6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Drake

The sound of the engine of my Harley drowned out the rest of the world.

There were so many changes happening around me and I just needed to get lost on the open road. I needed the wind through my hair, my soul to become one with the road, and to just be alone.

I know it sounded selfish, but my world was filled with constant noise and activity. That was how I grew up; loud voices and people always around me. I guess, that’s to be expected when you grow up inside a motorcycle clubhouse and bar.

I love my life; it’s a fucking great life, but sometimes a man just needs to be alone. Thankfully, Lacy has always understood that need. She gets it. In fact, there are times that I catch her looking through her fashion magazines, and I know she just needs the silence of being alone.

As the trees of the forest pass me by, I inhale the fresh air. I’m moving further outside of Hollow’s Cove and as the small town grows further behind me, I see the country roads opening up to me. I’m on a mission right now, and only myself and the good lord above knows what I am about to do.

I turn onto a small, one-lane road that is lined with massive trees, shading the road from the bright morning sunlight.

I allow a sliver of a smile to appear on my face, because damn, this is beautiful.

I keep a close eye on the view ahead of me and slow down, as I spot a silver Lexus parked alongside the roadway.

A man wearing a black suit stands out against the natural landscape around me. He waves as he sees me approaching. We had spoken earlier, and now, I was about to take another huge step in my life.

Truth be told, I had really only made two major decisions in my life. To take over the Raven Boys Clubhouse after my dad passed and to look after my brothers. Both were decisions I never had to think twice about. But this decision-- this was huge. Life-changing in a way that I never thought I would ever consider.

But, here I am about to meet with Glenn, the realtor. I had told Lacy that I had planned on sticking around the bar most of the morning, but that was a lie. Well, a lie sounds dirty. This was a special project and Seth was going to help run the bar so I could work on my plan.

“Good morning, Mr. Raven,” Glenn said, as I threw my leg over my bike and walked over to him. He extended a hand and a cheesy smile.

“Morning,” I replied back. “Just call me Drake. Mr. Raven was my father,” I added.

“Great, Drake,” Glenn said, with way more enthusiasm than needed before ten in the morning. “Let’s get started then,” he said, clapping his hands together.

Nodding, I followed him along a gravel drive all the way up a small incline. The grass was overgrown and trees outlined the majority of the space, but there was no denying that this was magnificent.

I continued walking, until I reached the highest point of the property. It overlooked the rolling hills of Hollows Cove and had a small view of the river that ran through town. Ten acres of grass and trees stood before me, and it was the second most glorious thing I had seen in my life. The first being Lacy.

“You would have all ten acres and the lot next to yours is a twenty-seven-acre farm. The lot to your left is a forty-acre cattle ranch and the owner lives on the first five acres in the back. The lots behind the property and across the street, are city-owned land and have been deemed to remain green space. You have neighbors, but you will probably never see them. If you want secluded, this lot is perfect,” Glenn said, turning to face me.

“How much?” I asked. I didn’t need to be sold on this lot. I had been watching it and driving past it since I could ride a bike. I had secretly been in love with this property, but never dared tell my brothers about it. We all lived, worked, and breathed the bar and clubhouse-- especially me.

It was just normal for me to live above the bar. It was where my parents had first lived when they got married. It was where I had moved when I moved out of my parent’s house at eighteen. It was where my brothers or our friends crashed when they had too much to drink at the bar. It was where Storm first learned to ink. Ryder held his first race behind the bar and apartment, and Axel sought it out for shelter when he needed an escape when dealing with Chuck. That small apartment had held most of my life's memories, but now, it seemed I was ready to start a new set of memories.

After everything that happened over the last year, I had realized that I couldn’t keep living life in a stand-still mode. My brothers were all moving forward and making huge life decisions. Now, it was my turn.

Glenn began speaking and he brought me back to reality and out of my own thoughts. “Asking price is $400,000. The lot hasn’t had a lot of interest so I am sure we could talk them down a little.”

I felt my heart drop all the way down to the pit of my stomach. That was way more than I had saved up, and it would take me another few years to get the rest together. I guess, for now, this was going to have to just be a dream.

***

I found myself back behind the bar again several hours later. The place was starting to get packed and with each body that entered through the door, the music became louder. I could feel myself growing agitated, but there was no true source for my frustration. Maybe it was that Ryder hadn’t listened and stocked the beer wrong. Or maybe, it was knowing that my plans with Lacy would have to wait a little longer.

I was ready to make a huge commitment; marriage, a house, and a new family.

But, all I saw was a ticking clock rolling backward. With each drink I served, I felt like I was drowning in the cool liquid that was soothing everyone else.

“Hey man, you ok?” a voice broke through my thoughts.

I looked up and saw Axel watching me with a concerned expression over his dark features.

“Nothing man, I’m fine,” I spit out.

“Drake, can you just stop for a minute?” Axel asked.

I stopped moving the beer bottles around and looked up and met my brother's eyes. “Yeah.”

Axel sighed and then ran his hands through his dark hair. “Look, I know you think you are this strong, tough guy, but you can talk to me. You have taken care of all of us over the last few years. I see something is wrong, let me in,” Axel pleads.

I feel my shoulders slump as I look at my younger brother begging me to tell him my problems. I have always been their fearless older brother. My job has been to push down my own emotions and ensure that they were all ok.

“It’s really nothing. Just had a rough day. I wanted to buy something, but I need to save a little more money,” I admitted.

It took a lot for me to share that with Axel, even if I was being pretty discreet.

“Anything I can help with? I mean, this bar brings in a lot of cash. Are you looking at buying a new bike?” he asked.

“The bar brings in good money, but this purchase needs a big down payment. But, it’s not a bike.”

Axel raised his eyebrows at me. But, before he could open his big mouth and ask any more questions, Ivy came bouncing into the bar. Throwing her arms around Axel’s neck, she quickly distracted him. Thankful for the save, I moved on down the bar, and hopefully, as far away from that conversation as possible.

“Why are you running from Axel,” Ryder asked, laughing as he watched me slide behind the cash register.

Damn, I can’t get away from my brothers.

“You don’t know what you are talking about,” I mumbled, as I pretended to look over the daily sales.

Laughing, Ryder ignored me. “So, I’ve got Josh here again. I really think you need to hear him out. The job offer he has for us could bring in some big money,” Ryder stated again.

I had been halfway ignoring him, until he mentioned the money again. Suddenly, my interest was piqued.

“Look, you know how I feel about allowing outsiders into the clubhouse. Dad and Grandpa didn’t run the clubhouse that way,” I reminded him.

I needed to ensure that this Josh guy was alright. I needed to keep my club safe. Sadly, we had learned the hard way too many times that there was always someone out there waiting in the shadows, just ready to take you down.

“He seems legit. Look, I wouldn’t have brought him here if I didn’t think this could be good for all of us. You told him you would meet with him, so why not now?” Ryder asked again.

I wondered what he was getting out of this, but I would ask him that later. Nodding my head, I gave Ryder the confirmation he needed to wave Josh over. Of course, Josh was sitting in the back of the bar, watching our exchange.

This felt like an ambush, but right now, all I had on my mind was money. If Josh could help me get one step closer to the life I wanted to give Lacy, then I would at least sit down and hear was the guy had to say. I just hoped my conscious led me the right way.