Twist of Fate (Kings of Chaos 6)

Breathing hard, I set her down, and we engulf Jas in a group hug as cheers go up around us. I’m soaked with sweat, exhausted, exuberant, and in awe of the powerhouse standing beside me. We climb out of the truck, and it’s like being the Grand Marshall of a parade.

The crowd engulfs us, and I feel the same rush I receive when we’re coming home after being on the road for a while and the family is waiting at the clubhouse. With the money box surrendered the only thing left to do is wait.

The radio station is interviewing both team leaders and amping up the crowd. There’s a different feel when you add hometown pride into the mix. These are people and companies they’ve watched grow from the ground up. Especially Xia. I want it to work in her favor.

“The count is complete!” Josh yells.

Xia grabs my hand, and both teams gather on opposites sides of Josh.

“It was a close race. I mean, we’re talking hundreds of dollars apart. Sunny Side Eggery made eight thousand, five hundred sixty-three dollars and fifty-five cents. While Magical Munchies made eight thousand, eight-hundred and thirty-five hundred dollars and fifteen cents.

There’s a moment of silence as he lets this sink in. Then, he yells, “Magical Munchies! You’re the winners!”

“Wait. We won?” Xia whispers. She covers her mouth, shaking as it all sinks in. The radio station rushes forward with a microphone and a camera, and she struggles to answer their rapid fire questions. It’s a huge victory and the start of a new career on her own. Where does this leave us? My time here is coming to a close, and she’s just getting started.

Ending the brooding, I allow myself to get caught up in the celebration.

***

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Stone says.

I laugh. “Yeah. It’s been an insane couple of weeks, getting the truck up, hiring help, and training them.”

“You feel ready to do that back here?”

He didn’t waste time getting to the point. “Yeah,” I say glumly. Life was starting to make sense, and now things are about to go ass over kettle again.

“You don’t sound pleased.”

“I don’t want to leave her. I’ll come back home and get the truck up and running, but then I want to transfer down to the L.A. chapter.”

He chuckles.

“What?”

“I told Knuckles he’d probably be seeing more of you. Even a blind man can see you’re in love with this girl, and I’ve heard nothing but good things from the brothers and old ladies about her. You think she’s down to be a part of this life?”

“I do. If she can handle my past, everything else is nothing.”

“How would you feel about staying down there, opening your own truck, and acting as a training facility for our guys up this way?”

“Are you serious?” I ask, stunned that he’s bending to help me out.

“I know you’ve been a little lost since everything went down with Mouth. I should’ve stepped in sooner and changed things, so part of that was on me. I think going down there gave you a new start you should hang on to. I want all my members happy, Charm.”

“Thank you, Stone.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I want a healthy chunk of that profit you’ll pull in, and you won’t be able to work with Xia because you’ll be setting up your own gig.”

“Might not be a bad thing. Working together may get old.”

Freed from a long trip up north, I’m allowed to think about the future. I have to plan this right. As soon as I hang up with Stone, I call Andy.

“Hey, brother, you got time for me right now?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“I need your help. Jas’s too if she can keep a secret.” I wait as he relays the information.