Page 4 of Smitty

“Damn. Don’t jinx us.” Goose gave him a concerned look as he asked, “Everything good over at Preacher’s place?”

That caught my attention. It caught Seven’s, too. We both homed in on Memphis as he nodded and answered, “Yeah, the fire department cleared out a couple of hours ago.”

“Fire department?” Seven scowled. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Nobody told you?”

“Wouldn’t be asking if they did.”

There wasn’t real anger in Seven’s voice, but there was a definite edge of concern. And I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed it. Memphis caught it, too, and he was quick to answer, “There was a fire out at the barn. Sergei and Nikolai handled most of it before the fire department even got there.”

“And why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

“Because it was handled.” Memphis shrugged. “Dad said these kinds of things happen, and it wasn’t the main house.”

“Doesn’t matter.” I wasn’t surprised by the irritation in Seven’s eyes. If something happened to one of the Fury men, they took it personally, no matter how trivial it might seem. “Where was Prez when the fire broke out?”

“Cleaning stalls with the handlers.”

“So, he was right there in the thick of it.” Seven stared at Memphis for a second before shaking his head. “He should’ve called us. Hell, you should’ve, too.”

“He had his hands full.”

“We need to get more security out there.”

“Sergei is already on it. Hell, he’s even posted a damn guard out there. But he wouldn’t have been much help today. The fire department said it looked like the hay got too hot and ignited. Said it happens when it’s hot like this, and the hay hadn’t had time to cure.”

“Got no idea what any of that means, but whatever. I’m just glad they got it handled.”

Goose took the moment to ask, “Any of the horses hurt?”

“Nah, they got it out before anybody got hurt. Barn’s good, too.”

I hadn’t spent much time out at Preacher’s new place, but we all knew what that barn and all those horses meant to him and Tabitha. She’d put a lot of heart into saving broken-down horses that most would’ve never given a second look. She spent a butt-load of money and time bringing them back to good health, and they both cared a great deal about each and every one of them. It would’ve hit them hard to lose one.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, they got lucky.” Memphis took a pull from his beer. “It could’ve gone bad fast.”

The conversation drifted after that, moving on to other things as conversations usually did with the brothers, and I stood there, soaking it all in. I’d only been a brother for a few hours, and I was already realizing that this club was becoming a hell of a lot more than just a patch on my back.

Eventually, the crowd at the Vault started to thin out, and the girls took that as their cue to begin cashing out. Once the remaining drunks filed out, we shut the bar down, and by the time I made it out to my bike, it was after two in the morning. I was wiped, so I drove straight home.

My place wasn’t much to look at. It was just a small two-bedroom rental with worn carpet, second-hand furniture, and a refrigerator that hummed louder than my television. But it beat living on the streets.

I’d been there.

Done that.

And I can tell you, there’s no cold like the kind that comes when you’re hiding out in some dark alley, alone, wet and freezing, and you have no one to turn to. But I’d been one of the lucky ones. I found someone who was willing to take a chance on me, and I’d made the most of it.

I worked hard, and it paid off.

Now, things were changing. I was going to be making money, good money, and as soon as I had enough saved, I’d find a new place. I locked the door behind me, and exhaustion hit me hard. I kicked off my boots, hung my cut on the back of the chair, and I barely made it to the bed before I fell face-first onto the mattress.

It felt like I’d only had my eyes closed for a few minutes when the alarm on my phone started blaring beside the bed. Groaning, I reached over and slammed my hand against the screen until it finally shut off. The room was still dark, and when I squinted at the clock, it wasn’t even six yet. My alarms were still set on prospect time, and I didn’t have to do that shit anymore.

I let my head fall back and closed my eyes with a satisfied sigh. I managed another couple of hours before the sun came creeping through my blinds, making it difficult to stay asleep. I finally gave up and pulled myself out of bed. I went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before heading to the bathroom for a hot shower. I threw on some clean clothes, drank a cup of coffee, and by the time I pulled on my cut, I felt almost human again.