I walk with him to the club entrance. The security guard eyes us when we reach him and raises an eyebrow when his eyes fall on the patches on our cuts. “Renegades?”
I nod. “We’re here for The Kid. He called him to talk.” I point at Pax, telling the guard in the most bored tone possible, looking back at four giggling girls, who are staring at Pax’s ass. I chuckle as the security guard mumbles into his microphone.
"Go right ahead. VIP area.” He steps aside so we can pass. Paxton walks in front of me as we make our way through the crowd in the club. We take the stairs and spot The Kid sitting at his usual table. Without saying a word, we slide into the seats across from him.
“Gentlemen,” he says, leafing through some papers. “Something to drink?”
“Two Cokes.” Pax folds his hands on the table.
Bill nods to the security guard next to him, who then speaks into his earpiece. “Just a moment.”
I lean back and let my eyes drift over the dance floor below. From up here, their lives look effortless—just music, movement, and laughter. But I know better. Each of them is carrying something. Debt. Addiction. A broken heart. An aching body.
Every single face hides a story.Even with your closest friends, there are things you’ll never know. And if you’re lucky, you find someone who lets you in.
Still, we’re all floating on our own little islands—alone, yet surrounded.
Life’s strange that way.
“Right,“ says Billy. I snap out of my reverie. “I called you.” He’s looking at Pax. “And you brought him.” Now he nods at me.
“Shaking him off was quite a task. He’s a first-degree clinger.” Paxton shrugs with a smile.
“I heard there’s something going on with Vanderberg?” It’s obvious he’s trying to gauge our reaction.
“Let’s just say we” — Pax waves his hand in the air — “have a minor disagreement.”
“Interesting. The rumor mill is churning.” The Kid leans forward on the table.
“That’s certainly interesting. I assume you didn’t call me to discuss gossip? You would’ve been better off calling him.” He points his thumb in my direction.
I scoff and shake my head, but don’t say a word. Before walking in here, I decided to trust my brother and let him lead this conversation. I can always step in if things go wrong. Without him, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
“I know where he is.” He opens his hands just as the waitress arrives with our Cokes.
As soon as she walks away, I take a big sip. Paxton does the same after saying, “Why would we be interested in that?” His thumb ring clicks against the glass as he picks it up.
“One of the rumors, Paxton Young, is that Vanderberg dropped off a corpse at your doorstep. Another claims a Knights of Mayhem MC chapter got wiped out.” He pauses, letting the words sink in. “I’ve got a feeling those two tales might be connected.” The grin that spreads across his face is slow and unsettling—like the Cheshire cat, but darker.
Paxton lifts a shoulder. “If those rumors are true, then yeah, maybe. But they could just as easily be unrelated. Who took out that chapter? Whose body was delivered? Too many unanswered questions. For all we know, it’s just smoke.”
And somehow, Pax’s face doesn’t give a damn thing away. Mine, on the other hand—my fists are balled tight under the table.
Billy The Kid shrugs, unbothered. “Shame. I figured you’d be a little more eager for answers.”
“Maybe we are,” Pax says, running his thumb slowly across his bottom lip. “But maybe not for the reasons you think. Differences of opinion are easier to resolve with the right leverage.”
Billy tilts his head, considers him like a man deciding how to play his last card. “I’ve got my own reasons for bringing this to the table. But if that man gets wind of things and bolts? The info’s worthless. And frankly, I’m not willing to pay the price just to help you settle your shit.”
Pax’s voice doesn’t waver. “You’re saying you want him gone?”
Where the fuck does he get this level of calm?
I’m two seconds from snapping—every nerve in me buzzing to launch across the table and rip the truth out of Billy’s smug mouth.Give us the name, I want to yell.Give me the goddamnname so my best friend can put that monster in the ground where he belongs. So Jen can finally have peace.
And then it hits me.
That’s why Paxton can breathe through this. Why he can stay composed.Becauseshe wasn’t his best friend’s wife.
