Page 14 of Where We Ended

Silas, keep the Jeep straight, I’m going to fly.

Natty’s closed eyes while she stood on the seats of the Jeep and threw her arms out. The way the wind pulled at her hair, as if the very sky wanted to take her from me. The way I was enraptured by the glow of her love. Something I never once deserved but claimed just the same.

My gut churned as memories assaulted me. An entire life with her, and yet we hadn’t even begun living ours.

Not the one owed to us.

I flicked off the shower and quickly dressed, pulling my boots back on over a fresh pair of socks. There was a knock at my door, and I already knew who it was.

“Come in.”

I turned from the door, checking my guns to ensure the clips were still full.

“You scared the shit out of them.” Lance, my vice president, spoke up from behind me.

I smirked, still turned from him.

“They deserved it.”

I heard him hum but then he shifted. “I was out scouting, otherwise I would have been here to keep them in check.”

I already knew that, but I finally turned to face my friend to let him know.

“Figured.”

Lance nodded, and I realized he looked tired. Standing at nearly six foot four, he was a tall motherfucker. Built like a truck with lean muscle; he was toned from years in the military. He was Black with more tattoos than even me, most of which I was still too chicken shit to ask about. He was a few years older than me, but the fucker seemed to be aging better than me, as you wouldn’t know he was older than thirty.

I was about to turn twenty-eight, which made me remember Natty making me a birthday cake last year while working at The Drip. She’d left it in the display case.

Written in white frosting were the words:

Felix natalis mea tenebris silva Happy Birthday, my Dark Forest

I’d give anything to see another in that stupid glass case again. This year, I wanted to watch her bake it from the privacy of our own kitchen.

I blinked away the image and faced my vice president.

“Any leads?”

Lance shook his head. “Nothing yet…have you talked to the Stone Riders yet?”

I shook my head, moving over to the desk. He was leaning his ass against it, his long legs stretched out before him with his arms crossed.

“They might have video footage…might be something there as far as making an alliance with them. Especially if they care about her.”

Lance knew Natty. He’d started as a prospect in the club back when Natty was still here. Many of my members remember her, but out of respect for me, they never talk about her.

“Want me to head over?” Lance tapped his arm, his only tell when he didn’t want to do something. I didn’t blame him. He had a history with Killian Quinn, one where Killian had promised to gut my vice president the next time he saw him. Lance could hold his own; I wasn’t worried about him, but the focus had to be Natty.

All other bullshit aside.

“I’ll go. Just keep things going here, no more of that shit that I walked in on. All members are scouting or visiting their connections in other clubs to see if anyone has heard anything.”

Lance nodded, then shoved off the desk.

“You gotta take care of yourself, boss. Just remember that.”

I scoffed while we exited the room. “Finding her is the best way I can care for myself.”