The look in his eyes in that van when he talked about having no choice but to kill them to save me… I knew that he spent that endless drive trying to comfort me and maybe drawing comfort from me because we were in dire straits.
Oh yeah, and to add to my stress about him getting caught, it was on the news. I saw it at Rider and Jenna’s apartment and actually vomited afterwards. The news briefly reported that two armed men were found dead on the highway, both done through neck knife wounds. They hadn’t been robbed, there was no vehicle around, and the police had no leads.
I looked the story up online and an article mentioned one of the two had outstanding warrants and both were believed to be former members of the recently disbanded Wyld Jackals motorcycle gang.
Dad put his arms around me. “How are you tonight, punkin?”
“I’m okay, Dad. How’s everything?” I asked, looking up into his concerned eyes.
“Bein’ worked out,” he told me.
I nodded.
“You okay over at your brother ‘n Jenna’s?”
I smiled. “Jenna’s spoiling me. I just needed that; I think. She’s gonna make an awesome mom someday.”
He smiled a sad smile at me that I knew was his ongoing non-verbal apology for the mother I got saddled with.
“Come here to breakfast tomorrow. Big club feast. Want you at my table. Catch me up on everything goin’ on with you.”
“Oh, you know…” I tucked my hair behind my ears and fingered a condensation ring on the bar, then leaned over, grabbing a bar towel and wiping it. “I’ve just been hidin’ out. Nothing new with me.”
“Come anyway.” Dad’s voice went deeper, letting me know it wasn’t a suggestion, it was an order.
“Okay. Laura coming?” I asked.
He gave me the look. He knew I wanted a buffer there so I wouldn’t have to have a heart-to-heart. I didn’t shy away from those before Luke died. Now though? At the first sign of one, I went directly into resistance mode and often dove into hiding.
“Dunno. She might have to work. But don’t think I’ll be on my best behavior with you if she is, Joelle. You should know by now that my behavior suits the situation no matter who’s around.”
I laughed drily. “Yeah, lots of patches here tonight tells me a lot about the situation.”
“Meeting earlier.”
“Where’s everyone staying?”
Coco put my drink down and snatched the bar towel off me, leveling me with a ‘that’s my job’ look.
“Thanks, Coco.”
“Few members with their own pads or with women who have their own pads gave up their rooms upstairs for tonight,” Dad said. “A couple with bigger places are also putting a few up. Some motel rooms. Coupla trailers in the parking lot.”
“It’ll be great when we’ve got room for everyone,” I mused.
“Sure will. You call Delia?” Dad asked. “She was beside herself when she heard what happened. She wound up in the ER with fuckin’ chest pains after she heard. Cut her spa trip short.”
“I know,” I said. “I offered to go stay with her. She wouldn’t hear of it.” I rolled my eyes. “Telling me I had my studies. I told her I was off school until September. She said you needed me for the changeover when we move into the new compound.”
I was really worried about Delia. She’d talked about being in a panic imagining losing me the same way she lost Jet.
“I do,” Dad agreed. “If I didn’t have you dealin’ with that contractor I’d be rippin’ my hair out. You have a knack for that shit.”
I shrugged.
“Anyway, it’s good to see you here. The boys’ girls here?”
“They’re coming. They should be here any time. I got here first so I could go up and look in on Marshmallow.”
“Bunnycat’s good. Different biker every night, probably. Slept with me one night. Laura’s been feeding her and takin’ care of her litter box.”
Dad had taken to calling her Bunny as in ‘biker bunny’ since Brady moved here, bringing her while I was in New York, because she was in love with a different biker every time we turned around.
“You’ve both been staying here?”
Dad had been spending a lot of time at her place lately.
“Picked her up again last night and brought her over. Don’t want her alone in her apartment and after that bullshit, don’t know what’s next. Tryin’ to get her to quit her job and take over managing here.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“Yeah. Just haven’t convinced her yet. But, I will.”
I smiled. My brothers got their cockiness