Page 26 of Primal Urges (Bikers of Mayhem #1)

CADEN

C aden sat with his arm wrapped around Lucas’s shoulders. Someone had given him a blanket to wrap himself in at some point over the past two hours. They sat together on a fallen log, watching the firemen search through the wreckage, doing what firemen do.

The sun was beginning to rise, and most people were learning about the fire in the same way that small towns always discovered things—through word of mouth.

It didn’t take long before word reached Marcus and the crew.

Caden hadn’t been able to call the guys since his cell phone had been in the bedroom next to Lucas’s when the fire began.

He wasn’t concerned. Everything from his phone had been backed up in the cloud, so it was just a matter of getting a new phone and downloading all of his info from there.

Technology. Got to love it.

Beside him, Lucas remained silent, staring into the charred remains of what had once been his home.

It had to have been an electrical malfunction. They didn’t use any candles or the stove to cook dinner last night, and neither of them smoked.

Thank god Lucas had gotten up to use the bathroom. Otherwise, they both might have been killed.

Fires were a nasty piece of work.

“It’s all gone,” Lucas whispered, barely audible.

“It’s all just material things that can easily be replaced,” Caden said, trying to provide the boy with some sort of comfort.

Lucas turned and glared at him. “That’s easy for you to say. You have money and credit cards and a place to sleep at night. I was just starting to get my feet back on solid ground.”

Caden tightened his grip on Lucas. Lucas was right. He understood his pain. He would do everything that he could to help get the boy back on his feet.

“How are you guys doing?” Marcus asked, stepping up beside them and holding out coffees for both. Caden took his while Lucas merely shook his head.

“Thanks. We’re both okay. Breathed in a bit of smoke, but not enough to warrant going to the hospital.”

“Still, I’ll have Dr. Higgs stop by and check on you both,” Marcus stated.

Dr. Higgs was a retired physician who often treated the guys from the crew. He was discreet, didn’t ask questions, and always turned a blind eye.

“Where do you want me to take you guys?” Marcus asked, looking at Caden.

“My place. Lucas is going to stay with me for the time being.”

Lucas’s eyes came back into focus as if he had finally been pulled from whatever trance he had been in. “What? No. I… I…”

“Don’t argue. You’re staying with me, and that’s that.” Caden put his foot down.

Lucas needed to learn how to graciously accept help instead of always thinking that he was on his own. He wasn’t. He had a whole crew full of brothers and sisters who now had his back.

While he may not own a motorcycle or know how to throw a punch, he was still a part of the Shadow Vipers, whether he liked it or not.

“Fine. Thank you.”

“And these are for you,” Ace said, passing Lucas a bag.

Reaching in, he pulled out a pair of ripped jeans and a faded Armani T-shirt. The items looked way too big for Lucas.

“Oh, sorry. Those are for you,” Marcus said, taking the outfit and passing it over to Caden.

“And these are for you,” Ace added, passing Lucas a pair of neatly folded black jeans and a distressed Guess T-shirt.

“Wow, these things look nice,” Lucas said, lowering the blanket and pulling the shirt over his bare shoulders.

In the rush to escape, they didn’t have time to throw on any clothing.

How Marcus knew that they were both waiting outside in their underwear was anyone’s guess.

Once Caden had stepped into the jeans and done up his fly, he looked at himself and immediately recognized the outfit.

“This is from that…” He let his voice trail off. Marcus gave him a nod.

About a month ago, Caden and Ace had been sent to assist a driver whose truck happened to break down on the side of the road about an hour outside of Roswell. It had been late at night, so they helped relieve the driver of some of his merchandise.

Ace, being the fashion aficionado, helped Caden determine which boxes needed to be relieved and which ones could remain in the truck with the tied-up—um, temporarily incapacitated—driver, who was waiting for a… tow truck to come and assist him.

Hmm. The clothing really was stylish, as Ace had put it.

“The fire crew said they will be here for at least a few more hours doing their assessment,” Damian explained once he joined the rest of the crew.

Damian was one of the guys who worked at the bar. He didn’t exactly have a job title. He basically did what he was told and helped Marcus out with… odd jobs .

“Okay. Shall we go?” Marcus asked, looking between Caden and Lucas.

They both nodded.

Once they arrived back at Caden’s place, Caden led Lucas to the spare bedroom, thinking that the boy might want some space and perhaps some time alone to process what had just happened.

Lucas nodded and thanked him before dropping down on the bed without so much as a hug goodnight.

Poor guy. Best to give him some space.

Caden couldn’t sleep. He lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how close he had come to making his little girl fatherless. First thing in the morning, he was going to call his little munchkin and tell her how much he loved her.

Letting out a breath, he froze when his stomach started to growl, reminding him that it needed food and coffee. Lots of coffee.

He threw his legs over the side of the couch and glanced at his watch.

Eight a.m.

It was as good a time as any to get up. He wasn’t going to get any more sleep this morning. Plus, food. He needed food. And coffee. Yes, loads of coffee.

He made his way into the kitchen and fired up the stove. Now it was time for him to show off his skills. Caden opened the fridge and pulled out the bacon.

His stomach growled.

“Patience, my pet,” Caden said to his belly as he began cooking his feast.

As the bacon came to a sizzle, he heard footsteps descending his creaky stairs.

“Mornin’,” a tired and disheveled Lucas announced as he entered the kitchen and plopped his ass down at the kitchen table. “Something smells amazing.”

Carrying a mug of coffee, Caden placed the cup down in front of Lucas before heading back to the stove.

“Food will be ready in a few. Got bacon crisping up, chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes keeping warm in the oven, and some fruit salad chillin’ in the fridge.”

“Wow, someone’s been busy. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Can you grab the maple syrup from that cupboard over there and grab the fruit salad from the fridge?”

Lucas walked over to the cupboard and peered inside.

“Umm, Cade?”

Caden removed a few strips of bacon from the pan and looked over at Lucas.

“You got some sort of sugar addiction you’ve been hiding from me?”

Caden was confused for a moment before he realized what Lucas was talking about.

“Ooh! That’s Lizzy’s special cupboard. It’s got every sugar-infused candy and cereal you can imagine in there.”

Lucas pulled out two monster bags of sugar-coated candies and held them up.

“Yeah. Those Marcus and I bought while on a road trip to Vegas. There was this bulk discount store right off the Interstate that I swear was run by Willy Wonka.”

Caden turned back to the stove to finish up with the bacon.

Lucas brought the items to the table and began opening the brand-new bottle of maple syrup.

“Here we go,” Caden said, bringing the last of the bacon and pancakes to the table.

“Mmm, smells delicious,” Lucas said, but Caden could tell that the man’s energy wasn’t into it.

“Hey, I know that things look dark right now, but just know that you are not alone in this. You can stay here for as long as you want, and the crew will take care of whatever you need.”

Just as he finished his speech, the back door to the kitchen opened, and Marcus and Ace barged in, followed by Nikolai, Alexis, and Blade.

“Mornin’ assholes,” Marcus greeted, carrying in a box marked Touch and Die .

“What are you mofos doing here?” Caden asked, leaning back in his chair to give Marcus and Ace a fist bump since their hands were full.

“We heard there was breakfast,” Alexis chirped, walking in carrying a tray filled with pastries and croissants.

“Now that your crappy clothes have been burned, it’s time you started dressing like the rest of us.

Hot and like a badass,” Blade said, dropping a box marked Cool Shit on the counter next to the stove.

He reached inside the box and pulled out a pair of black biker boots.

“I got these from… a friend of mine when his truck broke down a few months ago.

Size eleven. Never been worn. They're yours now, chico,” he said, nodding at Lucas.

Next, he pulled out a black leather jacket, some sunglasses, and other junk that every hot biker needed to own.

“Also, got you a box of condoms… just in case… well, you know.” Blade’s cheeks flushed as he glanced between Lucas and Caden.

It appeared that the rumors had already started spreading. Was this Blade’s way of saying that he was cool with Caden and Lucas boning?

Lucas looked around the room, confused.

“I… I don’t get it. What’s all this stuff for?”

Marcus walked around the table and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I told you on day one. You’re part of our family now. And we help family when in need. You may have lost all your stuff in that fire, but that doesn’t mean you will ever go without.”

Lucas’s eyes teared up. He jumped up from his chair and wrapped his arms around Marcus’s thick body.

“Thank you so much,” Lucas sniffled. “You don’t know how much all of this means to me. Everyone coming over and making sure that we’re okay. Honestly, I’ve never had a family like this before.”

Hearing him say that broke Caden’s heart. How could someone so full of life not be a priority to his family?

“When you’re done slobbering all over my brother, I’ve got a box full of nice clothes here. It’s Sons of Anarchy meets Queer Eye ,” Ace said, standing next to the box he placed against the wall in the kitchen. This box was labeled Really Cool Dude Shit.

Lucas pulled away and began to chuckle. The sound was infectious. It looked like the boy’s spirits were beginning to pick up.