Page 29 of The Vows We Keep

Halo thinks about my question. “No. I wouldn’t.”

“That’s all this is. My father is missing, likely dead. No one will tell me why. I can’t live with that. And I promised my father I would return his ashes home. When I first asked the club about his whereabouts, it was simply so I could find him. In all honesty, I assumed whatever happened to him was dangerous and life-threatening to the club. That maybe, for their own safety, they had to leave my dead father behind. I tried to make my peace with it, that my dad had died for a cause he believed in. That he’d died out with his club and his bike, and while he’d rather be alive, he’d probably be okay with his end. But over time, the club’s reluctance to tell me where he was became an issue. And I got mad that they made no attempt to go back to retrieve him in the aftermath. Having spoken to Niro, I’m even more determined to get to the bottom of what happened.”

Halo draws circles on the table with his fingertips. “Your club gave you good advice though. It was ballsy and reckless to kidnap the man you thought was our president.”

I shrug. “Would you shy away from finding out the truth?”

His eyes meet mine. They’re more green than blue. He’s an attractive man, though not in the same way Niro is. “No. I’d go to the end of the earth for my family.”

“Then why do you seem surprised I’d do the same?”

“You know this could get you killed, right?”

I shake my head. “Will you stop speaking to me like I don’t understand all this? I’ve lived my entire life surrounded by the club. The code. Death. This was not some emotional decision, to drive halfway across the country. It was calm. Deliberate. Meticulous.” I lean back in the chair and get a faint whiff of Niro’s scent. “Speaking of which, how did you know we took him?”

“Vex. We have the place and street outside covered with cameras. And all our phones and bikes have GPS trackers in them now.”

“Shit.”

“You’re lucky we had a party that night and everyone was half cut with alcohol.”

“We cased the place for an hour before. There was no one on patrol outside. Los Reyes have club security. Do you not?”

“You realize you talk about Los Reyes as if itwasyour club.Wehave club security.”

“I’m theirs when they want me to be.”

“Must be a tough spot to be in.”

“Tougher than you know.”

“We have a security patrol. The two prospects who were supposed to be on duty outside decided to slip into the party and drink while no one was paying attention.”

“I’m assuming they are no longer prospects.”

Halo grins. “You assume correctly. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but we have them somewhere secure so Niro can have the pleasure of kicking them out.”

“Is that a euphemism for kicking them out of life altogether?”

“That would be telling you more than you need to know.”

“For what it’s worth, we would have picked up Niro down the block, even if they had been on duty.”

We sit in silence for a moment. Not awkward. I wonder where Niro is. I don’t like the idea that I might end up joining the two former prospects. But I feel confident I could negotiate with Niro to leave with my life.

“I don’t know where my father is. And as I told you, Felipe, the son of our president, told me he had ridden here with them five months ago. But according to Niro, my father never made it into the clearing. Niro said he’d try to help me figure out what happened to him.”

Halo tips his chin toward my phone, which had been taken from me and was now sitting in the center of the table. “You got a picture of him on there.”

“Yes.”

“Let me see it.”

I do as he asks, then Halo walks outside the room with my phone. Do I like the idea that members of an opposing club have my phone? No. But it’s not like there’s anything particularly incriminating on there. Club photos are probably the only thing. They’d see images of the members. Through the window, I see Halo showing the phone to King. Niro gesticulates wildly next to them both. I can’t hear the words, but I feel like he’s backing me up.

It's a strange sensation to know someone has my back. Stranger still to find him among my enemy.

It feels good to know someone is on my side.