The daughter of Shane and Angela Keller, Kitty, had been a beloved member of the Golden Skulls since birth. Snarky, straightforward, and full of piss and vinegar, she was going to be dearly missed.
Kitty had given her all for the club and paid the ultimate price. There was nothing any of us could ever do to repay that debt. Her legacy, her daughter Hailey was ours to protect. And we would until we died.
Looking about the room, nobody spoke.
What was there to say?
Nothing would bring her back.
Sitting on one of the couches with Catarina beside me, I wanted to leave her at the compound, but she insisted on riding with me. She said she wanted to be there and support me, and I appreciated that. I didn’t know how I was going to get through this day.
I hated funerals.
I didn’t understand why something terrible happened to someone good. No matter what I thought, the bad always survived, and the good always died. It was wrong, and I could do nothing to change that.
We were all waiting for Savage.
Reaper and Ghost both walked upstairs to get him.
We all knew since his return, he stayed drunk. Honestly, I didn’t blame him. If it was my Catarina, I would stay drunk too.
Movement upstairs alerted us that they were finally coming down.
Nobody said a damn word as Reaper and Ghost marched down the stairs and out the front door. A minute later, Savage appeared. Next to him, nurse Jessica. The pretty nurse that helped Remi when she was rescued all those months ago in Louisiana. I saw her there that day when Savage brought in his sister and her twin Sandman. Both were in bad shape, but none of us really knew the extent until we all learned that Kitty had died.
After that, Savage lost it. The man was inconsolable, and the only person he allowed near him was Jessica. I would never know how Reaper was able to convince her to come to California, but I knew a lot of us were grateful she was here. Without her, I was sure Savage would still be up in his room, trying to kill himself.
As Savage and Jessica walked out of the clubhouse, we all stood as Sandman sighed, leading us out.
There was an order to these things and nobody fucked with them.
Once outside, we all got on our bikes. Savage on his with Jessica behind him. Sandman next to him. Their bikes linked to the trailer that held Kitty’s coffin. Behind them were Reaper and Ghost. Their women are absent, Remi too pregnant to ride, and Ari suffering from severe morning sickness. The rest of us followed in rank. This wasn’t going to be some typical bike run, where we all enjoyed the ride.
Far from it.
This ride was different.
We all waited patiently, giving Savage the time he needed to start his engine, and when he did, the rest of us followed. No one wanted to be the lead on a ride like this.
Not ever.
The funeral procession headed out on the long dirt road, heading for town. The local police knew to expect us, and when Savage and Sandman slowly turned down Main Street, I was shocked to see it lined with people who wanted to pay their respects. Kitty was loved by everyone. She helped wherever she could, and everyone knew she would drop anything to help those she cared about. She was just that way. Protective of those she loved and vicious to those who dared harm them.
God, I was going to miss her.
Slowly leaving town, the ride continued towards Angela’s house. Kitty’s mother refused to attend, and though many of us didn’t understand why, Reaper told us all to leave it alone, that Angela had her reasons. Though I kept my mouth shut, I still was curious as to why a mother wouldn’t attend her own daughter’s funeral.
Slowing, Savage and Sandman came to a stop before a small white house. Standing on the sidewalk, I spotted Angela. She was wearing a simple black dress and in her hands were red roses. Three of them. Walking over to the trailer that held the coffin, Angela said nothing as she placed the three roses on top, taping them to the coffin. She then kissed her fingers before placing her hand on the cherrywood coffin. None of them said a damn word. What was there to say? There were no words that would ever convey the sorrow and depth of our regret for what happened to her daughter.
When she was finished, she walked over to Savage, gave him a hug, then turned to Sandman, who did nothing but stare straight ahead. Lightly touching his shoulder, she turned and headed back into her house.
The funeral procession lasted for over an hour, and when we returned to the compound, we all parked our bikes. Several brothers, including Reaper, Ghost, Savage, and Sandman, carried Kitty’s coffin towards the back yard and up a hill where the Golden Skull cemetery lay. Remi was waiting in a chair, Ari, who was holding Rebekah and Roxy, standing next to her with Hailey in her arms.
The second Hailey saw Savage, she started crying, holding her hands out for her uncle. It broke my heart seeing that little girl. So much like her mother, she was going to have to grow up in a world without the one woman who would always love her.
With the coffin placed, Savage turned and reached for his niece, hugging her to him as if his life depended on it. Jessica next to him, lightly rubbing the little girl's back. Reaper and Ghost moved to stand near their women as Sandman moved over by a tree, away from all of us, but still present to pay his respects.
Holding Catarina close to me as she silently cried for a woman she had never met, I stared at the men I called brothers. All of them looked bereft. None of us should be standing here today. This whole shit storm wasn’t going to end anytime soon. I knew that just as I knew I would be in this same place soon when another one of us died.