Dawn's First Light

It was her turn to repay the favor for what Keene had done for her that night. He'd kept her alive and given her a bigger reason, the only reason she needed to live. He'd risked his own hide to save her life that night. And she was doing the same for him.

A smile curled her lips as she stroked the bear's pink fur. He was a little tattered and threadbare with wear and tear, his fur just a little matted from his many travels. When she got to where she was going. Assuming the Sons didn't kill her, she'd have to give him a thorough bath and repair job.

Kayla didn't need a map to get to her destination. She had a photographic memory and could find her way back to the compound. She wasn't sure where her final destination would be. She couldn't go home. First of all, Roark would find her there. And her father had no use for her. After her mother died from cancer, he resorted to alcohol as a way to ease his pain. And he simply forgot that he had a seventeen year-old daughter to take care of. She'd ceased to exist and rather than watch him drown in the bottom of a bottle she took her chances on the streets.

She didn't know if she'd be welcomed at the compound, or if she'd stay if she were. The only reason Kayla had for going there was to warn Keene and repay her debt to him for saving her life. She had money, enough to get by for a while. And the farther she was from Roark, the longer she'd live. He would definitely be coming for Keene and if she were there, her too.

Who knew? Maybe, she'd simply disappear and start a new life. Become somebody else and walk in a different pair of shoes for a while. With the miles between her and Roark increasing, the city no longer visible in her rearview mirror, and nothing ahead of her but open interstate. Anything seemed possible.

Chapter 6

On silent feet, Lance tracked Bryce through the woods. He followed at a casual distance and gave his brother plenty of space. Bryce was not in a good place in his head. And Lance didn't need a psychic link to know it. He could read it in his best friend's body language.

Bryce stomped through the trees with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. He crushed tender saplings, reaching desperately for the sunlight through the dense shady canopy of leaves, beneath his boots. Squirrels scampered up the rough bark of the trees and chattered nervously from the safety of the branches above. Even the birds had stopped singing and hunkered down in their nests for fear of drawing his attention. Nice. Bryce in his rampage had managed to scare the shit out of defenseless creatures.

Lance rolled his eyes and kept pace. He supposed it was better that Bryce take his rage out on the woods than on Patrick. But, wasn't that all behind him now? After all, Janine and Patrick were married. And Bryce accepted his defeat with all the grace of a pouting child. Would the man ever learn? First it was Anna and then Janine. Bryce could sure pick 'em. Not that the women weren't damn beautiful and the cream of the crop. But, DAMN! C'mon. Just because the filly wasn't in the barn didn't mean you could saddle her up and go for a ride. It was just common sense. Something Bryce sorely lacked when it came to the opposite sex.

It would have been less painful if the man had put his dick in a meat grinder than to go through everything he'd gone through for the sake of love. Bryce was like a stray puppy when it came to women. Almost pathetic. He latched onto any female who showed him the least bit of attention. His little crush on Anna had been bad. But, Janine...his brother had genuinely believed he stood a chance. And worse than that, he thought he was actually in love.

Lance was ready to put his brother on a street corner with a cardboard sign around his neck that read 'free to a good home'. He just didn't get it. Why Bryce went so flip dizzy crazy and made such a fool of himself over a woman. Lance wasn't gay or anything like that and he didn't particularly enjoy jerking off in the shower as a substitution for a female's gentler ministrations either. But, he liked looking like a complete idiot, like Bryce, a whole lot less.

The kicker had been when Bryce bought Janine an engagement ring. He just wanted to shake his best friend like a bobble head and jack slap some sense into him over that fiasco. He'd tried like hell to talk Bryce out of it. Wasn't happening. Exhausted with all the talking and lecturing, Lance stepped back and took a seat in the cheap seats to watch the show. What did Bryce think was going to happen? Of course, she turned him down. And even though Janine had been gentle about it. He had felt his brother's pain and disappointment. There just wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Lance really hadn't meant to intrude in Bryce's business. But, he also didn't like seeing his best friend in pain. The thing was, nobody blamed Patrick or Janine. Hell, nobody blamed Bryce. They didn't need to. The man was too busy blaming himself. Sometimes shit just happened. Bryce put up a good fight. Not exactly a fair fight, but a good one. And yeah, he and Janine might have been great together, if she hadn't been in love with Patrick. It took Bryce, in part, to make it happen. Bryce had been the catalyst behind getting Patrick off his ass and onto his feet. There was nothing quite as effective as seeing another man pursuing your female to get a guy in gear.

Lance knew his best friend well, in ways better than Bryce knew himself. And this morning especially, he'd been determined to keep the hell out of the way and give the man time to get Janine out of his system. Well, that didn't go as planned either. He'd been down in the valley grabbing a quick snack before the heat of the day drove the deer under the dense cover of the woods when something had fallen from the trees and smacked him on the head.

At first, he thought it was a damn squirrel pelting him with a pinecone. The little bastards were always doing that. He just would have ignored it and gone on his merry way. Couldn't be anything that simple, of course not. He'd been plunked on the noggin by the engagement ring. With the size of the diamond Bryce had picked out, Lance was surprised he hadn't ended up with a concussion. The ring was expensive as hell and although Bryce had chucked it off the bluffs, Lance wasn't about to let his best friend throw away that kind of money over a temporarily broken heart.

He'd tucked the ring in his pocket with full intent to give it back to Bryce when he realized what kind of shape his brother was in. He was not a golden retriever. If Bryce tossed it into the woods again, he sure as hell wasn't going to play fetch. Once Bryce came to his senses he'd regret throwing the diamond ring away. But, now was not the time to even attempt to give it back to him.

Where in the hell was Marcus when he needed him? Wiley little bastard knew when to get the fuck out of Dodge and stay out. Marcus was so much better at the whole saying the right thing than he was. Lance just wanted to grab his brother, give him a good shake and tell him to get the hell over it and stop with the poor pitiful me pouting routine. Probably wouldn't be the best way to handle the situation. And Bryce would more likely than not, kick his ass for it.

And so, here he was with a splitting headache and spots in his vision from traipsing through the woods in broad daylight following Bryce to make sure he didn't do something stupid. Something like ignore Dane's orders and make a run for the city to escape the shame and embarrassment of having to face the happily married couple. Yeah, living under the same roof with the three of them wasn't going to make for fun times for anybody. But, hip deep in the shit with their leader, what choice did any of them have?

Nope, Dane wasn't going to let them return to the city anytime soon. When the man said something, he meant it. They were being punished. What did he think they were going to do? Level the whole city? And there were parts of it that could use and abrupt urban renewal of the TNT variety. Even Dane agreed with that. But, people had to live somewhere.

The whole set up was fine for Marcus and Sam. They frolicked through the woods and fucked like bunnies every chance they got. And wasn't that a not so pretty mental image Lance did not need in his head. Next week, Bryce would probably be tripping over his feet chasing after some other female in the name of love. But, as for him, although he didn't regret his part in blowing the Rogue Master's home to kingdom come, he was bored shitless and could not wait to get back to the city.

All this emo drama tended to put a huge cramp in his style. He was about tracking rogues and protecting his city. Since he had balls and a penis, and didn't do the whole guy on guy thing, women were a necessity. And love...well, love and his dick... one had nothing to do with the other. He loved his cock and he loved to fuck. He loved to fuck women with his cock and whatever other appendages seemed appropriate in the heat of the moment. But, mix love and fucking together and it was a sure recipe for disaster. And he wanted no part of it. Love 'em and leave 'em was his philosophy. Better for everyone that way. If only he could have managed to convert Bryce to his way of thinking, the guy would be a hell of a lot better off and a hell of a lot happier.

*****

Bryce could hear Lance stomping through the woods behind him. The man did stealth like a freaking bulldozer. The fact that his best friend followed him like he was his mama or something really pissed him off. He didn't make it easy for his brother to keep pace. He chose the hardest trails, the steepest inclines, the rockiest terrain, and the sunniest patches to traverse. Lance didn't quite have his tolerance for sunlight. And the brilliance of the noonday sun had to be giving him a killer headache. Good. Bryce paused long enough to flash a squirrel that had dared to inch too close to him a show of fang before heading north deeper into the tree line.

He did not need a nursemaid. And he resented the fact that Lance obviously thought differently. He wasn't nearly as stupid as the man believed him to be. There was no way in hell he was going off on some impulse tangent and risk getting stuck out here in the sticks permanently. Although, the idea of avoidance, of not having to face Janine and Patrick did have merit, as far as he was concerned. Dane was a man who would never go back on a punishment and he did not take disobedience lightly. He'd consider the humiliation Bryce would no doubt have to suck up and live with, just another consequence of his sentence.

And wasn't that just another thing Bryce couldn't get through his head. They hadn't exactly disobeyed orders, if you interpreted them by the letter of Dane's commands. Ok, so they forgot to fill the brothers in on the plan. But, at the time, their reasoning seemed solid enough. The Rogue Master had to pay. And they'd made sure he did. It wasn't like the bastard didn't deserve it for what he'd done to Anna. And the fireworks display really had been a thing of beauty.

He was an idiot for the women in his life. Ok, so he knew Anna wouldn't turn her back on Toby. But, Janine, how stupid could he have been? Lance flapped his gums at him for weeks. Warning him that he was about to make a mistake. It was just that he'd been so certain. He hadn't bothered to listen. And the heaping helping of humble pie on his plate left a hell of a bitter taste in his mouth. Damn, Bryce hated it when other people, especially his best friend, were right.

Bryce ground his molars in irritation and headed west through the steep cliffs of shale. He just wanted to be alone to brood with some measure of dignity. Lance, the fucker, was hot on his trail, like a goddamned bloodhound. Too bad he couldn't track this good when it really mattered for something besides baby-sitting detail. Bryce winced against the hot sunlight beating down on his scalp and did his best to shake his pale shadow.

He wasn't going anywhere. Ever. Lance didn't need to follow him around to make sure of it. He was stuck in this damnable place and with his damnable innate desire to find his missing half. He was sick and tired of watching everyone get what they wanted while he jerked off alone in the shower. Oh sure, there were plenty of females out there. And of course, he was a good catch for the right one. Whatthefuckever. He was over it. And the condolences from Anna and Janine, although well meant, weren't worth shit. Even though the ring cost him a small fortune, he was glad he'd thrown it over the bluffs. Maybe, somebody with better luck than him would find it and the finger it belonged on.

Despite the blazing sun Lance stuck to him like glue. And Bryce was not immune to the sun's blinding rays. He could feel a killer headache starting behind his eyes. And he was already in a foul assed mood without any help. He turned and circled around to the south, moving into the shade. "Would you please quit following me?" he growled, as he scowled over his shoulder at Lance. The man did the hide and go seek thing as well as he did stealth. It was damned hard to blend in with that wild shook of white blond hair of his against the backdrop of green and brown.

Lance popped through the boundary of the tree line and breathed a sigh of relief at the cool, shady dimness of the woods. He'd go through the fiery inner circle of hell for his best friend. But, damn was he glad Bryce had chosen to move under deeper cover. "I thought I'd be following you all day," he grumbled as means of a greeting. The two of them were best friends. But, that didn't mean they did the man hug, warm and fuzzy thing or got in touch with their inner female. The insults they generally tossed at one another like live grenades were the way they showed affection. Anyone who didn't know them better would think they couldn't stand each other. And sometimes, they couldn't.

"Fuck you," Bryce spat. He was spoiling for a fight. And Lance was as good as anyone to take his frustrations out on. Hell, probably better, because the guy wouldn't take it personally. That was the good thing about having him as a best friend. He never took offense and just rolled with it.

"Sorry, you're not my type," Lance said, falling in step beside his brother. The two of them had been together longer than most happily married senior citizens. It was odd, how two opposites like them had managed to become best friends. Bryce was as dark as he was light. Yin and yang, was what some of the brothers, those who wanted a thorough ass whipping, called them. He was ghost pale, tall and lanky while Bryce was a full head shorter, heavier built, and had an olive skin tone and dark, almost black hair.

The only similarity they shared in terms of appearance was their light colored eyes. Although his were a faint blue color, Bryce's were a pale, almost clear, shade of gray. Lance didn't know if the women considered Bryce good looking or not. For a guy, Bryce seemed ok to him in terms of appearance. And he doubted that looks were really a deal breaker for Bryce when it came to females. Women didn't do the whole desperate thing and Bryce was definitely desperate.

Bryce didn't know Lance had a type. Actually, he figured anything with breasts qualified as a type to Lance. He couldn't count how many times he'd been stuck outside the apartment while Lance delivered his 'payload' into some willing female. Hearing acuity sure as hell had its drawbacks. Being stuck out here in the sticks must really be putting a cramp in his brother's sex life. Dane had made it perfectly clear that the local women were off limits. And until he saw fit to release them from their punishment, Lance had no choice but to endure the chaste purity of a Benedictine monk.

Bryce didn't do the whole 'drive by fucking' thing as Lance called it. He had values and morals while Lance lived for his next conquest. That teeny tiny thing dangling between his legs was going to get him in big trouble One of these days Lance was going to meet a woman he couldn't con into his bed and dump the next morning. And she was going to get her hooks into him so deep that his brother wouldn't know which way was up. Tame the man slut in him and teach him some respect. And Bryce was going to laugh his ass off when it happened.

"You want to go see what Marcus and Sam are up to? Maybe, shoot some pool?" Lance asked, looking for an excuse to get Bryce into the compound. Eventually, his brother was going to have to go home. Dane wouldn't let Bryce off the hook forever. Sooner or later, he was going to have to face Janine and Patrick. And Lance just wanted to get this particular piece of emotional bullshit put behind him.

Bryce pulled up short and glared at his best friend. Yeah, he was into the whole self-inflicted pain thing and while he was at it, maybe he'd ask Janine how many times Patrick fucked her this morning just to drive the blade in his heart all the way home. He'd done the whole brotherly yackity-smackity bonding bullshit with Patrick. And he was not going to get in the way of Janine's happiness. But, now was not the time for Lance to come up with such a dumb ass, lame question.

Did he want to go back to the compound and want to shoot pool with Sam and Marcus? Sure, like he wanted to hang out with another flip dizzy in love couple that couldn't keep from pawing at each other for more than five minutes. Shoot pool? He'd rather shoot himself in the head and end his misery. "You know, for someone with two college degrees, you are pretty damned dumb. I promise you I'm not going to run off. I want the hell out of here as badly as you do. And pissing off Dane won't get either one of us home any sooner. Just, please, back the fuck off and give me some space!"

Oooookkkkk. Lance held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and took a few steps back well out of punching bag range. Let the fucker pout and drown in a river of self-pity. And he thought PMS was something only women went through. Shit. He was only trying to help. Bryce didn't have to be so damned pissy about it. "Fine. Just don't do stupid, ok?"

"Trust me, not planning to," Bryce said. And he meant it. His stupid days were over. He was over Anna. He was over Janine. And he was over waiting for the right one to come along. He just wanted to do his time. Get back to the city. And take out decades worth of unspent sexual tension on some Rogue pieces of shit.

Chapter 7

Keene looked hesitantly at the men and dropped his jeans to the floor. There was nothing wrong with his physique. In fact, quite the contrary, if the assessment that the average male penis topped out at six inches in length and two inches in diameter when fully erect was accurate; he was far above the norm and should have no qualms about standing unabashedly naked around other males. But, dropping his pants and climbing into the sweat lodge with four other naked men was not what he considered to be a necessary or particularly bonding experience.

John Mark shoved at Keene's back, pushing him toward the small round doorway to the sweat lodge. Ok, so the big baby didn't like getting naked in front of strangers. Who did? You just did it. Kept your eyes above the waistline, and sucked it up like a man. Just like the communal showers in gym class. Don't ask. Don't look. And don't tell. Besides, it wasn't like John Mark had anything to worry about in the full frontal nudity department. Robbie swore he was a god and yeah, he tended to believe his wife on that particular subject. Keene dug his heels in and bucked, twisting his back out from under John Mark's hand. As his unofficial mentor, John Mark simply pushed harder. "Get in there, you big oaf. You have to do this. You have to be spiritually ready for the trials."