The Hero

by Amelia Shea

  “Yeah.”

  “You and Trax being our partners in the business?”

  He nodded.

  “Silent partners.”

  The corners of his mouth curled.

  “Yeah, fucking silent, baby.”

  Baby. Hell, that got her every time.

  She lunged forward and hugged his neck when he lifted her in his arms. “I guess I need to get started on my letter of resignation, huh?”

  “We got a few months but yeah, start your ‘go fuck yourself’ letter to work, if ya want.”

  She burst out laughing and tugged him closer. Oh my God, this is happening.

  He dropped her to her feet. He grasped her hand without saying another word. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder at the storefront as they turned the corner. Cheyenne and her had had this dream for so long, it seemed almost unattainable. Something which would remain forever in the future. Now, it was going to happen.

  She didn’t even realize they’d turned down a residential street until Rourke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. She glanced up to a two-story colonial. It was old and dated, a few pieces of siding were missing, and the front yard was overgrown. But beyond all its imperfections, it was warm and inviting. It wasn’t huge but bigger than any home she’d ever lived in. She smiled when she saw the wraparound porch.

  “What do ya think?” Rourke said.

  She slowly turned her head, and he was staring down at her. “Is this yours?”

  “If I want it, yeah, it’s ours.”

  Her jaw fell open. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah.” He glanced down the empty road. “It’s a nice street, around the corner from your store, and a short drive to my garage. It needs work, but I like it. Don’t you?”

  Her eyes teared. “Yeah, I like it.”

  He furrowed his brows. “Why ya crying?”

  She whispered, “’Cause you’re doing that hero thing again.”

  He groaned and shook his head. “Fuck me.”

  ****

  Rourke stood at the counter, waiting to pay his bill at the diner. After touring Ghosttown, they decided to grab dinner before heading up to Caden’s place. Rourke was still a bit shell shocked. He originally thought he’d have to do a lot more to convince her to move with him, but she was fully onboard. He did a run by the empty lot and showed her where he and Trax planned their new garage. He hadn’t expected her enthusiasm, but she was all into hearing what they planned. Though, she seemed more enthused about seeing the lot where Cheyenne would live. He’d save the clubhouse for another day since they were losing daylight, and she reiterated that night driving was not her thing just yet. She’d get there. She had no choice. Macy would be spending a lot of time on the back of his bike.

  She came around the bend from the bathroom just as the waitress came to take his bill.

  “Was everything good?”

  Macy sidled up next to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “It was awesome. I have a feeling I’ll be eating here a lot once my store opens.”

  The older woman glanced up. “Oh yeah, where about?”

  Macy turned pointing through the window. “That one, second to last. My friend and I have a little boutique we’re opening. Candles, essential oils, some clothes, and handmade jewelry. You should come check us out when we open.”

  Rourke took his money and watched the woman. Her lips curled. “I’ll definitely stop in. I’m Carla, by the way.”

  “I’m Macy, and this is Rourke.”

  She glanced between them and smiled. “Well, welcome to Ghosttown, we’re happy to have ya.” She chuckled and turned to Macy. “Now, don’t forget about us when Maria and Pete’s place opens back up again. They’re on the corner, right next to ya.” Carla leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “Not supposed to brag about our competition but they make the best pizza.”

  Rourke clamped his lips closed. He knew all about Maria and Pete. They were locals who had a pizzeria a few years back. Unfortunately, they had to close their doors due to finances. Kase reached out to them, offering up the space at a low rent. It was good business to have a few eateries in their town. Kase also had a self-interest in it. The bastard loved pizza.

  “I’ll alternate my lunches,” Macy said, and Carla winked.

  They headed out and were just about to the motorcycle when he heard a female voice call out what sounded like his name. His scowled, and he turned to the left, but all he saw was Macy. She was staring behind him, and her eyes squinted. He immediately glanced over his shoulder.

  “Who’s that?” Macy asked, and he didn’t miss spike in her tone.

  He didn’t have the chance to answer before Bailey came up to stand in front of them.

  “Hi, Rourke.” He was always struck by her size. Macy was small for him, but Bailey was even shorter. She smiled, and before he had the chance to say anything, Bailey stuck her hand out toward Macy.

  “Hi, I’m Bailey Preston.”

  He noticed Macy hesitate briefly before taking Bailey’s hand. “Macy Matthews.”

  Rourke cleared his throat and glanced toward Macy. “Bailey is the mayor of Ghosttown.”

  Macy widened her eyes. “Really?”

  Bailey continued to smile and kept her gaze on Macy. “Yeah. It was a write-in ballot.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry to bother you guys, but I was actually in the diner, and I overheard you telling Carla about your business.” She held out her hands, and her sleeve lifted up her arm. It was the first time he’d seen it, but Trax had mentioned it from their first meeting with Bailey. The raised rippled skin on her arm was obvious burn marks.

  Bailey must not have noticed it because she continued on. “I would love to do a ribbon cutting when you open. We don’t have a town paper, but I do a newsletter each month for the meetings, and I’ll even reach out to the neighboring towns and do a little press release if you’d like. I can even link your website to the towns for added exposure.”

  Rourke held back his laughter at Macy’s response. The woman was practically jumping up and down. “That would be awesome.” She screeched. “It’s mine and my best friend’s Chey’s store.”

  Bailey laughed. “Well, I’ll probably be your best client.” She cocked her head. “I’m a sucker for those oils. I have a diffuser for every room in my house.”

  “Well, we got ya covered, girl. Thank you so much, Bailey.”

  Bailey grinned and reached in her bag, pulling out a card. “You’re welcome. Now, if ya need anything, like permits or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

  When Macy took the card, Bailey said, “Welcome to Ghosttown.”

  “Thanks again, Bailey.”

  Bailey smiled at Macy then glanced up at Rourke. “Well, I’ll let you guys go. Have a great night.”

  Macy and Rourke headed back to the bike with Macy practically bouncing on her feet. He grabbed the helmet, handing it to her, and noticed her staring down the street. She was watching Bailey get in her car.

  “Ya know, when she first came up, I thought, who the hell is this chick calling out my boyfriend’s name?”

  Rourke shook his head and chuckled. When would Macy finally get it? She was the only woman for him. No other woman could come close to her.

  She turned to him. “She’s so friggin’ sweet.” She gripped his arm and shook it. “We’re gonna have a fucking ribbon cutting.”

  “Yeah, Macy, I know, standing right there.”

  He liked her like this, happy and on cloud fucking nine. Exactly where she belonged. He straddled his bike and waited for her to get on, but she again focused down the street where Bailey was getting into her car. Macy’s smile faltered.

  “Did you ya see her arm?”

  It would have been impossible to miss.

  “Yeah, I saw.”

  “What do ya think happened? I mean, the scars were pretty severe, not something ya get from a kitchen mishap.”

  “Don’t know.” His mind was right there with Macy. T
he scars were brutal and covered her entire arm from what he could see. Whatever happened to Bailey had obviously been an extremely painful experience.

  Macy stared a bit longer until he pushed the helmet into her hands.

  “Let’s go, Caden’s waiting on us.”

  Macy moved forward, glancing one last time in Bailey’s direction.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The ride to Turnersville only took about twenty minutes. It was much larger than Ghosttown but had the same down-home feeling. It was far from a city but had a much bigger population. She eyed the main road.

  Rourke had given her a brief description of who Caden was during lunch. He lived in Turnersville and owned a trucking company the club had just partnered with. She tried to follow Rourke’s explanation, but it seemed very complex and elaborate. He must have sensed she wasn’t following because he backtracked.

  “For the past five years, the club has bought all the inventory and stock from parts stores and warehouses who were going out of business. We got all of it stored at Cade’s place until we open up in Ghosttown. Worked out a deal with some charters who run garages to be their distributors.”

  “What happens when ya run out of stock?”

  “We don’t. We’ll continue buying out from closings. Gage and Dobbs got the junkyard stock set. We give our guys access, along with the public.”

  “Can you make a lot of money from a junkyard? I mean, aren’t the cars, well, junk.”

  Rourke shook his head. “Some but not all. You could have a car with body damage but a brand-new fucking engine. Ya know how much an engine costs?”

  Macy smirked, leaning back in her chair. “Didn’t peg the club as a bunch of businessmen. Well, at least not legal business,” she teased which got her a stern glare.

  She held up her hands. “I’m kidding, just kidding.” She giggled and popped a fry in her mouth. “So, Caden’s not a member, right?”

  “No.”

  “But he’s Kase’s brother?”

  Rourke nodded, and she sighed. “Does he share the same shining personality as your president?”

  Rourke lasted only a few seconds before he burst out laughing.

  He never answered, but she was about to find out. They had pulled into a driveway and headed up the hill. The house was set off the road quite a ways. When they came up to the small house, she glanced around. It was a unique setup. From the road, it just appeared to be a house on a hill, but beyond the residence was a large gate which Rourke drove through and stopped right inside.

  The area was huge. To the left, behind the house, was a small strip of garden apartments, maybe about six. And beyond that were two huge garages. To her right, set back in the far corner, were a fleet of trucks ranging in size from small box trucks to eighteen wheelers.

  “This is not what I expected. It’s quite the setup, huh?” She pulled off her helmet, handing it to him and got off the bike. Macy scanned the large lot.

  “I’m impressed.”

  “Thanks.” The masculine voice came from behind her, and she spun around.

  “Hi.” Introductions weren’t necessary. From the eyes alone, she knew he had to be Kase’s brother. Their features were slightly different, Caden appeared a bit softer in the face, less harsh lines in his forehead, but the eyes were a dead giveaway.

  He reached out, taking her hand. “Caden.”

  “Macy.”

  “Good to meet ya. Heard a lot about ya?”

  Macy laughed, glancing over her shoulder at Rourke who was standing behind her. “Oh yeah? You talking about me?”

  Caden cleared his throat. “Actually, uh, Kase told me about you.”

  Oh, fuck me. She lost her smile and pursed her lips. “I don’t really think he’s the best judge of my character.” She scrunched her nose. “Kase kinda hates me.”

  Caden tightened his lips, holding back a smile and glanced up at Rourke then back down to her. “Kase hates everybody.” Caden winked.

  “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure I’m top dog on his hate list.”

  “Kase is an asshole,” a gruff voice shouted from behind her.

  Macy whipped her head to catch two men walking toward them. The older man, probably in his sixties, was definitely the man who made the comment. His stern snarling glare was aimed in her direction but not at her. He ambled forward with a confidence usually fitting for a twentysomething. He wasn’t imposing in stature, but his face read a lot of hard miles he’d lived. She was so caught up with the old guy she hadn’t registered the man walking a step behind him until he reached them.

  Her cheeks pinkened, remembering the last time she saw him. They’d never been formally introduced, but she was aware of who Saint was. Unfortunately, her only brief interaction with him had been when she stormed the club and unintentionally caused a brawl.

  Great. She avoided eye contact with him, which turned out to be easier than she thought when the old man spoke. “’Bout fucking time you showed up. Ya get a girl on your bike and start driving like a pussy?”

  Macy’s mouth fell open, and she jerked her head to Rourke. Did he just call Rourke a pussy? Macy bit back her laugh. Man, this guy had a set of balls on him. She waited breathlessly on Rourke’s reaction and was shocked when he smiled. Obviously, these two knew each other well.

  “Just watching my speed, Jack, keeping it legal.”

  Jack furrowed his brows and snorted. “Legal?” He scoffed. “Fucking pussy.”

  Macy could no longer hold back, and she snickered. This old man had just called Rourke, king of scary and dangerous, a pussy. Twice. Her amusement caught Jack’s attention.

  She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she watched as he thoroughly scanned her body, taking a longer than appropriate perusal of her breasts.

  “Jack, this is Macy, my old lady.” There was a warning in Rourke’s tone. “Mace, this is Jack, former president of the club, and Cade and Kase’s dad.”

  This was Kase’s father? The same man who just called Kase an asshole.

  She smiled. “Nice to meet ya, Jack.”

  His gaze angled up. His brow cocked. “It’s very good to meet you, darlin’.” The innuendo in his tone was obvious and garnered a few chuckles from the men. Except for Caden, who groaned.

  “You listen here, sweet cheeks, don’t pay no mind to that former president bullshit. Once a president,” he gave Rourke the side eye, “always a fucking president. Kase only holds the gavel ’cause I stepped down.” Macy noticed Jack getting fired up, and the banter was shifting to a dark place. She didn’t know why he stepped down, but it was obvious he missed it.

  The group remained quiet with the tension swirling around.

  “Well, I bet you’d never ban me from the clubhouse, Jack.” It was her way of lightening the mood.

  Jack jerked his head. “You got fucking banned? By who, Kase?”

  When Macy nodded, Jack shook his head. “Back when I was running shit, we didn’t ban the hot ones. The club is turning to shit. That son of mine is an asshole.”

  She glanced up at Caden. “I guess you’re the favorite son?”

  Jack scoffed. “I got no favorites. They’re both assholes.”

  Caden sighed and rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Pop, let’s get the food ready, so we can eat.” Caden headed toward the house with Jack following.

  “Finally,” Jack snapped, then glanced over his shoulder toward Macy. “You’re sitting next to me, darlin’.”

  She watched them walk into the house before turning to Rourke.

  “You better step up your game. I think Jack likes me.”

  Rourke narrowed his gaze, not amused, but Saint smiled. This was the first time she had made eye contact with him. He stepped a foot closer and reached out his hand.

  “We haven’t formally met…I’m Saint. It’s nice to meet you, Macy.”

  “You too.” His hand was warm and smoother than she expected. His grip was firm but not overly tight.

  There was an awkward silence, or maybe she was
just imagining it. Either way, it was nagging at her. She peered up to find Saint watching her.

  “You blame me for what happened at the club, right?” she blurted.

  It was directed at Saint, but Rourke answered, “Nobody fucking blames you.”

  She shrugged. “I mean, I didn’t start it, but if I hadn’t come inside it never would have happened, so it is kind of my fault.”

  Her answer did not sit well with Rourke. The lines on his forehead deepened.

  “Macy,” Saint said. “Some members, including myself, reacted before knowing what had exactly happened. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “So, the ban has been lifted?”

  Saint grinned. “Yeah, and if Kase gives you a hard time, you tell him to come talk to me.”

  There was something about Saint she couldn’t quite pinpoint it. He’d barely said a few words yet he had a powerful aura. Unlike Rourke who had the size and demeanor of someone who should be feared, Saint was the opposite, almost a gentle quality which could turn if need be.

  ****

  The night was winding down.

  After they had eaten, Caden gave Rourke and Saint a tour of his garage. He’d been there quite a few times and been through it, but Caden gave them details which would prove cost-effective when Rourke and Trax started to build theirs in Ghosttown. The model would be exactly what they needed.

  When they were done, they headed back to the yard where Jack had built a fire and was hanging out with Macy. He could hear her laugh from beyond the garage. He had his reservations about leaving her alone with Jack, but Caden assured him, his dad was all talk, and even if he had an episode while Macy was there, she’d have nothing to worry about. It was the men Jack would feel the need to flex his muscles in front of.

  Jack retired to bed not too long after they got back. The four of them drank beers and bullshitted. Caden had just finished talking about his son Trevor. Rourke liked the kid, always had. He was camping with his buddies, so he wasn’t around for Macy to meet.

  “Next time, I wanna meet him.”

  Caden smiled with a sharp nod. “Gonna warn ya now, Mace, he’s fucking fifteen. Probably gonna piss off Rourke, but my kid is gonna flirt with ya.”