Spark of Hope (MacKenny Brothers #3) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,42

was with me in the shower, Kyle wipes me down and then gets as much water out of my hair as he can.

I need him to talk to me, to rage at me, to tell me what a horrible human being I am. There’s nothing he doesn’t know now. I’m sure my family took great delight in bearing all my secrets. All the shame, all the humiliation has probably been laid bare for him to see. I don’t blame him for not wanting to be a part of it. I never wanted that for him.

Kyle hands me the towel and gets my clothes. Kneeling in front of me, he pulls my underwear up my legs, I stand, and he continues until I’m covered.

“Do you need a bra?”

I shake my head.

Kyle puts the black tank top over my head, and I gingerly put my broken wrist through the hole and then the other arm. He looks at the jeans and gives a shake of his head, then he rifles through the duffle bag and pulls out a denim skirt. “This will be easier to put on.”

I nod as he bends down, and I step into the skirt.

Kyle pulls it up, does up the zipper and button, and steps back from me. “There, all done.”

“Yep, I guess we are,” I whisper.

Kyle’s eyes come to mine, but I can’t read what’s going on in that head of his.

“I like the red.”

With those four words spoken, he turns and walks out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Kyle

I’ve never seen Lola look more defeated or vulnerable. When the doctor has patched her up, we’re going to sit down and have a real conversation, one where she tells me everything. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I walk back into the clubhouse meeting room.

Arrow appears nervous as he fidgets uncomfortably in his seat.

“What?” I ask as I take a seat at the head of the table.

“Wheels.”

Leaning back in my seat, I let my hand fall onto the table. “What about Wheels?”

Arrow glances at Bags, who shrugs, so he rolls his eyes and stares at me as he splays his hands out on the tabletop. “He’s gone.”

I cock my head to the side and squint. I’m about to ask him a question when he holds up a hand.

“We went to the house together, but when we got there, Wheels took off with Deedee.”

I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Could this fucking day get any worse?

Pursing my lips together, I nod. “Right. Where are the kids?”

Arrow sits back. “We dropped them at your house.”

With a shake of my head, I pin him with a glare. “You did what?”

“We knew that Beth and Cherie were there,” interjects Bags. “And did you know Lochlan is seeing Annette? How long has that been going on? I thought she was off-limits.”

“Focus,” I growl out.

Bags stares at Arrow and raises his eyebrows.

“Was it the wrong thing to do?” asks Arrow.

“No. Beth is good with kids.” I fix him with a stare. “Where do you think they went?”

“No fucking idea,” replies Bags.

I pull my cell out and call Angus.

“Hey, big brother.”

“Angus, did you find time to do a work-up on Wheels?”

I watch as Arrow and Bags exchange a confused look.

“Yeah. Why?”

“He’s MIA. Need you to find him.”

“Give me five… I’ll ring you back.”

Bags nods. “You had your computer-hacker brother do a rundown on Wheels?”

“Yeah.”

“Smart,” states Arrow, and Bags nods.

“It’s why I get paid the big bucks,” I say flatly. Standing, I stretch and crack my neck from side to side. “Put the word out to the club, we need to find Wheels before he does something stupid.”

Bags stands and puts his hands in his pockets. “You know, Kyle, you’re a good prez.”

I frown at him. “Thanks?”

“I was out of line earlier.”

I shake my head. “No, you weren’t. I was trying to keep it quiet, and I shouldn’t have done that.” I put a hand to the back of my neck. “I’ve never officially claimed Lola, so I figured it was personal. But as soon as Smokey got killed…” I stare at Arrow, “… I should’ve brought you all in.”

Bags straightens and pulls his hands out of his pockets. “Lola might as well be yours, and like I said, you’re a good prez.” Bags slaps my arm and walks out of the room.

“Hey, Bags?”

“Yeah?”

“Find Wheels.”

Arrow walks past me and nods. “We will. Just keeping you in the loop.”

His barb doesn’t go unnoticed by Bags or me. He frowns