can meet up with you and Ryatt at the MC later tonight.”
“It’s important.” And it wouldn’t wait until tonight. Not only did I have to work, but I was going to worry about her. “Can I hang around until you can take a break?”
McKelle stared intently at me. She’d know it had to be serious if I was willing to sit with her mom.
“If you’re hungry, there’re cinnamon rolls from this morning in the kitchen.” Her mom patted the horse.
“I’m good. Thanks.” I stepped into the open workspace and sat on an old church bench pew along the west wall.
Linda shifted, sliding her arm around inside the horse. “The embryonic vesicle is intact.” She nodded toward the screen. “One embryo. Looks like Buttercup is finally going to be a momma.”
McKelle moved the computer mouse and marked the measurements. I’d seen some graphic shit, but watching her mom probe the inside of the horse was a lot. I pulled out my phone to see if Tank had replied to my text. And then I leaned against the wall. While listening to McKelle and her mom talk, I thought about Ryatt.
I’d spent a few nights in jail, but I’d never been arrested on any serious charges. I couldn’t imagine the fucked-up thoughts going through Ryatt’s head. Like me, he’d grown up with no one giving a shit. If I were in his position, I know my head would fuck with me, wondering if anyone would care. He couldn’tunderstand that once McKelle fell, she was ride or die. He wouldn’t know McKelle would mentally be in that cell with him, and I was wherever she was.
“Cruz, if you want to grab Cece from school, McKelle and I can finish up with Buttercup.” Linda stripped off her latex glove.
“I’m on my bike,” I said. No way would she want Cece on the back of my Harley. McKelle’s dad would lose his mind.
“I know.” She smiled. “Cece will love it.”
I stood. “I’ll go get her. Is she ready?” Holy shit. “I’ll be careful.”
Linda grinned. “I know. I trust you, Cruz.”
Since when?
“Her helmet is in the garage,” McKelle said. “It looks like a ladybug. She won’t be out for a half hour, but it’ll take you twenty minutes to get to the school.”
“I’ll take off now.”
