“I’m not fucking dead,” I ground out.
“She didn’t know that,” King said behind me.
I didn’t want to hear their fucking logic. I didn’t want to be fucking reasonable. I wanted my wife to be faithful, like I fucking was. Last night was the first time I’d touched a woman in sevenfucking years, and it was my fucking wife’s cunt I sunk my dick into.
“How long have you known?” I asked again, my focus on Morgan.
“She’s always known Sal is her father,” her mother answered. “We only learned Kingston is her brother earlier this year. Devlyn told her. Sal doesn’t know she knows.”
I stared at my wife. “Were you ever going to tell me?”
“You died,” she said.
“I’m right fucking here!” I yelled, slamming my fist against my chest. I pointed my finger at her and said, “You should have told me.”
Morgan straightened her back and stepped closer to me. “You should have come home.”
Getting my nose broken and my balls kicked hurt less than the look in her eyes when she said I should have come home. She was right; I should have. But I couldn’t put her at risk. I couldn’t put her life in danger. If anyone had known I survived that explosion, they would have hunted me, and they would have used her to lure me in.
But she wouldn’t let me explain.
She wouldn’t let me tell her the truth.
“I came home,” I said. “And my world turned to shit.”
I pushed past Scribe and left the clubhouse. I didn’t go to the lodge; I couldn’t. Not right now. I needed to drive. I needed to ride. When I reached the bottom of the mountain, I drove out of Rosewood.
I continued on until I was three towns away, and then I pulled into a Harley dealership. I wasn’t buying a new bike; I had a bike at home. But I needed to feel the wind on my face.
I climbed out of my truck and walked around the lot, looking for something fast. Something sleek. I walked up to a matteblack Breakout model. I circled the bike, then climbed on to test out the seat and the feel.
“You ever ridden before?” the salesman asked.
I looked up at the man. He was dressed similar to me—dress pants and a button-down. I couldn’t fault him for his question. I didn’t look much like a biker the way I was currently dressed. It was a costume, a way to blend in.
“Once or twice.” I smiled at his hesitation. “Can I take it for a ride?”
“You got a license?” he asked, and I knew he was sizing me up.
I pulled out my wallet and handed it over. The man studied it for a long time, before finally nodding.
“Come inside and we’ll fill out the paperwork.”
“How long do I have?”
“Two hours, max,” he muttered. He knew I wasn’t buying, but he couldn’t deny me the test drive.
A few minutes later, I was on the road. The bike handled perfectly as I hit the backroads of Virginia. Usually, my mind would blank out when I rode, but today it was filled with memories. The day I met Morgan being front and center.
Seven years ago...
I walked into the coffee shop, my head full of questions. My focus stuck on the piece of information I’d found. The one that might get me killed.
But at least I’d take Steele and Stone down with me.
They had to pay for what they did to Titan.
I walked up to the counter and placed my order. I waited off to the side, my eyes glued to the email I’d received from my brother. It was a start, but it wasn’t enough.
