that’s bullshit. Landon wouldn’t tell me who she is, though.”
“Shit, dude. The damn badges always fuck up.” Throwing the spent joint on the ground, Klutch snubbed it out with the heel of his boot.
“Yeah. I’m gonna call Cara and see if she can help or something.” Running a hand through his hair, he groaned. “What a fuckin’ mess.”
“It’s a good thing Hawk’s old lady is a defense attorney,” Animal said.
Smokey nodded, flicking the roach to the ground. “I’m sick of Ryan’s BS. I’m gonna have to straighten him out once and for all. I can’t have his back when he keeps doing stupid shit like this.”
Helm chuckled. “Family can be a roaring pain in the ass, and don’t I know it.”
Taking out his phone, Smokey grumbled, “Yeah.”
“What time are we heading over to meet Ray?” Klutch asked.
“After I talk to Ryan and have a shot of Jack.”
Gravel crunched under Smokey’s boots as he walked around the clubhouse. After tapping in Ryan’s number, he cursed when the call went to voicemail. Two more futile attempts had him ready to throw the cell phone against the brick wall. Gritting his teeth, he plugged in his mother’s number and waited.
“What do you want?” she answered, her voice cold and flat.
“Where’s Ryan?”
“I don’t know.”
“I need to talk with him.”
“I’ll tell him when I see him.”
An awkward silence passed between them before he cleared his throat.
“Did Ryan tell you he’s got problems with the badges again?”
“That’s not my concern.”
He huffed. “Nothing with us ever was.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Tell him I called.”
Disconnecting the call, he slipped the phone into his pocket and headed inside the club.
Tania rushed over and threw her arms around him as he made his way toward the bar.
“Hiya, sexy,” she said.
“Hey.”
The scent of cinnamon wrapped around him as he returned her hug before pulling away. Over her shoulder, he held up two fingers to the prospect manning the bar.
“Are you stickin’ around?” she said.
“Not planning to.” Turning, he walked to the counter and picked up the first shot of Jack.
“Dude,” Throttle greeted, bumping Smokey’s fist with his. “You need some help with Ray?”
“Nah. Klutch, Rags, and I can handle it. If he’s smart, there won’t be any trouble.”
A smile spread across Throttle’s lips. “And if he isn’t, he’ll get his ass kicked.”
“Yeah. I’m hoping he’s smart.” Smokey threw back his second shot. “He shouldn’t have gotten a loan from us if he couldn’t pay it back. We make this shit real clear to people.”
“But they don’t think we’re serious.”
With a slow nod of agreement, Smokey pushed away from the bar. “They find out the hard way that we are. Tell Klutch and Rags I’m outside. I gotta make a phone call.”
Throttle tipped his head. “Will do.”
Making his way down the hallway to the back porch, he walked out into the quiet early evening. The only sounds that could be heard were the low hums of conversations coming from the clubhouse and the gentle rush of the river. Aspen and pine trees lined the shore, unmoving against the sunlight, their branches reaching a hundred feet into the air.
Smokey strolled down to the bank and squinted against the shimmering water, reflecting shades of blue and shadowy greens. He sat down on the grass and stared at the thin weeds swaying in the river’s current.
He thought of Ryan, who’d been the weakest and most vulnerable of all his brothers. He thought of his father, the man who’d made their lives miserable by ruling the household with a heavy hand.
Leaning back on his hands, he inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as he then thought of his mother, who had never defended Ryan or any of them against their father’s abuse. Mom never tried to stop the bastard when he was beating on Ryan or Nick, or any of us. Never said a fuckin’ word.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, clenching his jaw as images of the past crept to the forefront of his mind—dark memories he wanted dead, but still harbored. Most of the time, he sheltered them to the remote corners of his consciousness, but sometimes they crawled out before he could stop them.
“Fuck!” Smokey straightened, picked up a rock, and pitched it into the water.
Then, just as suddenly as the images materialized, they disappeared when Ashley’s face took their place, and a slow smile spread across his lips as the reminder of their kiss filled his senses. Her lips were so damn soft. He’d expected her to pull away and give him