“Aunt Roxy?”
“Yes, my sweet girl.”
“I miss my momma,” I cried as tears fell freely.
I couldn’t stop them.
I never really cried for my mother after she died. There was no time as Uncle Moonshine quickly got me off the mountain and on a plane to California. After that, Dylan and I were busy trying to get everything settled. Then shit happened.
Gio’s arms held me as I finally cried for my mother while Reaper continued to tattoo me.
27
Giovanni
Sometime later, Layla's body relaxed against mine. I looked at Roxy, sitting next to me, gently caressing Layla’s face.
“She’s cried herself to sleep.”
My heart shattered hearing her cries for her mother. I’d never heard such a heart-breaking sound in my whole life. Just thinking of my own mother's passing was enough to make my own heart skip a beat. But listening to Layla and knowing there was nothing I could do to ease her pain killed me.
“What was Donna like?” I asked as I held her close to me.
“Honestly, she was a lot like Layla. Gentle, soft, too nice. There wasn’t a person she met she didn’t like. She had this loving nature about her. She loved being a mother. Her whole life was about Dylan and Layla. When she was raped, I didn’t think she’d survive, but when she found out she was pregnant, something changed inside her. She somehow moved on and when Layla was born. The way she looked at her, I’d never seen a love like that before. There were times when I believed she loved Layla more because of how she came into this world, but that wasn’t Donna’s way. She loved both her children equally. When James found out that Layla wasn’t his, he tried to kill them all. My husband Lee Roy hid them. Many people don’t know this, but Donna wasn’t Lee Roy’s sister. He claimed her like Reaper is claiming Layla.”
“What?” Reaper’s head snapped up, looking up at me, then Roxy. “What do you mean? I thought Donna and Lee Roy were siblings.”
“No. Donna moved to Tennessee when she was just seventeen. She really didn’t talk about her family much. She bought a small house not far from the clubhouse. That’s how Lee Roy met her. They were neighbors. When James met Donna, Lee Roy introduced her as his sister because he didn’t want Donna hurt. Even back then, we all knew she was someone special. There was a serene grace about her. Almost fragile. She wasn’t cut out for the club life. Lee Roy knew that and tried to stop James from pursuing her. But he was the President of the main chapter, and when he saw Donna, we all knew he fell in love with her instantly. She had this aura about her. I can’t really describe it.”
“Where did she come from,” I asked, curious.
“I don’t know. I asked one time. She just smiled and said from far away. I didn’t know what she meant. She didn’t talk like we did. She didn’t have an accent. I thought she came from somewhere up north because she was always pale, and with her dark hair, she would always burn in the sun.”
“But she wasn’t from the north, was she?” I asked.
“No. After Donna was murdered, Lee Roy and I went through her house, boxing everything up. That’s when we found the letters. There were several of them. All from an address in Russia.”
I looked at Reaper, who stilled instantly.
“Neither Lee Roy nor I spoke Russian, so we couldn’t read the letters.”
“What did you do with them?” Reaper asked as he went back to tattooing Layla.
“They are in the same box we put them in in the attic of her house. Lee Roy didn’t have the heart to sell her home. He wanted it available to Dylan or Layla if they ever came back. Everything is up there. Everything.”
No one said anything after that as Reaper finished up with Layla’s back, and when he turned off the tattoo gun, I finally took a breath. It was done. However, when Roxy got to her feet and stood next to Reaper, I asked, “What’s going on?”
Neither said a word as Roxy pulled a knife from her back pocket. She handed the knife to Reaper as he cut his thumb. Then before I could ask what was going on, he placed his bloodied thumb on Layla, right over the tattoo, and clearly said, “You are of my blood. I am of your blood. We are Golden Skull. I am now your brother. You are now my sister, today, tomorrow, forever.” Reaper clearly said, then leaned forward and kissed the bloodied tattoo on her shoulder.
Roxy grabbed a bandage and covered Layla’s shoulder when he stepped back. “There. It’s done.”
Gathering her in my arms, I said nothing as I carried her out of my office and back upstairs to my bedroom. Laying her down on my bed, I carefully removed the bandage and looked at her new tattoo. It was a skull with blades crossing into the skull. Beneath it said,Duchess. It truly was an exquisite tattoo. Reaper did a beautiful job. Placing the bandage back over it, I reached for a blanket and covered her.
Sitting beside her, I watched as she slept, exhausted from this morning’s ministrations. Layla was a strong woman. No one needed to tell me that. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do if she put her mind to it, and watching her overcome her fear of needles today, I was beyond proud of her.
She truly was an amazing woman, and I was in awe of her.
I prayed that I endeavored to deserve her.