“Yeah. I’m the pussy. I’m not the one having a fucking fight with a trash can. You pissed off? At least hit something that can fight back,” Jules returned.
Crow, who was dying to throw a punch at something, didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation. “How about I hit you?”
“Love to see you try, Brother.” Jules cracked his knuckles.
“Stop it. Right. Now.” Pinky pushed her way in between Crow and Jules and scowled at them.
The three of them stood just like that. Two big men caught in a standoff with a little bit of a woman stuck in the middle scolding both of them. Anyone walking by would be reminded of a scene from a B movie.
Then seemingly out of nowhere…
“Pinky?” someone called out from behind them.
For just one moment, time stood still, the air charged with a shocked kind of dulled energy.
Jules, Crow, and Pinky all turned at once, surprise at the voice registering on their faces.
“Glory!” Pinky called out an excited greeting and moved towards her. Crow recovered from the surprise of seeing Glory first. When he turned to see the expression on Jules's face, Crow understood exactly what he must be feeling.
Brother looked like he had just gotten his ass kicked.
Crow put his hand down heavy on Jules’s shoulder and squeezed it. Then he made his way to Glory. He took her up in his arms and spun her around playfully, hoping to give his brother a chance to wipe that look off his face.
“Hey, beauty. Been way too long. Heard you might be moving into the lake house.” He smiled into her eyes as he released her.
Glory looked at Crow with an expression of surprised confusion. Blue eyes met green ones in a series of startled silent questions, because Glory knew for sure that Crow was not a spin a woman around kind of guy.
“Um...yeah.” Glory stepped back and brushed a wisp of white-blonde hair from her face. “Prosper offered it. He thought that it would be good for Hal. Not a lot of stairs. Not a lot of noise. You know…fresh air… new start…that sort of thing.” Glory's voice tapered off as Jules moved to Crow's side.
“Hi, Jules.” Glory's voice softened when she said his name, but her face revealed nothing.
Jules lifted his chin in a seemingly unaffected silent greeting. But Crow was not fooled. He knew that the shock of seeing Glory had rendered him speechless.
Time stretched out uncomfortably until Jules finally spoke.
“I gotta….I gotta… I gotta…,” he said, clearly searching for an excuse to leave. Finishing lamely with… “I gotta go.”
Glory, Pinky and Crow had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the gravel that spit up from the fast spin of Jules’s tires as he roared out a hasty retreat.
Glory held her head high as her glacial blue eyes met Crow's deep emerald ones with not a flinch.
No doubt about it.
Glory had changed.
And by the look of determination on her face, it was evident to Crow that Glory had changed in a way that he guessed being kidnapped, brutally assaulted, then dumped by your man and having your brother almost killed in a war can do to a girl.
And now she was back to where it all started.
“I know that Jules probably doesn't want me here…” Glory's voice trailed off again and her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. She continued, pushing resolve into her tone, “But yeah, coming back is definitely on the table. I'm just not sure if the outpatient care my brother is going to need is available. I'm really here to visit Prosper, but I thought while I was around I might as well try to sort out some of the logistics of coming back—like if it's possible to get some exercise equipment brought into the house.”
“What’s he need?” Crow asked.
Glory thought for a minute before answering. “I'm really not sure. I thought maybe some gym sort of stuff. Treadmill, stationary bike, heavy weight bag… that kind of thing. His physical therapy team members are putting together a list of recommendations.”
Crow reached into his cut for his wallet.
“No.” Glory touched his hand in a stop motion. “We’re fine.”
We’re fine.
There it was again. What is it with these chicks that made them feel the need to say we’re fine when it was clear that they needed help in the worst fucking way?
Crow met Glory’s eyes.
“I want to help. And I know the brothers will feel the same. Whatever you need.” Then Crow looked away from Glory and said pointedly to Pinky, “Should go without saying for you too, Pinky. Whatever you need.”
Pinky reached out and kissed him on the cheek before murmuring. “We’re fine, too, honey, we really we are.”
Another one.
Pinky was almost dead with exhaustion from running interference and waiting on Prosper’s sorry ass.
We’re fine.
Crow shook his head, but asked Glory. “How’s Hal doing?”
Glory shrugged again and a shadow passed over her eyes.
“Some days are worse than others.” she paused, “I'm only here for a little while and I have a lot to do before I go back. I need to get going…” She looked at the hospital and hitched her purse back on her shoulder. “Good to see you, Crow.”
“Yeah. You too,” Crow answered and surprised them both by leaning in and kissing her lightly on the cheek. Glory stiffened slightly before giving him a quick hug and walking away.
On impulse, he called out to her retreating back. “Hey, Glory? Jules will come around. Don't worry.”
Glory stopped mid-stride.
As she slowly turned around to look back at Crow, an expression of surprise shone on her face. She paused as if weighing her words carefully.
“I took Jules off my list of things to worry about a long time ago.”
Then Glory smiled at Crow.
And Crow felt that smile like a punch to his gut because it was without a doubt the saddest smile he had ever seen in his whole goddamn life.
That list of Glory’s worries. That had to be something.
Pinky shifted automatically towards her, but looked at Crow with hesitation.
“Go on up to Prosper’s room with her. It’s cool.” Crow nudged Pinky on.
“I’m gonna head out. You good with that?” Crow asked.
“Yes I am, honey. And Prosper will be good with that too. Means a lot that you came as fast as you did and stayed to see him through the worst of it. You headed to Havengate?”
“Yeah. I’m headed home,” Crow answered.
Pinky’s mouth opened slightly at the word home, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she merely gave Crow a long, hard hug.
***
Crow wanted to make one more stop before he grabbed his gear and left.
Now he glanced down at his phone while he waited by the tall iron gate at the end of a long gravel driveway. He had chosen the Thuja Giant Evergreen trees himself to fill in the gaps between the high iron rails that now created the living fence. Crow had liked the way the trees gave the illusion of pristine beauty and mostly hid the substantial amount of barbed-wire surrounding the property.
In the interest of Claire's peace of mind, Reno McCabe had worked closely with Crow to create a series of strict security plans. These modifications had turned the home into a veritable fortress. But Crow had known that it wasn't only Claire's sense of well-being that Reno was safeguarding. Brother had almost lost his woman twice. Once when she got kidnapped and once when he got shot. By the same goddamn family no less. Reno wasn’t taking any more chances and Crow didn’t blame him. Not one damn bit.
Now he sat with his brother on the deck overlooking an impressive piece of manicured lawn.
“Nice place.” Crow tipped the bottled beer to Reno in appreciation. “It all came together even better than I thought it would.”
Reno nodded and looked around. “Yeah. I kinda get off on doing the whole landscaping thing. Who would have thought?”
He grinned and raised his bottle. At the mot
ion, he winced slightly.
Crow nodded to Reno’s shoulder. “Still bothering you?”
Reno shook his head and put a hand on his shoulder, rotating the arm in a slow motion. “Fucking range of the movement just never came back. Hurts like hell when it rains, shit like that. But it's all good, Brother.” Then he leaned back and took a hit from the beer. “Been thinking a lot about the Colombian situation. I'm glad the vote fell on the side of the club backing the Aces. I know Lucius's crew got absorbed into the Olcas, but I’m still uneasy about those sneaky fucks. I don’t trust any of them.”
“I’m with you there,” Crow told him.
Then Reno passed Crow the joint and said thoughtfully, “You know back in the day, the mob would have wiped out a whole bloodline for the shit that Lucius’s family pulled on mine. They had the right goddamn idea.”
“Yeah. That Godfather shit…I get it.” Crow nodded and drew deep. “So your mom still tight with Abiatti?”
Reno grimaced and muttered. “Don’t even get me started, man.”
“Don’t get you started on what?” Claire walked onto the deck bringing with her a tray of sandwiches and some salads.”
“The Wop and Ma,” Reno snarled.
“Oh, that.” Claire grinned.
Crow reached for a sandwich and realized he was starving. He checked his phone for the millionth time since his earlier conversation with Jett.
Nothing.
He knew he probably should have gotten on the road over an hour ago, but Crow had felt it was important to make this stop first. Because if any two people had gone through some shit, it had been Reno and Claire. Crow wanted to know what life looked life for them now that they were on the other side of that.
Seeing them together now, made Crow think that maybe he and Melissa... Crow felt his chair almost kicked out from under him.
“Just asked you three times to pass me a goddamn sandwich, Brother. Must be you got pussy on your mind.”
“Reno! Not everything is about that.” Claire slugged her husband.
“Yeah it is,” Reno and Crow both answered at the same time.
Claire just laughed and shook her head.
***
When Crow pulled into the compound, Jules was in front of the clubhouse with a wrench in his hand.
“What’s up with the bike?” Crow swung a leg over the seat of the Harley.
“Just got done putting in a throttle cable. It was getting really sloppy. Worn and stretched like a two-dollar whore. Needed to be replaced.” Jules hoisted the large tool box up and started heading towards the garage.
“Uh-huh. How’s everything else on her doing?” Crow asked.
“Good. She’s tight.” Jules kept walking. “But since I just rode across two damn states with you a couple of days ago, you know that. You wanna know what I had for breakfast too?”
“Jesus, man. Why you gotta be such a hostile prick? Thought you were a healer. Gentle giant shit and stuff.” Crow grinned.
Jules ignored him and went into the garage and came back out again. Crow was fiddling with the saddlebags on the bike, getting ready to leave.
“She say how long she’s staying?” Jules kept his eyes on that fixed throttle cable.
And there it was.
Crow kept his tone casual. “Not long. Maybe a couple of days.”
“She say when she's coming back?” Jules shot out.
“Nah. Said she's still working on that.” Crow pulled the strap on the bag tight. He glanced over at Jules's clenched jaw. The poor bastard still had it bad for her. Crow knew the feeling all too well, so he threw Jules a life line.
“I’m headed back. Starting out later than I wanted to, but I’m still hoping to get in front of the weather. Figured I’d get as far as I can, then pull over somewhere if I have to,” Crow said.
Jules grunted.
“Could use some help finishing up that pain in the ass insulation …” Crow pulled on his riding gloves.
“Why the hell you think I replaced the throttle?” Jules kept his face blank.
Crow grinned at Jules. It took a minute, but Jules smirked back.
“You ready to ride, Brother?” Crow asked above the sound of his engine.
“Yeah.” Jules revved the throttle. “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”
Chapter 32
Melissa was distraught. Distraught, distressed, dismayed and disgusted. And she hadn't even begun to work her way through the rest of the D's yet. She figured she had twenty-two more letters to go before she could even begin find all the words that were needed to adequately describe how Tommy's visit had affected her. However, in reviewing her alphabetized list, she realized that she had left one out.
And the word was bitchy. Yeah. That was it. She had missed bitchy. She tucked it into the missing space between banged up and blindsided. Sticking it in there made her feel less like prey and more like a predator.
Bitch was a strong word in any form. And she was going to add it.
Because it was better to be the hunter than the hunted, the slayer than the slain.
It was better to be the living than the dead.
Wasn’t it?
Melissa had to keep reminding herself of that. Because the emotions that she had worked so hard to overcome had lifted their ugly heads again. Misery clung to her like a coat of sickly-sweet cotton candy that she couldn't wash off.
She wished she had never gone to that damn carnival.
Because the few minutes of freeing exhilaration she had experienced on the stupid rollercoaster did not even come close to the painful memories that seeing Tommy evoked. And she hadn’t even dealt with the worst of it yet.
Not even close.
The worst of it sat in a drawer by her bed.
Waiting.
The worst of it lay inside of a hand-delivered, wrinkled envelope that had To Mel from Jesse written in handwriting that she had thought she would never see again.
Her husband had reached out from the beyond the grave to say a final goodbye. But Melissa couldn't find the strength that it would take to open the carefully sealed envelope and read his last words to her.
It had been past two days since Tommy had come to bring the letter to Melissa. In those forty-eight hours she thought that she might go crazy with remembered grief and waves of resurfaced guilt.
Thoughts of what might be in that letter filled her with sorrow.
And terror.
She had to get a hold of herself.
Melissa took a deep, jagged breath and sat down at the kitchen table. She had seen her son off that morning on the much-anticipated camping trip. Jett had been so excited when she had taken him shopping for his new little camping gear. She had tried her best to mirror his happiness, but Jett had seen right through it.
Melissa had woken up to find that her little boy had tucked himself into her bed during the night and was sleeping beside her. So much for putting on a brave front. It was all she could do to get him on the bus this morning. Melissa knew that Jett's memory of his first campout would be forever colored by his mother's cowardly display of emotion.
Another thing to add to the long list of transgressions that Melissa would never forgive herself for.
Enough.
A tiny brave voice inside her heart seemed to suddenly break through and grab hold. Melissa stood a little straighter and gave the small voice room to grow. She needed to get herself back to a better place before her child came back from his first overnight smelling wonderfully of smoky campfires and canned bug repellent.
That letter and all the emotions that came with it would just have to wait a little longer. It would have to wait until she had once again gathered her strength enough so that the reading of it would not send her into a tailspin of emotion.
She could do it, she was sure that she could.
It might just take a little time.
After all it’s not like anyone’s life depended on it. Melissa armed herself with a small bit of graveyard humor a
nd actually felt a little better for it. She decided to start her day with a long hot shower. After twenty minutes of full on hot steam, she slathered herself in scented lotion. Then Melissa rifled through her closet until she found a cute sundress that she had no business wearing to clean the house. But the cotton eyelet was bright yellow and dotted with sweet little colorful daisies, woven through and through with optimism. Melissa thought that wearing something that exuded that much happiness was a good place to start.
She began to feel better as she gathered up the laundry and made her way down the narrow steps to the kitchen. A heavy deluge of wind and rain had hit the area the night before. The cracks in the stone foundation of the cottage allowed for streams of ground water to flood the basement. Now the dank, musty, smell of wet earth married with the decay of rotting wood and wafted through the house. Melissa had had a sump pump installed when she moved in, but it didn't always work. That wet, moldy smell was not good for Jett. She hoped that by the time he came back everything would be dried out.
Melissa had a fleeting thought that she should probably grab a flashlight and make sure that the pump had powered on in the basement. She made her way towards the back of the kitchen. She balanced the laundry basket on her hip and her free hand clutched the liquid soap. She saw through the window that the rain had lifted and the sun was trying to break through.
When her toe suddenly caught the end of the frayed throw rug on the kitchen floor, Melissa let out a loud cry of alarm. Laundry, basket and soap all went flying and she found herself propelled forward in a long, hard stumble. It seemed forever before her foot landed hard. When it did, she felt her instep continue to smash right through the layers of rotten floor boards. She gasped as a burning pain seared up her leg and soft skin shredded against exposed splintered wood and God only knew what else. The sound of fabric ripping split the air. For just a moment, Melissa thought that she was going to fall right through to the basement.
Goddamn it.
Instinctively, Melissa yanked her leg quickly out of the hole and scooted herself back against the cupboard. It took some time for her to steady the pounding in her head and quiet the loud beating of her heart.
Taming Crow (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) Page 19
