Abel winked at his wife. “Babe, you know you can weigh in. If this was something I didn’t want you to hear, you wouldn’t be.”
Crickett smiled sweetly. “Honey, it’s dumb. Holt is right, and I cannot for the life of me believe you’re not warier of this entire situation. It all still feels so freaky, if you ask me. The timing is either fucking fate, or something is very wrong here. Either way, y’all need to keep your guard up around this kid. We don’t know him, and we can’t trust him farther thanIcan throw him.”
“Yeah, but this might be our best shot. Frankly, it seems like the only true way to know the truth. If we want to outsmart them, we need an inside man.” Abel shot me a knowing stare, one that said,It’s my call and you’re going to have to go along with this.I hated that look.
I hated that he was right. Trent could go fuck himself for coming up with the asinine idea but it was the only idea we had.
I scratched under my chin, clenching my jaw. I didn’t want to give in, but I had to. “I’ll make the call.”
“Good. See you at the garage in a few.” Abel got up, kissed his wife, and headed to work with Trent.
Crickett shook her head while she counted the drawer to get ready to open the bar. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” she asked, not looking up from the stack of five-dollar bills in her hand.
I threw my hands up. “No, but do I have a choice?”
“You always have a choice, Holt.” Her voice was callous as she glared at me.
I couldn’t take her disapproval. Out of everyone in that damn place, Crickett was always the voice of reason and never wavered on her resolve to make us better men. She was tough and smart—the perfect wife for an outlaw, the perfect matriarch for the band of hooligans we had become.
I made my way into the back office, staring at the picture on Abel’s desk from the day I patched in. Rave was in the middle of us, arms hooked around our necks. We were all grinning like it was Christmas morning.
“It’s official.”Rave beamed with pride as he watched me sew the Unacceptables rocker onto the back of my leather.
“Did you ever doubt I would make it?” I teased as I tied off the string.
He shook his head subtly. “I knew this day was coming for a while, just didn’t think you’d become the youngest member in the history of the organization.”
It was my eighteenth birthday; they’d made me wait until that milestone.
“It’s an honor.” I threw my cut onto my back.
“You’re going to do great things for this club, Holt, mark my words. You’ve really come into your own, and I couldn’t be prouder of the man you’ve become.” The pride that puffed Rave’s chest made me even more excited for my new undertaking.
Over the years, our lives had shifted and altered so much, but one constant remained: Rave was like the father I never had. He took both Abel and me under his wing, did his best to show us what it truly meant to be part of a brotherhood. I stood up for what was right and lived by our code daily.
“You’d fucking hate this,”I muttered to Rave’s ghost as I pulled out the folded paper with Ryder’s name on it. “You’d tell me there must be another way and to find it. I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t see it, couldn’t see the alternative unless we went into the Sinners’ clubhouse with miniguns and AR 15s.Not smart.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I forcefully pressed each digit on my cell as I damned the call I was making.
“Hello?” Ryder answered right away.
“Need some help with that bike?” Reciprocity—it was going to be the hook that would lure him into doing our bidding.I’m already a terrible father.
“Actually, yeah. I can’t seem to get the engine to stop bucking.” He took the bait unknowing the string that were attached to it.
“Well, I can swing by with a flatbed and bring it to our shop. No sense in you ripping your hair out when we’re professionals.”I’m going to hell. I just sealed my fait.
“How fatherly of you,” he said with a snicker.
If he only knew.
“I guess. I just can’t sit by knowin’ I can help.” At least that was an honest answer, I did want to help him.
* * *
“It’s definitely running lean.”Abel wiped the sweat off his brow as he stood up from checking out Ryder’s Dark Horse. “I’d check the fuel injectors too, but it’s looking like you’re going to need a new regulator and fuel pump at the least.”