FIRE & RUIN
CHAPTER 4
HIGH ENOUGH
This chapter has A BONUS SCENE available: The Falfurrias Meeting
Morning came slow over Dryden.
Sunlight pushed through the blinds of Don Westfall’s home office, laying thin white lines across the desk. Papers sat in neat stacks. A map of South Texas hung on the wall. The house was quiet except for the distant hum of the refrigerator down the hall.
Don sat behind the desk with a cup of black coffee.
He hadn’t slept much.
Falfurrias had been running through his head all night.
He opened the top drawer of the desk.
Inside, wrapped in a shop rag, sat the small Motorola StarTAC Mondragón had given him months ago.
Para hablar conmigo.
To speak with me.
Don picked it up and flipped it open.
The screen glowed faint green.
He dialed the number Mondragón had programmed into it.
Three rings.
The line clicked.
“Mi amigo Donovan.”
Don leaned back in the chair and glanced toward the office door, listening.
The house stayed quiet.
Lori wasn’t up.
“Morning,” he said, keeping his voice low.
A pause.
Then Mondragón asked, calm as ever.
“Is there a problem?”
“The Roma route’s getting complicated,” Don said. “Construction south of Freer. Border Patrol all over the highway. Yesterday we had a situation near Falfurrias.”
“A situation.”
“Reyes del Camino.”
Mondragón waited.
“They hit the convoy.”
The voice on the other end stayed perfectly steady.
“The driver told my guys he arrived even ahead of schedule.”
“He did.”
“Then the run was successful.”
Don leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk.
“It was,” Don said. “But the route’s becoming a problem. Falfurrias belongs to Reyes MC. But that is the only route available until construction is done.”
Silence.
Then Mondragón spoke again.
“The runs cannot stop.”
“I didn’t say stop.”
“My partners expect the deliveries.”
The way he said partners carried weight.
Don rubbed his jaw.
“There’s a higher level of danger for my guys now.”
Another pause.
“Then the compensation will increase.”
Don looked down at the phone in his hand.
“How much?”
“Enough to start. More once this plays out.”
Don exhaled slowly.
“Alright.”
“You are capable of solving territorial issues? Sounds like it’s a faster route anyway.”
Don glanced once more toward the closed office door.
Still quiet.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve got a sit-down with Alacrán in a couple of hours.”
“How long until this issue is solved?
“I should have it solved by the end of the day.”
“There is a route tomorrow,” Mondragón said. “The trucks need to keep moving.”
“It’ll be handled.”
A final pause.
“Then we understand each other.”
The line clicked.
Don sat there a moment, staring at the dark screen.
He took a slow sip of coffee.
Then he snapped the StarTAC shut.
The courtyard smelled like bacon and cool air by the time Kait came down the stairs. Bikes were already lined up near the gate.
Lane, Diablo, Klaus, and Ram were strapping on gloves and helmets.
Kait stopped by the office door.
“Where you guys headed?”
Klaus swung a leg over his bike.
“Brews,” he said. “Sit-down with Alacrán.”
Kait’s eyebrows lifted.
“Oh shit.”
That woke her up.
“Well… be safe.”
Kait’s eyes met Lane’s for a second.
Just a second.
Then Lane looked away and eased the bike forward.
One by one the others rolled out through the gate.
The sound of engines faded down the street.
The Nest went quiet again.
Kait turned and walked inside to the TV room.
Kolton was sprawled across one couch.
Blaze was passed out on the other like he’d just collapsed there and never moved again.
Kait shook her head and went back to the dining room.
Kode came out of the kitchen taking one last drink of his coffee and setting the mug down on the bar.
He glanced at the scene and shook his head.
“We got so fucking hammered last night,” he said.
Kait snorted softly.
“I guess so.”
Brews N’ Crews sat quiet in the early morning light.
The neon signs were off. Without them, the place looked older. Just wood worn smooth by decades of elbows and spilled beer. The long bar stretched across the room like a scar.
Dust drifted through thin blades of sunlight cutting between the blinds.
The air still smelled like last night.
Beer. Cigars. Old wood.
Chugs stood behind the bar wiping the counter with a rag, slow and steady like always.
Brews N’ Crews didn’t rush.
It didn’t need to.
Outside, Mitch sat on the front steps with a paper cup of gas station coffee.
He wasn’t allowed inside yet.
Nobody was until Chugs opened the doors.
But Mitch showed up every morning anyway.
Same step. Same cup.
He took a sip and squinted down the street.
Engines.
First came Krait.
Five bikes rolled up and parked along one side of the street.
Moments later another pack approached from the opposite direction.
Reyes del Camino.
They parked across the road.
Two clubs.
Two rows of bikes.
Facing each other across the street like they’d been measured with a ruler.
Mitch watched the whole thing and scratched his beard.
“Hmm,” he muttered.
“Now I don’t know if I want burgers or tacos for dinner.”
The engines died one by one.
Boots hit pavement.
No one said much.
Kraits and Reyes stood there a moment across the street from each other, the morning air still cool between them.
Then Don stepped forward.
Alacrán did the same.
No handshakes.
No words.
They crossed the street and walked toward the door.
Mitch leaned back on the step to let them pass.
“Morning, gentlemen. Hola, mis amigos,” he said, like this was just another Tuesday.
Nobody answered.
Inside, Chugs looked up from the bar as the door opened.
He took in the colors.
Krait MC.
Reyes del Camino MC.
Another meeting was about to take place.
Morning at Snake Eyes was usually slow.
Loraine had the front counter open, paperwork spread in small piles while Kode leaned against the side wall checking the overnight arrest list.
Kait sat on the corner of the desk flipping through intake forms.
Coffee.
Alice in Chains’ Would? playing low on the radio.
Nothing unusual.
Until the phone rang.
Kode pushed off the wall and grabbed the receiver.
“Snake Eyes. “’Cause jail is hell.”
A pause.
His eyebrows lifted.
Then he looked over at Kait.
“Yeah… she’s here too.”
Another pause.
Kode nodded slowly.
“Alright.”
He hung up and looked at her.
“That was Mack.”
Kait straightened slightly.
“We got church.”
The words sat there a second.
Kode grabbed his kutte off the chair.
“Now.”
Loraine looked up from the paperwork.
“What happened?”
Kode shrugged.
“Didn’t say.”
“We’ll see ya, Loraine.”
Kait was already on her feet.
“You guys ride safe, love ya,” Loraine said watching them leave.
The Nest was already stirring when they pulled in.
More bikes than usual lined the courtyard.
Engines cooling down from the morning ride.
Something was off.
Kait could feel it before she even stepped inside.
Inside the chapel some of the guys were already there.
Randy sat at the end of the table nursing a with a cup of coffee.
Blaze leaned against the wall, arms folded. He looked more exhausted than anything else.
Kolton looked like absolute hell.
Forehead buried against his arm
“Jesus,” Kode muttered. “You look like death.”
Kolton didn’t even lift his head.
“Don’t talk.”
Blaze smirked.
“Worst hangover ever.”
Kolton just groaned.
But the joking didn’t last.
The room was too quiet.
Too many empty chairs.
Kait looked around.
Don wasn’t there.
Neither were Lane, Klaus, Ram or Diablo.
The five that had gone to the meeting.
Her stomach tightened slightly.
Instead of taking her spot, Kait stepped outside.
The morning air was cooler on the terrace beside the chapel.
From there she could see the courtyard and the gate.
She leaned against the railing and waited.
A few minutes later the sound of bikes rolled in.
Five engines.
The gate opened.
Don came in first.
Lane behind him.
Then Klaus.
Ram.
Diablo.
They cut the engines and climbed off their bikes without talking.
Something was wrong.
Even from the terrace Kait could see it.
Their posture.
The way nobody talked.
Nobody lingered.
They moved like men who had just come from a fight that hadn’t happened yet.
Lane was halfway up the stairs when he looked up.
His eyes found Kait immediately.
For a second they just looked at each other.
Kait saw something right away.
Worry?
Not fear.
But something close.
Lane held the look for half a second longer.
Then he kept walking.
The five of them passed her without saying a word and went straight inside.
Kait stood there another moment.
Then she went into the chapel from the side door.
The room had filled in.
All the chairs were taken now.
Every patch in the room was facing the front.
Kait stepped in, sat down, and waited.
The room settled slowly.
Chairs scraped the wooden floor as the last few patches took their seats around the long table.
The tension was obvious.
Don finally stood at the head of the table and waited until the room finally went still.
“We met with Reyes this morning.”
Don’s voice stayed calm.
“Things…” he looked at Kolton. “Straighten the fuck up.”
Kolton raised his head slowly and sat back crossing his arms.
“Things got… a little heated,” Don continued.
Someone snorted quietly.
Don ignored it.
“They wanted compensation for Santos.”
Blaze shifted in his chair.
“Yeah well,” he muttered, “maybe don’t chase our guys through town.”
A few quiet chuckles followed.
“I told them no.”
That earned a few approving grunts around the table.
Don let that sit for a moment.
Then he continued.
“But we came to an agreement.”
The room leaned in slightly.
Don’s voice stayed even.
“There’s gonna be a turf war.”
A few guys straightened immediately.
Kolton lifted his head slowly.
“For what?” Randy asked.
Don didn’t hesitate.
“Falfurrias.”
The room reacted. Low voices. A couple of curses.
Blaze pushed himself upright.
“You’re kidding.”
Don shook his head once.
“Five out of seven fights.”
“Holy shit,” said Mack.
“Winner takes the town.”
Now the tension settled in.
Kolton looked from Don to Lane and back again.
Lane didn’t move.
Didn’t say a word.
Just watched Don.
Klaus spoke without raising his voice.
“There was no vote about any of this last night.”
Don didn’t look at him.
“Meeting didn’t happen last night.”
Klaus leaned forward slightly.
“Turf is a club decision, therefore it needs to be put on the table.”
Several guys glanced at each other.
Now the room started shifting.
Blaze looked between the two men.
Kolton sat up straighter.
Don’s jaw tightened slightly.
“Well sometimes, a president has to make a call on the spot.”
Klaus nodded slowly.
“Maybe.”
Don’s voice hardened.
“Look, the situation changed.”
Klaus leaned back in his chair.
“Well, tell them about the terms since they didn’t get to vote on that either”
Don didn’t answer immediately.
Klaus filled the silence.
“Five out of seven fights. Halo is mediating.”
He looked around the table.
“If we lose…”
The room waited.
Klaus glanced back at Don.
“We pay Reyes thirty thousand dollars.”
That got a reaction.
“Are you out of your mind?” said Randy and couldn’t help but laugh.
A couple guys cursed under their breath.
Kolton sat forward fast.
“What the hell?”
Kriket, Kode, and Buster were just in awe.
Klaus continued calmly.
“And we also have to pay a toll every time we ride through Falfurrias.”
The room erupted into low conversation.
Guys talking over each other now.
Lane had lit up a cigarette earlier and seemed more focused on following the smoke than the reactions.
“That is if we lose,” Don said but everyone was still murmuring.
“We’re not. We’re gonna fight and get the town for us,” said Kait.
Lane looked at her.
Don gave her a crooked smile.
“Yeah, we fucking are.”
The room was still buzzing when Don lifted his hand.
That alone was enough.
The noise died.
Don looked around the table once.
“You’re all talking like this is still up for debate.”
Nobody answered.
“It’s not. If we don’t get Falfurrias, the protection runs stop and we’re fucked.”
He rested both hands on the back of the chair at the head of the table.
“Do any of you have a clue how much it costs to keep the lights on in this place?”
“Shit,” Randy said knowing it all too well.
“Besides the deal’s already made.”
A few guys shifted in their seats.
Don continued.
“Five out of seven fights. Tonight at two a.m. at the quarry.”
He nodded once toward the table.
“We pick our people.”
The room listened now.
Don started naming them.
“Kount.”
No surprise there.
Lane didn’t move.
“Kowboy.”
Blaze tipped his hat.
“Diablo.”
Diablo nodded once without saying anything.
“Ram.”
Ram shrugged slightly like it didn’t matter either way.
“Kriket.”
Kriket didn’t react. He just watched.
Don paused a moment.
“Prince…”
Don looked once more around the room.
“And Toast.”
The reaction came immediately.
Kolton shot upright.
“The hell she is.”
Kait turned her head.
The room went quiet again.
Don didn’t even look at him yet.
Kolton pushed his chair back.
“Hell no.”
“The fuck are you doing?” Kait said.
Kolton shook his head hard. “She’s not fighting in this.”
Kait pupils were blown wide.
Don’s voice stayed calm.
“I don’t remember asking your permission or you having a higher flasher than mine.”
“Kolton,” said Kait feeling so embarrassed.
“Ain’t your call,” said Don.
Kolton stepped forward a half step.
“It damn sure is if she gets hurt. She’s still recovering from this asshole,” Kolton said pointing at the tank behind him.
“I’m fine,” Kait said through her teeth.
Now a few guys shifted uncomfortably.
Blaze rubbed his face.
“Here we go…”
Don’s slammed the table.
“I’m The Head of the Snake, and If I say she fights, she fucking fights. She’s a patched goddamned member of this fucking club.”
That’s when Lane finally moved.
His chair scraped the floor as he stood.
Not fast or dramatic. Just enough.
Kolton noticed immediately.
Lane’s voice was low.
“Sit down.”
Kolton turned toward him.
“Stop arguing with your president.”
Lane stepped forward once.
Kolton didn’t answer.
Lane’s eyes hardened slightly.
“And stop speaking for another member.”
Lane glanced at Kait.
She raised an eyebrow.
Kolton’s jaw tightened.
Lane didn’t blink.
The room stayed dead quiet.
Lane leaned slightly closer.
“Don’t make me say it again.”
A long second passed.
Kolton looked from Lane…
to Don…
then toward Kait.
His jaw clenched.
Then he kicked his chair back into place and sat down hard.
Nobody spoke.
Don finally nodded once.
“Anybody else wants to challenge the Head of the Snake?”
He looked back around the table.
“Now that that’s settled…”
The meeting broke apart quickly after they agreed to meet at the Nest no later than midnight.
Boots shuffled.
Nobody wanted to hang around.
Don asked Klaus to stay back.
Ram and disappeared toward the office.
Randy grabbed his hat and headed for the parking lot.
Blaze followed him, rubbing his face trying to wake up for the ride to the ranch.
The room emptied fast.
Kolton didn’t wait.
“Babe.”
She was already moving toward the door.
“Kait.”
She kept walking.
By the time she stepped into the courtyard he was right behind her.
“Hey!”
She turned sharply.
“What the hell was that in there?”
Kait stared at him.
She turned and started walking toward the garage.
Kolton followed.
“I was trying to protect you.”
She spun around again.
“I don’t need you to protect me.”
They were halfway across the courtyard now.
A couple of guys coming down the stairs slowed when they saw the argument brewing.
Kolton lowered his voice but the frustration was still there.
“Can’t you see I just care for you?”
Kait scoffed and kept walking.
Kolton caught up again.
“Kait, don’t walk away from me.”
Still nothing.
They reached the garage doors.
“Kait!”
She stopped again.
Kolton’s voice cracked just slightly.
“Baby, please. I love you”
The words hung there.
The courtyard went quiet.
Kait froze.
For a second it looked like the ground dropped out from under her.
Kolton watched her.
Waiting.
“I just love you, okay. All I do is because—”
Kait shook her head once.
“Kolton. No. I can’t deal with this right now.”
She turned to leave.
Kolton stepped in front of her.
“No.”
Kait’s eyes flashed.
“Move, Kolton.”
“Why can’t you say it back?”
His frustration rose.
“Why won’t you move in with me?”
Still nothing.
Kolton stepped closer.
“You don’t love me back, do you?”
That did it.
Kait shoved past him.
“I can’t do this right now!”
Kolton grabbed her arms and put her against the garage side wall.
Hard.
“Kait, I—”
Before he could finish the sentence, someone grabbed the back of his collar.
Lane.
Lane turned him and grabbed the front of Kolton’s kutte and drove him back into the garage wall.
“What the fuck is the matter with you?”
Kolton hit the wall a lot harder than Kait.
Lane held him there.
“You putting hands on her?”
Kolton shoved against him.
“I wasn’t—”
Lane didn’t let him move.
“I saw you.”
“Kount, just let him go—” Kait started.
Lane turned his head just a little and looked at her.
“Go for a ride. Don’t worry about him.”
Kait couldn’t clear the courtyard fast enough.
She swung onto her bike, kicked it alive, and rolled toward the gate.
For a second she hesitated.
Just long enough to glance back.
Lane still had Kolton pinned against the wall.
Diablo was walking over now, grabbing Kolton’s shoulder.
“It’s cool, you both chill,” Diablo muttered.
Kait didn’t stay to hear the rest.
She twisted the throttle and rode out of the Nest.
Kait rode for a while before the noise in her head started to settle.
The road out toward the lake cut through long stretches of brush and fence lines, the kind of quiet that only existed a few miles outside Dryden. Wind pushed against her shoulders and the steady rumble of the engine slowly bled the anger out of her system.
By the time she turned down the narrow county road leading toward the lake, her thoughts had cooled into something quieter.
The lake house came into view through the trees.
Small.
Weathered.
The siding needed paint and the dock behind it looked half-rotted, leaning crooked into the water.
Most people would drive past it without a second glance.
Kait didn’t.
She rolled to a stop in front of it. For a moment she just sat there, lit up a cigarette, and stared at the place.
It wasn’t much.
But it was hers in her head already.
She climbed off the bike and walked over to the payphone beside the bait shop a few blocks down. The thick yellow phone book hung on its chain next to the booth.
Kait pulled a prepaid calling card from her wallet and dialed the international number.
The line rang twice before a familiar voice picked up.
“Heidi.”
Relief crept into Kait’s voice.
“Hey.”
“I’ve been trying to reach you,” Heidi said immediately.
“Yeah,” Kait muttered. “Messages don’t always get where they’re supposed to.”
Heidi didn’t dwell on it.
“I’ve got good news.”
Kait leaned her shoulder against the side of the booth.
“The bikes sold.”
Kait closed her eyes for a second.
“Both?”
“Both.”
Heidi explained the transfers were finished and the money would come out to around twelve thousand once everything cleared.
“I’ll send it Western Union this time,” Heidi added. “You should have it in a few days.”
“Awesome.”
They talked a minute longer about paperwork before Kait thanked her and hung up.
Twelve thousand.
That changed things.
She picked the receiver up again and flipped through the phone book until she found the number she wanted.
The lake house owner answered after a few rings.
“Hello?”
“Hi,” Kait said. “I’m calling about the lake property off County Road 17.”
There was a pause.
“You don’t say.”
Kait almost smiled.
“Yeah. You the owner?”
“Yes ma’am. Vernon Holloway.” the man said.
“Hi, Mr. Holloway. My name’s Kait.”
“Well, pleasure speaking with ya, Kait. Didn’t think anyone was interested in that place.”
“I am. Very interested.”
He chuckled.
“Not exactly a palace.”
“That’s fine.”
They talked briefly. The owner agreed to meet her Friday and show her the inside.
“We can talk money after you see what you’re dealing with. Gotta be fair. You gotta see what’s inside.” he said.
“That works.”
While Kait leaned against the booth listening to him describe the condition of the place, two Harleys rolled slowly down the county road.
The riders weren’t in a hurry.
Just cruising.
One of them glanced toward the bait shop as they passed.
Then he noticed the bike parked near the payphone.
He nudged the rider beside him.
Both helmets turned slightly.
They didn’t stop.
Didn’t slow much either.
Just long enough to recognize what they were looking at.
Then the engines climbed again as they continued down the road.
Inside the booth, Kait was still focused on the conversation.
By the time she hung up the phone and stepped outside, the sound of the bikes had already faded into the distance.
She never thought twice about it.
The gas station outside Sarita was quiet that afternoon.
Two bikes were parked near the pumps.
Alacrán leaned against one of them, smoking, boots crossed at the ankles.
Severino sat on the low concrete curb beside the ice machine, helmet resting on his knee. His eyes were on the highway, watching the heat shimmer rising off the asphalt.
They had been waiting there a few minutes.
Then two more engines appeared in the distance.
Roque.
Chido.
Both bikes rolled into the lot and killed their engines almost at the same time.
Chido pulled his helmet off first.
He looked straight at Severino.
“We saw your girl, foo.”
Severino didn’t move.
“What girl?”
Roque stepped off his bike.
“La culebrita blanca.”
That got Severino’s attention.
His eyes lifted slowly.
“¿Dónde?”
Chido jerked his thumb back toward the road they had come from.
“By the lake. En el bait shop.”
Alacrán took a drag from his cigarette.
“She alone?”
Roque nodded.
“Solita, solita.”
Severino stood up.
Slowly.
For a moment he just looked down the road toward the lake.
Thinking.
Alacrán studied him from the side.
“We’re heading back to La Gloria.”
Severino picked up his helmet.
“I’ll catch up.”
Alacrán blew smoke through his nose.
A long pause passed.
Then he shrugged.
“Don’t start no shit. You’ll get your date tonight anyway.”
Severino gave a small smile.
“Oh, I know. I just wanna take a closer look.”
Roque and Chido exchanged a glance.
They knew that smile.
Then he slid the helmet on and swung onto the bike.
The engine roared to life beneath him.
Alacrán watched…
He was getting tired of the situation.
Severino had never belonged to anyone.
Not really.
No parents.
No family.
Just another orphan kid in Tamaulipas who learned early that the world only respected two things.
Power and money.
The Talamantes ranch had given him both.
He worked. He obeyed. He was rewarded.
And when el patrón started asking him to do things other men refused to do… Severino never hesitated.
Fear was a language. Pain was a tool.
By the time he was twenty, el patrón trusted him with work no one else could handle.
Coming to the United States had simply been another assignment.
Reyes del Camino was useful.
Motorcycles. Territory. Routes.
But Reyes del Camino Motorcycle Club itself meant nothing to him.
Alacrán thought he ran things but Severino knew the truth.
Every mile of Texas they touched belonged to Talamantes.
And Severino was here to make sure of it.
Then one day he saw her.
Once.
Across a parking lot in Dryden.
Her blonde hair braided to the side.
Silver eyes that looked like they didn’t belong to this world.
La culebrita blanca.
Something about that little white snake had stayed in his head ever since.
Severino rolled onto the county road toward the lake.
The bike surged forward beneath him.
No hurry.
Predators didn’t rush.
They closed distance.
Somewhere up ahead, his prey was riding.
And he wanted to chase her again.
The road out by the lake stretched empty in both directions.
Kait rode for several minutes before something began to bother her.
A feeling.
Not sound at first.
Just instinct.
Then she checked the mirror.
A bike.
Far enough back that most riders wouldn’t think twice.
But he hadn’t turned off.
Hadn’t passed.
Hadn’t closed the distance either.
Just stayed there.
Watching.
Kait’s eyes narrowed behind the visor.
Her hand rolled the throttle a little.
The Harley surged forward.
The bike behind her did the same.
Not aggressive.
Just enough to stay in sight.
That was when she knew.
“Shit.”
She glanced down at the gauge.
The needle hovered just above empty.
Of course.
She never filled up after the Falfurrias run.
Not before going to Snake Eyes in the morning.
Or after leaving The Nest after church.
Or after the lake house phone call.
Kait cursed under her breath for being careless.
This never happened to her.
She knew she wouldn’t make it all the way back to the Nest.
Not if she pushed the bike.
But there was one place closer.
Brews N’ Crews.
The safe place.
Kait twisted the throttle hard.
The engine roared.
Behind her, Severino smiled a sick grin.
Now the snake was running.
Perfect.
He leaned forward and opened the throttle.
The chase began.
Lane stood on the terrace beside the chapel.
From up there he could see the back road that curved through the brush and eventually wrapped around toward the Nest. Most riders used that route when they didn’t feel like cutting through town.
The evening light was starting to soften, turning the dry grass out past the fence a dull gold.
Lane leaned against the metal railing and lit a cigarette.
The first drag burned deep in his lungs.
He exhaled slowly and kept his eyes on the road.
Nothing.
Just wind moving through the brush and the distant hum of trucks on the highway.
He took another drag.
His mind drifted back to the garage.
Kolton pacing like a caged animal.
The frustration.
The breakdown.
Lane had grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to breathe.
“Go hangout with your kid,” he had told him.
Kolton didn’t want to hear it.
But he listened, eventually.
Lane sent him to Loraine’s place to spend a few hours with Kyle before the fight tonight.
It was the only thing that would settle him down.
Lane flicked ash over the railing and watched the road again.
Still nothing.
Kait should have been back by now.
She had stormed out of the Nest earlier, furious as hell.
And Lane had told her to go.
He took another drag from the cigarette.
The smoke curled slowly into the evening air.
Maybe she just needed to ride.
Clear her head.
That was all.
Lane crushed the cigarette out against the railing and dropped the butt into the courtyard below.
He gave the road one last look.
Empty.
Then he pushed away from the railing and headed down the metal stairs from the terrace.
The main area smelled like food when he stepped inside.
Someone had left a pan warming on the stove.
Lane grabbed a plate and scooped himself whatever was there without really paying attention.
Melanie hovered nearby at the counter, pretending to wipe something that was already clean.
She glanced over at him.
“Hey, Kount. I could’ve made a plate for you.”
“It’s fine,” Lane said and took a bite.
The room settled into its usual quiet rhythm.
Outside, the sun kept dropping toward the horizon.
And somewhere miles away from the Nest—
Kait was riding.
Kait could hear the low rumble of his engine now.
He wasn’t just trailing her anymore—he was closing in, inch by inch, like a cat playing with its prey.
Her fuel light had been on for too long.
She could feel every sputter the bike threatened to give.
Brews N’ Crews had to be close. She knew this stretch of highway—one more curve, one more push.
She gritted her teeth and leaned forward, urging the Kriger onward. But that sound—his engine—grew louder, and in her mirror, she saw his shape, closer than ever.
“Come on, come on,” she muttered under her breath.
Finally, the neon of Brews N’ Crews flickered in the distance. The place was close—she just needed to make it.
But Severino wasn’t done playing. He surged forward—close enough that she could almost feel the heat of his headlight on her back.
Kait’s heart pounded. But she wasn’t breaking.
With one final push, she swung into the lot.
The bike sputtered, practically gasping, but she rolled it right up near the curb and cut the engine.
As soon as she stopped, Severino slowed, pulling into the lot like he had all the time in the world.
But he didn’t park far.
He kept his eyes on her, that predatory calm making her stomach twist.
But Kait knew where she was—she was in neutral territory now.
The place was already alive inside.
Pool balls cracked somewhere in the back.
Snake Mountain Blues hummed low through the jukebox speakers.
The smell of beer and old wood wrapped around her the second she stepped through the door.
A few heads turned.
Kait walked straight to the bar.
Mitch was wiping down a glass when he spotted her.
“Hey,” he said.
He leaned forward on the counter.
“You look like a purdy hen running away from a pissed off horny rooster that wanted a shot at ya.”
Kait took a deep breath and set an elbow on the bar.
Her silver eyes flicked briefly toward the door behind her.
Then back to Mitch.
“You may be right, Mitch,” she raised her hand up at Chugs. “Shot of vodka, please.”
Chugs caught the labor in her breathing. He nodded and poured her one.
He slid the shot across the counter.
Kait tossed it back without hesitation.
The burn hit hard.
She moved down to the far edge of the bar where the wall met the corner.
From there she could see the entire room.
And the door.
Always the door.
She sat down slowly.
Calm.
Still.
The bar noise continued around her.
A couple guys glanced her way. No patches. They were in work uniforms. Some factory nearby.
The krait on her back made her hard to miss.
She was the only one wearing colors there.
Until the door opened.
Severino walked in like he had been coming to Brews N Crews his whole life.
No hurry.
No tension.
Just another patch stepping into a bar.
A couple heads turned again.
Not because of anything obvious. Just instinct.
He walked to the bar but didn’t order a drink.
He turned and sat down on the stool directly beside Kait.
Close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.
For a few seconds neither of them spoke.
Kait didn’t even look at him.
Her eyes stayed on the mirror behind the bar.
Watching his reflection instead.
Severino studied her openly.
Her eyes.
Her hair.
The faint glow of sweat along her temples from the ride.
Up close she looked even more unreal.
Like something that didn’t belong anywhere near men like him.
Finally Kait turned her head slightly.
Just enough to look at him.
Calm and controlled. Curious at best.
“You do all that back there, and you get shy on me now?”
Severino smiled faintly.
That was the first time he heard her voice.
Low.
Calm.
He couldn’t wait to hear her scream.
“No, mija.”
His eyes lingered on her.
“What do you want?”
He looked at her like he had all the time in the world.
“A lot of things. But lately, to hear you scream.”
Kait held his gaze.
Not impressed.
Not intimidated either.
Just studying him.
“Severino, right?”
He nodded once.
Like he was acknowledging a fact.
“I’m Kait.”
Her tone was flat.
Polite.
But her eyes sharpened slightly.
“I know.”
“You say you want to hear me scream?”
Severino leaned back on the stool.
Relaxed.
Almost amused.
“Yeah,” he said calmly.
“Scream something or for something?”
His eyes drifted slowly to her lips.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
The room behind them carried on like nothing was happening.
Pool balls cracked somewhere near the back.
Laughter rose and fell at one of the tables.
Chugs came over and planted another shot of vodka in front of Kait.
“What you drinkin’?” he asked Severino.
Severino shook his head and put one hand up.
Chugs glanced once at Kait, reading the air around the two of them, then drifted back down the bar to the other customers.
Severino’s eyes moved over Kait again.
Taking inventory.
“Why did you chase me for?” she asked in the same tone as before.
“Just so you know I can catch you.”
Kait finally reached for the vodka.
She drank it slow this time.
Then set the glass down and looked past Severino toward the door.
“You haven’t yet.”
Severino followed her eyes.
The door of Brews N Crews had just opened.
Lane stepped inside.
He stopped just inside the doorway.
His eyes moved once across the room until they landed on Kait.
For a second neither of them moved.
Then Lane gave a small nod.
Kait barely lifted her chin in return and got up.
“I ain’t done chasing.”
Kait got up and took a deep breath.
“Well, least you can do is pick up my tab after all that,”
“No problem,” he said and couldn’t help but to lightly touch her arm with the back of his fingers as she passed it.
“Chugs, he’s got the tab. Thanks,” she pointing at Severino.
Severino watched her walk away and met Lane’s glare.
And smiled.
The night air outside Brews N’ Crews was cooler than the bar.
Kait stepped into the gravel lot beside Lane.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
She walked straight to her Harley and glanced down at the tank.
“You alright?”
“Yep.”
“What did he say to you?”
“Nothing. He’s a fucking weirdo.”
“Did he chase you here?”
“Yeah, he appeared behind me all of the sudden by County 17.”
“You ran out of gas?”
“Yeah. Barely made it here.”
“Let’s go back to the Nest. We’ll get a gas can and come back.”
“How did you know?”
“Chugs called the Nest. Let’s go.”
Kait crossed her arms and shifted her weight.
“What.”
“I don’t ride bitch.”
Lane scoffed. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s go before he comes out and does something stupid.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, do that all you want but we gotta go now.”
Kait sighed.
Lane swung onto the bike and Kait climbed on behind him.
She grabbed the rear bars instead of his shoulders.
Lane turned his head slightly and saw her hands on the bars.
“Ready?”
“Yep.”
The Hardline roared to life, and they peeled out of the Brews N’ Crews parking lot.
She never held on to him.
By the time they reached the Nest, lunch had come and gone.
Lane killed the engine and they both stepped off the bike.
Lane glanced toward the parking row.
“He’s not here.”
“What?”
“Kolton. He’s not going to be here, so you can rest up before tonight.”
“Good.”
She nodded once. Last thing she wanted was to talk about Kolton.
“And, um…” she said turning around and walking at the same time. “I appreciate the assist.”
She started toward the courtyard.
“Lokken.”
Kait stopped and turned.
Didn’t say anything.
Lane looked at her.
“You sure you’re up to it?”
“What? Tonight?”
“Yeah.”
Kait shrugged.
“You need to practice a little before we—”
“No, thanks.”
“I’m just trying to help.”
She scoffed.
“I’ll be just fine. You’ll see. Maybe I’ll prove you wrong about that too.”
She turned to leave.
“It’s not about that.”
His voice had a little edge now.
Kait turned back around and walked straight up to him.
Close.
Too close for comfort.
“Then what’s it about, Kount?”
Lane met her eyes.
“Getting out of it in one piece.”
“And I will.”
She stepped back.
“Don’t worry about me.”
“If you need help with—”
“I don’t need any more of your help today, Kount. Thanks.”
She turned away again.
“I’m gonna go get the truck keys.”
Kait walked into the office.
She opened the lockbox on the wall and grabbed the key to the black Chevy pickup.
When she turned around—
Lane was standing right there.
Blocking the doorway.
“You can’t go alone anyway. Someone has to drive the truck back.”
“I’ll ask Mack. He’s right there. You don’t have to go.”
“He’s still hurt.”
“I’m sure someone’s around.”
Lane shook his head once, then held out his hand.
“Give me the keys.”
Kait didn’t move.
“I’ll drive.”
“I don’t think so,” said Kait holding the keys away like a child.
“Hey!” said Don walking up from the courtyard.
They both looked.
That was enough.
“Fine,” Lane said.
He stepped aside. “I’ll go get the gas can.”
Kait watched him for a second, surprised he didn’t push it further.
Neither of them spoke as she pulled the truck out of the Nest and onto the road.
Lane turned the radio on right in the middle of Forever and Ever, Amen on the country station.
Kait kept her eyes on the road.
Lane reached over and hit the preset.
Two Steps Behind.
No.
Neither of them said a word.
He turned it again.
Love Walks In.
“Van Hagar sucks. He completely fucked up the band,” said Lane and couldn’t change it fast enough.
Kait smirked to herself. She actually agreed.
He changed it again.
High Enough came on.
“Leave it,” Kait said, placing her hand over his. “I like this song.”
Lane froze for a second, then watched as she pulled her hand back and returned it to the steering wheel.
He listened for a moment.
“Who is it, like Bon Jovi?”
“Damn Yankees,” she said. “My dad’s shit.”
Lane nodded once.
“Figured.”
He leaned back slightly.
“Damn Yankees, indeed.”
The Southern pride remark almost made Kait smirk again.
The truck rolled into the gas station. Only one guy filling up his white Jeep Cherokee.
“I got it,” Lane said, opening the door and heading inside to pay for the gas.
Through the windshield she watched him at the counter, pulling a few bills from his pocket and paying cash.
A minute later he came back out. The way he walked did something to her. The world seemed to slow down just to watch him pass by.
He set the can on the pump and started filling it.
Lane stood there quietly while the gas flowed, one hand resting on the pump, the other in his pocket.
No complaints. No attitude.
Just handling it.
She couldn’t believe he felt guilty enough about the Judge to be this damn nice.
But she was light years away from being nice back.
Once he finished, he got back in the car and Kait headed to Brew N Crews.
Lane leaned back in the seat, arms folded, watching the road.
“Stay away from Severino.”
Kait kept her eyes forward.
Lane looked over at her.
“That guy’s not right in the head.”
Kait kept driving.
“I gathered.”
“He’s a torturer. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a rapist too.”
Her jaw tightened slightly but she didn’t take her eyes off the road.
“So next time,” Lane said quietly, “don’t let him get that close to you again.”
“I handled it back there.”
Lane looked at her.
“You got lucky.”
She shook her head once.
“I had him under control.”
Her voice stayed calm.
He knew if he kept going, she would blow up at him, so he didn’t say anything else.
Once they reached Brews N’ Crews, the lot was quieter than before. Severino’s bike was gone.
Kait stepped out of the truck and took the gas can from the back without a word.
She walked over to the Kriger, unscrewed the cap, and poured the gasoline into the tank. The smell of fuel cut through the early afternoon air.
Lane leaned against the side of the truck while she worked.
Watching.
When the can was empty, Kait set it on the ground, wiped her hand on her jeans, and tightened the gas cap.
She swung onto the Kriger and kicked it to life. The engine roared back awake like it had never died.
Lane pushed off the truck and picked up the empty can.
“Ride ahead,” he said.
Kait nodded once.
She pulled out of the Brews N’ Crews lot and onto the road.
A moment later the truck followed.
Neither of them rushed.
They just headed back toward the Nest.
The Kriger roared back into the Nest courtyard seconds ahead of the truck.
By the time Kait killed the engine and swung her leg off the bike, Lane was already pulling in behind her, the sun glaring off the cracked concrete and the empty pool.
Neither of them said anything at first.
Lane shut the truck door and walked around the front, watching her for a second before speaking.
“You need to eat something.”
She didn’t look at him. “I’m fine.”
“You ain’t fine,” he said, low. “You been up since this morning, and you’re still healing whether you want to admit it or not.”
“I said I’m fine.”
Lane stepped closer, stopping a few feet away like he wasn’t sure how close he was allowed to get anymore.
“Get some food. Take a shower. Lay down for a bit. We got time before tonight.”
She finally looked at him.
Cold.
Flat.
“I know what to do. It’s not my first fucking fight.”
That shut him up.
For a second he just stood there, jaw tight, hands on his hips, like he wanted to say ten different things and couldn’t say any of them.
Kait turned and started toward the rooms without looking back.
Lane watched her go, then ran a hand over the back of his neck and looked down at the ground.
“Fuck.”
He stayed there a second longer, then headed toward the bar to find Don.
Kolton stepped into the kitchen and leaned on the counter, keys in his hand.
Kyle was sitting at the table with a glass of milk, flipping through a coloring book. Lori stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot.
She looked over her shoulder.
“You leaving already?”
Kolton grabbed a beer from the fridge, opened it, took a quick sip.
“I gotta run out for a bit.”
Kyle looked up.
“Where you going?”
“Just an errand.”
Lori turned the burner down and faced him, wiping her hands on a towel.
“You just got here.”
“What are you talking about?”
He didn’t sit. Didn’t even lean on anything. Just stood there like he needed to move but didn’t know where.
Lori watched him a second.
Same look.
Same restless energy.
Same way he wouldn’t hold still.
She’d seen it enough times to know exactly what it meant.
He caught her staring and gave her a quick smirk.
“I’ll see ya, mom.”
She nodded like that was the end of it.
“You eating before you go?”
“I ain’t hungry.”
“You never eat anymore. Ever since you got jumped.”
He rolled his eyes.
“I said I’m fine.”
Kyle looked between them.
“Can I go with you, dad?”
“Nah, little dude.”
Kolton took another sip of the beer, then set it on the counter without finishing it.
“You can watch him for a bit, right?”
Lori didn’t answer right away.
Just folded the towel once, slow.
“How long?”
“Not long.”
“You always say that.”
He didn’t respond.
Just grabbed Kyle’s head and kissed the top of his hair.
“Stay here with Grandma.”
Kyle made a face.
“I always stay here.”
Kolton smirked a little.
Then the smirk faded just as fast.
He turned toward the door.
Loraine watched him walk out, then turned back to the stove like the conversation was over.
Outside, the sound of the bike started a second later.
Loud. Sharp. Angry.
Loraine stood there, stirring the pot without looking up.
“Don’t knock your cup over.”
“Okay, grandma.”
She kept stirring. Eyes on the food, like if she just kept moving everything would stay normal.
Kolton rode across town without really thinking about where he was going.
The streets got narrower the farther south he went.
Less traffic.
More broken fences.
More windows covered with plywood.
Cars on blocks in front yards.
He passed a corner store with bars on the windows.
Two guys sitting on the hood of a car watched him ride by without moving.
Kolton slowed a little, looking around.
That was when he realized where he was.
The South End.
He hadn’t meant to come down here.
His hands had just taken him there on their own.
He turned onto another street, one he hadn’t been on in a long time —
the kind of place nobody from the Nest ever had a reason to be
unless they were looking for trouble,
a skip,
or something else nobody else could know about.
He killed the engine in front of a small, run-down duplex with peeling paint and a sagging porch.
Didn’t even take his helmet off right away.
Just sat there, breathing hard, hands still gripping the bars.
After a second, he swung his leg off the bike and walked up to the door like he’d done it a hundred times before.
He knocked twice.
Waited.
The door opened just enough for one eye to look out.
“…yeah?”
Kolton leaned closer.
“You got anything?”
The eye looked him over, then the door opened wider.
“Sup, man? Come on.”
Inside smelled like cigarettes, old carpet and weed.
A TV played somewhere in the back, loud, nobody watching it.
The guy went over to the side of his couch, opened a backpack and pulled out a small bag.
He held it up between two fingers.
“One more,” Kolton said, and the man grabbed another small bag for him.
Kolton didn’t ask the price. He just pulled out cash and handed it over.
The baggies disappeared into his hand.
Transaction done.
No talk.
No questions.
He stepped back outside, the late afternoon heat hitting him in the face like a wall.
For a second he just stood there on the porch, looking out at the street.
Empty.
Quiet.
He walked back to the Mare, sat down, and pulled one of the bags out of his pocket.
Looked at it.
Jaw tight.
Hands already moving.
He leaned forward over the tank, using the flat of it without thinking, tapping the powder out, cutting it quick with the edge of a key.
Didn’t even check the street again.
Rolled up a dollar from his wallet.
Bent down.
One fast line.
He snapped his head back, eyes squeezing shut, breath sharp through his nose.
Held it.
Coughed once.
Then laughed under his breath, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.
“There we go…”
He leaned back on the seat, chest rising slow, the world already starting to feel lighter, faster, louder.
The bike ticked under him as the engine cooled.
Kolton looked down at the bag again, a crooked smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
“That’s right…”
He started the bike.
The engine roared to life, echoing down the empty street.
Kolton twisted the throttle hard and pulled away, the front wheel lifting just a little before it slammed back down.
He didn’t slow.
Not for the stop sign.
Not for the turn.
Not for anything.
Read what was said at the meeting here:
