Page 6 of Ruin (Hell’s Mayhem MC: Maine Chapter #2)

Chapter Five

Kolton

The event started an hour ago, and the entire town is here. Though some of them seemed to not care about this, everyone has done their part. Setting up went off without a hitch. It’s been a perfect day—so far.

“Another job well done, Snapper,” Prez says, patting me on the back before walking away.

“He’s in a good mood today,” Grizz says with a raised brow.

I grunt, bringing my beer to my lips. The sun is high, but there’s a nice breeze in the air.

Summers in Maine are nice. I hear they’re hot as hell in other places, but I’ve never been to know.

The only place I’ve been outside of here is New York and whatever states we passed through to get there.

I hate that the only time I’ve been able to travel was because of him and his stupid birthday parties.

“Shouldn’t you be looking to get laid?” I ask Grizz.

He chuckles. “Yeah, maybe. ”

No one in the club knows I’m gay. No one but my brother who I only told recently. I didn’t want to tell him, but he’s been weird lately. Even weirder since I opened up to him about that and what our father did to me.

Kaison was the golden child. He could do no wrong.

He worshiped our father and was blind to all the shit he did to me.

But I have to say, he didn’t question me when I told him what happened.

Not for a second did it seem like he didn’t believe me.

Granted, I didn’t get into detail, but I didn’t have to.

Kaison understood what I was saying and he believed me.

No questions asked, not even a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

My brother and I have never been close, despite our close age.

We’re ten and a half months apart. But it meant something to me that he believed me like that.

All these years, I felt like he wouldn’t and it’s why I said nothing.

Well, one reason why. The other being I don’t want to fucking talk about it.

“Uh oh, someone’s in trouble,” Grizz mutters.

My brow furrows as I turn my attention to where he’s looking, to spot my brother walking toward us looking like an angry bear.

Kaison is a big guy, and though he doesn’t scare me, I can see why people find him intimidating.

He’s only an inch taller than me, but he’s got about seventy-five pounds on me.

He’s thicker, built bigger, more like our father, while I’m leaner than they are.

“What the fuck, Kolton,” he growls under his breath.

“Catch ya later,” Grizz says before scurrying off, not wanting to get caught between another one of our disputes .

“What’s wrong now?” I ask. He’s probably just being dramatic, as he usually is.

“Why the fuck is Lucian Carter here?”

I try not to react to the name. I’m not sure I succeed.

Kaison has no idea about Lucian and me, and I’d like to keep it that way.

He’d freak out worse than our father would have, especially now that he knows all my secrets.

He has his own issues with Lucian, and I have no idea what they are. Don’t care to know either.

“He’s getting an award,” I say with zero emotion.

“What the fuck did he do to earn an award?” he asks, as if it’s some impossible feat.

He could have won an award for the way he fucked me, but that’s ancient history.

“I suppose it’s more of a recognition. He funded the rebuild of the school ten years ago.”

“Fucking prick,” he mutters with a shake of his head. “He doesn’t deserve shit from this town.”

No, he doesn’t. But I don’t want to say that out loud because I don’t want to talk about him.

“Is your girl here?” I ask.

He narrows his eyes, looking at me funny. “Since when do you care?”

“Since you stopped dragging me along to the diner to eat their atrocious food.”

“It ain’t atrocious.”

“Says the guy who eats meals from the frozen food section.”

“There’s nothing wrong with those. ”

I roll my eyes. He doesn’t get it.

I glance out at the crowd of people. Now that I know he’s here, I’m looking for him. But not because I want to see him—it’s because I want to avoid him. In order to do that, I need to know where he is. It’s like being trapped in the jungle with a hungry lion. I’m dead if I can’t sense him coming.

“No, she’s not here,” he finally says.

“That sucks.”

“You suck at consoling people.”

“You don’t need consoling,” I argue, finishing my beer. I move to the trash and toss the cup in. “I’m going to get another drink.”

I don’t wait long enough for him to respond, and I hope like hell he doesn’t follow me. I’m not in a socializing mood.

I guess I can appreciate my brother having a better understanding of me, but that doesn’t mean we’re ever going to be best friends. Kaison and I have nothing in common outside of the club and our DNA.

I get in line at the table that’s selling beer and wine, waiting my turn to order. I could go around back and grab what I want, but I’m not that much of a dick. We’re doing this to raise money, so I’ll pay for my beer like everyone else.

I feel him before I see him, and the fact I know it’s him makes me angrier than him being here at all.

My spine stiffens when he steps behind me.

I’m positive it’s him, and if there was an inkling of doubt, it’s smashed the second a breeze rolls through and his scent envelopes me. He better not say a fucking w—

“You did a good job with this.”

I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches. I focus on keeping my breathing even, and step forward when the line moves.

Lucian was always so good at praising me. It’s what made me fall for him first, I’m sure of it. But that was then, this is now, and fuck him if he thinks this is going to make me drop to my knees like it used to. I’m not a dumb kid anymore.

“It’s a really good turnout. There are a lot of happy people here. Looks like they’re all having fun.”

“Just more people for you to show off to,” I say loud enough for him to hear me, but refusing to turn around.

“Don’t be like that, Kolton.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh, and my feet move before I can stop them.

“Are you joking?” My words come out strong even though looking into his grey eyes makes me weak. Even after all this time. It’s fucking sickening.

His face is serious, his brow pinched together. He gives a disbelieving shake of his head. “I’m proud of you.”

“Fuck you, Lucian. Seriously, fuck you. ”

I step out of line, and storm over to my brother that somehow already has a beer in his hand. I snatch it from him and guzzle it.

“The fuck, Snapper?”

“Someone better find a way to get me more of these, or you’re all going to see a side of me you won’t like.”

“There’s a side of you we do like?” Grizz asks .

Kaison backhands him in the chest hard enough I hear the slap.

“Not the time, asshole.”

Grizz rolls his eyes and mutters that he’ll be right back.

“He better be paying for these.”

“Make up your mind, Kolton. Either you want beer quickly, or you wanna be a good guy and pay for it. You ain’t having both.”

“Fuck you too.” I finish the last few sips and storm toward the trash to toss the cup.

Kaison is glaring at me when I get back. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Something happened.”

“Nothing I want to talk about with you.”

“You don’t have to be such a dick to me, you know.”

“Apparently I do, because no matter how many times I tell you I don’t want to fucking talk, you keep trying to make me talk.”

“I’m just trying to be a good brother,” he says back, sounding offended.

I huff out a laugh. “Maybe you should have done that twenty fucking years ago.”

I walk off, not letting him respond. I don’t need to hear whatever excuse he’s going to give me.

I run into Grizz on the way, and he hands me a fresh cup full of beer. I take it, plus the one in his other hand .

“Goddamnit, Snapper,” he complains, but I walk away from him too.

If I weren’t a major part of this, I’d already be gone. I can’t stand anyone here, and they’re all getting under my fucking skin.

I drink my beer as I walk, making my way through the crowd until I find a spot to the side of the stage that’s empty.

The magician will be here soon, but I should be safe for a while.

Long enough to compose myself before I have to go out there and pretend to give a fuck about things that don’t matter.

When one cup is empty, I place the other cup inside it since I don’t see a trash close by.

“Hi, Mr. You’re really tall.”

I glance down to find a little kid staring at me. Maybe seven years old. I have no fucking idea what kids look like at certain ages. He’s got a mop of red curly hair, lots of freckles, and he’s choking the life out of a stuffed rabbit that’s tucked under his arm. If it were real, it’d be dead.

“Where’s your parents, kid?” I ask.

He shrugs, stepping closer to me and reaching up to poke the reaper tattoo on my forearm. “Does this come off?”

“No.”

“Is it magic?”

“No.”

“Can I get one too?” he asks, looking up at me with bright green eyes .

“Where are your parents?” I ask again. This time, he only stares at me. “What’s your name?”

“Travis.”

What a fucking name.

“Come on, kid. Let’s go find your parents.”

I offer out my hand, as much as I don’t want to take his. It’s probably sticky and has either been up his nose or in his ass. Maybe both. Kids are so fucking gross.

We get maybe ten steps before a woman with matching red hair dashes over.

“Oh my god, Travis!” she shouts. “Babe, I got him! He’s here, I found him!”

“Hi, Mommy,” he says with a smile. “I made a new friend and he has magic on his skin.”

The woman drops in front of him, running her hands through his messy hair and I tug my hand back.

“Are you okay?” she asks him.

“I’m fine,” he whines, pushing her away.

“I cannot thank you enough. We were looking at one of the vendors, and then he was just gone.”

“You got him?” A man rushes over and stops dead in his tracks when he sees me.

Jeremy.

Though some of the members of the MC know just about everyone in town, I don’t.

Don’t bother myself with shit I don’t need to know.

I’m keen on people who are important, like the business owners and the school administrators, because I work with them, but outside of that, I couldn’t tell you one damn person in this place.

So how the fuck was I supposed to know this is Jeremy’s kid and wife?

He stares at me, looking like a deer in headlights.

“Travis, you can’t run off like that,” his mother scolds, reaching for his hand and pulling him to her.

“Is he okay?” Jeremy finally asks, looking down at his kid.

“Yeah, he’s okay.”

Jeremy moves closer, and that’s when I see another kid attached to his hand. This one is almost identical to the other one, only smaller. Maybe three? I don’t fucking know.

“Thank you so much,” she says.

“Yeah, thanks,” Jeremy says carefully.

“No problem,” I say, downing the rest of my beer and taking off.

I really fucking hate this town.