"Could just be disassociating from the shock. Or maybe you're able to rationalize how it was always going to end with Anton's body, so you're not as shocked and appalled as you might otherwise have felt."
"I kind of hope that is the truth. I don't want to be unaffected by someone getting killed. Even if they did have it coming."
"I know this is a strange time to say shit like this, but I gotta remind you... this is part of my life," he said, waving a hand out toward the front room. "This isn't the first body. It likely won't be the last. It's not the first or last time someone will get past security, that you will be scared, that things might get dicey."
"I understand that," I agreed.
"Do you, though? Not just as a concept, but a likely reality?" he pressed.
"I, ah, yeah, I got a taste of reality just a little bit ago," I reminded him, pointing toward the living room where it sounded like the guys were spraying something on the carpet to get rid of the blood.
"But can you live with that happening again?"
"Well, I guess that depends," I said, noting the tension in his jaw and neck, like a part of him was sure I was going to turn my back on him, on this life.
"On what?"
"On if I can always count on you to be there for me after," I told him, moving forward to slide my hands around his hips.
"Baby, you know that this life doesn't let me give you promises. But as much as I have control over it, I will always be here for you."
"Well, then, I guess we have a future then, huh?" I asked.
"I guess we do," he agreed, leaning down to press his lips to mine.
Epilogue
Shy - 3 weeks
"Why are you staring at me?" I finally blurted out after catching Huck looking at me for the fourth time. Each time before, he glanced away when I'd felt the tell-tale tingle at the back of my neck, so I just kept working on my sketches.
"You do nails," he said, making my brows raise.
"Yes, I do. Or, I did. I plan to do them again in the near future now that I am free to."
I had to admit, I'd been a bit of a slacker. What can I say? I hadn't taken more than a couple days off since I was sixteen years old. I'd gone ahead and taken advantage of the fact that I'd been fired, and that my bills weren't quite due yet.
I just wanted some time with McCoy, some time to relax and unwind, to wrap my head around the whole situation with the club and my sister.
But the new month was quickly approaching. Which meant bills would be due. And I'd have to pay them with my savings. That savings was important to me. Especially now that Belle wasn't going to go into business with me. I'd been counting on her putting some money into building the shop.
I needed to get a new job soon to get back on track with my plans.
It was still going to be ShyBelle.
And I was still totally going to con my sister into helping me with the paperwork end of things.
"Nail places... is that something that deals a lot in cash?" Huck asked, getting my full attention as I turned on the stool to face him.
"Yeah. I mean, not as much as it used to be. When I started, it was almost an all-cash thing. But now it is like half and half. Why?"
"Just thinking."
"Thinking about what?" I asked.
"The future."
"My future?" I clarified.
"Well, your future is club future now. So yes."
"Okay, well, what are you thinking about the future?" I asked.
"Sure you noticed we have The Shop. And Sass has the parts store."
"Yeah..."
"Legitimate businesses make it so the law man doesn't look too closely at us," Huck explained.
"You want to... do you want to invest in my nail salon?" I asked. "Do you even know anything about nails?"
"Know that all the nail places I've ever seen always have full seats."
"That's pretty true. Especially around Miami."
"Hm."
"Uh-oh. Something's got the boss man thinking," Eddie declared, walking in with grocery bags in his arms, followed by McCoy who'd been talked into grabbing yet more bags.
"Huck wants to go into the nail business," I declared, unable to stop the bemused smile that tugged at my lips.
"Pretty sure that was your thing," McCoy said, tone a bit guarded, protective, not wanting me to be steamrolled by his boss.
"It is," I agreed. "But if things keep going how they seem to be going, it will be our thing," I told him.
"True," McCoy agreed. "But you have to understand that it puts you and our business at a certain risk."
"It doesn't have to," Huck insisted.
"You'll be fucking with the books," McCoy said.