Page 13 of Wild Return (Wild Heart Mountain: Wild Rider’s MC #15)

VIKING

I pull the club van up to the curb outside the address that Rio and Marcus gave me for their group home.

The front door slams open, and Rio jogs down the steps followed by Marcus.

Rio has cut his hair short so it no longer falls over his eyes, and they’re both wearing collared shirts.

Rio’s hangs baggy on his thin shoulders, and Marcus’s is too tight.

My lips curl up in a smile. They’ve tried.

I unlock the passenger door for them, and they both slide in.

It’s a short drive to the nearest army recruitment center in Hope, and the boys mostly sit in nervous silence.

I pull up outside the gray building, and we get out of the van. Posters of boot camp line the walls and the boys jostle each other, making jokes to hide their nervousness.

We come to the office for the army, and a gruff voice answers my knock. I open the door, and behind a large wooden desk sits a thick man in army fatigues. He stands up when we enter, and his terse expression breaks into a grin.

“Viking.” He comes out from behind the desk to shake my hand and slaps me on the back. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

“It’s been a while.” His handshake is as bone-crushingly firm as I remember.

“Sergeant Mallory, I’ve bought you a couple of recruits.”

The sergeant gives the boys a once-over and nods his head. “What’s your name?”

“Rio, sir.” Rio stands up straight, and Marcus does the same. I feel a surge of pride.

The sergeant gives a nod of approval. “Why do you want to join up?”

Marcus shrugs. “Not much else to do.”

The sergeant’s gaze meets mine. I was once a boy just like this, with no future and no prospects.

“That’s as good a reason as any,” murmurs the sergeant.

He hands them the paperwork, and I stand in the corner while they fill it out. Pride mingles with worry as they sign their lives over to the military.

There are worse things for them, I tell myself. Rio is like an excited kid asking questions while Marcus is quieter, but his sharp eyes miss nothing.

“Meet me back here tomorrow, and we’ll get your uniforms,” the sergeant tells them. “Ones that fit.”

The boys talk excitedly as I drop them back at home. Before they get out of the van, I clap Rio on the shoulder.

“When you’ve had enough of military life, come back and see us. The MC is for veterans, and if you like bikes and beer, it’s not a bad club to belong to. You’ll find brotherhood in the army, and when you can’t do that anymore, there’s brotherhood in the MC.”

Marcus gives me a rare smile. “Thank you.”

Rio grins at me. “Appreciate what you did. No one’s ever done something like that for me before.”

I shake both of their hands solemnly, seeing the ghosts of myself and Tank all those years ago. “Look out for each other and keep out of trouble. The military doesn’t mess around with discipline.”

“Yes, sir.”

They scamper into the house and I watch them go, feeling like a proud parent.

Before I pull away, I slide my phone out of my pocket. There are no messages from Sydney, and I fire her a quick text.

We need to talk cupcake

As I’m staring at my phone waiting for the double ticks to appear, it vibrates with a call from Paulie.

“I’m sorry about my office contacting you. I added your name to the list, but it was supposed to say unconfirmed.”

I can’t keep the irritation out of my voice. “It’s still a no, Paulie.”

“Come on, what’s keeping you on that mountain of yours? You haven’t got family, and last I heard there was no Mrs. Viking.”

I’m silent. He’s right. Without Sydney, there’s no reason to stay.

Paulie sighs. “The truth is, it’s hard to find decent guys. I trust you, Viking, and I can’t say that about many people. I’ll double the offer. One six-month contract and life-changing money.”

I close my eyes. Life-changing money could get me that cabin. But what good is it if Sydney doesn’t want me?

It was too much expecting to come back here and earn her forgiveness. I blew things with her. I broke her heart, and she’ll never trust me again. And without Sydney, what reason do I have to stay?

“Look, I’m coming up your way this weekend,” Paulie says. “I’ll stop in and we can talk in person.”

“All right,” I agree. “I’ll see you then.”