Page 98 of Misguided
Even in the dim light of the fire, I can make out the blush of her cheeks as she looks away. “I bet the asshole had a line of enemies who would have wanted a shot, that could have stretched from coast to coast.”
“More than likely.” I push up and shuffle over to the fire on my knees, adding a couple of longer, thick branches to keep it going.
Nobody says much about what the deal is now that Carlos is gone. I guess most of the club thought that it would be the end of an era and we could return to doing what we’re supposed to: riding bikes and enjoying our freedom. Except that’s not the reality of removing a pivotal guy like he was. Fort Worth has been battling a few monkeys keen to take Carlos’ place from what I’ve heard, and our chapter had begun the transition to a new kingpin while Carlos was still breathing.
You don’t remove the main source of Class A drugs and expect the state to sober up overnight. It takes work, dedication, and a balance of the two evils while you still control the supply at the same time as trying to reduce it.
“Why are you afraid of telling the club who your father really is?” Mel asks, scratching at the dirt with a stick.
I resume my position beside her, stretched out on my side so I can feed the branch into the fire with my foot as it burns. “Assumptions. About me. About him.”
“Who is he?” She nestles her face further into her knees, covering her mouth and peering out at me with those big, beautiful eyes.
“He heads one of the biggest pharmaceuticals in the country.”
“Wow.” Her eyebrows rise, but she doesn’t ask any more of me.
Makes me want to freely give it. “Our history is a long story, but it can be summed up as follows: Mom was the nurturing one, Dad was the tough guy. He wanted us to follow in his footsteps, she wanted us to be happy. He lived, she died, nothing left for me to stick around for.”
“I’m sorry.” Mel reaches out, tapping her hand gently on my elbow before wrapping it around her legs once more. “What happened?”
My throat tightens, the night air suddenly thick and unsatisfying. “Another night, huh? I think we’ve done enough of the hard stuff for one day, don’t you?”
“Of course.” She tosses the stick aside. “I assume you’ll want to be up at the crack of dawn in the morning, so I’m going to turn in.”
“Yeah, okay. I won’t be far behind.”
She rises, pack in hand, her legs seeming to go on for miles from my vantage point on the ground. I roll onto my back as she walks around behind me so that I can watch her the whole way to the tent. My sweatshirt rides up the back of her bare legs as she bends to unzip the door.
I’ve appreciated the women I’ve slept with over the years. Maybe haven’t treated them all that well, but shown them in my own way that they’re more than just a warm place to lose myself for a while. But when it comes down to it, that was still all I sought them out for—physical comfort.
Yet as Mel steps inside the tent, doubled over so she can fit, I realize I only ever wanted one thing from her.
Her heart.