“Club goes a way, you’re a brother, you go that way,” High pointed out.

Snapper didn’t say anything and High knew why.

Because that was the straight-up truth.

High kept going.

“Tack wanted me in with you to take your back but more, to take Rosalie’s. That’s my focus. Keepin’ her safe while she does Chaos a good turn. You gotta be all in on that and you gotta be that for her. It isn’t about what she’s doin’ for the Club or what she makes you feel when you’re with her. It’s about her. And that’s the way of it, brother. She’s yours or she’s not, she’s a woman and you’re any kind of man, you look out for her every way you can.”

High turned on his signal and slowed to make a turn as Snapper kept silent.

He’d made the turn, they were cruising, and High said no more. His point had been made. Snap didn’t take it, for Rosalie, High would have no choice but to inform the brothers and Snapper would be removed from her detail.

“I’ll get a burner,” Snap muttered.

High drew in a breath and let it out slowly.

Then he just drove.

*  *  *

After High parked at the Compound, Snap didn’t waste time jumping from the truck and taking off.

High watched him as he angled out, but he looked toward the back of the store when he heard Hound call his name.

“Man inside lookin’ for you,” Hound said, raising a hand, thumb extended to indicate over his shoulder and into the store.

High lifted his chin, slammed his door, and hit the locks.

“Know him?” he asked.

“Nope,” Hound answered.

Hound headed to the garage.

High headed to the store.

He went in, turned right to head up an aisle to the cash register at the front but stopped two aisles in when he saw Dot’s husband, Alan, looking at the fan belts.

He sighed.

Then he moved down that aisle toward Millie’s brother-in-law. Alan caught sight of his movement and gave his attention to High, doing this turning full body to face him.

High stopped a few feet away.

“Alan,” he greeted.

He didn’t get a greeting back.

“Dot says you’re movin’ in to Millie’s,” he stated.

“Not doin’ it,” High told him. “Did it. I’m in.”

He watched Alan’s mouth get tight before he noted, “Movin’ real fuckin’ fast, man.”

“May seem that way to you. Me, waitin’ twenty years to have her back seems real fuckin’ slow,” High replied.

High watched as something changed about Alan and he watched it knowing he wasn’t going to like the change.

Then the man opened his mouth and proved High right.

“Pretty lucky for you, you walk away from your family, find yourself livin’ in an RV, you also find an ex who’s still hung up on you. An ex with a sweet crib. And you got her back a coupla days and your clothes are in her closet.”

High stood there, motionless except to take in a deep breath.

Then, quietly, he returned, “Could buy my girls a house, that bein’ all my girls, my two babies and Millie, layin’ cash down on somethin’ that’d make Millie’s pad look ghetto. Could do that, upgrade my truck, buy another bike, and, bud, I already got three, and do that in cash too. Do all that and take Millie on a five-star trip back to Paris, give her the luxury. Do all that and not even touch my girls’ college funds. You didn’t know any a’ that shit. I get that. Now you do.”

“You could buy your girls a pad, why’re you livin’ in an RV?” Alan shot back.

“You got kids,” High said. “Hope like fuck you and Dot stay strong. Shit happens and you don’t and you gotta put your kids through a split, you don’t just rent any place where they gotta lay their heads. You give ’em a home. You find the right one. I looked. Didn’t find it. While doin’ that, found Millie. Her place is nice. Not my scene but it’s hers, she loves it. So that’s where we are. And when I have my other two girls, that’s where we’ll all be.”

“Got all the answers,” Alan clipped irritably.

“Got ’em because there are answers,” High replied.

The man crossed his arms on his chest. “Right. That’s good. ’Cause, see, I need more answers. You got a history, man. In that history, it’s clear you got no problem walkin’ away from things that matter. Walked away from Millie. Walked away from your family. History like that repeats itself and you’re livin’ proof of that shit.”

High again stood silent and motionless to give himself time to talk himself out of laying the hurt on Dot’s old man.

When he found control, he spoke.

“You look at me, you know the man I am ’cause I reckon you see yourself in me. So you know I’m not a big fan of explainin’ myself to anyone and sure as fuck not a man who’s comin’ at me like you’re doin’. But you mean somethin’ to Millie and you’re gonna be in my life for a long time so I’m givin’ you this respect. Once. Just once, Alan. Not fuckin’ with you. You keep comin’ at me like this, it’s not gonna be good.”

Alan’s eyebrows went up. “So now you’re threatening me?”

High shook his head. “Bud, you walked into my store on my turf and came at me with this shit. I pulled up the patience and shared where I was at. I get this is new for you. I get you’re lookin’ after Millie, which is another reason why I’m eatin’ your shit. What you gotta get is that your wife and Millie’s girls are all down with me bein’ back. You give me a shot, I’ll show you it’s good for you to be down with that too. But advice. Look around at how the people who matter to Millie, who know the real history, are behaving. And do it bein’ careful. ’Cause not only am I not gonna take more of your shit, I got a job of it bringin’ Millie back to happy and I’m not lettin’ anyone fuck with that. Not even you.”