Bones by the Wood

by Johnson, Catherine

  Thea’s knees nearly buckled. She felt Dizzy feel it in the way that his arm tightened around her. She pulled herself up, stiffened her spine, and fixed her expression to blank. Her blood was running cold. Her head was whirling. Too many thoughts. Too many strands. Everything was knotted. She had no clue how else to explain that Josh and Jenny knew each other, so the words were out of her mouth before she’d decided whether it was safe for them to be free.

  “She used to live in our town. Went to the same school as Josh.”

  She felt Dizzy’s fingers clench. “You know her parents?” Fuck, but his voice was ice.

  “I knew her daddy. Never met her mama. She’d run out on them before I knew them.”

  Moira was several degrees less friendly than she had been a moment ago. “I’m goin’ to check on Ashleigh. I think you two have some things to talk about.” That last she directed very pointedly at Dizzy. “The ceremony will be startin’ soon.”

  Moira walked off, across the room, and disappeared through a door. Dizzy was looking down at her, his expression was inscrutable.

  “She’s right. We need to talk. This ain’t the time or the place for it, though.”

  He hadn’t called her sweetheart. He nearly always called her sweetheart. Thea had the distinct feeling that her world was crumbling from under her feet. She couldn’t make words. She had no idea what she could say that would be appropriate for a room full of people. She looked over at her boy, so happy and so joyous, talking so animatedly with his friend. His world was going to fall apart, too, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Emptiness swept over her.

  Dizzy still had his arm around her waist. She knew the score, he was keeping her close so that the other men in the room would know she was with him, but the muscles in that arm were rigid, and he was holding himself stiff. She couldn’t have said whether he was angry with her, because the only thing she could feel rolling off him was coldness.

  The ending of her world was interrupted by the opening strains of a song that Thea recognized, being played over the sound system at a volume that foretold the start of the event. It was a guitar and vocal piece by a British artist that Thea couldn’t name, but she recognized it. It was strangely melancholy for the event, so Thea assumed there must be something in it that had special significance for the couple concerned.

  Almost immediately, all the guests parted to form an impromptu aisle between the door that Moira had disappeared through, and a pair of double doors that had been closed when she had walked in, but which were open now. Thea hadn’t seen Moira re-enter the room, but she was standing in the room that had been revealed beyond the doors. It looked to be the Chapel of this clubhouse. Thea caught a glimpse of a large table behind the group of people who were standing there, waiting expectantly. As well as Moira, there was a man in a black suit and a black shirt with a white priest collar. On his other side, stood Shark and Chiz. The big, bald man, who had seemed so imposing, even next to Shaggy and Scooby, looked to be absolutely blown away with love and nerves. It made Thea’s heart ache to see his emotions so obviously drawn across his face.

  A collective murmur rippling through the assembled crowd drew Thea’s attention back to the other side of the avenue of people. Samuel appeared at the door with a young, blonde woman on his arm. This was obviously his daughter, the bride. Thea was a little surprised, and immediately ashamed for being so, to see that the bride was pregnant. Who the fuck was she to judge? The gentle swell of belly barely disturbed the line of the strapless ivory dress which had a high waist, just under the bust, and was made of layer upon layer of almost transparent, shimmering material. The dress ended at the knee, and when Thea took in the whole of the outfit as the bride walked past, she realized why she’d wanted her legs visible, she was wearing sky high platform pumps, encrusted with crystals that caught the light like rainbows and had a very distinctive red sole. Thea knew that if she even attempted to wear shoes like that she’d manage to break her ankle before she’d even taken a step. Other than the spectacular shoes, the bride wore no tiara or veil or any other accessory that Thea could see. The effect was understated, and appropriate for the setting. The bride was literally glowing. Thea could have cried for how deeply in love these two people obviously were.

  All the while that the ceremonial words were being spoken and repeated, Dizzy remained statue still, but never took his arm from around her waist. Thea tried to keep her attention on the happy event they were supposed to be being a part of, rather than thinking about the tornado that was about to engulf her own relationship.

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  At the priest’s utterance of the famous phrase, and the happy couple’s literal and enthusiastic undertaking of his permission, the room erupted into applause and cheers. Thea clapped along with everyone else, unable to find her voice to cheer because she wasn’t sure what sounds would come out if she actually opened her mouth.

  As the bridal party walked into the tide of embraces and congratulations of the crowd, someone turned the music system up again and the atmosphere changed from respectfully ceremonious to all-out boisterous party.

  “Stay here.” Since she was still in a state of emotional shock, it didn’t occur to Thea to argue with Dizzy’s command. She watched him melt into the crowd.

  There was a surge towards one side of the room. By the rush of mouth-watering scents, Thea guessed that the food was being served.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a cool hand on her arm.

  “Come on, cher. You’re boy’s still with Jenny. I’ll introduce you to Dolly.” Moira’s tone was tense, but civil.

  Thea was about to say that Dizzy had told her to stay put, but the grip on her arm brooked no defiance. Wondering how the hell she was going to get through the rest of the day, she allowed Moira to lead her over to a table. As they made their way through the partying people, she saw Josh and Jenny both sat with full plates, piled with an assortment of food in front of them. There was a plate in the middle of the table mounded with pieces of cake and chocolate covered fancies.

  Thea wondered what Moira’s game was. Surely she must know that something serious had shifted between her and Dizzy when she’d recognized Jenny Cross. Why in the hell was she still acting like she needed to be brought into the fold? Thea didn’t think that there were any guarantees that their place here was still warranted.

  There was a blonde woman standing behind the chair that Jenny was sitting in. She was wearing a scarlet dress that looked like an oversized peasant blouse that had been gathered at the waist and was short enough to show off a lot of immaculately toned leg. The impression that Thea got was of a blonde, slightly brassier, more made up, version of Moira. The woman had a similar air of command about her, but a lot more foundation and eye makeup and had done something much more elaborate with her hair. As Moira dragged Thea over, Jenny looked up from her food.

  “Hiya, Thea.” Jenny was looking her usual adorable self. Her long brown hair had been curled into ringlets, which highlighted her huge brown doe eyes. She was wearing a dress that seemed to be predominantly multi-colored tutu, a modern, princess-ballerina fantasy.

  “Hiya, Jenny.” Thea had never insisted on being addressed formally by Josh’s friends. She wasn’t a Mrs., and she’d be damned if she was going to be talked at like a kindergarten teacher, being called Miss Colby all the time, and she wouldn’t make anyone, let alone a child, call her Ms. anything.

  “Dolly, this is Thea. Thea, this is my friend, Dolly.” Moira motioned vaguely with her hand. From the way that she’d spoken, Moira had made it sound like Dolly was her only friend.

  “So you’re the one they’re talking about then.” The blonde woman addressed her while looking her over thoroughly from head to toe and back again.

  Thea did not enjoy being judged this way, not at all, but she knew that these people were important to Dizzy. Only for his sake was she prepared to present herself for this level
of scrutiny, but only for his sake.

  She wasn’t sure how to respond to Dolly’s proclamation, but was saved from doing so by Dizzy’s arrival. It seemed that her disobedience of his instructions was waived in the event of the cause being Moira.

  “Come on, we need to talk.” He said in a low voice at her ear as he slipped his arm back around her waist.

  Before he pulled her away from the little group, he turned his attention to Josh. “You all set, li’l bro?”

  “Sure, Dizzy.” Josh spoke around a mouthful of something.

  “Good. I just need to speak to your mama for a moment. You’re okay here. Anythin’ you need, just ask Moira or Dolly. Okay?”

  “Okay. You’re gonna be gross and kiss and stuff aren’t you.”

  For one utterly shocked moment there was complete silence in the group, and then through her total mortification Thea realized that Dizzy, Moira and Dolly were laughing gleefully.

  “That’s none of your business, li’l bro.” Dizzy chuckled.

  But his smile dropped as he turned her away from the table. Josh, surrounded by food and friendly people, hardly even seemed to notice that his mama had barely said a word, or that she was leaving.

  Worries about the forthcoming conversation and astonishment at whatever Josh, in all innocence, may have been alluding to, crowded each other out of Thea’s brain until only crackling static remained. She allowed Dizzy to pull her along with him, through the door that Samuel and his daughter had made their entrance through. It led to a corridor that was lined with doors in a similar manner to the one in the Texas clubhouse. Dizzy stopped about halfway along and fished a single key that wasn’t attached to a chain, out of his pocket. He unlocked the door and ushered Thea inside the bedroom.

  Once inside he closed the door and locked it behind him. Fear spiked in Thea, but she drew herself tall, determined to hold her own in the confrontation. She would not cower before the coming storm.

  She hadn’t intended to cut Dizzy off from whatever he was about to say, but the imprudent words just spilled out. “You killed them, didn’t you?”

  Dizzy’s face turned to stone. “Hold up. First things first. What was your association with them? How did you know Cross and Jenny?”

  Thea didn’t see any point in holding anything back. Hiding facts would only make things worse, as if they weren’t bad enough already. “Like I said, Josh and Jenny know each other from school. Josh caught some kids picking on her. He stepped in for her. That’s how I met Jenny. I met Cross when I started fucking Elvis. I’m guessin’ you knew who he was.”

  Dizzy was completely still. Thea couldn’t even see the rise and fall of his chest. It seemed that an age passed before he spoke. “Our clubs were associates. We worked together in the same business. We dealt with them for years, until they betrayed us. And yeah, I knew your fuck buddy.”

  “And you killed him.” That was the horrifyingly logical conclusion that she’d arrived at.

  Dizzy regarded her silently for what seemed like forever, then his posture suddenly relaxed. “I’m not gonna tell you. If we’re gonna do this, if we’re gonna have a life together, you need to accept that there’re things that I can’t, that I won’t tell you. I won’t even try. And some of those things might land me in the joint. We don’t do trials, we plead, it protects our business. So you might never know why I’ve been sent away, and it could be for years. If you can’t deal with that, say so now. Because, sweetheart, if you can’t deal, we need to end this here and now, before it’s too late, before any of us get in any deeper than we already are.”

  Thea was painfully deep already, and she knew that Josh was, too. And she knew that what he was really telling her, was that yes, he had killed Elvis and the others, or at least had a hand in it. She knew, just knew, that if he was truly innocent of their deaths, that he would have just said so.

  He was considering a life with them. Thea had already considered it, she just hadn’t dared to hope. And she had berated herself for throwing herself and her son into something without knowing how firm the foundations were. Well, now Dizzy was here asking her to lay those foundations. If she could accept that he broke the law, which she already knew, that he did truly terrible things, which she already suspected, could she still love him?

  And he’d called her sweetheart.

  He was waiting for her answer. He was stern, borderline angry, but.... he was nervous. Thea couldn’t have said how she knew, but she did.

  Before it’s too late, he’d said. He was wrong. It was already too late for her, too late for Josh. Rightly or wrongly, they were now a part of the crazy MC family. She couldn’t imagine life without Dizzy, or without the other members, and it would destroy something in her son if she took that away from him. It would destroy something in her.

  She took a deep breath, and exhaled the remnants of her life before Dizzy.

  “We’re in. I can accept that.”

  And then Dizzy was on her, pushing her up against the wall, kissing her, fairly devouring her. His hands gripped her hips painfully tightly. She fed her fingers into his hair and held him to her. Now that she’d made the decision to stay with him, to keep him, she wasn’t going to let him go, not ever.

  He broke away from her, panting. He ran one palm roughly from her hip, up her side, and over her breast.

  “You got any fancy underwear holdin’ that dress up, sweetheart?”

  Thea almost giggled with the freedom of having survived the tempest. “Nope. It’s pretty much stayin’ put with God’s grace and a wing and a prayer.”

  With that, Dizzy hooked his fingers into the top of the dress and yanked it down. Her breasts burst free of their confines. The growl that rumbled from Dizzy was not human. He turned wild eyes to her before he dipped his head and sucked her pierced nipple into his mouth. It was hard, firm, almost violent. It was intense. Thea’s emotional rollercoaster climbed.

  When Dizzy palmed her other breast, cupping it in his warm hand roughened with calluses from riding and manual labor, she moaned and pressed herself further into his touch. No matter how gentle he tried to be, the rough skin of his hands caught her skin, but he wasn’t even tying to be gentle. He caught the nipple he wasn’t suckling between his thumb and forefinger and pinched and pulled.

  Thea answered his attentions with her own animal sound, and went for his belt. She freed his cock, only pushing Dizzy’s jeans over his hips as little as was necessary for her to get to that solid shaft, and before she did so, she slipped her hand in the back pocket of his denim and slid out the condom that she knew she’d find there. Dizzy didn’t stand back, but he did stop his assault on her breast while she rolled the latex onto him.

  Even before she’d finished he was pulling at her dress, yanking it up, bunching it in his fists. It ended up as a coil of fabric around her middle. He tore at her underwear and the lacy thong ripped away from her body, the fabric cutting a burning trail into her hip.

  Dizzy wrapped his fingers around Thea’s thighs, she gave a little hop as he lifted and shoved and he was suddenly and completely buried inside her. The force with which she’d been slammed against the wall when he’d entered her knocked the breath from her body. She wound her legs around him, simply needing a point to anchor to.

  He fucked her without speaking. They communicated only with bestial grunts. It was an animal coupling, a claiming. The violent fuck erased anyone that had come before for either of them.

  “Take my ink. Thea... say you’ll take my ink.” He gasped at her ear.

  She had a nebulous idea of what he was really asking her, but whatever he wanted from her, she would give. “Yes. Oh... god... yes. I will.” She panted.

  Thea’s emotional rollercoaster peaked, and with a scream into the flesh of Dizzy’s neck, she came. Her body spasmed around his, gripping it, pulling his cock further, tighter, until he was roaring into her shoulder until his voice was hoarse, as his orgasm emptied him of everything he had to give.

  Thea unwrapped her legs
from around him and he let them drop. Her feet hit the floor, her legs shaking. She whimpered when the movement robbed her of his cock.

  He leaned his forehead against hers. His hat was long gone and forgotten.

  “I love you. Ain’t no use pretendin’ otherwise. Sweetheart, if you turn away, you’ll rip the heart from my chest.” His voice was little more than a series of gasps.

  “I love you, too. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

  ~o0o~

  It had taken them a while to recover, and straighten their clothing to a presentable manner before they re-appeared in the main room. They’d barely walked in, Dizzy had headed to the bar for drinks, when Moira planted herself in front of Thea and indicated a free table in the corner of the room.