ASHES & PAIN
Chapter 22
WEATHERED
Kait opened her eyes.
Rain still tapped steadily against the clubhouse windows.
The room remained dim beneath the gray morning light filtering through the curtains.
She turned her head.
Lane.
Still asleep.
His breathing was slow and even, he was on his stomach now, one arm under the pillow.
She smiled.
Those arms that held her all night.
His strong jaw softened by sleep.
The stubble she’d felt against every part of her body the night before.
His lips.
Goddamn, you’re fucking perfect.
She’d spent months convincing herself she could live without this.
Without him.
Now she couldn’t imagine why she’d ever tried.
Her fingers drifted toward his face, brushing lightly along the edge of his jaw.
Lane didn’t stir.
Then her cellphone rang.
She jumped.
“Fuck.”
The ringtone filled the room.
She threw the sheets aside and hurried off the bed, trying to find her clothes scattered across the floor.
His jeans.
Her thermals.
One boot.
His kutte.
“Shh…”
The phone kept ringing.
Finally she spotted her kutte half-hidden by Lane’s.
She yanked it free, reached into the pocket and looked at the screen.
Kolton.
The smile she’d been wearing faded.
She glanced toward the bed.
Lane’s eyes were open now.
She offered an apologetic little smile before hurrying into the bathroom and quietly closing the door.
She answered on the third ring.
“Hey.”
“Hi, baby.”
Kolton sounded relieved.
“You alright?”
“Yeah.”
“How was your night?”
“It got pretty rough for a while. Power went out.”
“Damn.”
A pause.
“Watching the news right now, they’re saying the roads are flooded all the way south, and that y’all still have a lot of rain coming your way.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it.”
“So… looks like you’re stuck there a little longer.”
She looked toward the closed bathroom door.
“Yeah, I guess. How’s the rain there?”
“Not bad. Sprinkling right now.”
Kolton sighed.
“It was hard to fall asleep without having you next to me.”
Kait closed her eyes for a moment.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, and I guess tonight’s gonna suck too.”
Silence lingered between them.
“I’ll call you later?”
“Sure.”
“Alright.”
Another pause.
“…Love you.”
Kait swallowed.
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
“…Okay. Bye.”
The line went dead.
Kait remained standing in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.
The phone slowly lowered to her side.
A soft knock sounded at the bathroom door.
Not impatient.
Just loud enough.
Kait opened it.
Lane stood on the other side, a faint smile already waiting for her.
She smiled back without thinking.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to take over the bathroom.”
He shook his head.
“I just wanna make sure you’re not in here regretting anything.”
She stepped closer and kissed him.
“No.”
He smiled.
“Good.”
Then he stole another kiss.
“Now get back in that bed and wait for me.”
She laughed softly.
“Hurry up.”
“Oh, I will.”
He cupped her face in both hands and kissed her again, deeper this time.
When they finally pulled apart, Kait stepped aside.
Lane slipped into the bathroom, and she couldn’t stop smiling as she walked back toward the bed.
Melanie pulled a sweatshirt on and stepped out into the rain.
The covered walkway between the clubhouse and the bunkhouse kept most of the weather off her, but the wind still carried a fine mist that clung to her face.
The storm hadn’t let up.
Good.
She’d have time to get breakfast started before everyone else woke up.
She opened the bunkhouse door.
The smell of fresh coffee greeted her.
Diablo stood at the counter, pouring himself a mug.
He looked over his shoulder.
“Morning.”
“Morning.”
Melanie smiled politely as she glanced around the room.
Some men were starting to get up. Most were still asleep.
She spotted the bed she made for Lane was still intact.
Her smile faltered.
“Hey… Where’s Kount?”
Diablo took a slow sip of his coffee.
Then another.
Just to make her wait.
“Still sleeping maybe?”
She frowned.
“Or maybe not…”
He chuckled into his mug.
Her stomach tightened.
“He… didn’t sleep here?”
Diablo leaned against the counter.
“Nope. He’s in his room.”
Silence.
“…And where is she? She was supposed to—”
He couldn’t help it.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Also, in his room.”
Melanie stared at him.
“What? They slept… together?”
Diablo nodded.
Melanie shook her head.
“No. Kount… sleeps alone. He never lets anyone— I don’t think you’re—”
“Give it up, Melanie.”
He took a last sip and walked out.
He met with Alejandra and they went inside.
“Is this really happening?”
Kait smiled as her fingers drifted through his hair.
“Are we really like this again?”
Lane answered by kissing the corner of her mouth.
Then her jaw.
Then her neck.
“Yeah.”
Another kiss.
“…About damn time.”
She laughed quietly.
He lifted his head.
“But you’re still worried after that phone call.”
She nodded.
“You know why.”
“Yeah.”
He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“But I meant what I said last night.”
She searched his eyes.
“This isn’t going to be like before.”
“Still…”
“I know.”
His thumb traced her cheek.
“But don’t think about that right now.”
He kissed her again.
“We’ve got the rest of our lives to fight those battles. ‘Cause we both know they’re coming.”
She took a deep breath.
He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers before pinning it gently against the mattress.
“This is one of the things I missed the most.”
“What?”
He looked into her eyes.
“This view. And those silver eyes looking back at me.”
Heat crept into her cheeks.
She tried to look away.
He wouldn’t let her.
“I missed everything.”
For a moment they simply looked at each other.
No words.
No guilt.
No pretending.
Just them.
Lane’s gaze wandered toward the alarm clock flashing 12:00 a.m. waiting to be set up again.
“I don’t even know when the power came back.”
Kait followed his eyes. Then looked out the window.
Rain still streaked across the glass.
“I don’t think that storm’s done with us.”
“Good. That means you’re stuck here.”
She looked back at him.
“Not long enough.”
His expression softened.
“That’s going to change.”
He kissed her.
“I won’t do this again. I won’t spend months without you again, not even days.”
Kait’s smile faded.
“I hope not.”
Lane shook his head and kissed her again.
Kait took a deep breath.
“You know… there were so many nights…”
She hesitated.
“I drove out to the lakehouse hoping you’d be there.”
Lane looked at her surprised.
“I did that once.”
She blinked.
“When?”
“The night CU attacked you.”
His eyes drifted for a moment, seeing someplace far away.
“We were looking for you and I went up there… It looked exactly the same.”
Kait swallowed.
“I was never able to go inside. It hurt too much.”
Lane pulled her tight against him.
“Never again.”
His voice was quiet.
“But I mean it…”
He tipped her chin up.
“We will never let anyone make that decision for us again.”
She held his gaze for several seconds.
“Never.”
He smiled.
“There she is.”
She rolled her eyes.
He kissed her cheek.
His grin widened just enough.
“Let me see that smile.”
“What smile? I don’t smile.”
She buried her face against his shoulder, laughing under her breath.
Lane chuckled.
“There it is.”
She gave him a playful shove.
“No.”
He kissed her once more, slow and unhurried.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
Kait instinctively started to sit up.
Lane tightened his arm around her waist.
“Don’t you dare move.”
She looked at him.
“Lane, grab the sheet, I’m fucking naked.”
He sucked on her neck.
“Yeah, you are.”
Another knock.
He pulled the sheet over them enough to make Kait happy.
“Yeah?”
The bedroom door cracked open.
Melanie stepped inside.
A steaming mug of coffee in one hand, Kait’s clothes from last night on the other.
She took one step into the room… and stopped.
Her eyes swept across the floor.
A boot.
Kait’s shirt.
His T-shirt.
Lane’s black jeans.
Then she saw it.
Lane’s kutte.
Lying carelessly on the floor beside the door.
For as long as she’d known him, he’d treated that kutte with almost reverent care. He never left it on the floor. Never tossed it aside. It always had its place.
Last night… he didn’t care.
Because of her.
Melanie slowly lifted her eyes to the bed.
“Morning.”
Lane looked up.
“Morning.”
Melanie forced a smile.
“I brought your coffee.”
She held it up slightly.
For a moment, Lane didn’t even look at them.
His attention was still on Kait beneath him.
“We’re gonna need another cup.”
Kait shook her head.
“It’s fine.”
She slipped an arm around his neck.
“We can share.”
Lane grinned.
“That works.”
Melanie swallowed.
“I’ve got Kait’s clothes too.”
Lane finally glanced toward the folded jeans and shirt.
Then back at Kait.
“Those…”
He looked down at the woman in his arms.
“You don’t need those right now.”
“Nope.”
Kait smiled, her cheek still pressed against his bicep and she nibbled at it.
Melanie quietly crossed the room and laid the neatly folded clothes on top of the dresser.
She turned back.
“Do… do you need anything else?”
Lane thought for a second.
“Yeah, get Diablo for me.”
“Alright.”
She nodded once before hesitating.
“And… your clothes…”
Her eyes drifted toward the scattered pile covering half the floor.
“Do you want me to wash them?”
Lane wasn’t listening anymore.
He leaned down and kissed Kait again, slow and absentmindedly, as though he’d already forgotten anyone else was in the room.
Melanie stood there for another heartbeat.
Invisible.
Then she quietly opened the door and stepped back into the hallway.
She closed it behind her without making a sound.
Diablo sat in the living room smoking a cigarette, one boot propped on the opposite knee while the morning news murmured from the television.
He looked up as Melanie approached.
She barely made out the words.
“Kount wants you.”
Then she covered her face and hurried outside.
Diablo watched her for a second then glanced at Alejandra.
“I guess she finally got the hint.”
“Ay, Dios. That must’ve been brutal,” Alejandra said putting some beers in the cooler.
He put out his cigarette and headed for the master bedroom.
Kait kissed his jaw.
“Just saying, that must’ve sucked. You know she has feelings for you.”
“I don’t care anymore, Kait. It’s always about other people. I’m done with that shit, it’s about us now.”
“Okay, then.”
“That’s right.”
Kait smiled and kissed him.
Lane grip became stronger and she felt him ready again.
Kait bit his lower lip.
“Gotta hold that thought. Diablo’s on his way.”
A soft knock came at the door before it opened.
Diablo stepped inside.
He took one look at the battlefield covering the floor.
He slowly nodded to himself.
“Well, well, well…”
His grin spread.
“I’m glad you two finally talked things out.”
Lane snorted.
Kait chuckled.
“Hey, Devil.”
“Sup, Toast…”
Diablo leaned casually against the doorframe, hands in his pockets.
His eyes drifted around the room one more time before settling back on them.
Lane looked up.
“How bad is it?”
“The storm?”
“Yeah.”
Diablo shrugged.
“Honestly? Worse here than out there.”
Kait laughed and shook her head.
“Konway got the power back on.”
“Yeah, we noticed that.”
“Breakers tripped.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Lane let out a relieved breath.
“Nothing major.”
“What about the roof?”
“A few shingles came off.”
He shrugged again.
“Found ’em scattered all over the yard.”
“Bunkhouse roof okay too? No trees?”
“Nope.”
“No flooded rooms?”
“Little bit in the garage, but nothing we can’t fix.”
Lane nodded.
“Good.”
Diablo folded his arms.
“The only real problem is the roads.”
Lane frowned.
“They’re a mess.”
He glanced toward Kait.
“Toast’s not going anywhere today.”
Kait sighed dramatically.
“Damn, that sucks.”
Lane looked down at her with a grin.
“Just terrible news.”
“Devastating.”
Diablo rolled his eyes.
“I figured you’d both take it… hard.”
Lane chuckled.
“So…”
He looked back at Diablo.
“Nothing’s on fire?”
“No.”
“Nobody dead?”
“Nope. Shit’s handled.”
He pushed himself off the doorframe.
“So unless one of you suddenly feels like roofing in the rain…”
He pointed toward the bed.
“…I’d recommend you both stay right where you are and continue your debate.”
Lane didn’t need convincing.
He smiled, looked back down at Kait, and immediately kissed her again.
“Yeah, we have a lot more to discuss…”
Diablo laughed under his breath.
He reached for the doorknob.
“I’ll tell everyone the President’s tied up… wait, were you?”
“Get the fuck out of here already.”
“Pick up your fucking kuttes. Heathens,” Diablo said on his way out.
Then the door clicked shut behind him.
Lane and Kait laughed.
“Where were we?”
Kait adjusted and reached under the sheets, finding him still ready.
“You were about to get inside me.”
“Fuck yeah I was.”
DRYDEN
Snake Eyes Bail Bonds was quiet.
The rain still tapped against the front windows.
Loraine had barely settled behind her desk when the phone rang.
She picked it up.
“Snake Eyes.”
A shaky breath answered.
“…Loraine. It’s Melanie.”
She immediately recognized the voice.
“Melanie… what’s—”
A sob escaped before Melanie could stop it.
“It… it didn’t work.”
Loraine leaned back in her chair.
“What didn’t work?”
“He saw her.”
Another sob.
“I couldn’t stop it.”
Loraine closed her eyes.
“I know, Kolton told me she’s stuck there.”
“I tried.”
Melanie’s voice broke.
“I did everything. I tried to get her to leave before he got back. I even…”
She stopped.
Loraine’s expression hardened.
“You even what?”
“I shut the power off.”
Melanie sniffled.
“But she didn’t leave. I’m sure he stopped her.”
Her breathing became uneven again.
“They spent the night together.”
Loraine didn’t answer immediately. She dropped her bag on the desk. Annoyed.
“They’re still in bed right now. In his room. Together and—”
Melanie covered the receiver as she cried.
Loraine rolled her eyes.
“Melanie…”
“I lost him.”
“Stop.”
Loraine’s voice stayed calm.
“You lost your opportunity.”
Melanie couldn’t stop crying.
“I don’t know what to do. He clearly loves her. He’s crazy about her.”
Loraine stared out the office window.
“I don’t know what to do. He clearly loves her. He’s crazy about her. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
Loraine stared out the office window.
“You’re so stupid. I told you what to do. I told you months ago. You should’ve gotten pregnant by him… You would’ve been his ole lady by now.”
Melanie laughed bitterly through the tears.
“There was no way.”
“Why not?”
“Well, at first, he wouldn’t even touch me, and he always wears protection…”
She shook her head even though Loraine couldn’t see it.
“Well, obviously… And you didn’t think of poking in a hole in it?”
“No?”
Loraine sighed.
“Yeah, well, you should get more creative if you want to keep the man you love.”
Melanie didn’t answer.
She just cried quietly into the phone.
Loraine’s voice softened.
“Listen to me. This isn’t over yet.”
Her eyes drifted toward the framed photograph of Kolton sitting on the corner of her desk.
“We just have to be patient.”
Melanie took a shaky breath.
“…What if they get married?”
Loraine’s expression never changed.
“Please. As long as they have a snake on their backs, marriage means nothing… now, dry your eyes.
And don’t you dare make a scene. Do not make him kick you out.”
HUNTSVILLE
A half-empty pizza box rested on the floor next to the bed.
A six pack of Coors in a bucket full of ice on the nightstand.
Alejandra had dropped everything a little earlier.
The joint had burned down to nothing more than a roach resting in the ashtray.
Lane lay against the headboard.
Kait rested comfortably against his side, one leg tangled with his beneath the blankets.
Outside, the rain still drummed against the windows.
For the first time in months…
Neither of them had anywhere else to be.
“Pizza was good.”
“Yeah, Reggie’s is the best.”
“Haven’t had pizza in a while.”
“We needed the calories.”
Kait chuckled.
Lane kissed her.
“So…”
Kait looked up.
“So.”
He smiled.
“I guess we should probably talk about what happens next.”
She nodded.
“I’m breaking up with Kolton as soon as I go back home.”
Lane met her eyes.
“Really?”
She nodded.
“I can’t pretend anymore. He’s fine now, and that’s all I wanted.”
Lane studied her for another moment.
“Why did you move in with him?”
“Out of spite, because I knew it bothered you.”
Lane closed his eyes.
“It didn’t just bother me… it fucking killed me.”
She leaned over and kissed him softly.
“Lane… I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of since.”
He shook his head.
“So what? After last night… nothing else fucking matters anymore.”
“You’re not gonna ask?”
“Don’t care about before.”
He squeezed her hand.
“Okay?”
She nodded and took another sip of her beer.
“But you do need to be very careful when you break up with him.”
“I know. I don’t even think I should tell him it’s because of you.”
He nodded.
“Yeah, it’s better if you leave that to me, I’ll talk to him after I talk to Don.”
“You think he’ll listen?”
Lane chuckled.
“Nope.”
Then he got serious and looked at her.
“But I’ll try my best to deescalate. Besides, I want him to know what his mother did.”
Kait raised an eyebrow.
“That fucking bitch.”
“I still have no idea how she found out.”
Kait shook her head.
“Someone saw us, and that someone told her.”
“You think it was a patch?”
She sat up a little straighter.
“No… none of the boys would give a shit.”
“Ram saw us kiss at the Alley. He could’ve joked about it and maybe Loraine was around?”
“Who knows…”
“Only other patch would be Diablo.”
“He’s known since day one, but he wouldn’t gossip.”
Kait smiled.
“Known what?”
Lane grabbed her beer bottle and put it on the nightstand.
“That I…”
He kissed her once.
“Am…”
Another kiss.
“Fucking…”
Another.
“Crazy.”
“About you.”
Kait giggled and squeezed him.
“And then, after we tell everyone, you just… transfer here.”
Kait sighed quietly.
“But what about Slither? Contractors have started. Permits are moving.”
“Leave it for Kode. He’s smart, he can handle it.”
“But I was supposed to run it, I’ve got people counting on me.”
She looked back at him.
Lane stared toward the rain-covered window.
“I get it.”
Probably better than anyone.
“Or… I could come back to Dryden”
Kait opened her eyes wide.
“No fucking way… you’re president.”
“Kait… I don’t care.”
“That’s insane. No, no way.”
“Konway is perfectly capable of running the chapter. He was even here before me.”
For a minute…
Neither of them spoke.
The problem sat quietly between them.
Real.
Heavy.
Neither one willing to ask the other to sacrifice everything they’d built.
Finally, leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“We don’t have to figure everything out right now.”
She searched his face.
“No?”
Lane smiled.
“No, let’s just be together for a minute.”
Kait closed the last inch between them and kissed him.
Slowly.
Without urgency.
Without fear.
She climbed on him and straddled him.
“Yeah, I agree.”
dryden - kolton's house
The garage shook with music.
Loco by Coal Chamber blasted through a beat-up stereo system that must have seen a lot of Nest parties in the 80’s.
The garage door stood halfway open, letting the humid Texas night drift inside.
The rain had stopped for now, finally. The sound was driving him nuts.
Kolton sat on an old barstool beside the workbench, one boot hooked around the rung, a beer balanced on his thigh.
Third time he tried Kait’s number and no answer.
He tried all afternoon.
He set his Nokia down, next to a folded dollar bill…
Next to a small mirror with a neat white line and a razor blade on top.
He stared at it.
Just one.
He’d earned one.
Life had actually been… decent lately.
Kait was living with him.
Kyle was doing good in school.
Hell…
He was even in charge of the whole club right now while Don was gone.
Almost.
He leaned forward.
The music swallowed the sound.
A deep breath.
Then he sat back, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Sniffing hard.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then everything happened.
His jaw clenched.
His foot started bouncing.
A grin spread across his face.
“Fuckin’ aye.”
He cranked the stereo louder.
The guitars exploded through the garage.
Kolton grabbed the beer off the bench and took a long drink before setting it down hard enough to splash foam over the rim.
“Oh, that’s it.”
He laughed to himself.
No reason.
Just because everything suddenly felt possible.
He wandered over to the old refrigerator, grabbed another beer, popped it open on the edge of the workbench, and took another swallow.
Beer after beer disappeared beside him.
The mirror never stayed clean for long.
Time lost all meaning.
The music changed.
Suicidal Tendencies.
Faith No More.
Rage Against the Machine.
The garage became its own little world.
One where probation didn’t exist.
One where Kait wasn’t pulling away.
Where Don wasn’t disappointed in him.
Where he didn’t have to a single father.
He never noticed when midnight passed.
Or one a.m.
Or three a.m.
The beer was warm now.
The ashtray overflowed.
His eyes burned from cigarette smoke.
Hours went by but he was still going strong.
He went back inside and fired up the N64.
Another line.
Another beer.
The television flashed.
SUPREME VICTORY!
Kolton leaned back, laughing to himself.
“That’s right… Fuck you.”
He tried calling Kait again.
No answer.
He phone was probably dead.
Or she must still be asleep.
Outside…
The first birds began to sing.
Kolton didn’t notice.
He picked another fighter.
Sabrewulf this time.
One more game.
The television painted the living room in flashes of blue and red.
C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!
Kolton laughed, controller clutched in both hands.
“That’s bullshit.”
He selected another fighter.
Orchid.
“You better not disappoint me, slut.”
Another match.
The digital clock beneath the television blinked.
7:21 A.M.
The first gray light of morning filtered through the blinds.
The coffee table looked like a battlefield.
Beer bottles.
A crushed cigarette pack.
An overflowing ashtray.
A folded dollar bill lay beside a small mirror dusted with white residue.
Kolton rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.
One more game.
He heard a car pull up.
He frowned.
A sedan rolled slowly into the driveway.
White.
Kleberg County seal on the driver’s door.
Kolton’s stomach dropped.
“Shit…”
A man wrote something on a clipboard.
“…fuck.”
Everything happened at once.
Kolton muted the television.
Scooped the mirror and folded bill into a drawer.
Kicked two empty bottles beneath the couch.
Another glance through the blinds.
Still writing something.
Kolton bolted down the hallway.
“Kyle.”
He pushed the bedroom door open.
The little boy was sprawled across the bed, one arm wrapped around a stuffed snake.
“Kyle.”
Nothing.
Kolton shook his shoulder.
“Buddy.”
Kyle groaned.
“…Dad?”
“Hey, champ, can you help your daddy real quick?”
Kyle blinked sleep from his eyes.
“Uh-huh.”
Kolton picked up Kyle and carried him to the bathroom.
Kolton reached beneath the sink and pulled out a small plastic cup.
He held it out.
Kyle looked at it.
“The cup again?”
Kolton nodded once.
“Yeah, gotta check for superpowers remember? It was very close last time. Quick. The lab guy’s here”
Kyle yawned.
“Okay.”
No questions.
No confusion.
Just sleepy acceptance.
A knock echoed through the house.
Three quick knocks.
Kolton looked toward the front door.
“Shit…”
Another knock.
“Who is it?”
“Officer Davis with Probation, Mr. Westfall.”
“Oh, hey. Be right there, lemme get dressed!” he shouted.
His eyes darted back toward the bathroom.
“Gotta hurry, buddy.”
“I just woke up…”
Kolton paced once.
Twice.
Another knock.
“Mr. Westfall…”
The bathroom door cracked open.
Kyle stood there in dinosaur pajamas, holding the cup with both hands.
“Done.”
Kolton took it.
“Thanks.”
Kyle rubbed one eye.
“Can I go back to bed now?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t wash my hands.”
“This time is okay.”
He ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Go, go, go. Thanks, bud. Keep eating all your veggies.”
Kyle turned around without another word and disappeared back into his room.
Kolton stepped into the bathroom long enough to set the cup under the sink.
Another knock.
“I’m coming!”
He splashed cold water across his face.
Dragged both hands through his hair.
Opened the front door.
The probation officer smiled politely.
“Morning, Mr. Westfall.”
“Morning, officer.”
“Sorry to drop by so early but I have a lot of rounds to make today.”
Kolton shrugged.
“S’all good.”
The officer glanced inside.
“Mind if I come in?”
“Nah.”
He stepped aside.
The officer entered, clipboard tucked beneath one arm.
“Everything going alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Working?”
“Yeah, still at the bail bonds. Just working and taking care of my son.”
The officer nodded.
“Good, good.”
His eyes wandered briefly toward the muted television.
“Killer Instinct?”
Kolton smirked.
“Yeah.”
“Love it.”
The officer flipped open the clipboard.
“Well… let’s get this over with.”
He reached into his bag and removed a sealed specimen cup.
“I’ll need a urine sample this morning.”
Kolton looked at the cup.
Then toward the hallway.
Then back again.
“Sure.”
He took it without hesitation.
“No problem.”
He walked toward the bathroom.
Closed the door behind him.
The room fell silent.
His eyes settled on the bathroom counter.
Two plastic cups.
One sitting exactly where he’d left it.
The other resting in his hand.
Kolton exhaled slowly.
Relieved.
