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SEVEN

“ I gotta admit. It’s not half bad.”

“So, all good?”

“Yeah, I think it was pretty damn good. Even better than I’d hoped.”

I wasn’t exaggerating. Shep had really outdone himself. The new route was just what we needed. It was smooth and quick. There were no unnecessary stops or overly sketchy crossroads that were hard to maneuver. Most of all, it kept us under the radar and away from any prying eyes.

“Tomorrow’s the run. We’ll see then if anything changes.”

“Sounds good. You and Prez have a crew ready?”

“Yeah, Ghost and Memphis are taking the lead with Skid and Smitty. I figured we needed a little more muscle on this one, so Rusty and Goose are gonna follow behind. I think that should cover us.”

“Oh, I got all the muscle you need,” a familiar voice chimed in from behind us. We turned and found Goose strolling up behind us with his trademark smirk. “And plenty of good looks, too.”

He flexed his bicep for good measure, and Shep and I both chuckled. “Yeah, you and all that muscle will be what saves the day. Just make sure you keep your eyes on the road and off the mirrors.”

“Don’t worry about me, brother.” Goose leaned against the side of the SUV, still grinning. “I’ve got it covered.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

The words had barely left my mouth when my phone chimed with a text message. I grabbed it from my pocket and absent-mindedly glanced down at it, expecting it to be some random notification, but then, I saw a name I hadn’t seen in over six years.

Rooks:

Hey, man. I know I’m the last person you want to hear from, but…

Struck by disbelief, I looked away from my phone and out into the parking lot. I hadn’t even read the entire message, and I’d already broken into a cold sweat. I gritted my teeth, trying to brace myself as all the old rage and hurt started boiling up in the pit of my stomach.

I couldn’t believe it. After all this time, he’d messaged me. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve. I hadn’t spoken to him since the day I left for Afghanistan, and it wasn’t exactly a cordial exchange.

He’d come to see me off and wish me well. He wanted to pretend like nothing had happened and that he hadn’t watched me fall apart and completely ignored me when I discovered Tallie was gone. I’d asked him a hundred times how I could get in touch with her. It was the only thing I wanted from him, and it was the only thing he couldn’t give me.

I pushed and pleaded for answers, and when he refused, I punched him. I punched him again and again. I wanted him to know the pain I was feeling—the pain I’d been carrying with me since the day I discovered Tallie had been taken from me.

I probably would’ve killed him if my lieutenant hadn’t pulled me off him and forced me onto my plane. I stewed over that fight for almost a year, and it almost ate me alive. Eventually, I had no choice but to put it behind me. Only I hadn’t really put any of it behind me.

And deep down, I knew I never would.

I was fighting the urge to toss my phone across the parking lot when Goose waved his hand in front of my face. “Hey, brother. You good?”

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t.

My throat felt like someone had put a vice around it. My fingers gripped the phone so hard I thought I might snap it in half. After several moments, I forced myself to look down at the message again, making sure I hadn’t gotten it wrong.

I wasn’t.

It was definitely Rooks.

After letting out a disgruntled breath, I clicked on the message and read:

Rooks:

Hey, man.

I know I’m the last person you want to hear from, but I thought you should know that Dad was murdered last night.

At first, I thought it might’ve been some stupid joke. I thought maybe Rooks was just fucking with me, but I knew better. Rooks would never joke about his dad—not like this.

This was real, and I had no idea what to do about it.

Me:

Damn.

I hate to hear that.

Rooks:

We both know that isn’t true.

Me:

Any idea who did it?

Rooks:

They’re still looking into it.

Tallie was there when it happened.

Me:

Didn’t realize she was back.

Rooks:

Yeah, she and Ford are living in Hot Springs.

Me:

Who’s Ford?

I was too impatient to wait for his response, so I called his number. It rang and rang and, eventually, went to voicemail. I drew my hands into a fist as I growled, “Fuck.”

Realizing something was up, Goose gave me a nudge and asked, “Hey, brother, what’s going on?”

“It’s Tallie.”

“Who?”

“I have to go.” I took a step back. “I have to find her.”

“Whoa, whoa. Hold up,” Goose grabbed my arm. “Who do you have to find? What’s going on?”

“Tallie,” Shep answered. “The ex.”

“Ex? What ex?”

“It was a long time ago. Before the club.” Shep stepped closer and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Anything we can do?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I don’t know where she is or what’s going on. I just know that her brother said she’s back.”

I glanced at my phone again, hoping that Rooks had answered, but nothing. Dammit.

Me:

How long has she been back?

Rooks:

About to board the plane.

I’ll be in touch.

Me:

You can’t be serious.

You gotta give me more than that.

When he didn’t respond, I dialed his number again. This time, it went to voicemail without a single ring. I left a message, but I knew it was a waste of time. He wasn’t going to answer me. Damn.

“So, what’s the deal?”

“I don’t know.” I swallowed hard. “I can’t even think right now.”

“Then, let me do the thinking for you,” Shep offered. “Let’s get to my office, and I’ll see if we can track her down.”

I nodded, and Goose and I followed him inside the clubhouse and down to his office. Shep went over and sat down at his desk. Once he powered up his computer, he started hammering away. Shep was a magician with a computer, and if anyone could track down Tallie, it was him. His eyes were still fixed on the screen as he asked, “What’s her full name?”

“Natalie Rae Warren. Last I heard, she was living in New York. I thought she was still there, but her brother said she’s in Hot Springs now.”

“So, you two haven’t been in touch?”

“I tried.” The knot in my stomach tightened as I told him, “Her father wouldn’t even speak to me, and her brother refused to give me any information on how I could contact her. I was overseas and trying to keep from losing my head, and eventually, it got too hard. I gave up.”

“The father sounds like a fucking tool.”

“He was looking out for his daughter. You can’t blame him for that.”

“But you can,” Goose scoffed. “Someone cock blocked me like that, and I’d hold a hell of a grudge.”

“Oh, I did. Still do, not that it’s done me any good.”

“Found her. She’s living in an apartment just outside of Hot Springs, and it looks like she’s leasing a building down on the strip.” Shep’s jaw tightened. “Did the brother mention that their father was just murdered?”

“Yeah, he mentioned it.”

There was a time when I thought the world of Mr. Warren. He was an influential and highly respected lawyer with money pouring out of his pockets, but he wasn’t vain or arrogant. He worked hard and earned it, and I wanted to be just like him.

Until he stabbed me in the back and sent Tallie away.

That’s when he revealed his true feelings about me and my lack of potential, and I’ve spent the past eight years trying to pull that knife out of my back. Over the years, I’d tried to pretend that I was over it, but the dull ache was still there.

I feared it would always be there, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me from finding Tallie. She’d meant too much to me, and there was no way in hell I was going to pass up a chance to see her again.

Not now.

Not ever.

“Hate that for the guy, but hey!” Goose gave me a smirk. “He’s no longer standing in your way.”

“No, he’s not.”

“So, when are you going to see her?”

“Right fucking now.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Goose nodded with approval. “Let’s go get your girl.”

“I’ll go, too,” Shep offered.

“I need you to do some more digging and see what else you can find on her and her father’s death.”

“You got it.” He motioned his head down the hall. “You gonna stop by and tell Prez what’s up?”

“Yeah, I’ll stop by there on my way out.”

“Okay. I’ll get to work and let you know what I find.”

“Thanks, brother. I appreciate it.”

He gave me a nod, and Goose and I left to track down Prez. I gave him a quick briefing on what had gone down, and as I’d expected, he’d not only given me his blessing to pursue, but he’d sent Memphis along with us. It was doubtful that we’d come into any trouble, but Prez always liked to cover all bases.

Tallie’s address was just over an hour away, so we decided to take my truck. We each piled in, and as soon as I put the address in the GPS, we were on our way.

Other than the occasional crackle of Goose popping his knuckles or Memphis shifting in his seat, the truck was silent. It suited me just fine. I wasn’t in any mood to talk. I was too busy sorting through all the crazy in my head. I hadn’t seen Tallie in years, but the memory of her face was just as vivid as it was the first day I laid eyes on her.

I’d always thought she was beautiful. She had long, thick red hair, incredible, emerald-green eyes, and an hour-glass figure that would stop any man dead in his tracks. And there was nothing in this world that could match her smile. It was the kind of smile that stuck with you for days on end.

When I fell for her, I fell hard, and I fell fast.

I hadn’t wanted to admit it, but a piece of me had always hoped that we would find our way back to each other. And now, that hope was turning into a real possibility, and it had me on edge. Memphis picked up on my tension, and asked, “You good?”

“Yeah,” I answered, without taking my eyes off the road.

“You sure about that?” Goose chimed in from the backseat. “Cause it looks like you’re about to break that fucking steering wheel.”

“I’m good. Just ready to get there.”

Thankfully, traffic wasn’t all that bad, and it didn’t take us long to make it to Hot Springs.

We pulled into the parking lot of a run-down apartment complex on the edge of town, and I wasn’t exactly impressed with the state of the place. There was peeling paint, cracked pavement, and a couple of broken-down cars that looked like they hadn’t moved in years.

“I thought Shep said her dad was a lawyer,” Goose said, breaking into my thoughts.

“He is.”

“Then, what’s up with her living in a dump like this?”

“No clue, but if I had to guess, I would say she wanted a place on her own or something. Won’t know for sure until I talk to her.”

I killed the engine and sat there for a moment just staring up at the building. This was it. She was in there.

“You ready?” Memphis asked.

“Yeah,” I lied, pushing open the door.

I stepped out of the truck, and I felt like I was being pulled into a hundred directions as I followed Goose and Memphis up the main entrance. It had been almost eight years since we’d been face to face, and I had no idea what I was going to say to her. There was always the chance that she didn’t want to see me. If she did, she would’ve reached out and let me know she was back in town.

She hadn’t, so I could only assume that she didn’t want to see me.

There was no way to know for sure until I spoke to her. By the time I reached her door, I was a fucking mess. I raised my fist and was about to knock, but I froze.

This was it.

The moment I’d been waiting almost eight years for.

I just prayed it wouldn’t blow up in my face.