Governor Vance runs a tight ship, but he’s fair. The Sons can vouch for him personally."
"It's not that I don't believe you. I'm just reluctant to trust anyone with enough power to call themselves a governor. Or a general, for that matter."
"We know Governor Vance's general too. He was a border war conscript who escaped his assignment, and now serves Vance willingly to keep the peace."
"Hmm," I mused, scratching Hades' ears. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"So you'll go?" Dyno's eyes brightened with curiosity, hands resting on his belt buckle.
"I'll pitch it to the club at church. This is something we should vote on." I cocked my head at him. "You and your boys are welcome to sit in and make your case. There will be questions, I'm sure."
"We'll be there." Dyno looked out to the stretch of desert once again. “If you all do this, you’ll have to go around the reservation, up into Utah. We know the area pretty well and can scout ahead for you.”
“And what about when we show up at Four Corners’ door?” I asked. “Is the benevolent governor going to welcome us with open arms? Somehow I doubt that.”
“We’ll vouch for you, too,” Dyno assured me. “We’ve done dozens, if not hundreds, of contract jobs for Vance. He’s solid. He doesn’t have any preconceived notions about MCs like some rich folks do.” Dyno clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Once he sees how well you look after your people, I don’t think he’ll have any issue letting you stay.”
“It’ll be temporary,” I reminded him. “Until we find someplace permanent, that’s ours alone.”
An eyebrow lifted. “When do you think that’ll happen?”
I lifted my water canteen to my lips. “When General Tash is wiped off the map.”
Six
MARIPOSA
I fumbled blindly in the dark, woken up by my bladder screaming at me to be emptied. Reaper’s chest was usually a solid wall behind me, but tonight it wasn’t there at all. Carefully maneuvering around Gunner and Jandro, loosely piled around on the mattress, I made it to the bathroom in time.
After finishing my business, I paused, standing next to the bed and allowed my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Jandro and Gunner both splayed out on their stomachs, their back muscles rising and falling with their steady breaths. As tempting as it was to fall back asleep in the cuddle pile, I felt a nagging need to know where Reaper was.
I found him on the balcony just off of the master bedroom, leaning over the railing wearing only his jeans, and a cloud of cigarette smoke surrounding him. But he wasn’t alone—Freyja and Hades lounged on the floor nearby. Neither of them looked surprised as I shrugged a robe on and pulled it closed around my waist. Reaper’s head cocked at the sound of my bare feet padding over to him.
“What are you doing up, sugar?” he asked, his voice rough.
“Got up to pee and saw you were missing.” I slid a hand along his lower back and he lifted an arm to tuck me into his side. “What are you three doing?” Freyja’s tail flicked playfully, and Hades padded over to lick my hand.
“I think these two are just making sure my dumbass doesn’t fall over the railing,” he laughed dryly.
“What are you doing, then?” I laced my fingers with his hand draped over my shoulder.
“What you all said I should do.” The words came out softly as a whisper, but with a bite of frustration. “Trying to let my brother in so we can talk.”
I squeezed his hand. “And?”
“Nothing,” he growled. “I think Daren’s given up on me. Or more likely, I’m a fucking idiot for trying to talk to a dead man.”
You are not truly letting him in. Freyja’s voice hit us both at the same time. You are allowing your doubts to create barriers.
“I am trying, okay?” Reaper grumbled. “Of course I have doubts. I haven’t talked to my brother since he fucking died in my arms.”
Would it help to remind you that death is not an end? Freyja rubbed her head against Reaper’s leg. It’s a transformation. A new chapter for the soul. Daren isn’t gone. He’s on a different plane of existence.
“Sounds like a bunch of horse shit to me.”
This is what I’m talking about. Freyja’s voice seemed to sigh with exasperation.
"Well, what are you doing out here?" I ran a hand up his back, fingers digging into the knots of his muscles. "Noelle said he comes to her in