Renegade Path

After telling Juliet to forget about me, I couldn’t show up on her doorstep, arms open wide and announce, “Honey, I’m home!”

The answer to my problems waited outside in the parking lot, smoking a cigarette with three of his similarly leather-clad brothers.

Motherfuckin’ Dex.

Was his presence a good sign? Or did he and his MC brothers show up to silence me for good? To make sure I never told anyone what actually went down. Or were they here to protect me from Ulfric and the Wolf Knights MC? Or worse, the Vipers MC? I had, after all, been part of the shoot-out at their clubhouse. Jesus Christ, in one stupid night I managed to paint a target on my back for every motorcycle club in the area to shoot at.

Nah, Dex didn’t like me enough to shield me from a rival club. Hell, maybe the Lost Kings were pissed I made them look bad or something.

The possibilities made my head throb.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Roman

Dex pulled me in for a hearty hug and slapped me on the back a few times.

“Come on.” He lifted his chin. “Truck’s over there.”

I said hello to the only other Lost King I recognized, Murphy. Dex introduced the other two as Bricks and Teller.

Teller and Murphy took off on their bikes ahead of us, while Bricks got into the back seat of Dex’s truck. They insisted I take the front seat.

An uneasy sensation rolled through my gut.

Christ, they were probably taking me somewhere to blow my brains out and dump me in a shallow grave.

I sat sideways to keep an eye on Bricks.

Dex noticed my tense demeanor immediately. “Relax, kid. You did good. Fuckin’ proud of you for not breaking once.”

“I still got picked up.”

“Happens to the best of us,” Bricks assured me.

“Point is,” Dex added, “you’re not a snitch. Ulfric sends his regards. He was impressed with how you handled yourself. Risked gettin’ shot to go back for him.”

I couldn’t believe he was praising me for getting arrested. “The cops seized what I was carrying.”

“Cost of doin’ business,” Bricks said. “Don’t sweat it.”

“Speaking of.” Dex reached across and unlatched the glove box. He pulled out a thick yellow envelope and handed it to me. “Ulfric wanted me to give this to you. Your cut of the job.”

As much as I wanted to play it cool and stuff the envelope in my pocket without taking a peek inside, I flicked the flap open and glanced at the thick stack of cash. A knot of tension inside my chest unraveled. At least if I couldn’t go back to Juliet’s, I’d have enough money to find a new place.

“Seems like a lot,” I said.

“They got most of their stash back thanks to your help. Wolf Knights honor their debts.”

“And if he didn’t,” Bricks slapped Dex’s shoulder, “Dex woulda set him straight.”

Uncomfortable talking about my arrest, I wanted to move on to more important topics. “You seen Juliet lately? She okay?” Does she hate me? Has she found someone else?

He smirked and briefly slid his gaze my way. “You have one hell of a one-track mind, kid.”

“Have you seen her or not?” I asked in a sharper tone.

“Of course, I’ve been looking out for her. She’s madder than a wet kitten that you wouldn’t let her visit.”

“I—”

He held up a hand. “I get why you did it.”

“Did you tell her I was getting out today?”

“Wasn’t sure you’d actually be getting out today, so no.” He shrugged. “It’s up to you to fix things with her now.”

“You think I can?”

He tipped his head back and closed his eyes for a second, like I was unraveling his last nerve. “You looking for my permission, Roman?”

“Not exactly.”

Dex glanced over. “Her graduation’s tomorrow.”

Thank fuck. I got out in time. I was so damn proud of her. I may not have had the chance to walk the stage and have a diploma handed to me, but I wanted to see her do it more than anything.

“Where are we going?” I asked, still not convinced he wasn’t planning to execute me.

“You’ll see.”

It’s not like I had any other pressing matters to attend to—like a job or school. So, I played along.

He pulled in behind Crystal Ball, the strip club he worked at or managed or whatever.

“If this is my surprise release party, you can drop me off somewhere else,” I said, jerking my chin toward the club. “I told you I’m not interested in this scene.”

“Calm down, Saint Roman.” Dex chuckled. “I promise not to taint your virgin eyes.”

“Ain’t nothing virgin about these eyes,” I muttered.

He smacked me on the back of the head. “Don’t you talk about my niece like that.”

Bricks reached over and punched Dex’s shoulder. “He didn’t say anything about her, dipshit.”

Apparently their version of brotherhood meant you enjoyed both verbally and physically harassing each other constantly. Not much different than hanging out with Eraser and Griff. Except I never worried one of them was planning to kill me.