We drive out of town and head along the plains to the Black Top Ranges. After about twenty minutes, we start heading upwards into the hills. Kray turns down a dirt track and then comes to a stop at a small parking lot.
I’ve explored some of the trails around the ranges, but this isn’t a place I know.
I slide off the bike and unhook my helmet.
The cold air hits me like tiny pricks of ice against my face. It’s colder up here than in the valley, and I wrap my arms around myself. The icy wind heightens my senses even more, making me feel lightheaded. I pull my gloves off, blowing on my hands to get them warm.
“You ever been up here?” Kray asks.
I shake my head. “Not to this part.”
He smiles. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
He takes my hand. It feels so natural, his hand clasped in mine.
We walk along a small trail, which widens to a lookout. My breath catches in my throat. The plains are laid out below us, lines of lights crisscrossing the darkness where the roads are. In the distance is Bourbon, the Christmas lights of the main street sparkling like beacons of hope.
I can see the twinkle of lights coming from houses and Christmas lights lining the streets.
“It’s beautiful.”
Kray leads me over to a flat boulder, and we climb up and take a seat. I dig my hands into my pockets to keep the biting cold away from them.
“Don’t you have gloves?” he asks.
“I left them with the bike.” Which I know was stupid, but I don’t regret it now as Kray takes my hands in his again.
He tucks my icy fingers between his warm palms. The warmth immediately flows into them, but he doesn’t let my hands go.
“Why did you join an MC?” I’ve been dying to ask him, but I didn’t want him to think I gave a fuck. But since I tried to kiss him last night and I’ve got my hands tucked in his, I think he knows I’m interested. “You don’t seem like someone who belongs in a motorcycle club.”
Kray chuckles softly. “We’re not all outlaws, you know.”
“Aren’t you?”
He raises his eyebrows at me. “It’s not all like what you see on the TV. There are loads of clubs where we just want to ride.”
I’m skeptical. “And yours is like that?”
He regards me carefully, and I get the feeling he’s sizing me up, wondering how much to tell me.
“The Underground Crows are mostly legit, but there’s a few business opportunities that are a gray area.”
It’s a lot to confess to someone he barely knows, and I feel the weight of his trust in me. But I’m not here to judge. I’m just curious.
“Why did you join?”
He looks out at the view, taking a moment to answer.
“After my parents died, Ethan packed a bag and went off traveling. He was the only family I had left. I was into bikes, so I knew some of the guys in the club. I did some work at their bike garage, and they took me on as an apprentice. It wasn’t hard from there to become a prospect. I guess I was looking for a new family, and the club provided that.”
“So, they’re like family to you?”
I can’t keep the wistful note from my voice. I’ve never had a family and this guy’s got two.
“Yeah.” He turns toward me. “They are. My brothers are my family. They’ll always have my back.”
I wonder what that would be like. I’ve never had anyone to have my back.