Elliott paid it.
Pipe Dahl paid it too.
Naomi didn’t waste time moving onto her next victim. She shacked up three months later with a biker in Boulder.
Rush saw her occasionally.
Tabby, never.
As for me, even though I never saw her, Boulder wasn’t far enough away. But it was something.
“Rush isn’t all fired up about Chaos,” Tack finished.
“But you’re not on that path anymore,” I pointed out.
“Darlin’, you got stabbed five times and his stepdad got dead.”
“Pipe dying had nothing to do with Chaos.”
“Not sure Rush sees it that way.”
“He couldn’t do better than the Club,” I announced heatedly and the air in the room went still but I ignored it and kept talking, “What’s he going to do? He loves cars. He’s great with them. You got him that bike for Christmas and every good day with clear roads we’ve had since then, he’s been on it. He knows everything about cars and bikes. And –”
“He couldn’t do better than the Club?” Tack cut me off to ask.
“Well, yeah. Brothers and blood. What’s more important than a lifetime of loyalty to both?”
“Jesus,” Tack murmured.
“What?” I asked.
“Jesus,” Tack repeated.
“What?” I repeated too and his hand came up and cupped my jaw.
“Your what is that those layers keep strippin’ off, baby. And sometimes, when they do, what’s uncovered shines out so bright, it takes the wind out of me.”
His words took the wind out of me.
Tack went on, “This mornin’, you gave me one of the most precious gifts a woman can give her man. And now, you just gave me another one.”
What did I do?
“I…” I faltered then asked, “How did I do that?”
“I claimed you into my world and then you gave me you. But, Red, me claimin’ you and you existing in my world is one thing. You accepting it is another.”
Oh, that’s what I did.
My body relaxed into his and his hand slid from my jaw into my hair as I pointed out, “I took my place in it a long time ago, honey.”
“You love me, you love my kids, you feel deep for my brothers but until now, I didn’t know you also loved the life.” His hand in my hair pulled me close so he could touch my mouth to his before he let me back an inch and finished, “And that’s a gift, baby. One that means the world to me. Thank you.”
Ohmigod!
I was thinking I just heard Tack say, “thank you”.
“Did you just say ‘thank you’?” I asked in order to confirm.