to comfort and let her know she was right. He fucking loved her. He always had.
Nothing about their relationship was normal. He should never have had a hand in raising her.
If he had met her a couple of years ago, when she was an adult, he wouldn't be standing here miserable, damning himself as some kind of asshole, but in her bedroom, smack-dab on top of her with his cock in her pussy.
Or, he could be sitting in prison doing life.
He took a staggering step toward the door. It was a stupid idea to come over here. Nowhere around Faye was safe for him. He was weak. It would take nothing for him to turn around and go to her.
"Curley?" she whispered, stopping him from leaving.
He kept his back toward her and shook his head. She asked for too much from him. Somehow, he'd figure out how to keep her from working at Kingston's Bar before she was due on Wednesday.
He'd stop Walker from holding to his word. Nobody was going to take Faye away from him.
A soft object hit him in the back. A throw pillow from the couch plopped on the floor by his left boot.
"Why do you hate me?" Her tight voice pierced his chest.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. It wasn't hate that he felt toward her.
Loving her scared the fuck out of him.
He opened the door and walked out of the house. Halfway to his Harley, the door opened behind him.
"Just stay away from me." Her voice grew louder. "Walk away and let me go. Let me have my life back."
He sat on his Harley, poised to drown her out by starting the engine.
"I don't truly belong to you anyway. Do I, Uncle?" Pain glaringly obvious in eyes that seconds ago held more passion than he was used to seeing stared at him.
He started the motorcycle, looped around in the driveway, and rode away. Bound to her in a way she would never understand, he couldn't ride away and forget her.
He loved her.
He always had.
Chapter 14
Curley
Priest walked out onto the deck at his house. Curley stayed at the railing. He couldn't see anything below in the valley. Darkness coated the side of the mountain where his president had built his home.
The hiss of a beer opening stopped the frogs from croaking. "Are you sure you don't want a beer?"
"No." His chest remained tight. "My head is already fucked up."
Priest joined him at the railing. "What's going on?"
"Faye."
They'd talked many times over the years. Priest was the only one who knew the truth. Any time one of the Tarkio members got arrested, it was felt throughout the club. But Curley's part in the crime pinned on Walker made him the one responsible, and it was hard to live with the outcome.
"She went to the prison and made a deal with Walker. Her freedom in exchange for giving up her job at Kingston Bar." His jaw ached, knowing one day he would give her credit for finding the right angle to get rid of him. But for now, it hurt. "I'm not letting her go."
Priest passed a joint to Curley. "I don't say this lightly, but maybe it's time to call it quits. It's not like she was ever your woman in a real sense. You’ve kept her at arm's length and never brought her into your life. Walker has had all the time in the world to think about what happened. His views could've changed over the years. Tell him you're walking away and then go in front of the club and make the announcement. If Walker has a problem with that, he'll let me know, and we'll take it to the table, and you can plead your case in front of the officers."
There were strict rules within Tarkio about messing with family members. To fuck a brother's wife, daughter, niece, without permission would take the patch from his vest or worst. It was a vital law within the club, and the only way a Tarkio member could protect their family in a lifestyle where someone could shoot you in the back without breaking a sweat.
"I can't let her go." He gritted his teeth. "How can I?"
"She's suffering, too," said Priest.
He hung his head. No one needed to tell him that he had made the situation worse for Faye. He agonized over her every day, knowing what he'd done. Knowing what she wanted. Knowing he couldn't be the man for her.
And yet, in the back