“I don’t have to read it, do I?” Star complained, setting the table off in another round of laughter.

“No,” Sex Piston told the girl as she helped pick up the dirty plates on the table. “You can wait until you’re in high school.”

“What do I do if Miss Williams asks me a question?”

“Tell her you haven’t finished it yet, and you don’t want to talk about it until you’re finished. That always worked for me.” Crazy Bitch snagged the last piece of pizza before Meri could take the box away to clean the table.

“How did it work for you? You never graduated from high school, and you didn’t get your GED until you were thirty.”

“I got it, though.” She gave Star a wink. “And you can, too. Anything is possible; remember that, Star.”

“Bitch, are you trying to say she won’t be finishing high school like you?”

She barely had time to snatch her pizza off her plate before Sex Piston angrily took it away.

“I’m still eating here!” Placing a possessive hand on her soda, she gave Keri a glare when she tried to take it. “Harley, make your ma and sisters quit bugging me.”

Stud’s only son shook his head stubbornly. “You stole my brownie when I went to the bathroom.”

“I thought you were done with it.”

“I told you I wasn’t when you asked for it before I went.”

She motioned the little boy to come closer. “I’m going to tell you a secret. You promise you won’t tell?”

He solemnly nodded.

“Boys are always supposed to give up their chocolate when a girl asks for it, especially your aunt.”

“Dad didn’t tell me about that rule.” Harley lifted questioning eyes toward where his father was sitting.

“He wouldn’t. He’s stingy with his chocolate. Did you see him sharing with your ma?”

“No, but—”

“There you go.” Patronizing the boy, she patted the top of his head. “Now you know.”

“But Ma had her own brownie; why would Dad give her his, too?”

The little boy wasn’t about to be detoured from losing his fucking brownie. It wasn’t even that good. It was too dry.

“Because he is a boy; he’s supposed to.”

“But why?”

“Harley, remember the last lesson I taught you when I came over? Your aunt is always right.”

“Quit messing with my kid’s mind. Ready for your bath?” Stud bent down, lifting him onto his shoulders and pretending to drop him. “You’re getting too big for me to carry you.”

“It’s all those brownies he’s eating!” Crazy Bitch yelled after them as Stud and Harley left the dining room.

“You’re making me feel guilty I didn’t give you mine.” Calder’s amused voice drew her gaze back to him.

“I noticed that.” She grinned.

Standing up, she gave Star her empty plate then went into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

“Lord, I’m tired. Being obnoxious takes too much energy.”

Calder sat down next to her, placing his arm on the back of the couch. “You never relax and take it easy.”

“I will when I’m dead. Life’s too short not to have fun. Take bullshit, or live life. I’m not going to have any what ifs when Jesus takes my soul, if He does. My mother had enough of those when He took hers.”

Sex Piston and the girls came in from the kitchen, drawing her out of the dark thoughts about her mother.

“Why can’t we go to the rodeo?”

“I told you why, Meri. Stud and I’ll be looking for a clue. The rodeo is there for two days. You and the others can drive up with us on Friday. We can get a hotel room if you and Keri are willing to babysit Star and Harley. Then all of us can go together Saturday.” Sex Piston threw herself down on a chair and propped her legs onto the coffee table.

“I guess we can babysit.”

Meri didn’t seem happy, but when Sex Piston gave her a sharp glance, the seventeen-year-old was smart enough to appease her by leaning down to give her a quick hug before releasing her.

“I’ll go tell Keri. Thanks. You’re the best.” The teenager took off up the stairs.

“Thank God I don’t have kids.” Crazy Bitch slid down from the couch onto the floor, taking one of her friend’s feet and started to deftly massage it. “If she had talked to me that way, she would have gotten her car keys taken away for a week.”

“Sure you would.” Sex Piston rolled her eyes. “You would have taken them and searched for the clue on Saturday.”

Crazy Bitch didn’t try to deny it. She was about to offer to take them when Sex Piston had come out with the solution to make her kids happy.

“I’ll ride up with Calder. He can ride back alone. I’ll get a hotel for Friday, go with you and Stud to help with the kids on Saturday, and come back in your van.”

“I can stay. You can ride back with me.”

Crazy Bitch shrugged. “Whatever.” She put the foot she had been massaging back on the table, taking the other to give it the same treatment.

Star sat down on the arm of the chair, laying her head down on Sex Piston’s shoulder. “You want me to run you a bath, Mama? I’ll put in one of those bath bombs you gave me for my birthday.”

Her stepmother laid her cheek down on the top of Star’s hair. “That would be nice. Thank you. Save the ones that smell like bubble gum for you. You can put the one that smells like flowers in mine.”

The girl jumped up, giving her a kiss on her cheek before going upstairs.

“I take it back; you got a sweet deal going on if they’re running baths for you.”

“The trick is to train them young, but not young enough that they’ll start playing in it.”

Crazy Bitch watched as Sex Piston took out her phone, wondering who she was calling and unashamedly listening as she kept massaging her foot.

“Stud, Star is filling my bath. Keep an eye on her. I’ll be up in a minute.”

She looked at them when she ended the call. “Okay, I admit it; I’m a little paranoid where the kids’ safety is concerned. Accidents happen, and I don’t want something stupid happening because she wanted to be helpful.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.”

“Fuck you. Calder, Star made me promise that you would play a couple of games with her before you left.” She arose, getting up. “I’ll send her back down. Bitch, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Sex Piston.”

She climbed back up to sit on the couch next to Calder.

“You and Sex Piston are still as close as when I first met you, even though you spend five days a week together.”

“All of us are close. When we were younger, we all swore we would live on the same street that Sex Piston’s parents live on.”

“Were you all disappointed she moved here when she married Stud?”

“I was, kind of. The crew is all I have. But Sex Piston still works in Jamestown, and she goes to visit them. Fat Louise and Cade were able to buy a house next to them. Killyama will be living in Treepoint. T.A and I both say we’re keeping to the plan.”

“What if you get involved with someone who lives in… say, West Virginia? I drive to work every day to Stud’s shop.”

“Are you still going to be doing that in a year or two? Aren’t you getting tired of the drive?”

“No, I like it, and I like building bikes.” Calder shook his hair back from his cheek, reminding her of the rat she had shaped on the back of his head.

“You should come by tomorrow and let me trim that for you.”

“I like it long.”

Star jumped onto the couch. “You ready to play, Uncle Calder?”

He turned the machine on, giving her the controller. They were on their second game when Stud came down with Harley. The boy squished himself between her and Calder.

Rising, she went to sit in the other chair, giving them more room. She curled up on the chair, putting her chin on her hand as she watched them play.

Harley was the spitting image of Stud. Hair color, eyes, even the arrogant tilt of his head when he wasn’t happy. Star, on the other hand, took more after her mother. She was going to be dainty and petite, but her hair color was more the color of Calder’s, and so were her eyes.

She hastily turned toward the television when Calder noticed her staring at them, pretending amusement at the kids’ reaction to the game.

Her mind went back to when she had found out Candi was pregnant and was married to Stud. It hadn’t been long after Calder had been sent to rehab. That had been before Skulls had handed the Destructors over to the Stud. She still remembered how shocked she had been when Skulls had mentioned that Stud and Candi got married and she was pregnant. She had even jokingly suggested to Joker that he should have taken a paternity test before marrying her.

Candi was one of the biggest sluts she had ever known. She still had been when she was arrested the night she had kidnapped Star. The woman fucked any man who filled her needs for drugs. The only person she had ever seen her care about was Calder. It was an obsessive love. Even Crazy Bitch had seen that, what little she had been around them together. Candi had used the drugs to keep Calder within her control.

Stud let Star play another game before asking her to let Harley play. Star handed it over. When he lost, Stud told them it was time to go to bed.

Her suspicions that Star was Calder’s receded when he gave the kid a brief hug before turning off the television.

They said good night to Stud then left.

“Those kids love spending time with you.”

“I love them, too. Stud and Sex Piston are great parents.”

As they reached her car, she was glad she had told him she would follow him with her car.

The driveway light showed his somber expression. She didn’t immediately get in her car, caught off guard at the inflection she had heard in his voice.

“Stud and I were raised by our father. He was a racer like Stud. He raced in any state or country that had a track. Our mother tried to get custody of us, but our old man stayed one step ahead of the law. Just when they were about to catch up with him, she was killed while coming to pick us up at the police station. Ironic, isn’t it? If she hadn’t tried so hard to get us, she would probably still be alive. Our dad didn’t care. He was just happy he got what he wanted.”

She sadly watched him reliving his childhood.

“Stud started racing when he was fourteen. Every mistake he made, our father would go ballistic, forcing him to practice the maneuvers over and over again. He didn’t give a shit he could be hurt. He just wanted Stud to win, and he did.”

A bitter smile played across his lips. “When he tried to get me to race, I was smart enough to make myself scarce. There was no way I was going to put myself through that hell.

“A couple of the riders showed me how to work on bikes. They started coming to me when they wanted help. It gave me spending money, and when I was able to keep his and Stud’s bikes in good repair, he got off my case about not riding.

“He was winning every race, and so was Stud. When Stud told him that Reese was pregnant and they were getting married, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He had been keeping Stud’s winnings and only giving him chump change. Our father knew that was going to stop now that Stud was getting married and had a kid on the way.

“It was before a big race. Dad told me he wanted his tires changed. It had rained that morning and he wanted another set that had better traction. I was changing them when he and Stud were arguing. It was so bad I had to break them up.” He gave her a self-deprecating smile. “I forgot to recheck the nuts before the race. He was coming out of the last curve when his front wheel came off.”

“God!” Crazy Bitch muttered, reaching out to touch his arm, but he took a step back, avoiding her touch.

“He died because I made a stupid mistake, like I always do.”

She shook her head, trying to get him to see reason. “It was an accident.”

“A fatal one.” He sat down on the seat of his bike, staring up at her grimly. “It made the news. It even made the news that I was the one responsible for changing the tires.

“Stud and I had Dad’s body brought to West Virginia. After the funeral, we went to the Blue Horsemen’s clubhouse for a drink. Dad had belonged to the club before he started racing.

“I didn’t leave with Stud the next day. I told him I needed time to let the news cool down before going back to the circuit. Stud only left after I promised I’d meet up with him in a month. He kept calling me, wanting me to come back, but I didn’t. I quit taking his calls and ignored him. He couldn’t drop everything to fly back. Besides, the brothers had lied to him, telling him I was fine, that I just needed time. Reese was having Meri and Keri, and he had commitments to his sponsors.

“It was three months before I woke up to find Stud standing over me. I’ll never forget the look on his face.”

The agony on his face had Crazy Bitch’s eyes tearing up. “You had started using.”

“I was fucking addicted. When he tried to take me out of there, I fought him. Told him if he didn’t leave me alone, I would disappear and never see him again.”

“He didn’t leave.”

“Not my big brother. It would be easier to break iron when someone he loves needs him. That’s why he had put up with our father for so many years. He used what money he had to build this house and moved Reese and the girls into it. That was when he started hanging out at the club. When he gained enough power, he took over.

“It was dirty and brutal, but he did it. He got rid of those who were dealing and supplying me and tried to get me in rehab. I refused. I didn’t want to feel better, and I damn sure didn’t want to take the drugs away that kept me from seeing how low I had sunk. As hard as he tried, I was able to get the drugs I needed.”

“Candi.” Disgusted, Crazy Bitch was glad the bitch was behind bars.

“Among others,” he confirmed. “All an addict has to do is look around. It’s easy to spot someone else using. Stud, on the other hand, didn’t, so he couldn’t spot them as easily as I could.” His head fell back as he gave a tragic laugh that was filled with self-reproach.

“I was so out of it. Meanwhile, Reese started hanging around the club. Stud found her with one of the brothers. She had fucked around on him a few times on the circuit, but she must have liked what he was giving her because they both left the club, and she gave Stud custody of the girls. If it wasn’t for me staying at the club, Stud and Reese would still be together.”

“You don’t know that. You said she had fucked around before, so they would have broken up, anyway.”

“Maybe, but it wouldn’t have been my fault.” He punched his chest. “Dad’s death, Stud’s riding career, Reese leaving him—that’s all on me. Stud’s a standup guy; that’s why Skulls turned the Destructors over to him, and that’s why The Last Riders trust him, and those bastards don’t trust anyone. You saw their kids at Star’s birthday party. They watch those kids like a hawk, but the men sent the women alone with only Razer to watch over them. That shit wouldn’t have happened with anyone else. I can guarantee that. When Viper, Winter, and Aisha visit Gavin, he brings four men with him.”

“I noticed. I also noticed they trust you with Gavin.”

He shook his head, as if shaking away old memories. “I didn’t tell you all this shit so you could make me feel better.”

“Then why did you tell me?”

“To give you fair warning. I may be Stud’s brother, but the similarities end there. I’m not the same man who stood you up or who has been fucking any hole within reach. I’ve been getting my act together, but I’m far from measuring up to Stud. I guess, what I’m trying to say is, I may not measure up, but there is no way I’m going back to the way I was.”

“I don’t think Stud expects you to measure up to him, and I don’t expect you to, either. Hot thang, I honestly don’t know what I’m expecting from you, but I can definitely tell you, comparing you two isn’t on my mind.”

His grin flashed when he leaned forward on his seat, pulling her toward him.

“You giving me a hard time by calling me that? You really think I’m hot?”

With her hand on his chest, she pushed herself away. “I have to get home; I have that early appointment.”

“You always have early appointments.”

“I have shit to do at night.”

“Since I’m going to be spending most of the weekend with you, I’m going to get a couple hours sleep then go stay with Gavin. I won’t be back until Friday.”

“If you want to crash at my place, you can. You can get an extra thirty minutes of sleep. It will save you time by not backtracking in the morning.” She didn’t like the idea of him riding when he was so tired.

“I wish I could, but I need fresh clothes.”

“Suit yourself.” She went to get in her car.

“Anna-Kate!”

She poked her head back up, almost blasting him for using her sissy name. However, the concern on his face stopped her.

“Stay safe until I get back.”

“You’re going to be out of town. What trouble can I get into?” she teased, getting inside her car.

They pulled out of the driveway, leaving the house that had grown dark, all the occupants already in bed.

* * *

A curtain curled inward as a breeze sent it fluttering over the master bedroom.

“You miss it?” Sex Piston laid her cheek across her knees. She had sat up to eavesdrop on the voices coming from outside. “Racing?”

“I still race.” She felt Stud turn over to face her in the darkness.

“Be real with me. There’s no comparison with the races you’re competing in now than what you used to. There are no television cameras, no big sponsors.”

“I have sponsors.”

“Combs Reality might be a sponsor, but they can’t get you the money like a name brand competitor would.”

“I don’t have to kiss their asses, either.”

“Would you and Reese have still been together?”

Stud pulled her back down the bed, leaning over her. “She was fucking around on me long before I became president of the Destructors. We never married because we were in love; we married because of the girls. We get along better divorced than we ever did when we were married.”

“I love you.” She buried her face in his shoulder. “You should talk to Calder.”

“I’ve tried. He changes the subject.” He ran his hand down her silky back to twist her gown up to her waist. “He’s apologized to me several times for how he acted when he was on drugs. Obviously, he’s still carrying a lot of blame. He knows I’ve forgiven him, but he still hasn’t forgiven himself.

“Dad always made him feel worthless because he wouldn’t race. He constantly threw me up to him. Hell, I didn’t blame him. I put up with him because of Calder. We had been dragged through the courts between Mom and Dad. As bad as I hated Dad, I didn’t want to put Calder through that again. As soon as he was eighteen, I planned on us going off on our own.”

“He died first.”

“He’s blamed himself ever since. He still does.”

“That’s not the only thing he’s blaming himself for. He thinks you’re settling for second best.”

“I’m not settling for second best.” He raised her face from his shoulder. “I could have left when Calder was sent to rehab. I had enough of my contacts left that I could have started over in the circuit. Once Candi agreed to give me custody of Star, and we got a divorce, I didn’t have to stay.”

“Why did you?”

“By then, I had met you.”

“Does it make me a bitch that I’m glad you and Reese didn’t work out?”

“You wouldn’t be the bitch I know and love if you didn’t.”