Free Gravel's Road by Winter Travers

was tall, dark, and intimidating, Troy was tall, dark, and laid back. With the two of them standing next to each other, they had complete opposite appeal.
    “Troy isn’t who Meg wants. You take one look at the girl, and you can see it in her eyes who she loves,” I reasoned.
    “That isn’t going to stop that cowboy from trying to steal her away.”
    “You are really concerned about this,” I said, turning to face Gravel.
    “You heard Lo, he sees me as a father figure and I definitely see him as a son.”
    “Hmm, so that means you’re protective and just looking out for him?” I smirked.
    “Yeah, that ok with you?” He asked.
    “I suppose, as long as your intentions are good,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and laid my head on his shoulder.
    “You just can’t keep your hands off me, can you, woman?” Gravel mumbled, leaning down, whispering into my ear.
    “Do I have to?” I muttered into his chest.
    “No, darlin’. I like you right where you are,” he whispered.
    Gravel held me as we watched all the guys figure out how to cut the tree down. Meg and Cyn glanced over every now and then and would giggle when they looked back at each other. Gravel saw them do it one time and threw his head back laughing.
    “Those girls sure are a trip,” he laughed.
    “Yeah, but they’re good girls, though. Both of those boys need them in their lives.”
    “That they do,” Gravel agreed.
    I snuggled deeper into Gravel’s arms and hoped he needed me in his life, too.

    */*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Chapter 9

    Gravel

    “You going to tell me what’s been going on with the Assassins or am I going to have to guess?” I gruffed at King and Rigid.
    They had managed to knock the tree down without hitting Ethel’s house and were now working on cutting it up and stacking it for firewood. Ethel wasn’t going to need all of it. We had sent Turtle back to the clubhouse to grab a truck, and we were going to load up the back of it and take some back to the clubhouse for bonfires.
    “There isn’t much to tell,’ King said, running his fingers through his hair. ‘The night Rigid took care of Nick, they fucking disappeared. Right now we have no idea where the fuck they are. Edge is trying everything he can to find them.”
    “So the guys who just fucking shot me are gone,” I growled, throwing my work gloves on the ground. The Assassins weren’t the smartest bunch we had come across, but they had managed to sneak Nick by us and fucking shoot me. They were not to be underestimated.
    “We’re working on it. Right now we tightened up everything at the clubhouse and shop. What happened will not happen again.”
    “We called the Collinsworth chapter, and they’re looking into it, too,” Rigid put in.
    “So now we just sit here like fucking ducks waiting for them to attack us.”
    “Gravel, I don’t need you worrying about this. Get better and then you can get back into everything at the club,” King said, trying to calm me down, except there was no calming me down.
    “Who’s to say these assholes aren’t going to go after our women or family,’ I fumed. ‘Do we know anyone who is connected to them?”
    “Cherry,” Rigid said in disgust.
    “Cherry, the fucking pussy from the club?” I asked. I knew of Cherry, but I never had the chance to be with her. She had only been around for a couple of weeks before Meg came into the picture.
    “Yeah. Come to find out, Nick was her brother. She’s the only connection we have right now to the Assassins,” King said.
    “So let’s fucking talk to her. She has to know where they went,” I demanded.
    “That would work fine except Cherry isn’t exactly Meg and Cyn’s friend. We meet up with her a couple of weeks ago when we picked up the girls from work and Cherry knows we are with Cyn and Meg,” King explained.
    “I don’t even think Cherry knows her brother is dead. I ask Cyn every day if she has heard anything about anyone knowing about Nick being dead, and