Page 21 of Gator (Bourbon Kings MC #1)

Three days had passed since Devlyn took off to stay at my m?man ’s.

From behind the bar at The Bourbon Bar, I looked up and smiled as my beautiful cousin C.C.

walked through the front doors. “Well, lookee what the cat dragged in.” Poor girl wasn’t having the best of luck lately, and I had a feeling I knew why she was gracing my doorstep.

Walking over, she sat on a stool as I handed her a cold beer.

“Thought you’d be at the track gettin’ ready for your next race,” I said, leaning against the bar, taking a drink of my own beer.

“Not medically cleared yet,” she muttered, chugging the cold brew.

“Heard through the grapevine that Ansel’s bringing in some heavy heat.”

C.C. exhaled sharply, her fingers tightening around the bottle. “Word travels fast.”

“You’re a local legend, C.C.” I smiled. “Every soul from here to Talladega’s got their ears perked for your next move. But Calvin Hall? That’s a name I haven’t heard in years.”

“Yeah, well, some ghosts you just can’t shake.”

She was right about that. No matter where I looked, it seemed the ghosts of the past were bound and determined to make themselves known.

I nodded thoughtfully. “Just don’t let it eat you alive, cousin. Racing’s tough enough without carrying grudges around the track.”

“Gator, what’s the fastest way to forget?”

My laughter boomed through the bar, catching the attention of the handful of patrons scattered around. “Same as always, C.C. Music, drinks, and maybe findin’ some trouble to get into. But if it’s real forgiveness you’re after, well, that’s a whole other ballgame.”

“Boss,” Donut whispered close behind me. “Got a problem in the kitchen.”

“Then go take care of it. I’m busy visitin’ with my cuz.”

“Yeah, C.C.’s gonna have to wait. Braveheart and Worm are cooking.”

I rounded on Donut, my eyes wide.

“Next time, start with that!” I shouted, pushing past the man as I raced for the kitchen.

The kitchen was chaos incarnate. Braveheart stood at the stove, wielding a spatula like a warrior poised for battle, while Worm hollered instructions from across the room, gesturing wildly with a half-empty bottle of hot sauce.

Steam billowed from a pot that was clearly boiling over, and something indistinguishable—possibly experimental—sizzled furiously on the grill.

“Are you trying to burn the place down again?” I roared, storming in with all the authority I could muster. Braveheart froze mid-motion, his spatula hovering over an ominously charred pancake, while Worm turned toward me with a sheepish grin.

“We were just improvisin’,” Braveheart offered, like that would make me forget the near-apocalyptic scene unfolding before me.

“Well, improvise less and cook more,” I snapped, grabbing the spatula from Braveheart and smacking it against the counter for emphasis. “Where the hell is Juju?”

When neither Worm, Braveheart nor Donut said a word, I narrowed my eyes. “Tell me he didn’t.”

“Can’t do that, boss,” Donut said, taking a step back.

“How long?” I growled.

“He’s got a five-hour head start on ya,” Braveheart advised.

Pointing at Donut, I ordered, “Call over to Momma’s Vittles . Tell Momma LaRue, Juju ain’t cookin’ and we need food, then go get it. And you two,” I sneered, pointing at the two budding chefs. “Clean up this mess!

Storming toward the door, I reached for my truck keys and slammed the screen door behind me as I headed for my truck.

The drive from The Bourbon Bar to my m?man ’s house didn’t quell the anger that was boiling deep in my gut. I didn’t know what Juju was thinking, but there was a reason I didn’t tell Devlyn the entire truth.

Because it didn’t matter.

The outcome was still the same.

They were both dead and weren’t coming back.

As I navigated the winding road to M?man ’s, memories swirled in my mind, unbidden and unrelenting.

The faces of the past haunted me, fleeting shadows in the corner of my vision.

Juju had crossed a line, and ghosts I had hoped to leave buried were now unearthed.

The old antebellum loomed ahead as the porch light flickered like a beacon, pulling me from the abyss of my thoughts as I parked the truck and stepped into the earthy smell of the countryside.

M?man greeted me at the door with her usual knowing gaze. “Figured you’d show up eventually, sugar,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. The tension in her voice betrayed an unease that matched my own.

She didn’t ask why I was there.

She knew.

Everyone knew.

Juju’s actions were bound to ripple through our fragile peace like stones skimming across shallow waters.

“ M?man ,” I began, but words failed me. What did you say when the truth had already branded itself on the walls of your mind?

“Might as well come on in. She isn’t back yet.” She gestured for me to sit, her movements steady and deliberate.

Following her inside, I asked, “You knew what Juju was doing?”

“I did.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Because if she’s going to be your wife and the mother of your children, she has a right to know what she’s walking into, Wade.”

“I told her.”

“But you didn’t tell her everything!” my m?man snapped, and she glared at me.

“You may have lost your dad and older brother, Wade, but I lost my husband and son. Do you know the anguish, the grief, the pain I feel every day knowing that I won’t be able to see them?

It suffocates me! And yet, I still get up every morning and try to live.

But not you. You hide away in that damn bar and hold on to the past. It’s time to let the dead go, Wade.

Your future is here, and it’s beautiful.

All you have to do is grab hold and not let go. ”

“Juju had no right.”

“That may be, but you weren’t going to do it, and someone needed to. I love you, Wade, but enough is enough. Devlyn has uprooted her life and moved here for you. She is carrying your babies. Three little ones that will need a father. And right now, their father is being an ass.”

“Don’ like you cursing, M?man ,” I whispered.

“Then do the right thing and tell her what really happened!”

I looked away, the weight of her words pressing against my chest. The truth was a jagged thing, sharp and unkind, yet undeniable. My m?man ’s eyes softened, though the steel in her voice remained.

“Wade, life ain’t gonna wait for you to catch up.

It moves forward, whether you’re ready or not,” she said, stepping closer, her hand resting on my arm.

“Devlyn has chosen you repeatedly. She deserves your whole truth, even if it’s messy.

Let her stand beside you, not in the shadows of what you refuse to face. ”

The silence between us stretched, heavy and charged. I swallowed hard, the walls of the life I’d built beginning to crack. M?man squeezed my arm gently, her strength undeniable despite the grief she carried.

“You loved your father and brother, Wade. But loving them doesn’t mean forgetting the ones who are still here,” she added, her voice low, almost a whisper. “Don’t let your guilt rob you of the family that’s waiting for you.”