Page 28 of Wild Card (Royal Bastards MC: Cody, Wyoming #1)
TWENTY-THREE
Ash
“ H ave you slept at all?” I ask Hack when he eventually shows up at the club, he’s looking rough as hell and still as angry as he was when I last saw him at the hospital.
“Not at all.” He takes a seat on one of the stools while Cass gets to work fixing him a coffee.
“She tell you where she scored?” I ask, really hoping we’ll have something to go on. I’m getting pissed off with all these dead ends.
“She just said it was some kid in the city; apparently, she met up with him when she took Ruby for her wedding dress fitting. I don’t know, Ash, I don’t fuckin’ buy it.” Hack shakes his head. “She’s hidin’ something from me. I can tell.”
“How is she?” Cass asks, placing a mug in front of him and looking worried.
“She’s shaken up and very embarrassed, but the hospital said she could come home later today.” He smiles up at her sadly, but quickly goes back to being angry.
Byron’s office door swings open, and when Grizz steps out, he’s looking really rattled. I don’t know if it’s related to what happened last night, but he doesn’t hang around to explain. Just storms out the clubhouse and revs his bike before he skids off.
“Take it, he won’t be present at the meeting you called?” Hack looks at Prez when he joins us at the bar.
“There's been a development,” Prez tells us, keeping his voice low and raising his eyebrows. I’m getting the impression that this development ain’t a good one. “Grizz has gone to assess the situation.”
‘What kinda situation?” I ask, starting to feel suspicious. “He looked kinda pissed.”
‘Yeah, well, it’s not uncommon for a president and his VP to disagree sometimes,” he snarls.
“Sounds concerning,” Hack points out, looking like he shares my concerns.
“Let's just wait till everyone gets here.” Prez takes the coffee that Cass hands him and moves straight through to the meeting room.
“Now that everyone's here, I’ll get started.” Byron slams the gavel soon as Moby takes his seat, and the room falls silent.
“Grizz ain’t here.” Moby looks around the table, confused, and Byron rolls his eyes impatiently.
“Grizz is on a job. A job he’s gonna need some help with.
Everyone's gonna have to pull their weight on this one.” He looks tired, and we haven’t even started yet.
“Taint, soon as we’re done, I want you to take a cage and head out to the lake.
” Taint nods without question, and when Prez takes a deep breath, I can see he’s nervous about whatever he’s gonna say next.
“Last night, Brett Porter retaliated for what happened to his sister. He found out that Kaleb Kingston has been supplying. Bringing this shit into our town and…Brett killed him.”
“He did what? ” Hack spits his coffee across the table while I try to add what I‘m hearing up in my head.
“Kaleb Kingston? Nah.” I shake my head because I dealt with that little weasel myself. He was a prick for sure, but he couldn’t have been the person who’s behind all this. He’s not smart enough.
“Brett went to his parents’ lake house to ask him if he knew anything and found him with all the stash. It was him, for sure.” Prez looks disappointed, and I wonder if it’s because of the respect he has for the kid’s dad.
“Kaleb Kingston?” I repeat the name back to him. “The same guy you gave me a hard time about?” I check I’m getting this right.
“You got somethin’ wrong with your hearing, boy?” Byron bellows.
“I’m sorry, Prez, but I spoke to him; he was just a scared kid.”
“Yeah, well, maybe he was playing dumb; the evidence speaks for itself,” Byron explains.
“And where’s the kid’s parents?” Malice checks.
“We believe they’re in Colorado visiting friends, but we’re not entirely sure. Hack, I’d appreciate some intel on that.”
“On it.” Hack nods.
“We don’t have much time to clear this up…” Byron continues, and I can’t keep my mouth shut.
“Hold up… How has Brett killing this kid become our problem? You told me yourself his father was a man you didn’t wanna piss off, so why are we getting involved in this?” I ask, making Byron even more pissed at me.
“Because Porter fixed the damn problem we shoulda.” He slams his hand down on the table. “This privileged little shit has been running circles around our asses for months, and because I’m president and I damn well say we are.” He stares at me with such fury I feel it burn.
“What do you need me to do?” I eventually rest back in my seat and wait for my instruction. I don’t wanna push any more of his buttons; if I do, it could result in him calling Jameson and having me moved on. I need to be here to stop Ruby from making a car crash outta her life.
“I need you to get on your bike and get the hell outta my town,” he snaps back at me.
“We don’t need ya here anymore, and you’ve made it clear you don’t wanna be here.
You can report back to Jameson and tell him you're no longer needed, and he can make you someone else’s problem.
” Byron stares at me across the table as he lowers himself into his chair.
Suddenly, I’m wondering why his words have wounded me.
He’s right, there's no point in me being here anymore.
My aim was to get outta town as soon as I could.
“Wraith, Malice, and Zander, you're cleaning up the lake house. I want no trace of what happened left behind. Moby, you’ll be with Taint and Grizz. You’re gonna make sure no one finds that boy's body,” he instructs them, before slamming the gavel and marching out the door.
I don’t stick around the club for a heartfelt goodbye; instead, I head back to the bar, trying to think of the words I could say to try and convince Ruby to come with me.
Maybe the two of us could find a new town to settle in, somewhere pretty with a club nearby where I could become a member.
I wouldn’t be able to build her a house with a view like Brett did, but I could take care of her.
I could make her smile. I see how the weight of her problems gets lighter when we’re together.
I like doing that for her, and as crazy as it sounds, I think I wanna do it for the rest of her life.
She’s not around when I get back to the bar.
I’m guessing she’s at the hospital with Esme, so I pack the shit I came with back into my duffel bag and leave it on the bed, so I can head down to the bar and wait for her to get back.
I wonder where she’s gonna want us to go.
I know her and her mom traveled around a lot when she was younger.
I’ll take her anywhere she wants, so long as it keeps her smiling.
Earl’s alone in the bar, whistling to himself without a care in the world as he counts the cash from the register, and when he notices me, he smiles me that old crooked smile.
“She’s at the hospital,” he tells me, before getting back to his counting.
“How d’ya know I was lookin’ for her?” I take one of the barstools.
“I recognize that hopeless, needy look in your eye.” He chuckles to himself before bagging up the cash and closing the register.
“The club any wiser on where Porter’s daughter got her drugs from?” he asks; just like everyone else around here, Earl cares for the people in his community.
“Still working on it.” I hate having to lie, and I hate even more that I’m doing it for Brett Porter. Now the idea of leaving Ruby alone with him is even more worrying.
Brett was mad when he left the hospital last night. The fact he killed the Kingston boy in his own home proves that he was acting on impulse. I’ve seen for myself how easily he can lose his temper, and who knows what the consequences of it could be next time Ruby does something that pisses him off.
“Mayor Porter won’t let you boys sit on that for long; he’s going to want answers,” Earl tells me. “The stakes just got raised.”
I don’t pay much attention to what he says; instead, I wonder if Brett plans on telling Ruby what he did.
I’m not in much of a position to judge. I’ve killed men myself, and it could easily have been me who had the order to kill Kaleb Kington if the club had found out what he was doing before Brett.
Seeing how terrified Ruby looked when she thought her friend was gonna die almost makes me wish it was me who got to end him.
But Brett isn’t like me; he isn’t like the guys at the club. At least we clean up after ourselves.
The door opens, and when Ruby steps inside, carrying a bag of groceries, my heart starts thumping in my chest.
“Morning, Earl.” She plants a kiss on his cheek, then smiles at me a little awkwardly. “I thought I’d cook us all an early dinner before the bar opens tonight,” she explains as she heads through to the kitchen, and I choose to ignore the look Earl gives me and follow her.
“How’s Esmé?” I ask, despite knowing that she’s well enough to come home today. I have to start this conversation somewhere.
“She’s much better than I thought she’d be. She’s home now, and although she’s feeling pretty ashamed of herself, she seems okay.” Ruby smiles sadly as she starts to unpack the grocery bags.
“D’ya find out why she did it?” I hop up to sit on the counter and glance inside the bags while she restocks the fridge. Looks like she’s bought enough groceries to feed the whole damn town.
“She never said, but I didn’t ask. Either Brett or his dad was with us when we were together, and if I want the truth, I figure I’d be better asking her when we’re alone.”
What she’s saying makes sense, and since there's not much more to say on that matter, I guess it’s time to ask her if she wants to give everything up and come on the road with me.
“I’m leaving town.” The words come right on out, and I can see from the look on her face that they startle her.
“When?” Her eyes glance over me, looking all panicked.
“Today…Now. The club don’t need me here anymore.” I shrug, hating that knowing that is still fuckin’ stinging.
“Of course, they need you. Ash, it might not seem like it now, but this place is your home. Your dad was the club president once,” she points out, loading herself with more items and turning her back on me to put them away.
“You seem sad to see me go.” Sliding off the counter, I step up behind her, and when she turns around and almost bumps into me, she holds her breath.
“Of course, I’ll be sad to see you go,” she eventually whispers, looking up at me like she wants to cry.
“Then come with me.” I smile, taking her face in my hands and crouching down to her level.
“Pack a bag, get on the back of my bike, and we’ll leave here together.
No more Brett and this fake marriage bull shit.
Just you and me. I think we could have some real fun, darlin’.
” I smile, hoping she says yes, because I already know that leaving this town without her is gonna break my heart.
“You make it sound so easy.” She laughs as she pulls herself free and gets back to unpacking the food.
“That’s because it is easy.” I go after her and take the avocado outta her hand so she has to hear me out.
“You got nothin’ keeping you here, Ruby. People will adore you wherever ya go. You’ve done somethin?—.”
“Is that why you think I stick around here?” She stares back at me as if I’ve offended her. “Ash, I stay here because this town is my home. I adore the people who live here. Since Momma died, they’ve become my family. If I left here, I’d have nothing.”
“You have me.” I take her hand, bringing it up to my chest and clutching it tight.
“ All of me. Every single part. Don’t make me leave here without you.
” I’m fuckin’ begging her now, because if she stays, I know Brett Porter is gonna ruin her.
He’ll poison all the good inside her, and break her down to nothing.
“I can’t, Ash. I’m sorry.” She pulls her hand free and smiles at me through tear-filled eyes as she starts heading out the door.
“Is it because I can’t offer you what he can?” I call after her, needing to know the truth.
She turns around and looks straight back at me, and I expect her to launch a defense, but instead, she sags her shoulders and looks disappointed in herself.
“Yes,” she admits, in a whisper so quiet that I barely hear it.
“Then I hope it’s worth all you have to sacrifice.” I storm out past her, heading straight up to my room so I can get my shit and get the fuck outta here.