Page 66 of When You Stayed
A gentle knock sounded at my door, and my first thought was that Ford had found a way to come back. When I opened it, my brows flicked up in surprise.
“Connor?”
His frame wasn’t quite as broad or as tall as Ford, and it was an odd realization that as my ex stepped past me, inside the room, I had begun comparing the two. “Can we talk for a second?”
“Sure.” I turned with him as he settled on the edge of my bed. I shut the door and moved to the desk chair.
His dark hair was mussed from what seemed like his fingers running through it. His blue eyes were red and watery, tired. I found myself grateful for a warm brown gaze that made me feel like warm honey on a summer day. Connor’s face was more narrow, still handsome, but he didn’t have the scruff along his jaw that Ford did. The one I had fantasized feeling against my inner thighs.
“Did you and Ford get everything figured out?” He raised his head, his tired eyes earnest.
I nodded. “I think so…although I still have a lot of questions.”
“That sounds about right for him.”
That was true. Ford was notorious for being secretive.
“Did you know he had feelings for me?” I needed to know, so I asked.
Connor’s dark brows lifted to his hairline. “Ford?”
“Yeah…he had feelings for me about as long as you did. Tried to confess it when he was sixteen.”
Connor’s shock was genuine. “No shit?”
“So you didn’t know?”
He shook his head. “No. He argued with me all the time about not liking you or wanting you to be at gatherings. I assumed he really had an issue with you.”
I used my thumb to pick at a smudge of nail polish on my desk. “Yeah, me too.”
“Well, as much as I want you to be happy, Roy, I actually came here with a bit of a warning.”
“A warning?” The pink, dried gel polish wasn’t coming up, but it really helped to keep my mind off things.
Connor’s hands came together as he flicked his gaze to my door. “I came back here to give this same warning to your dad and the club, but you know how things go with passing down info.”
A laugh bubbled out of me. “Yeah, as in none of it gets passed down.”
“I heard what happened with you and your boss. You should know that Rodney is working with a rival club. A dangerous one from what I gathered. They’re called Murdoch Devil Riders, and as far as I know, they have territory south of Virginia breaking into North Carolina.”
My stomach flipped around as the first sign of that lurking danger seemed to finally draw near. “Any connection to the club that attacked us when we were kids?”
Connor shook his head. “Not that I know of yet.”
“How exactly do you know about any of this?” I stopped picking at the gel paint. My thoughts began tangling and tugging like warmdough. He’d mentioned going to find more out about his bio dad, with the Chaos Kings. Did that mean he’d pledged with them? He was always supposed to be a Stone Rider. Jameson, hisrealdad was one, how could he not pledge with us?
Connor dipped his chin. “I’ve been helping Giles.”
“So, you’re a Chaos King then?” I challenged.
He smiled, but I bristled. How fucking dare he. My voice rose as I began berating him, “You were raised by Stone Riders. You were always going to be one of us. How could you pledge with them?”
“Because it’s part of my history, Royce.”
I stood, feeling infuriated by his disloyalty. “Rose Ridge is your history. The Stone Ridersareyour history. Your mom and dad’s story started here!”
He stood with me, gaining his own ire. “No, their story finished here. It started in Richland. Dad was the president of the Chaos Kings, and I found out my bio dad was the VP. Get off your high horse, Royce. You and Taryn act like your dad’s club is the only one that matters.”
