Kansas (Ruthless Kings MC Atlantic City #2) - K.L. Savage Page 0,5
finally breathe easier when I’m not being suffocated by the house I’ve grown up in. I just want to be an average teenager. Nigel has his damn license, and I should too, but I’m too busy doing what the adults need to be doing. I don’t have an adult to teach me how to drive or take me to take the driver’s test. And the last time I remember being able to be a kid was when I was ten.
The good ol’ days when I could run in mud puddles and play outside in the rain.
Now when it rains, it pours.
The dead bushes scrape against my ankle as we trudge over to the side of the house to get to the bags.
A sharp pain suddenly pricks my leg, making me hiss. “Ow, mother fu—” I growl, slapping my calf. Damn mosquitos.
“Stop being a baby. Come on. I parked over here.” He points three driveways down to the left side of the road.
“A fucking minivan?” I tilt my head back to my shoulders and stare at the stars before we cross the street in a fast jog.
“Hey, be thankful my parents even gave me this car, okay? Plus, this thing is sweet, and it has more punch than you think. Get in or get left behind.” He opens the driver’s side door and gets in. The engine cranks, and I swear a wheeze escapes from under the hood.
I look around to make sure no one can see me and get in, suddenly feeling like a soccer mom. “Dude—”
“If you don’t have anything nice to say about my new wheels, you can walk trying to follow your dad.”
“Yes ma’am,” I tease him.
“Ass.”
He turns on the radio to a classic rock station and AC/DC comes on, then turns on the a/c when it becomes too stuffy.
Good thing I showered.
“Hey, there he goes,” Nigel points, placing the soccer mom van into drive when my Pops pulls out of the driveway.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go!”
“I can’t yet. I have to follow a few car lengths back, so he doesn’t catch the tail.”
“The tail? You really watch too much TV.”
“You’re welcome,” he scoffs, finally pressing his foot to the gas.
The streetlights illuminate the inside of the cab with each one we pass. We are covered in yellow light, then dark, light, then dark, until we are finally on the freeway chasing my Pops’ taillights.
My leg begins to shake when we lose sight of him dodging in front of another car. Nigel is quick, flickering his blinker on as he dips in the left lane. “There he is,” he points to the right of us with his eyes, dipping his chin. “We stay like this and it looks less suspicious.”
“Alright.” I prop my head in my hand and stare at my Pops’ car. He has a damn sticker on the back that says, ‘My kid is on the honor roll’ from last year. I know he says he is proud of me, but I don’t believe him.
“Don’t sound too excited. Can you not admit you have adrenaline coursing through your veins, right now? I’m freaking out on the inside. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“I’m not excited,” I mutter, turning my eyes away from my Pops’ car. “I don’t know what I’m about to run into. I don’t know if I’m crazy or if I just hate my dad for no good reason.”
“Considering we just passed the state line into Kansas, I’m starting to wonder if maybe your reasons are valid.”
“He could work in Kansas,” I argue.
“Kansas?” he scoffs. “No one works in Kansas. It’s… well… Kansas.”
I can’t seem to find humor in the situation when we follow my Pops into Wichita, Kansas two and a half hours later.
“That wasn’t nearly as long as I hoped. I wanted us to go clear across country, do odd jobs to pay for gas and food. Bet it would be the best road trip we ever had.”
“This isn’t a damn vacation, Nigel! This is serious. My life could change at any moment with whatever we find.”
A beat passes between us before he clears his throat. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Exhaling, I rub my eyes, wishing we never followed my Pops to begin with. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m just…”
“…Scared?”
I hate being afraid. “Yeah, I’m scared. What kind of shit is that? I can’t stand the man. Why should I be afraid?”
“Truth always hurts, Amos. No matter how you find out. This is going to change your