Page 13 of Untamed Heart

That mask slipped a bit, his cheeks flushing pink with anger as he leaned in, bracing one hand on the table and gripping the back of my chair with the other, caging me in. “Heard your old man made it through. It would be a shame if there was some sort of setback.”

Air puffed from my nostrils like a dragon breathing fire. I wanted to cuss him out... or jab him in the eyeball, but I let reason dictate instead of going off half-cocked like I used to, and kept my mouth shut.

One corner of his mouth hooked up when I remained silent. “You really have grown up well,” he repeated as he stood tall. “If you don’t feel like slumming it with those grease monkeys while you’re in town, I’d be happy to let you warm my bed.”

My lips curled up, baring my teeth in a vicious smile. “I’d rather douche with diesel fuel.”

He let out an icy chuckle as he started moving backward toward the line. “We’ll see about that.”

Three days back in Ashland and I was already stirring shit up. If I wasn’t careful I was going to get myself in huge trouble, just like Roe used to accuse. Only this time, I didn’t have anyone looking out for me.

FIVE

ROE

I liftedmy eyes from my sketch pad as the door to the garage’s office swung open and Pope walked in.

Usually this was where Pops holed up, working on the administrative side of the business that Pope hated taking care of, but with him out of commission for a while, I was using his desk as a place to work on some of the artwork for a few of the custom motorcycles the garage had been hired to build.

I’d always been good at drawing, but I never thought I’d have much of a chance to use that skill when I got older. I always figured I’d be a mechanic. Just like Pops and Pope’s old man, Court, before he passed.

That was until Pope came to me with his plans for the future of the club. The garage would no longer be the legitimate front for some of the criminal bullshit the Wraiths used to be tied up in. Once he took us straight, he homed in on each guy’s personal talents, and just like that, we became the number one garage in Tennessee and the surrounding states for custom-built bikes and vintage muscle cars.

We lost a lot of members—those who didn’t like change, those who preferred the danger of our less-than-legal endeavors,and those who couldn’t stand the idea of losing out on the money we were making. He told me the plan before he ever wore the president’s patch, and I was with him every step of the way. Because I believed in him and the club. I couldn’t lose it, not after I gave up the only woman I ever loved for it.

What no one but Pope and those of us who believed in him knew, we’d eventually be richer than we’d ever been before, and we’d do it legitimately.

Well . . . mostly.

We still raked in serious cash thanks to our underground fighting ring. But we kept that venture mainly for the guys who enjoyed beating the hell out of other people. The club’s Sergeant at Arms, Bane, padded the shit out of our pockets. But then, he was a crazy bastard, so that wasn’t saying much.

Pope’s eyes passed through me like I wasn’t even there as he gave his head a shake. “Christ. Still not used to walkin’ in here and not seeing the old man sitting there.”

I knew the feeling. I fucking hated coming to work and not seeing the man who’d been a fixture in more than half my life.

“Or smell that burned tar he called coffee. I still don’t know how he drank that shit his whole life.”

“I guarantee that coffee is most of the reason he had a heart attack in the first goddamn place.”

Tossing my pencil aside, I scrubbed at my face and leaned back in the chair. “I don’t know how the hell we’re gonna keep him from eating and drinking the way that nearly killed him once he gets out.” Odds were really high he would be more of a pain in my ass than my seven-year-old daughter.

Pope moved around the chair in front of the desk and took a seat across from me. “I think the only thing that’ll keep the old man in line is Dakota.”

Hearing her name still hurt, even all these years later. It was like having a white-hot fire poker shoved into my chest.

“You’re probably right.” I busied myself with the drawing so I wouldn’t have to meet his eyes. There weren’t many people who could read me like Pope could. I tried to sound casual as I said, “I hope for his sake she plans on sticking around for a while.”

I could practically feel his eyes drilling into the top of my head. “Just for his sake, huh?”

I looked up with a sigh, the chair letting out a painful squeak as I rocked back. “What are you getting at?”

His brows climbed up toward his hairline. “I think you know exactly what I’m getting at, brother. You doing okay with her back in town?”

It had been a week since Dakota’s return, and even though I hadn’t seen her since that first night, the woman still managed to consume most of my thoughts. Knowing she was back in Ashland was fucking with my head in a major way. There was a constant buzz beneath my skin, a growing anticipation at the thought of running into her.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her.” I had to loosen my grip on the pencil in my hand or I was going to snap it in half. “I’ve been trying to give her some space.” Other than the one night I hadn’t been able to help myself. Cassi had been home with a sitter the other night while I attended a club meeting, and instead of heading straight home once it finished, I found myself pointing my bike in the direction of the hospital.

I’d intended to go up and see Pops, but as I pulled in a flash of gold caught my attention, and I glanced over just as Dakota stepped off of the sidewalk and onto the blacktop of the parking lot. Even in the harsh lights of the parking lot her hair danced like spun gold. My body acted without any input from my brain, and instead of parking and going inside, I ended up trailing after her. The only thought in my head as I followed was maintaining enough distance that she wouldn’t catch on, because once I saw her I needed more.