empty. They all knew what was going down. He couldn't blame them for not wanting to witness what was about to happen.
Faye stopped in the middle of the room. Her little brows pulled down in a frown.
Not often had he been inside the clubhouse when no music was playing, and all the bottles of alcohol were still behind the make-shift bar at the side of the room. Walker's absence had hit the whole club hard.
"Uncle Curley?" Faye hugged her helmet to her stomach. "Where's Uncle Walker?"
He walked over to the couch and patted the cushion. "Come here, Faye."
She took tiny steps and perched on the edge of the couch, half-turned, and looked at him. Her eyes welled with tears, and she hadn't even heard what had happened yet.
She was too smart for her own good. Already, she expected something bad. And she was right to try and protect herself.
The news he needed to give her would destroy her.
He blew out his breath. She was old enough to understand what happened and too young for him to explain the details of Walker's arrest to her.
"Your Uncle Walker won't be coming home for a while." He grabbed her arm when she darted to her feet. "Stay here and let me talk."
"I want Unc—"
"I know you do." He shifted and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her slim body. "You'll get to see him, but not right now."
"Where is he?"
"He was arrested by the police, and there's a good chance he'll have to stay in prison for a while." He rubbed his lips together, feeling the weight of what transpired and his part in taking her uncle away from her.
Right now was about Faye and seeing her settle. It wasn't about him.
Time meant nothing at eight years old. A week felt like a lifetime. A lifetime was death. She had no concept of what awhile meant.
Faye's chin hit her chest, and her shoulders rolled forward. His throat clamped closed. Sometimes, he hated his position within Tarkio. As the vice president, he knew the families of the members inside and out.
Of course, he knew Walker and Faye better than the others. Most of his free time was spent at Walker's place, or Walker would come by his house, often bringing Faye if one of the women who hung around the club couldn't babysit her.
"I'm going to take you to your grandma June tomorrow and tell her you'll be staying with her while your uncle gets things sorted. It'll be good for you to get to know her better. And for tonight, you can stay in one of the bedrooms at the clubhouse."
"I don't want to go to Grandma June's house," she muttered. "It stinks in her house."
He couldn't disagree with her. Old people's houses had an aroma of their own, filled with loneliness, regret, and if they were lucky, a satisfaction of a long life well-lived. But Grandma June ran a small nursery business in her backyard to help add some income to her social security check. Her house was filled with plants and flowers, giving off an earthy scent that took some getting used to.
Faye's head straightened. "Maybe if I talk to a policeman. I-I can tell him how good Uncle Walker is, and he can tell them he's sorry and won't get in trouble again. I don't want them to take him. He's my only uncle."
He shook his head, emotions clogging his damn throat. She wasn't the only one who wished they could talk to the Feds.
"It doesn't work that way. Besides, every Tarkio member is your uncle. I'm still your uncle," he said.
Her little fists swung in his direction, pounding his chest as reality and fear sunk their ugly teeth into her. "I don't like you anymore. You're not my uncle. I want my real uncle back. Give him back to me. Please. Please. Plea..."
Faye's sobbing screams deafened him to everything else. He wrapped his arms around her small shaking body and held her tightly, one hand holding her head into the crook of his neck.
Her tears wet his skin. He closed his eyes, but nothing would stop the burn behind his eyelids.
He'd do anything for that little girl. She deserved more than she received in life.
Chapter 1
Curley
1991
The waitress at Riverside Bar removed the two empty beer bottles from in front of Curley. He continued drinking from the mug in his hand, no calmer than when he'd walked into the place.
"Come on, Curley." Roddy tossed cash down on