to wearing the V.P. patch full-time."
"I hear you."
"Hammer has a knack for pouring drinks. It'll be good for the club." Curley continued talking—though he couldn't remember exactly what was said.
Today's visit was a long time coming. Breaching the barrier that he'd put up so long ago was taken down for Faye's sake. For his sake. For Walker.
Walker leaned back as far as his chain would allow and looked to his left. "Time is almost up, brother. Don't be a stranger."
"I won't." He reached for Faye's hand. "Watch your back."
Walker's gaze intensified. "Always."
Curley handed the phone to Faye to say her goodbyes. When she finished, he stood, and a guard appeared at his side. Putting her in front of him, he pressed his hand against her lower back. Before he could step away from the partition, he looked back at Walker, standing with the chain dangling in front of him.
Their eyes met and locked. Understanding passed between them.
That was the last time they'd hedge the topic of what put Walker in prison, and he could let it go. Brotherhood withstood resentment and guilt. They were Tarkio to the core.
Epilogue
Curley
Winter 1991
Inside the Tarkio Clubhouse, Eddie Money sang Shakin' on the stereo. Curley leaned against the back of the sofa and tipped a bottle of beer to his lips while watching Faye gab with Tracy and Nicole. In the dead of winter, everyone found an excuse to get together any chance they could.
They were all sick of being snowbound, and now that the roads stayed clear for more than a couple of days, it wasn't unusual to find a hundred or more members packed in the room.
Faye looked at him, dropping her gaze down his body. Deep in conversation, her mouth kept moving, but her eyes stayed fixed on him. His chest rumbled in amusement. Either she wasn't aware of checking him out, or his old lady had something on her mind—something that involved him, which he would be one-hundred percent behind.
He nudged Paco with his elbow. "Let me bum a cig."
Paco handed him the pack. He lit the cigarette and exhaled the smoke, letting it roll out of his nostrils.
"Good crowd tonight," said Paco.
"That's because Promise is closed." He hooked his thumb in his pocket, ogling his old lady who not only stared at him but turned her body toward him while talking to the others.
"Right." Paco pushed off the back of the couch. "I got an itch to scratch."
"Don't forget about the meeting in the morning," he said, reminding him.
Paco's mouth hardened, and he leaned closer. "I still think it's a good idea for me to ride over there and not wait another day."
The rumors that the missing girls were seen at the Blackfoot Casino and Resort bothered them all. Going inside the reservation was always risky. That's why they had to take their time and be careful. It wasn't only their lives at stake, but the girls.
"Don't go over there tonight." Curley put the cigarette between his lips. "It's a good way to disappear."
Paco's eye twitched, and he nodded before wandering toward the group of women dancing on the other side of the room.
He looked back at Faye. She raised her gaze, her eyes warming. He cocked his brow. Paco wasn't the only one in the room getting horny.
Faye leaned in toward Tracy and talked close to her ear. Those girls and their secrets. Usually, it involved him and Rick. Together, they could get into trouble.
He'd arrived home many times to Faye decked out in some sexy lingerie, greeting him before he could even get his boots off—not that he was complaining. Later, he'd find out Tracy was doing the same thing with Rick because the girls had gone shopping together earlier in the day. It was a friendship he'd never step between because he seemed to be the one that benefitted from Faye spending time with Tracy.
Tracy walked away, leaving Faye alone with the others. Instead of joining into the conversation going around her, Faye looked his way and rubbed her hand down her arm.
He finished his beer, ready to take her home.
The music switched over. Jon Bon Jovi's Let's Make It, Baby rocked the room.
Tracy returned to Faye, holding a bottle of Tequila. He tossed his cigarette on the concrete floor and ground the toe of his boot to extinguish it. For as long as he knew her, Faye had never consumed anything stronger than a beer, and even that was on a rare occasion when she sat