Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Me:
That’s no fair.
Walker:
Don’t worry. You’ll like it.
Me:
I’m going to hold you to that.
Walker:
Get some sleep.
I’ll be in touch soon.
Me:
Sounds good.
Good night, Walker.
Walker:
Night, Rae.
11
WALKER
“Spoke with Stone today,” Preach announced like it was nothing. “He seemed surprised but pleased that you’ve decided to stick around for a bit.”
“I’m sure he was.” I ran my hand over my beard. “Haven’t been one to stay put for long.”
“Well, I’m hoping that’s going to change.”
“He offer to come down and give you a hand with the Coyotes?”
“He did, but I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”
“Any news with them?”
“There’ve been some rumblings of movement in the area, but nothing’s been confirmed. Shep’s staying on top of it, and I have the boys on high alert. If they want a war, we’ll be more than happy to give it to them.”
“Maybe they’ll come to their senses and let this dog lie.”
“That’d be the smart move, but I’m not taking any chances with these assholes. I’ve already reached out to Gus and Rooster, and they’re sitting on go, right along with Stone.”
Gus was the president of the Memphis chapter, and Rooster ran the Bama chapter. With their help and Stone’s, Little Rock would be unstoppable. “That’s good to hear. Stone is one of the good ones. He’ll do whatever it takes to have your back.”
“Funny. He said the exact same thing about you, but I already knew that. I’ve always known.”
I leaned back in the chair in front of Preacher’s desk, and Creed was sitting next to me. The office smelled like leather, whiskey, and something faintly metallic. More likely, it came from the guns he kept stowed away in the secret cabinet behind him.
His office was impressive, but I wouldn’t have expected anything less. I cleared my throat before I got to the reason why I’d come to see him in the first place. “Well, since you think so, there was something I wanted to discuss with you.”
“That so?”
“Yeah.” I crossed my arms and cleared my throat. “I’m considering staying a little longer than I first planned. And if that’s the case, I need to start pulling my weight around here.”
Creed gave me a look, and I could tell that he respected the offer. But he didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he asked, “What did you have in mind?”
“Anything you need doing. A shift at the Vault. Runs. Work around here. Whatever you need.”
Creed was quick to answer, “We could always use a hand over at the Vault.”
“Sounds good.”
“You good with construction or working on bikes?”
“Both.”
That earned a nod and a slight grin. “I’m sure we can keep you as busy as you wanna be.”
“Good deal.” I felt something settle in my chest. Not relief exactly. More like a shift, like things were finally clicking into place, whether I’d planned it or not. While I was at it, I decided to tell him, “Gonna need to find a place, too. Something a little more private. Not that I don’t appreciate the setup. I do. I’m just getting a bit old for the late-night parties and whatnot.”
“So, you really are planning on sticking around a bit.”
“Unless something changes.”
Preacher leaned back in his chair, and I could tell by his expression he’d already decided on what he was about to say. “My place is empty?”
“Your place?”
“I held onto it after me and Tabitha got hitched. With the horses and the barn, it was just easier to move into her place. Just never saw a reason to let it go.”
Creed glanced over at Preacher, then back to me, clearly intrigued by the exchange. Preacher seemed unfazed as he added, “You’re welcome to stay there as long as you want.”
“That’s a generous offer.”
“It’s nothing. Seriously. The place has just been sitting there. The girls go by and clean every now and then, but that’s about it. So, if you decide you’re sticking around for good, I could sell it to you for a fair price.”
I took a moment to let his offer sink in. It would be a real place, not some dive hotel or temporary patch of floor. Something that would be mine, and I haven’t had that in years. And that felt a little too close to putting down roots, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
“I’d appreciate that.”
Creed smirked faintly and teased, “Careful, man. Next thing you know, you’ll be wearing the Fury patch again.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, now.”
“There’s always a possibility,” Preacher interjected. “We’d welcome the opportunity of taking you on… That is, if Stone would be willing to let you go.”
“He let go of me a long time ago.”
“Well, consider the offer on the table.”
Even as he said it, something in my chest felt a little less restless than it had been in years. But I wasn’t naïve. I’d been on the road for a long damn time. It was going to take quite an adjustment to stay in one place for more than a couple of weeks.