Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 72

CHAPTER 43-2

You keep statistics?” Ben asked.

“I keep everything.” Mia said.

“I suddenly feel judged.” Ben said.

“You should.” Mia said.

Even Jace laughed quietly from where he stood talking with a customer near the office and the

easy atmosphere settled naturally over the workshop.

For the first time since the Black Reapers appeared, everyone seemed to relax and customers noticed it too. Several regulars joked about the repaired rear door.

One older rider asked whether Lawson Customs had started offering “combat repairs” as an

optional extra and I smiled while handing back his keys.

“Only on weekends.” I said.

“I’ll remember that.” He said

Business continued steadily throughout the morning and Ben successfully completed three

services without asking me a single question.

When I quietly checked his work afterward, every bolt sat exactly where it should and I nodded

approvingly.

“You missed something.” I said and his shoulders slumped.

“I knew it.” He said.

“You forgot to tell yourself well done.” I said.

“Seriously?” He asked and I smiled.

“Everything’s right.” I said and his grin spread from ear to ear.

“I almost don’t trust you.” Ben said.

“You shouldn’t.” I said.

He laughed before returning to work with noticeably straighter shoulders and watching him grow more confident reminded me of Uncle Will.

He had always celebrated improvement instead of perfection and people learned faster when they weren’t terrified of making mistakes and I caught myself smiling which Jace noticed.

19

OR

IR N

13

|||

O

Г

CHAPTER 43-2

“What?” Jace asked.

“was thinking about my uncle.” I said.

“The good memories?” He asked.

“The best ones.” I said and he nodded.

“I had a feeling.” He said.

Around lunchtime Emma arrived carrying homemade lasagna for everyone and the clubhouse wives had apparently decided the garage crew wasn’t eating enough.

Che

Considering Hunter immediately claimed the largest serving before anyone else reached the table,

I suspected they might have been right and Emma looked at me with a playful smile.

“I hear you’ve become terrifying.” Emma said and I laughed.

“That’s an exaggeration.” I said and Hunter swallowed another mouthful.

“I watched five grown men discover otherwise.” Hunter said.

“They made poor choices.” I said.

“They certainly did.” Hunter said and Emma wrapped one arm around my shoulders.

“I’m proud of you.” Emma said and I looked at her.

“For surviving?” I asked.

“For becoming exactly who you were supposed to be.” She said.

The words stayed with me long after lunch ended. For years I had hidden parts of myself because they seemed unnecessary.

The garage was enough and the apartment above it was enough. My quiet life was enough and

now everyone knew the truth and nothing had fallen apart. If anything, the people around me

trusted me more. They still offered help, they still worried and the difference was that they no

longer mistook kindness for weakness.

Neither did I and that realization settled quietly inside me while I returned another customer’s

motorcycle keys. Confidence wasn’t loud, it wasn’t arrogance, it was simply knowing who you were without feeling the need to prove it every five minutes.

Several counties away, inside the abandoned warehouse serving as the Black Reapers’ temporary

headquarters, Victor Kane stood at the end of a long wooden table and one of his men

approached cautiously.

19

IR N

|||

23

O

CHAPTER 43-2

Clarri

“The survivors are back.” The man said but Victor didn’t look up from the map spread before him.

“And?” Victor asked.

“They failed.” He said hesitating and silence settled across the room as Victor slowly lifted his

eyes.

“Failed?” Victor asked.

“They never brought her in.” He said.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify