JOSIE
Josie Rodgers didn’t believe in going backwards in life. That was the whole point of living in an RV. She kept moving and kept rolling forward. She crossed new state lines, made up new names for herself when she felt like it, and created new versions of herself that didn’t come with a history attached. It had worked for her, so far. Well, until it didn’t anymore.
She was parked three blocks from a converted church in Yonkers, with the engine off, and her fingers curled tight around the steering wheel like she could hold herself in place if she tried hard enough. But she didn’t bother because she had already made up her mind, and Josie didn’t do things halfway.
Her phone buzzed again, but she didn’t have to look at the screen to know who was calling her—Jack. Her older brother was persistent as ever, but he was always like that. Her thumb hovered for a second over the screen before she answered. “What?” she barked into the phone.
“You gonna keep ignoring me, or are you planning on actually talking to me?” Jack Rodgers sounded like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He was more grumbly than usual, and she wassure that had everything to do with his new, pregnant wife, who was also in charge of a biker club.
Josie leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. “You’ve called me six times.”
“Because you’re three blocks from my wife’s clubhouse and haven’t come in yet. What the hell are you waiting for, Josie?” he asked. She wanted to tell him that she was waiting for courage, but it just wasn’t coming.
Her eyes opened slowly. Of course, he knew where she was and what she was up to. Having an older brother who was a police detective sucked—usually. “You tracking me now?” she asked.
“I don’t have to. Ember told me you were circling like you were casing the place,” he countered.
Josie huffed out a quiet laugh. “Is she always this dramatic, or does she save that for family?”
“For family, mainly,” he said flatly. “And you’re family, whether you want to be or not.” It had been a damn long time since she had considered herself to be part of anyone’s family. Josie looked at the building again. At the darkened stained glass and the reinforced doors. It was the kind of place that didn’t pretend to be anything it wasn’t.
“Relax,” she said. “I’m not here to join a biker gang.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” he mumbled.
“No?” she asked softly. “Then what are you worried about, Jack?”
When he spoke again, it was quieter. “I’m worried about you disappearing again,” he admitted.
Josie swallowed, her jaw tightening. “I didn’t disappear, Jack.” Yeah, that was a complete lie. She had run as far and as fast as she could from her former life.
“You dropped out of college, bought an RV, and drove across the country without telling anyone where you were going,” Jack growled.
“I told you I was leaving,” she corrected.
“You didn’t tell me you weren’t coming back,” he said. She closed her eyes for a second. There it was—the line they always circled. The one neither of them ever liked to cross, until now.
“I came back,” she said.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “You did, but it took you long enough.” Actually, it took their mother's death for her to finally consider returning home.
“Don’t act like I’m the only one making questionable life choices, big brother,” she said. “You did marry a chick who’s a biker.” She was reaching because Josie really liked Ember. She was perfect for Jack, but as his sister, it was her job to give him shit.
That earned her a sharp exhale, but not quite a laugh. “Fair,” he admitted. “That doesn’t mean I want you running again.”
Josie’s gaze flicked to the church doors. “Like you ran to your wife’s world? The one you already chose?” she asked. “Don’t you think that I should be able to choose where I land, Jack?”
“That’s different,” he spat
“Is it?” she asked.
“Josie—”
“I’m not a kid,” she cut in. “And I’m not fragile.”
“I didn’t say you were,” he whispered.
“You didn’t have to,” she said. “It’s the way that you treat me.”
