you’ll be taken from me. Maybe you’ll find someone better.”
She cupped his cheeks with both hands and stared deeply into his eyes. “Conor,” she whispered, gravely, “I would go to the ends of the earth for you.”
“What if something happens?”
“Then I would wait an eternity for our happily ever after.”
“No matter what?”
Her smile reached her eyes. “No matter what.”
The car turned into a quiet neighbourhood. Thames had been awake a while and distinctly aware he wasn’t anywhere near Blackwater. She was still out of his reach, and he was cold, so cold. The house Drew pulled up to was small and orderly like the others. The only thing that stood out was the number of cars parked in the driveway. Thames counted six.
As Drew stepped out, Thames sank further into his seat, taking a few moments to himself. He stared at the house with empty eyes and a frown. He knew what lurked inside. He was already prepared for what was to come, but it still didn’t stop his heart from battering inside his chest. He felt mild adrenaline coursing through his blood, making the tips of his fingers tingle with urges he had learned to suppress over time.
Then he stepped out before his mind could justify otherwise. As they began walking to the front door, it swung open before they got to it.
“You’re here!” a familiar voice greeted.
Thames felt his spine straighten. He forced his lips up in response while his insides twisted at the sight of Holden. Immediately, memories fired through his mind, recalling the first time this bastard approached him in the prison yard. Thames would never forget the cocky smirk on Holden’s face and the joy in his eyes as he demanded Thames to brawl with a fresh fish for a spot in their crew.
“I win when he’s down?” Thames asked.
“You win when he’s dead,” Holden answered.
There were very vivid moments Thames could recall in his life that were monumentally altering. That brawl was one of them, because it didn’t end in the yard, it ended in a dark corner with begging eyes looking into Thames’ soul. He would never forget that look, and he would never forgive himself for what he’d done.
Now Thames wanted to die all over again. His neck felt hot and itchy. His fingers trembled something awful. This physical reaction was the weakness he had to bury for eight long years.
“I’m here.” He smiled, robotically.
If he was wrecked, they wouldn’t know it. Thames was great at putting a good distance between him and his emotions. So great, in fact, he frequently felt like a spectator outside of his body, watching his movements with zero attachment to them.
Holden pulled him in for a bear hug. He smelled of smoke and beer. In prison, he had a shaved head and zero facial hair, but out here he looked wild. His beard was a few inches long and unkempt, and his hair was tied back in a tight bun. He slapped a hand against Thames’ back and pulled back to look at him. His dark eyes peered into his, that smirk now filled with enormous respect.
“You’re a fucking king,” he told Thames, giving him a friendly slap on the cheek. “We bow down to you!”
Thames heard cheers as he was pulled into the house and greeted by a long line of faces he didn’t know. Not one of them mattered to him, but he smiled in greeting, nodding at them.
“This is the crew,” Holden said, motioning to the men standing around the room, booze in hand. “Not all of them, but most are top tier level guys. They came a long way just to see you, buddy.”
“We heard what you did,” one of them said, raising the beer in hand in Thames’ direction. “Mad respect, brother.”
“That’s Mal. He’s been here from the start. Number seven.”
Thames nodded at Mal, glancing briefly at the man’s inner wrist. “Good to be here, Mal.”
“Get the man a drink, will you,” Holden demanded, looking at a random young man in the back of the room. The man took off in response. Then Holden wrapped an arm around the back of Thames’ neck and tugged, staring into his profile with a broad smile. “You’re going to relax, Thames. I want you to have the best fucking night. We got booze, we got women, we got the crew and we are here to fucking celebrate. Isn’t that right, fellas?”
Thames nodded, looking bright as the young man approached with a beer bottle. He