“Easier than having to go home,” Reese said.
“Home…”
“The old house,” he said. “I still have it. Can’t break myself down enough to sell it.”
“I don’t blame you,” Josie said.
She glanced over her shoulder and spotted the dresser with a mirror attached to it. There were pictures stuck to the mirror, most of them the guys in the MC. There were two older pictures though. One of Reese and his father. His father sitting on a motorcycle with a very young Reese sitting in front of him. Reese was so young he couldn’t reach the handlebars. The other picture was of Reese and Laszlo. They were maybe ten years old, standing together, shirtless, scrawny young kids.
“What’s the money for?” she asked and pointed to a five-dollar bill that looked like it had been through hell and back.
Reese put the two beers on one of the nightstands and slowly sat down on the bed. “That was my first shakedown. When I was earning my cut. I had to collect payment on something. This guy got mouthy with me and I lost my shit. I took him and another guy down while Levi watched. I won the fight and I started searching their pockets. Levi got a kick out of it. Normally, we’d just give another warning or put a bullet in their leg. But not me.”
“You fought them and won,” she said. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Well, all I got was that five bucks. They owed thousands to the MC. I got five bucks. A warning would have been better. Levi let me keep the five bucks as a reminder to not lose my cool so easily.”
“Something tells me it did nothing,” she said.
“Nope,” Reese said. He pointed to the beer bottles. “Drink?”
“Sure.”
“I guess you can have one,” he said. He twisted the cap off a bottle and held it out. “You know, since you’re not pregnant.”
Josie took the beer bottle from Reese and he opened the second bottle for himself.
“I’m sorry for the way that looked, Reese. My bag is my business though.”
“Until you hand it to me to keep because you’re scared,” Reese said. “Funny how you hate the life and everything about it until it benefits you.”
Josie swallowed hard. She sipped the cold beer and rested against the dresser. “Right. I didn’t expect for the police to just show up like that.”
“It wasn’t for your girls either.”
“I know,” Josie said. “Still doesn’t lessen the headache. And for the record, I found that stuff on Starla when she crashed at my place…”
“Starla at your place?”
“Don’t ask.”
“I’m not going to. Who’s pregnant?”
Josie hesitated. She looked away.
Reese stood up and put the beer bottle down. “Jesus Christ, sweetheart. You know what this life is for me. What we’re always up against. And now you want to play games? What is it? You want to be in this room with me? Trying to bring back some memories.”
He moved toward Josie, closing the distance between them.
He got close, way too close for comfort, and just stared down at her.
She looked up at him, feeling her heart beginning to race faster by the second.
“I never said that,” Josie whispered. “Everything is crazy, Reese.”
“Of course it is, sweetheart. That’s what life is. Fucking crazy. You just breathe. You don’t catch your breath. You just keep breathing.”
“You were jealous when you thought I was pregnant,” Josie said. “Admit it.”