WRECKED: CHOSEN FEW MC - BOOK TWO: OUTLAW BIKER/ALPHA ROMANCE Read Free Page A

all.
    Suddenly she realized that the twinge she felt when she watched the bike disappear was an ache of loneliness and emptiness.
    Where did that come from?
    She liked a great deal about her life, especially her work, but that ache told her it was far from complete, and no matter how many children she helped, she needed something more. Maybe she needed something quite like Greg Jones.
    * * *
    When the last child had left, Melanie turned back to the classroom to do the inevitable paperwork, to satisfy the bureaucratic monster schools had become. In addition to grading papers, doing evaluations, there always seemed to be a new form or two in her inbox, with items to be checked, or new rules or procedures to be acknowledged.
    Brian sat just outside the door, his back to the wall, reading a book. She had been glad to learn that he was an avid reader. The quiet ones sometimes compensated by turning to books, and that was a good thing, as far as she was concerned. Often she wondered about his book choices, however. They seemed to be awfully serious and rather eclectic for a young boy. She’d seen him reading books propounding theories about the Kennedy assassination, titles on currency manipulation, and others on the perils of world government. She’d checked with Mr. Affir, the civics teacher, and found that none of them were on the reading list for his class, or even titles he had mentioned.
    As she approached Brian, he looked up at her and gave her a bittersweet, apprehensive smile. Those stunning green eyes of his, framed with jet-black hair, accented his sad, subdued expression. Given half a chance, as a young man he’d develop the look of a brooding artist.
    “What are you reading today?”
    He looked guilty. “It’s called Shadow Government. It’s by a man named Grant Jeffrey.” He showed her the cover. “It’s about how the secret elite keeps track of people, and spies on everyone.”
    “Secret elite? Who are they?”
    He scowled. “It’s the people who really run the governments of the world for their own interests.”
    “Is that something that interests you?”
    He shut the book. “I don’t know. I don’t think I understand much of what they are talking about. I mean, why would the government let these other people tell them what the laws should be?”
    She sat beside him, noting the way the book cover was covered with short blurbs in large type: ‘An ultra-secret global elite, functioning as a very real shadow government, controls technology, finance, international law, world trade, political power, and vast military capabilities.’
    “I’m not sure, but then I haven’t read that book.”
    “Is it true? Does the government hide things from the people and work for a secret group?”
    She considered her reply, not wanting to talk down to him. “I’m sure there are people who, because of their money or position have more influence on what governments do, and there are people who spy on others. I would think that if they were that powerful they wouldn’t let this man publish that story. That’s something to consider.”
    “My dad says… this book says these people use the FBI and CIA to secretly spy on people who aren’t even doing anything wrong. Do they do that?”
    Melanie felt a bit trapped. “I don’t really know, to be honest. But even if they spy on me, they won’t find anything interesting. I’m just a teacher. The worst thing they could learn is that sometimes I coach my favorite students a bit so they do better on tests.”
    “You help all the kids.”
    She grinned. “Because you are all my favorites.”
    “My dad says this stuff is important.”
    She nodded, glad to know where the interest came from. “Does he give you these books? Does he expect you to read them?”
    “No.” He closed the book. “My dad believes these things. He believes things that Mr. Affir says are just silly.” He scowled. “But Mr. Affir says some things that don’t make much sense sometimes, too,