The Switch by Debra Kayn (shoe dog free ebook .TXT) 📕

"There's a cave."

She shushed Zach, not wanting anyone to know they were here. "Let's look around here for a headstone. Keep your voices down."

"Why?" whispered Kenny.

"Because...I don't know. We don't want to bother them."

"What are they doing here?"

"I don't know." Heaviness filled the pit of her stomach.

There was no good reason why any biker should be on her property. It made her nervous. Maybe Grandpa Gene was right. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the truth of what was going on.

They all spread out in opposite directions, pushing the underbrush out of their way and walking around saplings that'd sprouted up through the years. She cleared her area and headed toward Kenny, hearing him break twigs and stomp the ground.

"Mom?"

She turned toward Zach's voice. "What?"

"I found something."

"Already?" She motioned for Kenny to follow her.

She hadn't expected to find her grandmother's gravesite. Part of her was hoping that Grandpa Gene's ramblings in the notebook were the overactive imagination of an elderly man, living alone and seeing things.

She ducked under a branch and arrived within several feet of Zach. Her son pointed at the ground.

By his feet, a slab of concrete covered the earth. At two feet by three feet, it was the perfect size for a headstone. She stepped closer and used her hand to brush off the fallen pine needles, dirt, and moss that'd tried to hide the marker.

"Is that it?" asked Zach.

Kneeling, she fell back on her ankles and blinked in disbelieve.

Trudy Marleen Durham

Beloved Wife and Mother

There was no date of birth or death, but the writing was done by an amateur. It wasn't a typical headstone found at cemeteries covered in marble and etched to withstand the weather and time, but one made lovingly by a man who'd lost the love of his life.

"Yeah, it's Grandma's resting place," she whispered.

"I don't see a vase." Zach stepped away, looking around the area.

"That's because it's hidden." She leaned forward and ran her hand around the round disk, flush with the concrete. Finding the small indent, she pried her fingernail along the edge and worked the cylinder out of the ground.

Once free, she turned it upside down and showed the boys how it was hollow and meant to be put upside down into the ground and could hold water.

"How did you know that?" asked Kenny.

"Because your dad's headstone has one similar to this." She smiled softly. "I'd put flowers in it every year for his birthday and other times when I was thinking about him."

Kenny fell to his knees, ignoring the device, and peered into the hole that was left in the headstone. "Holy shit."

"Kenny," she hissed.

"Sorry, but..." He grinned at her. "There's a tin."

"No." She was afraid to look.

Her youngest son reached in and pulled out a small metal tin. Prying it open, fighting the rust that tried to seal the enclosure, Kenny used all his strength and received a satisfying crack as the lid gave way.

Kenny's eyes bugged. She leaned forward. At the sight of the key, she grabbed Zach's arm to keep her balance.

It was true. Grandpa Gene had left her a key to a safety deposit box.

Her adrenaline spiked, suddenly wanting to leave and go home. Kenny handed her the tin. She closed it and shoved it in her pocket, afraid of losing it now that it was unearthed.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered. "We'll talk when we get home."

Walking beside the motorcycles, she looked over her shoulder at the opening of the cave. The two bikers had to be inside the tunnel. She had no idea if the cave was part of the land deeded to her or if Trip's agreement with Grandpa Gene was still held.

Right now, all she wanted to do was go home and hide the key. On Monday, the kids started school, and Johnny gave her the day off to settle in their new routine. Once she was done with them, she'd drive to St. Maries and go to the bank and find out what was in the safety deposit box or if it was still there after all these years.

At the car, Zach looked at his phone. "Can we still go to the clubhouse? It's only six o'clock."

Maybe getting away and forgetting what was going on in her life was what everyone needed. She could use the distraction.

Chapter Thirty One

Not feeling like joining the others at the get-together, Trip sat underneath the tree with a beer in his hand, watching the kids ride the dirt bikes around. He'd called Bonnie twice, but voice mail picked up each time. He suspected she was out of range.

Speeder joined him, sitting on the grass across from him and stretching his legs out. "Trina mentioned I have to sign her up for school. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing."

He drained the rest of his beer. "Bonnie went into the office last week and gave them paperwork and stuff on her sons."

"Trina has an envelope of papers. Birth certificate, school records, and immunization dates. I'll have to go with her on Monday and see if she can start the same day as the other kids."

"Where was she born?"

"Seattle, Washington."

"Do you remember being there?"

Speeder's lip curled. "Nope."

They'd all lost their past. None of the originals or the MC members had a past. Alpha Bio Project made sure their minds were wiped clean before the training.

"At least there haven't been any more changes." Speeder leaned back, bracing his hands on the ground. "So far, we've stayed under the radar."

Trip grunted. If it was only his life that was involved, he'd take the chance to dig deeper and see what else was done to him. Maybe if he gained control over more than his emotions, he'd discover a part of his past.

As soon as the thought came to him, he shrugged it off, uninterested in knowing more.

Speeder was in the same position as he was. They had other people they cared about at risk. The only