Page 18

Kingsley

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Kingsley walked to his motorcycle, needing to ride. After the meeting, frustration filled him. He was tired of changes.

It took one fucking day to put a target on Gem Haven. Somehow, Valdones Motorcycle Club decided to push their luck and sent a message that they were coming after Gem Haven.

It was as if taking out two Valdones when they decided to start fires all around the mountain wasn't enough to scare them away. The club would need to buckle down and keep constant watch.

Then, that fucker Savage had to open his God damn mouth. Kenna shouldn't be working in the bar. She could stay at the house all day if it was up to him. There was no reason for her to earn money.

Zane rode up on his Harley, parked in front of the bar, and cut the engine. "Where are you headed?"

"Riding." He threw his leg over the seat.

"Are you coming back soon?"

"Only because Kenna's here." He held Zane's gaze. "I want one fucking week of normalcy. Is that too much to ask for?"

Zane scoffed. "You've lived in Gem Haven your whole life. When has it ever been simple?

His brother was right. If it wasn't the club, it was something else. He thought it would get easier to have Kenna and River here. At least he wasn't riding all over, chasing Kenna.

Life in Gem Haven was far from easy. The constant threats and the never-ending cycle of retaliation weighed heavily on him. He had a future to think about now.

The most precious thing in his life was here with him, and he wanted better for her.

Kingsley revved the engine. The roar of the Harley gave him a brief moment of clarity amidst the chaos. Riding was his only refuge. A place he could escape, even for a short while.

He needed the ride. He needed to feel the wind against his face, the vibration of the bike beneath him. He needed to clear his head.

As he sped away from the bar, he couldn't help but think of Kenna. She anchored him, keeping him from losing his head—most times. Other times, she was the cause of the chaos inside of him.

He'd almost lost it today when he walked into the bar and overheard Savage talking about her. He would never share what belonged to him.

With each passing mile, the tension in his shoulders increased. The reality of Gem Haven's dangerous situation lingered at the back of his mind. Valdones Motorcycle Club's threat was real. They would need to prepare for whatever came next.

He stopped at the turn onto the county road and rode around the steel gate onto the forestry trail. He slowed his speed now that he was off the asphalt. The trail offroad was smoothed from the electric company coming in twice a year to check the wires strung across the land, but he wasn't interested in riding the line on his Harley. He wanted to make it as far as the mountain ridge, and then he'd walk the quarter mile to the hunter's cabin.

He hadn't set out to visit Zora. All he knew was that he needed to talk to her and see that she was okay.

His mother.

She lived close by for most of his life, but he had no contact with her. He wanted answers, and he wasn't going to get them from his dad.

At the end of the trail, he parked his Harley. Looking all around him, he searched for any sign that someone had ridden over the land lately. Big John was the only one who would come this way to check on Zora and bring her supplies. It still ate at him that the V.P. of the club never told him or Zane about Zora.

His dad still had control of those who would do his dirty work.

Sweeping his hair back, he took the skullcap out of his back pocket and slipped it on. He hiked, looking at familiar landmarks. There were signs of someone living on the land. Light trails that were no wider than a deer track between trees.

The crisp air carried the scent of pine and earth. Leaves crunched under his boots with each step, bringing him closer to the cabin and the answers he sought.

He reached the clearing where the hunter's cabin stood. It was a rustic building made of weather-beaten, rough-sawed lumber, blending almost seamlessly into the surroundings. A hiker or hunter could pass by it at a hundred yards and not see a thing.

Except for the flowers.

His heart pounded. A mix of anticipation and indecision soured his stomach.

Taking a deep breath, he approached the door and knocked softly. The door creaked open, revealing Zora's shadowed face. Her eyes widened in surprise, then softened as she recognized him.

"Do you have a few minutes?" he asked.

The ride had calmed him. He wasn't here to argue or fight. He only wanted answers.

She stepped back. "Come in."

The cabin's interior was much like he remembered when he was younger—simple, yet dried flowers hanging from the ceiling gave it a pleasant aroma.

"I wasn't expecting you." Zora's soft tone stayed neutral, but her eyes searched his face. "Is everyone okay?"

"I need answers." He widened his stance. "I figured you're the only one who will give me the truth."

"Wh-what answers?"

"Why did you leave? And why did Dad keep you here without letting us see you?" he asked.

Zora sighed. The weight of years of secrets was evident in her expression. "It's complicated," she began, but he cut her off.

"No, it's not. You had two young sons who needed a mother, and you left us."

She nodded in resignation. "Sit down. I'll tell you what you want to know."

He settled into the wooden chair opposite her. Whatever she had to say, he was ready to face. The past was no longer behind him. He was staring into his mother's face.

She drew in a deep breath. "Your father is a good man, but he had...the club came first with him, and I'm not blaming him. I knew where he stood when I met him. I was one of the girls who hung around Gem Haven, and I fell madly in love with Ridge. I married him, knowing that he would make something of Gem Haven."

"What does that have to do with you leaving us?"

Her eyes glistened with unspoken pain. "For him to lead the club, he couldn't have any weaknesses."

He looked away from her, knowing his dad. He raised Zane and him never to show emotions and be strong in front of the others. They were groomed to take over the club since they were young. He could guess that his dad viewed Zora's mental health as something his enemies could use against him.

"So, he sent you away," he muttered.

"I was rapid cycling. I needed to go. I believed I could get better and then come back to him, and I did. I came back, but sometimes..." Zora shook her head. "Sometimes, I don't want to feel... less , and I'd stop taking my medicine. During those times, I felt more like myself. But I wasn't a good mother. I was dangerous."

Kingsley blew out his cheeks. It hurt to hear about her struggle. Everyone deserved to feel like life was out there for them to enjoy, and nothing should hold her back.

"I understand when I'm having one of my manic episodes, I cause trouble for those around me—"

"Fuck that." He leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. "Who tells you that you have to act a certain way?"

"It's not healthy for me."

"This is Gem Haven. We're all a little fucked up." He shrugged. "I understand how medicine would mask the...the..."

"Highs and lows," she added for him.

He nodded. "But you don't have to hide in the cabin."

"Oh, I'm not hiding." She sat straighter. "I love living here. I grow flowers, and it's peaceful. Besides, Ridge needs to concentrate on running the motorcycle club, and Big John takes good care of me. I have everything I need." She frowned. "But I do worry about your dad."

"You know he's in prison, right?"

She laughed, catching her lower lip between her teeth before she met his gaze. "I'm bipolar, not stupid."

The tear that had clung to her lashes let go. He watched the droplet slide down her cheek. All those years, she'd stayed away from Gem Haven, away from her husband, away from her kids. He struggled to merge the image of the father he adored with the man who'd let his wife live a lonely life away from everything and everyone.

"You were okay being separated from your kids?" he said.

She inhaled swiftly and pursed her lips. Her chin lifted as if to shield herself from his judgment.

"I lived here because it was best for my kids." She held up her hand. "Don't blame your father. While he had his reasons, I had mine."

"Why?" He pressed his back into the chair. "You missed out on everything."

"It was worth it knowing you grew up with a happy childhood, surrounded by people who supported and loved you." She moved to the side of the room and opened a chest. "When your dad was here, he'd let me in the house after you boys were asleep. I'd sit for hours, watching you and Zane." She held up a blanket and inhaled deeply. "You outgrew this blanket, and I brought it back here so I could have a piece of you with me."

The air left his lungs. "Why didn't you fight harder?"

Fighting was all he'd known growing up under Ridge Stafford. If he wanted anything, he fought for it. Nothing was given to him for free.

She shook her head. "I have my reasons."

"What?" He wasn't going to let her excuse what happened.

She set the blanket back into the chest and closed the lid. "I came to Gem Haven like so many other young women who find themselves partying with the members at the clubhouse. I'd been on my own since I was sixteen."

"Where were your parents?" he asked.

He never had any desire to find his mother's family after he realized that she'd left him. Like his dad, and like Zane, he concentrated on Gem Haven. The members were his family.

"It was only my mom." She worked her hands in agitation. "She committed suicide because of..."

Fuck.

He stood from the chair. His mom had alienated herself into the cabin to keep her sons from hurting the way she had, growing up with a mother who had her own mental health problem.

His mom was afraid that she, too, would not survive and didn't want him and Zane to witness the results of losing the battle. In her own way, his mom wanted to protect her kids from the pain she'd experienced as a child.

He cleared his throat. "I should get home."

His mom nodded, hugging her middle.

Silence hung heavily between them. The thick air now filled with more secrets. He needed to get outside and breathe.

He was at the door in two steps but stopped before walking out.

"You're welcome to come to the house. Anytime. I'll make sure nobody makes you leave until you're ready to go home." He met her gaze. "You're not less . You're enough."

Happiness filled her watery gaze. He dipped his chin and walked out, leaving her alone in the cabin.

He had no idea how many years she'd hidden her struggles or how many sacrifices she'd made. He was starting to understand what kept her away. Zora had nothing to fear anymore.

It wasn't his place to judge her.