nose tingle as water built in my eyes. “I want you to know my house is full of pillows and blankets. We could go inside and build one hell of a castle if you’d like.”
The girl smiled sadly, then shook her head.
“Monster spray isn’t real, Tinker. I gotta go now.”
With that, she turned and started walking away.
“Sadie!” I called after her. She stopped, looking back.
“Let me take you to the hospital.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “And I don’t need you interfering in my life. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
“Okay,” I said, thinking about her as a little girl. She’d been such a beautiful child. “Just answer me one thing—was it the motorcycle club that did this to you?”
She turned away without speaking.
Guess I had my answer.
GAGE
“You’re actually serious about going to see this woman before we take care of the Nighthawks?” Ruger asked, cocking an eyebrow. We’d stopped at a gas station about halfway to Hallies Falls.
“Yeah,” I said, sliding my card into the gas pump. “Thought we covered this already.”
“We did. I just didn’t believe you.”
“Why not?”
“Well, there’s the fact that I’ve never seen you fuck the same woman twice,” he said.
“That’s not true,” Horse chimed in. “There was that dancer in Vegas. He spent a whole weekend with her.”
“Did you know her real name?” Ruger asked me.
“No.”
“Doesn’t count,” Ruger declared. “So what’s up with this Tinker bitch? She have a magic pussy?”
“None of your fucking business.”
Horse paused to look me over.
“He hasn’t fucked her yet,” he announced.
“We aren’t discussing this.”
“Damn, you’re right,” Ruger said, nodding sagely. “I get it. Sometimes you just want one so goddamned bad and you can’t have her. Messes with your head. But this is club business. Priorities, bro.”
“What would be more important to you—dealing with the Nighthawks or taking care of your old lady, Sophie?” I asked him.
“Trick question,” Ruger replied. “If there was a problem with Soph, nobody’d expect me to be on this run.”
“Yeah, well what if Tinker is my Sophie?”
Both men stared at me, speechless. I took a moment to savor the silence, because it sure as shit wouldn’t last long with Horse around. Fucker never knew when to shut his mouth.
“You shittin’ me?” he finally asked.
“No,” I admitted. “I mean, it’s early days. Haven’t gotten to spend much time with her, and through it all I’ve been stuck with that crazy cunt Talia. But there’s something there. Feels real to me. I’m not gonna walk away until I know what it is.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I waited for the shit to fall. I figured it would come on two levels—first about the club, because it was always about the club. There was also the mandatory torment about me turning into a pussy.
Instead Horse shrugged.
“I knew with Marie,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t know that she’d be my old lady, but I knew she was different. Wanted her, and not just under me. Never really saw you with a woman of your own, but if you’re into that and she’s the right woman, you’d be a fuckin’ moron not to give it a shot.”
“What he said, only smarter,” Ruger chimed in. “Fill in the blanks. I think you better call Pic, though. He’s expecting you to come straight to the hotel.”
“That’s it?” I asked, wary as hell.
“What else do you want?” Horse asked. “You need love poetry, go write it yourself.”
“You’re letting me off too easy.”
“You’re too pathetic to abuse right now,” Ruger said. “And if it’s like it was with me and Soph, you’re gonna be useless until you figure it out anyway. Now call the boss. If we’re changing plans, he needs to know.”
I nodded and finished gassing up the bike. Then I grabbed my phone and wandered off behind the station to give Pic a call.
“I’m gonna head over to Tinker’s first when we hit town,” I told him. “Gotta explain shit to her. It’s important.”
“You’ve been holding off for weeks,” he pointed out reasonably. “You sure it can’t wait one more night? We’ve got BB watching the house, just in case things go bad. She’s safe enough, but it’s tense here—we gotta get this resolved before Marsh makes bail.”
“I need to talk to her. I’ve been in Hallies Falls long enough to know how it works—Tinker’s probably heard ten different stories about me landing in jail, each one worse than the next. It’s not just about seeing her. I’ve got damage control to do.”
“How long do you think it’ll take?” Pic asked. “Because