“What are you doing after school?” he asks her.
“I’m going to the club’s new garage. One of my brother’s best friends Ratchet just opened it. I’ll probably do my homework at the garage and hang out with the guys until close and then head home.”
“That’s cool,” replies Adam. “Maybe one day we can come by and study with you. I don’t know about Steve here, but I could use all the help in math I can get at this point.”
She laughs and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. Thank god for Adam because I’m totally tongue-tied speaking to this girl.
“We may be able to do that,” she says. “But both of y’all need to get checked out by the club first. It’s protocol.”
I laugh. She has no idea that the club has been trying to get Adam to prospect once we graduate in May, and I think Adam is seriously considering it. He loves his uncle, and he hates his stepdad. Honestly, I hate his stepdad too and I’m pretty sure he beats Adam’s mom. Adam has been trying to get me to prospect for the club with him, but I think I’m leaning towards the sheriff’s office route. Adam’s stepdad may be a shitty ass crooked cop, but my parents would probably disown me if I joined the club. Still...that doesn’t mean the club didn’t check me out since I’m best friends with Adam and I was interested in Harley
“Trust me, both of us have already been checked out by the club,” I respond. She scrunches up her nose and it’s super cute.
“What does that mean?” she asks.
“Ask your dad and your brother,” I say. Then, I get up and leave. It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but from what I know about the club from Adam, I need their approval in order to be with Harley.
Adam and I drive to my house after school, and he can’t keep his typical shit-eating grin off his face so I know he wants to talk about Harley.
“So what do you think about our new math tutor?” he asks.
“Cut the shit Adam,” I say. “Say what you want to say.”
“Damn man,” he responds with his head over his heart and a fake ass hurt expression on his face. “The least you could do is say thank you after I suggested to coach that Harley be our math tutor. The only variable I didn’t take into account was those two dickwads being in tutoring with us.”
I’m shocked.
“You suggested Harley be our tutor?” I yell. “Why?!”
“You’ve had the hots for that girl ever since you moved here, man, and I knew you wouldn’t have the balls to approach her after her brother and his friends ambushed you. We only have one more year until we graduate, and it’s time to make some decisions about what you want.”
“Decisions?” I ask. I’m super confused.
“I know your dad wants you to be a cop and you want to follow in his footsteps, but remember that there are good and bad sides to law enforcement. My stepdad is a cop too, and look at what he does to my mom,” he states.
I’m shocked. I always suspected that Adam’s dad hit his mom, but I wasn’t always sure. I know that he spends a lot of time at our house for a reason, but this is the first time he’s ever spoken about it.
“The club has always been part of my heart and part of my family, no matter how hard my stepdad tried to stop it,” he continues. “When I turn eighteen tomorrow, I’m prospecting for the Burnt Kings. They’re the only ones who can help my mom since law enforcement clearly won’t work. I know you want to be a cop like your dad, but your dad is one of the few somewhat decent cops in that sheriff’s office but he’s ambitious as hell so I’m not sure how long that’ll last.”
I’m insulted. How the fuck could he insult my dad like that?
“Get out of my car,” I grind out.
“What the fuck?” Adam asks. “You’re seriously kicking me out of the car, man?”
“Your stepdad may be a woman-beating dick head, but my dad is a good fucking man. Now you’re telling me you want to join those motorcycle-riding criminals? Get the fuck outta my car!” I scream at him.
He looks at me and he looks hurt.
“Wow, man,” he says sadly. “I’ve lived in this town much longer than you have, and I tried to give you sound advice about who’s actually good and bad in this town. That boy scout attitude will be your downfall, man.”
He turns around and walks in the opposite direction of his house. Where the hell is he going? Suddenly, he stops and turns around.
“Don’t forget,” he calls out. “That girl that you’re damn near in love with is a part of those so-called motorcycle-riding criminals.”
That was like a knife to my chest. I just lost my best friend and may fuck up any chance I get when it comes to Harley. My life is fucked.
Chapter 5 - Harley, 17 years old
I leave the library, head to the student parking lot, and hop on my bike. Unlike most of the men in the Burnt Kings, my bike is a little different. I ride a Kawasaki Z800, which is a little smaller than what the men typically ride, but it works for me and still has a seat on the back if someone wants to ride bitch. I’m heading towards Ratchet’s garage when I pass by a familiar person walking in the same direction. I slow down and take my helmet.
“Adam,” I say. “What are you doing walking out here?”
He runs his hands through his hair, and I can’t help but smile. Hawk does that when he’s stressed out. In fact, he had a kid my age that he used to bring around the MC when I was little, but he disappeared when we got older and Hawk hasn’t really been the same ever since. He was a little on the chunky side but always made me laugh and played the best tricks on my brother and his friends. In fact, I was really into Thor comic books when I was younger and nicknamed him after the Norse trickster god. In fact, this is the first time I’m really looking at Adam’s face and he has the same features as my childhood friend.
“Loki?” I say. He looks up at me and smiles.
“Hey, Valkyrie,” he responds. I quickly get off the bike and put my kickstand down. I leap into his arms and he catches me with a laugh. I back away from him and then slap his arm.
“Ouch!” he yells.
“I can’t believe you sat there in front of me and didn’t tell me it was you,” I scold.
He chuckles. “I thought when I told you Hawk was my uncle that you would eventually put two and two together.”
“Where the hell have you been?” I ask.
“I’ll tell you the full story. I know you were heading to the club’s new garage and was walking in that direction so I could talk to you anyways,” he says.
“Hell yeah,” I reply. “Hop on the bike, as long as you don’t mind riding bitch.”
He laughs. “It’s cool, Valkyrie, I’ll be your bitch any day of the week.”
He gets on behind me and wraps his arms around my middle. We make our way to Ratchet’s new garage and when I pull in with someone behind me, all the guys are on high alert. We stop in the garage and the guys relax when they realize who’s behind me.
“Is that little Loki?” Ratchet asks with a grin. “Why am I not surprised that Princess over here has you riding bitch? You’ve always been up her ass.”
“You remember Adam?” I say with surprise.
“Of course we do,” says Ace. “That little bastard always played tricks on us when you two used to run around together as kids. When his mom got remarried, that dickhead stepdad of his wouldn’t let Hawk around them anymore. We recognized him as soon as he started high school the year before you. We didn’t approach him because we didn’t want him to get in trouble, but he was still pulling those little stunts on us until we graduated.”
I thought back on random funny shit that would happen to the guys when we were all in school together and it never occurred to me that it was Adam. Now that I think about it, the funny shit always seemed to happen when I was around. I whirl around and look at Adam, who’s looking at one of the bikes with a smug ass expression on his face.
“That was you?!” I ask.
“It has always been m
y duty to give you laughs, my lady Valkyrie,” he says with a chuckle and a bow. All the guys around him start laughing, and then suddenly get quiet.
“Adam?” I hear a voice whisper behind us. I look over and see Hawk, Adam’s uncle. Hawk walks up to Adam and stops. He grabs Adam’s face between his two hands and I can see his eyes getting misty. It always touches my heart to see these big, bad men get emotional.
“Is it really you, son?” he asks with a hoarse voice.
“It’s really me, Uncle Hawk,” Adam whispers. Hawk grabs Adam into a hug and just holds him for a minute. I look around at Scott, Ratchet, and the rest of the guys and you can tell they’re trying everything in their power to not cry. It’s moments like these that make me love the club most.
"So does this mean what I think it means?" Hawk asks timidly. I’ve never heard Hawk say anything timid in my life so I know he must be serious about whatever he’s asking.
“Yea Hawk,” Adam confirms. “It’s time I come back to my real family.”
Real family? I start jumping up and down and getting more excited.
“You’re prospecting for the club?!” I scream.
He laughs, picks me up, and spins me around.
“Yea, Valkyrie. They’ve been asking me for a while now, and since I turn eighteen tomorrow, I can officially prospect for the Burnt Kings now. I’m also hoping that once I become a full member, the Burnt Kings can help me save my mom,” he says quietly.
“Your mom?” I ask. There’s nothing but silence until Hawk clears his throat and turns to Adam.
“So, I guess this is the time for full disclosure. I’m not actually your uncle….I’m your dad,” Hawk confesses.
“What?” Adam yells.
“Your mom and I aren’t actually related. We’re step-siblings. Our parents were married when we were teenagers and we fell in love. She got pregnant and lied to protect me. I was in your life until she married Officer Dickhead. When she told him about our relationship, he flipped out and used his police resources to prevent me from seeing you and your mother,” Hawk confesses.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Adam whispers.
“It’s a small town bud. Nobody would understand, but I tried to be as active in your life as any father would be. I’m sorry I let that dick take you and your mother away from me. I will never forgive myself for that, and I hope you and your mother can forgive me.”
Adam looks at Hawk…..I mean his father and just hugs him.
“I’ve always felt like you were my father. How can I forgive you for something I knew in my heart the whole time?” Adam responds.
There is not a dry eye in that entire room, and I’m honored to witness a moment like that. Suddenly, a loud clunking noise occurs.
“Sorry,” Ratchet says with a red face. “I feel like I just ruined a moment.”
Everybody bursts into laughter. It was actually the perfect situation after such a serious moment. I grab Adam and give him a huge hug.
“I’m so happy for you,” I say. My brother comes up behind us and claps Adam on the back.
“At least now you’ll have someone to watch your back in school now that we’re gone,” he says.
He’s right. I thought I’d be alone this school year, but now I have a family again. I have my friend back, and I can’t wait to kick off the school year.
Chapter 6 - Steve, 18 years old
I’m dreading going to school today. Today is the day that everything is really hitting me. I woke up and realized that I lost my best friend because I was being a dick to him. I know on some level, about my dad. He’s a political man, and he wants to be sheriff eventually. He wanted to be Chief of Police in the city, but in small towns, being sheriff is where it’s at. I know that requires getting in bed with some shady people, and the way I snapped at Adam wasn’t cool.
To make matters worse, he’s moved out of his house to prospect with the Burnt Kings so now he’s best friends with Harley. I mean, I’m glad she has somebody to hang out with at school, but I wish it was me instead. Tutoring has gotten super awkward and everyone can tell. Adam refuses to acknowledge my presence, and he won’t even look me in the eyes. Those pricks Mike and Drew are loving it, while Harley just looks back and forth between me and Adam. It’s gotten so bad that our coach pulled me aside in practice yesterday and asked me what was going on between us because Adam quit the team.
Honestly, I’m getting really frustrated with the situation and want to apologize, but I don’t know what to say or how to say it. The school day is about to end, and now I have to go to this awkward ass tutoring session. Before I walk in the library, Harley pulls me aside.
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on with you and Loki, but you need to fix that shit,” she says.
“Who the fuck is Loki?” I respond.
“Adam,” she says. “Adam’s road name is Loki. I used to call him that when we were kids and his dad used to bring him around the clubhouse.”
“His dad?” I ask. “He told me he didn’t know who his dad was.”
“Well he knows now, and that’s a story for him to tell you and not me. What I do know is that tutoring is awkward as hell when the two of you don’t get along. So, after tutoring, you guys are coming with me to the club’s shop and we will figure this shit out.”
I look into her eyes and see that she’s serious.
“Ok,” I respond. “I’ll follow you after tutoring, but I doubt he’ll be willing to talk to me.”
After another extremely awkward tutoring session, I meet up with Adam and Harley in the school parking lot. Ever since Adam started prospecting with the Burnt Kings MC, he’s been riding to school with Harley on his motorcycle and they park next to each other in one parking spot. I didn’t even know Adam could ride, and I sure as hell didn’t know that he could’ve been riding to school himself the whole time instead of riding with me. Adam sees me approaching and he goes from happy to pissed in two seconds.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Adam snarls. I’ve never felt so shitty in my life. I pushed my best friend away for saying something that hit too close to the truth, and now it’s gotten so bad between us that I don’t know how to fix it. I’m about to respond to him until Harley cuts him off.
“Steve is coming to the garage to hang out with us and study. If you have a problem with that then too bad,” Harley snaps at him. Adam just looks at her, huffs, and gets on his bike to leave. He speeds off without a second glance.
“He’ll get over it,” Harley says. “C’mon. Follow me to the garage.”
I get in my car and follow her to the Burnt Kings new garage, and I’m a little uneasy because I’m sure how I’ll be received. Last time I was approached by Harley's brother, Scott, it was to warn away his sister. I didn’t even know he saw me watching her until he and his friends approached me so needless to say, I am not excited about this meetup.
I pull into the garage’s parking lot and I’m a little nervous to get out of the car. Harley and Adam park their bikes and Harley walks to my car with a smirk on her face while Adam rushes inside. He’s probably warning the guys that she’s with me.
“C’mon,” she says. “They don’t bite.”
“That you know of,” I respond. She chuckles, grabs my hand, and walks inside.
“First of all,” says Scott. “Let go of my sister’s hand. I already warned you once to stay away from her, and I’m not going to warn him again.”
I look around the garage and realize that I actually know most of these guys. They were a year ahead of me and Adam in high school. Most of the guys in there are still prospects, but some of them already have road names. From the look of Scott’s leather vest, they’ve dubbed him Ace.
“Warn him again?” Harley asks, turning to her brother. “What do you mean warn him again?”
“That’s a conversation for another day,” Scott responds. “Now, what the hell is he doing at our garage?”
“I wanted Loki and Steve to squash their beef,�
�� Harley says. “This is the only place they can do it without Adam beating the crap out of Steve and vice versa.”
“What makes you think we’re going to stop Loki from beating the crap out of that kid? Do you know who his father is? Do you know the type of people his family associates with?” Scott asks her.
Scott and his friends are only prospects, but I can tell that they’re about to be running the Burnt Kings. If Scott is even half as smart as his sister is, the sheriff will have a hard time catching them. Hell, they already have a difficult time now, but every once in a while they get someone in the MC. I should know, I hear my dad bitch about them to his bosses on the phone all the time.
“No, I don’t know who his father is and who they’re associated with, but you of all people should know that you can be different than your father,” she responds.
I don’t know much about her family, but from the look on Scott’s face, whatever she meant struck a nerve. Loki pulls into the garage on his bike, and Scott takes Loki aside and they start whispering. Loki glances at me and then walks over. He looks different than he did before he prospected. Before, he used to wear polo shirts and khakis and now he’s wearing leather riding boots and a leather vest that says prospect on it. It also seems like he’s put on some more muscle too.
“Follow me,” he says. I’m a little scared because Adam isn’t the same person that I met when I moved here. He’s changed a lot and I’m not sure if it’s for the better or for the worst. I follow him into a room that looks like an office. He turns around to face me, leaning back on the desk.
“Talk,” he says while just staring at me. I’ve been thinking about what to say to Adam for weeks now and all I can do is say what’s on my heart.
“I’m sorry,” I confess. “I’m sorry for the things I said about your mom and stepdad. I said it because your words about my father hit a little too close to home. I know he’s political and ambitious. I know he’s going to have to get in bed with the Davenports at some point in time. I’m actually hoping that if I can join the sheriff’s department after graduation, I can help clean up the department with my dad. I was actually hoping you and I could do it together, but you made other choices. I was pissed at you because I felt like you were abandoning me, but now I realize how selfish I was really being.”
Forgiveness Page 2
