“We were good for a while, a long while, but ultimately, she couldn’t hack my world.” He paused. “A world without legit income, the constant ducking and diving with the cops, guns, drugs, you know.”
“Because she had a kid?”
“I guess, that and the fact she’d never dated a biker before, had no idea what it entailed. But with her, well, we finished on good terms. It just wasn’t to be for us.” He shrugged. “It was a while ago now, but I swore the next person I let in…” He smiled, hoping to hell Belle would want to be let in and see the darkest shadows of who he was. “Would understand from the outset that being a Barbarian is my life, not something I can pick and choose, not something I’m ever going to walk away from.” He scooped in more pancakes.
“I respect that, you know I do. And I understand the world you live in, it’s my world too.”
“Good, we’re on the same page then.”
“I guess so.” She ate a few mouthfuls. “I’m beat. This is too much.”
“Sure?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He reached for her plate and tipped the contents onto his. “Waste not, want not.”
Thirty minutes later, they were pulling into the compound.
“Hey,” Wyatt said, stopping his bike beside the black van and killing the engine. “You done yet, Carter?”
Carter was stooped over the engine. He straightened holding a greasy wrench. A black smear spread over his cheek and onto his ear. “It’ll get you to Mexico and back.”
“That’s the idea.”
Belle climbed off the bike. The loss of her body heat was acute. He wanted her up close to him again … soon.
“Taff around?” Wyatt asked, also getting off his bike. He shoved his hand through his hair.
“No. Gone out with Rigor, Hudson, and Teddy somewhere.”
“Where?”
“I dunno.” Carter shrugged and fished for a smoke. “I’m just getting on with this ’cause you wanted to…” He glanced at Belle and raised his eyebrows. “Take a day off.”
Wyatt laughed. “Appreciate it, bro.” He clapped Carter on the shoulder.
“What’s going down?”
Wyatt turned at Jayden’s approach.
“Just finishing up,” Carter said to Jayden. “Wanna help? I got fifty pallets of oranges to load into the back of this thing.”
“Fifty fucking pallets of oranges?” Jayden said, taking one of the cigarettes Carter offered him. “What the hell for?”
“These guys can’t just roll over the border with crates of guns on show. Need to hide them somehow.”
“True.” Jayden lit his smoke.
“Hey, big boy. Get your ass up here.” Skylar leaned over the balcony, her breasts almost falling out of a tiny white top. A garishly big heart tattoo sat in the center of her sternum. “Oh, and I’m talking to Jayden, not you, Carter. Don’t get confused.”
“Thank fuck for that.” Carter laughed.
Jayden rolled his eyes and turned to her. “What?”
“I need you for something. Now.”
“I’m helping Carter.”