“Why didn’t you say something?”
And that was when she threw her towel at me as she shouted. “I tried! You wouldn’t listen. Whenever I tried to talk to you about it, you would fuck me senseless then leave. You’ve been holed up in that fucking church for weeks. Then you saddled me with the biggest bitch on the planet. I swear to God, Max. She looks at you one more time. I will gouge her eyes out. I just got my nails done. I can do it, too.”
Chuckling, I ensured my son was secure on the bed before I got up. Walking over to my angry woman, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her nose. “I’m sorry I haven’t been any help. I know you don’t like it when I say I’ve been busy with club business, but I’ve been busy making sure that anything that can go wrong doesn’t. We’ve got a lot of people coming to this shindig and I have to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch. This is your day and I want it to be perfect for you. I don’t want anyone causing any trouble. Once the wedding is over, I promise you will have my undivided attention again.”
“That’s why you’ve been so busy?” she sighed as all the anger left her pretty face. “I thought something was wrong. Shit Max. You could have told me you were just making sure that everyone got along. I would have understood that.”
I nodded.
Fuck.
I just lied to my woman. I hated the taste of it in my mouth. But for right now, if that’s what she wanted to believe, I would let her. I had enough on my plate. I did not need her busting my balls over something she knew nothing about. It was bad enough I was going to use her wedding to ensure our safety. No sense in adding more drama to the day.
“Now, I need to head downstairs. I’ve got to get the boys moving before the bitch arrives. Do you need me to do anything else?”
“No,” she said, removing herself from my arms to sit on the bed. Cooing at our son, I knew that I wasn’t needed anymore. Remi was a wonderful mother. Attentive and caring. My son hit the jackpot with mothers and I was eternally grateful that he would never know the hatred and deception I felt with my own mother.
Making my way downstairs, I ignored the brothers milling around, doing absolutely nothing as I headed outside. The sun was shining brightly like it always did in this part of the world. I loved living in California. Especially northern California. The air was cleaner and I was far away from the big cities’ hustle and bustle.
Needing time to think about what I would do, I headed over to my bike and hopped on. Before I knew it, I was flying down the old dirt road, the wind blowing against my face as I tried to forget about everything that was going on. There was so much still left unanswered. So much that still needed to be discussed and with the wedding knocking on the door, I wasn’t so sure that St. James’ plan was the right move.
No matter which way my head turned, I still kept coming back to what that fucker said…enjoy marital bliss while you can.
What the fuck did he mean by that? Honestly, it felt like no matter what I did, my wife was marked for death. Regardless of whether I returned to the fold, I wouldn’t put it past them to do just that. With Remi out of the way, I wouldn’t be good to anyone. I wouldn’t care anymore. I knew that whatever happened was going to happen at the wedding.
Making my way towards town, I pulled into Patty’s Diner and parked my bike. Heading inside, I didn’t bother to stop and greet Patty. The woman had been busting my balls for three weeks because her husband was due home any day now. Her husband Patrick was in the Marine Corp and was supposed to be home months ago before they extended his deployment. No one really knew when he was coming home. To make matters worse, when Patrick did return home, Patty was adamant about her old man not returning to the club. I didn’t blame her, but the choice wasn’t hers to make. It was Patrick’s.
Finding an empty booth near the back of the diner, I sat. I didn’t have to wait long before Patty walked over and said, “Reaper.”
“Morning Patty.”
“The usual?”
“Sure and a cup of black coffee.”
She said nothing else as she turned and left. The woman was pissed at me, but I didn’t give a fuck. She needed to be angry with her old man. I didn’t make him join the fucking club. He did that all on his own. She also needed to remember that while her old man was serving his country, the club helped her out when her pipes burst or when one of the boys fell and broke his arm. Without the club’s backing, she would have had to deal with everything independently.
I never claimed the club life was perfect, but we did have our moments.
I was lost in my thoughts when a tall figure walked over and stood before me, blocking the sun from my face. Looking up, I smiled. Getting to my feet, I grabbed the man, hugging him. “Hey stranger. When did you get back?”
“A week ago.”
“Sit,” I said, taking a seat again as he did the same. “Fuck man, you look good. You home for good this time?” The man looked good. Still solid and full of life. A member of the Golden Skulls, Patrick was the only active service member. Though he was a full-fledged brother, I generally kept him out of the loop due to his military commitment when it came to club business. I needed brothers I could count on at a moment’s notice. Patrick wasn’t one of those brothers.
“Got my walking papers. I’m a free man.” He said, then added, “How’s the club?”
Smirking. “You know. Same old shit, just a different day.”
“Heard there is trouble on the horizon.”
I looked at Patty’s husband and said, “You sure you want back in, Patrick? You have a wife and kids to think about.”
Patrick Graves was a man of his word. What he said, he did. He reminded me a lot of Dylan before he went off the rails. Both men had a lot in common, serving in the Marine Corps and being devoted to their women and kids. Though Dylan was on a different path right now, I didn’t want the same thing to happen to Patrick. He was a good man. A husband and a wonderful father. I could really use him, but if he returned to the club, I wasn’t sure I could protect him. He’d already been through enough with his deployment. I couldn’t risk taking him back into the fold.
“You taking my patch?”
Shaking my head, I replied. “Nope. I’d never do that, but I want you to think about this. The club isn’t like the Marine Corps. You can’t just walk away. Once you’re in, that’s it. The only way out is death. Are you prepared for that? Is Patty? What about your boys? Have you thought about what would happen to them if something happened to you?”