Page 46 of Smitty

“You should run it by Preacher.”

“I’m going either way.” Memphis gave him a look, and Drifter sighed. “But I’ll talk to him.”

With that, he tossed the last of his coffee in the sink and walked out of the kitchen. As soon as he was out of earshot, Creed said, “This shit is getting out of hand. We need answers, and we need them fast.”

“Maybe Stone and the boys there can give us some leads.”

“If this is the Coyotes, they’re as good as dead.”

I finished off my coffee and checked the time. I didn’t want to leave in the middle of the conversation, but I didn’t have a choice. I needed to get going. I told the boys I had to head out, but I didn’t tell them more than that. I didn’t have the time.

If I was meeting her at one and leaving for Kansas City at three, that didn’t give me much time. So, I left the clubhouse and drove over to my place. I packed a quick bag and was on my way to meet Brooke. We would only have two hours.

Two hours to sort out years of heartache.

Two hours to find out why she'd kept my daughter from me.

Two hours to decide whether we had it in ourselves to forgive each other.

It wouldn’t be easy. She'd been my first everything.

My first real kiss. My first love.

The first woman I'd ever made love to. The first person who ever looked at me and saw more than a broke kid sleeping in the cab of an old pickup. She'd believed in me before I'd believed in myself. Then she'd become my first heartbreak.

I'd spent years trying to convince myself I'd gotten over her.

Every mile pulled me closer to the place where it all started and where it ultimately ended. I didn’t know where things would go from here, but at least I would finally have answers. And I would have my daughter.

I parked where I always did and killed the engine. Silence settled around me as I looked out at the lake. It was hot, but there was a light breeze, and with all the trees, there was plenty of shade. I leaned against my bike and stared across the lake. Every few seconds, my eyes drifted back toward the road.

I was nervous. That was a new one for me. After a year of prospecting and putting my life on the line, it was a feeling I’d become numb to. But now, it was front and center, and with every second that passed, the feeling became even harder to ignore.

And then, a cloud of dust rose above the trees.

My pulse hammered against my chest as I watched her SUV come into view.

She came.

10

BROOKE

Forty-eight hours.

That was all it took for my life to completely unravel. One trip to the county fair and a familiar face, and things would never be the same. Ryan knew something was up that night at the fair, but he’d trusted me when I said I was just tired. That lie blew up in my face when Brayden showed up at the house.

Ryan waited until Anslee had gone to sleep before asking, “Is it him? Is he Anslee’s father?”

There wasn’t any point in lying. Not anymore. So, I told him everything, including my plans to meet Brayden today at the lake. I’d never seen him look at me the way he did at that moment. He wasn’t angry or bitter. He was hurt. I could hear it in his voice when he asked, “Do you still care about this guy?”

“I will always care about him, Ryan. He’s Anslee’s father.”

“I’m more of a father to her than this guy will ever be.”

“Ryan.”

“I can’t do this right now.”