Page 15 of Fallen Dove (Fallen Lords MC 2nd Gen #1)

Adley

“What are the odds that we are actually going to do some planning for the graduation party, and not just drink and eat?” I asked.

“Slim,”

Dad grumbled and pulled open the door like he was walking into a fight he already knew he’d lose.

Mom shot us both a glare.

“I should have just left both of you on the couch to rot and came myself.”

Dad smirked down at me, clearly proud of his stubbornness.

“That is exactly what we’re saying.”

Would I have rather stayed home, curled up on the couch watching reruns of Ice Road Truckers? Absolutely. But Mom had dangled the one thing that would make me get dressed: the clubhouse. The same clubhouse Mason lived in. It took every ounce of self-control not to bounce off the couch and sprint there like some horny teenager ready to launch myself into his arms.

Inside was its usual brand of chaos. Wrecker sat in a recliner with Alice curled on his lap. Her cow-print sneakers kicked off and were tossed carelessly nearby. Raven was racking up the balls on the pool table while Mayra leaned on her cue stick, smirking. Carnie was clattering around in the kitchen, no surprise there, while Wren, Cora, and Karmen lounged on the couch. Nickel, Pipe, Boink, and Freak were parked at the bar with beers in hand.

I pushed my sunglasses up onto my head and scanned the room, searching for a familiar face I wanted more than I should. No Mason. Figures. My brain spun for a way to casually ask about him without looking desperate.

“No kids?”

Mom asked instead.

Alice shook her head.

“They’re all too cool for us. Either out on a ride or at Little Scooters.”

“Little Scooters?”

I gasped.

“I can’t even remember the last time I was there.”

Little Scooters was an amusement park two towns over. Three rickety roller coasters, go-carts, mini golf, and carnival games that were impossible to win. We’d practically lived there in high school. I never imagined the “kids”

would still go.

Before I could say more, Wren jabbed her finger at me.

“I got a bone to pick with you, pretty girl.”

I pressed a hand to my chest.

“Me? What did I do?”

“You got Penny insisting on going to Chicago for a girls’ weekend.”

Alice shot her hand up like she was swearing into court.

“Meg and I are the girls’ trip planners. Who do you think you are planning a girls’ weekend without us?”

“Girls’ weekend in Chicago?”

Mom asked as her brows shoot up.

“Wait, wait, wait,”

I called, waving my arms.

“I did not plan a girls’ weekend. I’m still recovering from the Dells trip. This whole Chicago idea? That’s all Penny. She wants to bust out of Weston like a can of busted biscuits.”

“She wants out of Weston?”

Wren’s voice was soft, a little wounded.

Oh boy. I had no intention of being the one to tell Wren her daughter wanted to stretch her wings.

“Uh, she just means a little trip. Vacation, you know. We all need a vacation now and then, right?”

“I’d much rather a cabin in the middle of nowhere than Chicago,”

Nickel muttered from the bar.

“And you’re also in your fifties, not twenty-two,”

I shot back with a smirk.

Dad turned to me.

“You didn’t tell us you were going back to Chicago.”

I waved him off.

“It’s just a weekend, and we don’t even know when because Mason has to figure out how to keep the Social Club running while all the cousins take off.”

Truth be told, I was praying Penny forgot about it. The last thing I needed was to head back to Chicago anytime soon. That city and I needed more than a little space.

“I’m making steaks and baked potatoes for dinner,”

Carnie called from the kitchen.

“You all staying?”

The room erupted with “yes”

an.

“hell yeah.”

Was I disappointed Mason wasn’t here? Yeah. Was I willing to console myself with steak and baked potatoes? Double yes.

Carnie laughed.

“Good. But I’m gonna need one of you to run to the store for more potatoes.”

A chorus o.

“Not it!” rang out.

“Dammit,”

I muttered when I realized I was the only one who hadn’t said it.

Pipe grinned and pointed at me.

“Looks like Adley’s going.”

Dad pulled out his wallet and slapped a few twenties into my hand.

“Get the potatoes and whatever else looks good.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You’re getting potatoes, and I’m keeping the change.”

Dad grunted.

“Oh, and sour cream!”

Carnie added.

“I used most of it in the chocolate cake.”

I saluted.

“Text me if you think of anything else.”

I slipped my sunglasses down over my eyes and headed out the door. The clubhouse thumped behind me, but outside it was calm. The faint rumble of a motorcycle drifted from the distance.

By the time I reached Mom’s car, the sound grew louder. A bike swung into the lot, sleek and black, and my heart did the one thing I didn’t want it to do, skipped.

Mason.

His eyes locked on me as he parked, his expression unreadable but heavy enough to make my knees soften. He cut the engine, and silence fell like a stone between us.

“Leaving?”

he asked, his voice low.

I forced a smile and tugged at my sunglasses like a shield.

“Just running to the store by myself. Carnie needs potatoes and sour cream.”

A smirk curved across his mouth, slow and dangerous.

“Want some company?”