I nod, holding back tears. I’m so tired of crying,especially crying in front of him. “My brother’s really lucky to have you.”
With his face to the sky, he says, “Want to see my other hiding spot?”
“How many do you have?”
“Two, but I’ll show you if you promise not to tell anyone.”
I stick out my finger. “Pinky promise.”
He laughs, hooking his with mine before standing and leaning down to drag me up with him. “Come on.”
We walk across the yard and he helps me onto the back of his motorcycle, wrapping my arms around his waist.
I thought the first time I saw him again would be weird, but it’s not. Actually, I’m more at ease with him than I have been with anyone since that night. Maybe because he’s the only one who knows the truth. I don’t know.
When we pull up at the garage, my pulse speeds up. “Is it really a secret hideout if it’s just your apartment?”
He laughs, hopping off the bike before holding out his hand to help me. “Ha ha. I’m not taking you to my apartment, smartass. Follow me.”
He leads me down the alley beside the garage to a fire escape, and we climb up the ladder, stepping up onto the roof. He sits, letting his legs hang over the edge.
“Kind of dangerous, don’t you think?”
“Not if you don’t fall.” He winks.
“So, what? You sit up here and contemplate jumping?”
“No! I come up here to think!” He laughs.
I sit next to him. “Think about what?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Everything.”
“Hmm.” The town sprawls out before me—rows of buildings, neighborhoods that look half their size from uphere, and green fields that fade into the blue sky. When I turn back to him, he’s watching me.
I ask, “Do you like being in the club?”
“Yeah. For the most part. I mean, I’m not actually a member yet. Just a prospect.” He nods. “Sometimes I wish we could do things differently, but most of the time I love it. I love the guys and the garage.”
“What would you change?”
“Well,” he sighs before continuing, “the drugs are obviously an issue. It’s not a secret considering your brother walks around like a fucking coke advertisement.”
I wince at the mention of Shane.
“Shit.” He grimaces. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I shouldn’t have said that to you.”
“No. It’s fine. I get it. He’s kind of a mess these days.”
“Anyway, I don’t really have a choice. It’s my dad’s club, so one day it’ll be mine.”
“You can’t do something else if you wanted to?”
“No.” He laughs, shaking his head. “He’s been prepping me to take it over my whole life. That’s my purpose.”
I feel a little bad for him. It must suck to have your future planned out for you like that.
I turn my attention to the view. “This is kind of nice. Looking out over the town, I mean. It kind of makes it all seem so small. So much more manageable.”
