Love you too. Be safe.
Always.
His response made me smile as I set my phone down.
“Everything okay?” Francesca asked quietly. After only knowing her for a few hours, it already felt like it had been far longer. She was an easy person to warm up to. It was obvious that she was incredibly perceptive and thoughtful, and I looked forward to getting to know her better. Not to mention getting my hands on those adorable twins of hers when they were born. I’d had babies on the brain more often lately.
I nodded. “I think so.”
“Did he say when he’d be home?” Wren wanted to know.
I shrugged. “Not sure. Hopefully tomorrow? The day after?” I hadn’t wanted to press him too hard, knowing he’d get back to us as soon as he possibly could.
She offered a look of sympathy. “Hard when they have a mind to do something that takes them away, isn’t it?”
“And something you know is dangerous,” Francesca put in.
They got it. Of course they did. “Yeah,” I agreed. “But I know he can take care of himself and that he wouldn’t put himself at risk.”
“No,” Liv agreed. “He wouldn’t. He’s never been happier, that I can say with complete certainty. He wouldn’t risk that.”
“How’s he doing with the news about Thorn?”
My brows arched. “News travels fast, huh?” Cash had shared that he’d spoken to Cole, but I was still surprised that everyone seemed to know in such a short period of time.
“Oh yeah,” she agreed as the other ladies made noises of agreement. “But it wouldn’t if Cash didn’t want it to,” she was quick to clarify. “For safety, I think it was important to him that the guys knew the deal. Especially while he’s out of town.”
“Makes sense,” I agreed, knowing that for Cash, safety was always paramount. “I think he’s doing okay, especially after talking to Thorn and learning that he didn’t give him up voluntarily, that he never would have done that. But he’s cautious. Outside of the military and the Knights, he didn’t have a family until Riley and me. I think he’s afraid to let Thorn in but willing to give him a shot.”
“This trip is a good opportunity to begin that then,” Wren replied thoughtfully.
I hoped the same.
“It’ll be interesting to see what this does for the two clubs,” Grace mused.
“Time will tell,” Wren replied, just as her phone pinged. “All right, ladies. My man is waiting. This was fun. Breakfast tomorrow?” She raised a brow toward Francesca, knowing the only spot we’d want to go was to her bakery.
“Sure,” Frannie agreed with a grin.
“It’s a date,” Wren replied, giving my shoulder a squeeze in parting. “Let me know if you need anything, but I think you’re in good hands.”
“Thanks.” I smiled as she grabbed her bag. “See you tomorrow.”
She let herself out, and we soon heard the roar of Max’s motorcycle taking off down the street.
There was a moment of silence before Ginnie spoke up, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Who wants another bottle of wine?”
Though I knew I wouldn’t stop worrying about Cash until he walked back through the door, these women had made what would have been a very long night into one of laughter and fun. One I’d always remember.
Chapter 21
CASH
We pulled into a roadside diner late that evening after spending hours on our bikes. Our destination, a little town by the name of Rosewater, was just twenty miles up the road. It was off the beaten path, along a narrow strip of highway that, if the last fifty miles said anything about it, made Hawthorne look like big-city living.
A perfect hideout.
“You think he’s still there?” I asked before taking a giant bite out of my burger. We hadn’t stopped much, and I was fucking starving. The only stop we’d made, I’d taken the time to check in on Layla. Gunner had texted, letting me know the girls were over there and keeping her company, and that knowledge put me at ease.
Thorn grunted in the affirmative, as I’d learned was typical for him. The man didn’t say much, and that suited me just fine.
“You think he’s alone?” I wanted to know.
Thorn took a sip of his beer, considering my question. “I know none of my guys took off with him. So if he’s with anyone, I don’t know ’em. Which means we need to be cautious.”
I nodded in agreement. It was a scenario I’d thought about more than once, knowing that if he wasn’t alone I’d likely pull back. This was a mission about justice, not suicide. I had a life to get back to. One I loved a hell of a lot.
“Layla and Riley doing all right?” he asked as though reading my mind.
“Sounds like it,” I replied. “A bunch of the women from the club are looking out for her tonight.”
“She likes the life?” he wondered.
“Christ, I hope so,” I couldn’t help but admit. “I think she does. But I know it’s a lot to get used to. She was pretty isolated with Riley before. Despite living in San Francisco, she didn’t get out much. Couldn’t, with having Riley.”
“She doesn’t have people?”
I shook my head. “Her parents are dead. And her brother’s a fuckin’ deadbeat. He’s Riley’s biological father. Left her to Layla a few years ago.”
His nostrils flared in anger. “You looked into him?”
I nodded. “He’s keeping his distance. Hasn’t crossed state lines in years.”
He cocked his head to the side, assessing me carefully. “Your flavor of vengeance is an odd one, boy. This man,” he gestured to the general direction of Rosewater, “put his hands on your woman’s neck once and needs to die. But her brother abandoned his own daughter and you don’t seem the least bit interested in tracking him down.”
I looked him squarely in the eye. “He gave me Riley. And in the way life weaves its own paths, Layla too. And last Gunner checked, he was doing a bang-up job fucking up his own life. I’m letting it lie.”
His lips turned up at the corners into a semblance of a smile. “Good enough.”
His clear respect had an odd feeling expanding in my chest. “Your wife all right?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Roxy’s tough as nails.” He nodded. “Used to me on the road, though I don’t always like that,” he admitted. “She’s got women at her back, just like Layla, and men watching the house anytime I’m away.”
“Sounds familiar.”
He barked out a hoarse laugh. “I’d assume it does. Clubs like ours, we may disagree on some shit, may run things differently, but at the heart of both, there’s good men and that means we look out for our own. Especially our women and children.”
“Wasn’t always like that,” I hedged, and he knew I was referring to the previous Black Riders club, the one we battled, the one we shed blood for. It was before my time, but those wounds and that history affected me all the same.
He rested his elbows on the table, his hands clasped, resting against his chin. “That’s not the club we are now. Haven’t been for years.”