Gray's Shadow (Kings of Hell MC 4)

And yet, even though he knew that using the gemstone for the greater good was the right thing, the sense of wrongness kneaded his innards since they’d made their flight from the Lowe Estate. There was the ruby Magpie had told them about, but what if they couldn’t get their hands on it? What if it wasn’t powerful enough? Yes, Shadow’s life was overall less important than the continuous existence of all other creatures in the entire world, but was it to Gray?

He had no right to go against the club’s vote. His brothers had risked their lives to put their hands on the Pigeon Heart, and it belonged to them as much as it belonged to him. Gray had sworn lifelong loyalty to the Kings of Hell MC, and he was sure his chosen family would stand by his side to help Shadow.

Yet the temptation was constant, like a parasite chewing its way through his body.

Shadow, who sat on Gray’s bitch seat, arms looped around Gray’s waist, had been unusually still since the heist. Was he plagued by the same worries? The worst thing was that Gray wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. If Shadow told him he was afraid of death while the ruby was still in Gray’s hands, keeping a cool head might prove impossible.

It was better not to ask.

The job seemed to have gone well, since no one was chasing them even before they crossed the state lines on the way to a planned stop. Rev and Fox were to meet them there, so regardless of his personal struggle, Gray tried to reframe his thoughts and focus on what lay awaited them in the future instead.

Gray wasn’t even sure where they were headed, since Joker was the Road Captain leading their pack, but the moment they drove onto a familiar side road, Gray rolled his eyes. Of course Joker would have chosen Rusty’s—known for cheap beer, trashy patrons, and a food offering of greasy fries or stale peanuts. But that was fine, because staying on the road was starting to grate on Gray’s resolve to give the ruby to Beast.

They drove into the parking lot in a growling swarm, and for the briefest moment Gray felt more like a cog in the Kings of Hell machine than his own self. Just like Shadow had been to Baal on the Other Side. The club was his life, his family, and he’d chosen to be a part of it, but in this moment that fact felt like a weight tied to his legs and keeping him from going forward.

There were only a handful of cars in front of the dingy compound that also included a motel and a liquor store, but the current patrons looked out the windows, and flat-out got up to leave. He understood the sentiment. If you were an ordinary citizen, you didn’t want to be accidentally pulled into a conflict between gangs or picked on by a drunk biker. Things happened.

Engines went silent, but as the others started dismounting, Gray sat still, physically unable to pull out of Shadow’s embrace. The Pigeon Heart remained a constant presence in his mind. Once the ruby was out of his hands, his mind would be free of the difficult choice. Then again, was he really considering betraying the people who’d stood by him no matter what? The people who’d bailed him and Mike out of jail, and gave him the tools to become who he was now?

He could sense Shadow’s kiss on the back of his head even through the helmet. “Are we staying here for the night?”

“I think so,” Gray said, waving at Rev, who watched them intently through the dirty windows. Fox sat right next to Gray’s father, but Elliot and Laurent were an unexpected presence in their booth.

He dismounted his motorcycle, and the moment his feet were back on solid ground, with no road ahead, the weight of the Pigeon Heart started pulling him down. His entire body itched to get rid of the burden that had kept him so tightly-strung for the past two hours.

Beast, who seemed as surprised to see Laurent as Gray had been, didn’t even notice Gray until he spoke.

“Will you take this?” Gray asked, quickly unzipping his jacket pocket to indicate what he meant.

Beast frowned, but his gaze met Gray’s in silent understanding. He dove his hand into the pocket and took the ruby, though passing it on to someone else didn’t bring as much relief as Gray hoped it would. “It’s time to relax, brother. You can speak to Magpie tomorrow.”

It was as if a flamethrower had suddenly gone off inside Gray. “No. It needs to be tonight.”

“Everyone’s exhausted now, and there’s still lots of time left until the new moon. But you can call him if you want, sure.”