Cam rolled his eyes and gave Nash a shove. Then he ventured closer to Willow and introduced himself. As Orla’s brother. Not the feared and formidable president of the Rebel Kings MC. “You need anything, you ask Orla or your dad to find me.”
Folk hugged her next. I left her under his protection and caught up with Cam as he stepped off to head for his bike.
“Thanks for the money. I appreciate it.”
Cam clasped my outstretched hand. “It’s nothing, brother. Makes me feel useful.”
“Youthink you’re not useful?”
“Sometimes.” Cam subtly grasped my elbow and turned us away from the crowd. “Nash did my job so well it’s taking me a while to find my place again.”
“Nash hated your job. He was knackered all the time.”
“That you give a shit about that is why you’re a King. And why we’re lucky to have you.”
I was still getting used to the way Cam spoke to me and meant it. It was hard not to look away.
“It’s true.” He doubled down when I didn’t respond. “We get a lot of chancers through that gate. Dickheads who want the patch because they’ve watched some shit TV and think they can ride. And sometimes,I’mthe dickhead—we’ve trusted the wrong people in the past. But my sister... she’s a smarter human than all of us, and she felt good about you from the start.”
That was news to me. And it must’ve shown on my face because Cam laughed—briefly—before his dark gaze grew serious again. “That drive-by at the gates last night. What did it feel like to you?”
“Exactly what it was. Some cunt riding at Orla’s car with their fuckin’ hand in their pocket.”
Cam hissed through his teeth. “I was hoping you’d be more vague.”
“Why?”
“So there’d be a chance this shit was just an idiot trying to be cool. We get that around the compound sometimes. Some try-hard sees a brother on a hog and squares up for the hell of it.”
“It didn’t feel like that.”
“Then it wasn’t that. And neither was whatever sent you onto the M5 all night the day before.”
I claimed a smoke from Cam’s proffered pack. “What do you think it was then?”
“It’s thewhowe need to worry about. Saint’s on it. Alexei too when he gets back. I just wanted to pick your brain in person. Sometimes I forget you and Nash are different people, and you might have opinions I haven’t heard yet.”
“Oh my god,Dad. Are you smoking?”
“Nope.” I lit the cigarette and passed it to Cam.
He snorted and waved me off, abandoning me to my daughter’s wrath.
Willow bustled into my personal space. “You were smoking; I saw you.”
I heaved a sigh. “I like smoking, Wills. And I don’t eat cake. Leave me alone.”
“Cake won’t kill you.”
“Would if I ate it as much as I smoke.” I kissed her forehead and steered her back to the others. “Come on. I need to get you home before your mum forgets how cute Folk is.”
“Can’t I stay with my car for a bit?”
“I have to work, baby girl. This whole adventure was on someone else’s time. That’s what happens when you fuck around.”
Orla was close enough that she caught the tail end of my very best attempt to be a responsible parent. She opened her lush mouth, perhaps to deny that she hadn’t rearranged her morning to make this happen, or that it was no big thing. But I silenced her—somehow—and she smiled instead. “I’ll go with Folk. You can take Willow.”
I noticed for the first time that Folk’s Fat Boy wasn’t present. That he’d come in Decoy’s car. “I can—”
