Page 2 of Lost King

Grabbing Remi's hand, she smiles at me, "See you later. Love you," and Remi shouts, "Later." I watch them walk off in the direction of the backyard before turning my back on them and head towards the detached garage on the opposite side of the driveway, and enter through the side door. My dad is sitting in the driver's seat of his car with the door open, scratching the dark whiskers on his face.

"Hey, Dad."

I hear him sigh heavily when I walk up beside him. "Hey, son. Thanks for coming by. She's spinning over, but I can't get her to fire up. Can you take a look at it for me?"

"Spin her over so I can have a listen," I tell him as I walk around and lean over the engine. "One more time, Dad." After listening to it the second time, I'm pretty sure I know what's wrong. "I think the timing is off," I inform him.

He climbs out of the car. "Damn. Well, we don't have time to fool with it today. I need to go inside to get ready for the grand reopening. Your mother is looking forward to having a little visit with Grace today," he tells me as he cleans his hands with a shop rag. Grace and my mom have become good friends since she's been back home.

"How about we work on it together this weekend?" I offer, knowing my dad loves this kind of one-on-one time with me.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," he smiles and pats me on the back. "I know you can't stay long but be sure to say hi to your mom before you leave, will ya." Closing the hood of the car, my dad starts to put his tools away.

"I'll see you later, Dad, Love Ya."

"Love ya too, son."

My mom is in the kitchen typing away on her computer when I walk inside. Leaning down, I kiss the top of her head. "Working?" Spotting some cookies on the counter she must have baked for the girls, I walk over and grab a couple and pop a whole one into my mouth.

"Save some for your sister and Remi," she eyes me over the bridge of her glasses.

"I can't stay long, Mom. Prez needs us at the shop before the camera crews start showing up," I tell her snagging one more cookie for the road. "Love Ya." Shaking her head but wearing a smile, she tells me she loves me too before I'm out the door and back on the road.

I pull into the already crowded parking lot in front of the shop twenty minutes later and back my bike up alongside where my other brothers' bikes are parked. It looks like I'm the last to arrive. I take my time before walking into the storefront. I whistle. "Damn." Someone put some finishing touches on the walls. From the sleek black countertops and the vast collection of Harley art on the walls, it feels like I've stepped onto a showroom floor.

The door to the garage swings open. "It's something isn't it?" Logan's voice carries across the room. "My dad's idea of a reopening present."

"I like his style," I continue walking around and admiring everything. The layout of the building is still set up almost identical to the original building. The one modification was making Jake's office a little more substantial. Prez comes striding out of his office with Ellie Kate in his arms and Grace by his side. Makes me happy seeing a good man like Jake get his forever. I've watched all my brothers find good women over the years; Logan being the first one to fall. No sooner do I have these thoughts, when the shop door opens, and the sun floods in just before Emerson—my Sunshine walks in with Bella and her and Logan's kids in tow. Emerson's eyes lock in on mine, and I feel my heart tug against the inside of my chest. The same pull I feel every time I lay eyes on her and I smile. Her flushed skin betrays her every time she gets near me. I know she feels the electricity between us too.

"Showtime," Prez announces.

Breaking eye contact with Emerson, we all follow Prez outside. The bay doors slide open, and the rest of the club members come to stand out front. Logan and I join them. Kissing Grace and leaving her with Bella, Alba, Mila, Emerson and his mom, Jake along with his dad walk together to join Ben Ainsworth, our mayor. I watch them talk amongst themselves for a few minutes before walking over and standing in front of us men. Scanning the crowd, I find my parents watching alongside the women and children. The fact that they support everything in my life fills me with pride. Not once have they judged who I am, what I do, or the friends I keep. They know the club members and their families are good people because they got to know them before judging them. Are they aware there has been less than stellar activities going on throughout the years? I suspect that they do. I don't get my observant nature from just anyone. They see things. At the end of the day what's important to them is my happiness and well being. They know I'm happy, and they know my brothers have my back.

A couple of camera men from the local news stations wait for their cues. Ben gives a short speech. Prez says his thank yous of appreciation, and then his dad cuts the celebratory ribbon. Our friends and family cheer. The entire thing lasts all of ten minutes. It doesn't take long for the media and the Mayor to load up and leave. It is what it is. It's the start of a new day, and they have a job to get to like the rest of us.

"I need to get over to the job site, brother. Nikolai is holding things down for now, but we have the owner of the place we're building coming by before lunch," Reid mentions. He stops briefly to shake Prez and his dad's hands before walking towards his pregnant wife and daughter kissing them goodbye, hops on his bike and leaves. One by one everyone takes off. I steal a glance Emerson's way as she walks off towards her car on her way to work herself.

Gabriel and Logan help their woman load the kids into their vehicles and watches them leave before Gabriel and Blake walk across the street to the tattoo shop. Now the parking lot is empty aside from me, Austin and Logan.

Prez claps his hands together catching our attention as the crowd has dissipated. "Alright, men. We are an hour behind opening time. Let's get to work. We have a full day ahead of us. We can celebrate at the end of the day at the clubhouse with a few beers."

Chapter Two

Emerson

"See you tomorrow, Dr. Evans," Tracy one of the nurses who works the night shift says as she heads across the hospital parking lot to her car.

"Bye, Tracy, drive safe." I've been working the graveyard shift for the past two weeks. Thank god last night was my last shift before I start back on days. Using the key fob in my hand, I unlock my Jeep. Opening the door, I toss my bag over to the passenger seat, climb in, shut the door, and lean my head back on the headrest. My body is tired, but my brain takes longer to catch up. I'm always wired after my shift ends. A few months ago, I took up Muay Thai at the kickboxing studio. Lucky for me, Rhett opens everyday at five o'clock in the morning. The studio has been a lifesaver. When working the day shift I could go to the gym and work off the day's stress, but before Rhett's studio opened I didn't have a place to go this early in the morning. Polson's local gym hours do not cater to my work schedule.

My cell phone ringing grabs my attention and I turn my head in the direction of my bag. I let out a deep sigh because I know who's calling. Only one person would call me this early in the morning—my mother. The ringing stops when I don't make a move to answer, only for it to start again seconds later. She is relentless, and I know she will keep on until I pick up. Answering the phone, I greet my mother, "Hi, Mom."

"What took you so long, Emerson?"

Sighing, I roll my eyes. "I just got off shift, Mom."

"Well, I'm calling because your father and I would like for you to come home this weekend. It's been months, Emerson," she scolds.

"That's because every time I come out to Seattle, you and Dad try fixing me up with someone."