“Thank you.” McKelle threw her arms around her dad.
“The kid needs a break.”
“I can help,” McKelle said.
“No. Nah.” Both her dad and I spoke at the same time.
Her dad put a few inches of space between them. “You’re not paying your boyfriend’s legal fees. You’re not paying his bills. You’re not supporting either one of them.” He glared at me.
“You have to let Ryatt handle this,” I said.
McKelle lifted a brow. “Weren’t you just offering to cover his bike payments?” Then she sank her teeth into her lip, realizing this conversation was going to get complicated. “Okay, so what can I do?”
“Come with me to the MC. I need you there when I talk to the lawyer.”
“I need to finish up a couple things in the barn.”
“Cece can help me with Buttercup,” Linda said to McKelle. Then she approached me, and her mom gave me a hug. My spine stiffened, and an uneasy emotion churned in my gut. I didn’t do the parent thing. “It’s going to be okay,” she quietly said. “You three will get through this.”
What the fuck? Two weeks ago, her dad wanted me out of her life and was plotting for Ryatt to become a future son-in-law. Now, Ryatt was in county lockup, and her mom was giving me family vibes. I didn’t do family.
“We should go,” I said to McKelle.
McKelle headed into the house. Lane tipped his head, indicating he wanted me to follow him into the garage.
He leaned against his workbench. “If I find out Ryatt’s locked up for any reason other than a probation violation, this is done. You’re gone, and so is Ryatt. Youfuck me over, I’ll make it so you never see McKelle again.”
I slid my hand into my pocket. “Understood.”
“Good. What time are you meeting the lawyer?” Lane led me toward the house.
“Sometime tonight.”
Lane sucked in a deep inhale and audibly exhaled. “Cruz, I think I’m starting to figure you out. We got different ways of viewing the world. I don’t know you. Maybe if you’d come around more, I wouldn’t worry. Last time we talked, you asked what it was going to take.”
I’d do anything except walk away from McKelle and Ryatt.
“This is what it’s going to take. Being here. Not avoiding us because you got some warped idea of family.” He paused at the bottom of the porch. “You’re being honest with me, so I’m going to share something with you. Linda changed after Cayson died. I suppose I did, too.” He squinted into the late afternoon sunshine. “Having Ryatt around is good for McKelle’s mom. Having you here will be good for her, too. That’s all I’m going to say on it.”
“I’ll work on it,” I said because McKelle was never leaving her family, and this was where Ryatt wanted to be, too.
The kitchen was crowded as her mom whipped together a quick dinner. Before I could escape with McKelle, I sat between Cece and Linda.
It was getting dark by the time I rode through the gates of the MC with McKelle on the back of my bike. As soon as McKelle saw Levi, she tapped my shoulder. I stopped the bike. She jumped off, and I backed into the row of motorcycles.
There were a lot of bikes in the lot for a weeknight. Fire popped and crackled in the oil drum, sending sparks into the night. Several patches loitered out front. Dozer and Tank stood with Steele and Vega.
“Have you heard anything?” I asked Tank.
“Nothing yet.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the parking lot.
“Blade called an emergency board meeting,” Dozer said. “He needs to talk to you.”
A twist of fear coiled in my gut. Ryatt wasn’t a patched member of the MC. He needed protection of the club. He needed Willy. And I needed my brothers to have my back on this.
Dozer came with me, and we entered the club. McKelle sat with Levi, Kiss, and the girls. Dozer and I strode over to the president’s table.
