Ride And Obey MC

Fourteen

Knox POV

A few hours pass, and the sound of boots on concrete and the usual grumbling of hungover men rouses me. I get up, shower, dress, and walk through the main room to the kitchen. I brew a pot of coffee and lean against the counter, staring at nothing while the steam curls from the cup in my hand.

I’m at a crossroads. I can go ask Glitch to dig into her info, pull up her address. Or I can respect the silence she left behind and let it go.

Ghost walks in, pours himself a mug, and gives me a long look. “You’re looking hung up.”

I grunt in response, but he keeps going.

“Heard she bolted around four. Grudge said she looked rattled.”

I nod and stare down into the coffee. “Yeah. I’m debating if I should have Glitch track her down.”

Ghost snorts. “Track her down? You’re not usually that kind of desperate.”

I exhale through my nose and shake my head. “I know. It’s stupid. She said enough last night to make it clear it was just a one-time thing.”

Ghost lets out a low chuckle and leans back against the counter beside me. “You just now figured that out? Come on, brother. That girl walked in here to prove a point, not to build a future. She lit a fire under your balls and walked away before the smoke cleared.”

Maybe he’s right. Maybe I knew it the whole time and just didn’t want to believe it. “What’s the schedule today?”

“Hex burned through the last of the food making breakfast. The guys have been slacking hard, so Echo’s gonna light a fire under their asses. Blaze is working in the garage. He’s got the night off.”

“So lunch is out then,” I mutter, already irritated.

“Unless you wanna starve, yeah,” Ghost says with a smirk. “Echo also mentioned you’ve gotta collect something out of town. Said to leave right away, be back by mid-afternoon.”

I finish the rest of the coffee in two long swallows and set the mug down. “Yeah. I know what he wants. Same as usual—cash run.”

I grab my keys again and head out. “Hopefully by the time I’m back, someone’s stocked the damn kitchen. If not, Hex is gonna murder all of us in our sleep.”

Ghost just laughs and waves me off as I step outside.

I climb on the bike, start her up, and let the growl of the engine settle my nerves. I ride hard and fast, the road blurring past as I focus on the task. The trip’s nothing special. Same old route, same small-town stops, same exchange. By the time I roll back into city limits, it’s nearly two in the afternoon.

My stomach growls loud enough to be heard over the bike, and I know I need food. I pull into a small parking lot outside a cluster of restaurants and dig my phone from my pocket.

Update on food?

I type and hit send.

Ghost replies within seconds.

Prospect got distracted. Gonna be another three or four hours.

Fucking fantastic. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time the kitchen went empty because the guys forgot to stock up, I could retire.

I glance around at the options. Two restaurants, a coffee shop, and a corner café. The café would be fast, but I skipped breakfast and need something heavier.

I eye the restaurants and head toward the one Ghost once swore he’d never set foot in. Fancy as hell, cloth napkins and host stands, the kind of place where they ask how you want your steak and actually care.

I shoot him a message anyway.

Grabbing a table at that place you said you wouldn’t be caught dead in. Wanna join?

I laugh to myself just imagining the look on his face reading that. Ghost in a button-up joint like this? Not a chance in hell.

I step inside and get exactly what I expected. Polished floors, jazz playing too soft overhead, and a host who glances at me like I tracked in mud and gunpowder.

“One moment, sir. Someone will be with you shortly,” the man says as he breezes past, barely sparing me a glance. “Someone’s waiting to be seated. Take care of it.”

I turn to see who he’s speaking to, and freeze.

Danielle.

She’s standing behind the podium, dressed in simple black, hair tied back, expression neutral, but her eyes lock on mine like she wasn’t expecting to see me any more than I was expecting to see her.

We stare at each other for a long second before she clears her throat.

“How many will be joining you?” she asks, her voice soft but steady.

“Just me,” I reply, watching her carefully. “Unless you feel like taking a break and joining me.”

A smirk tugs at my lips as I wait, watching her eyes flicker with something unreadable. She stares at me for a long moment, and I wonder what she’s thinking.

Maybe she's considering running again?

Or maybe… staying.