Giada shakes her head again and smooths my hair away from my face. “I don’t know what exactly has been going on between you, but I know from looking in from the outside that he is still in love with you. Very much so. Be patient with him. Guys are weird.” She smiles, and I laugh slightly.
“Tell me about it.”
I pull her into another hug just to get some comfort from her.
After a few more seconds, I release her and pat her knee. “Now that we’ve gotten all my tears out of the way. Tell me everything that’s going on with you.”
“Everything?” she asks, and her eyebrows go up.
“Oh, ew. If it has anything to do with sex and my brother, please warn me. Don’t make me barf.” I raise my hands up and lean away.
Giada laughs loudly, and it feels great to finally have someone take off the kid gloves with me. I finally start to feel normal.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Muffler
For the first time since Beretta’s been released from the hospital, I feel at ease. I don’t have to worry about something I’m saying or doing that’s going to trigger an emotion in her because I’m not around her right now. I know that it’s still possible for her to remember anything.
It’s possible that it could happen while I’m gone, but I’m not as concerned about it now. Boss was right. I was becoming so consumed with keeping all these secrets that it was basically eating me alive. Even though we’re on a run right now, I feel free. Lonely and missing my woman, but free all the same. Part of me even thinks I should feel guilty for feeling this way, but I needed a break from what’s going on with Beretta. I love the woman more than anything, but I’m anxious knowing at any given moment, she could remember something. Then she could walk out of my life as quickly as she walked back into it. I’m afraid for it. I don’t want it to happen.
“Shit, did you call Boss yet?” Abyss asks, and I turn to look at her in the seat. I try my best not to laugh, but every time I see her, I can’t help it.
“I see I’m going to have to fuck one of you bastards up. It’s called a disguise!” she screams at me, even though she tries to sound menacing. The blonde wig she has on makes it seem like she’s just complaining.
“You look so adorable,” I remark, and she scoffs, pulling at the fake strands that frame her face.
“I hate this. It’s not me in the least.” It’s not her at all, and she isn’t lying about it. She normally has sea-green hair she dyes every couple of weeks
“I think that’s precisely the point,” Reno replies.
All of us have some form of disguise on. All of our cuts are left at the clubhouse, and we’re doing our best to make sure that no one’s spotted us.
We left our bikes home and Boss had us calling in every thirty minutes just to make sure we weren’t in any trouble that we couldn’t get out of. I don’t expect anything crazy to go down, but she wants to make sure that there isn’t anything crazy going on. I don’t blame her. When it comes to us, sometimes we can be a little bit off the wall. Meaning we’ll do whatever we need to get the job done.
“No, I haven’t. Mug, give her a call,” I order. The last thing we need is to miss a check-in and have Boss send the rest of the club out to look for us.
The last place we heard the cult was going to be was at some farmer’s market up near Milton, NY. It’s not exactly a busy place, but it isn’t in the middle of nowhere, either.
If we can find out more about what they are like inside their establishment, there may be a way for us to cut them off before they ever get any more traction. We don’t need them to try and restart their entire process, and then we’re looking at more kidnappings or even murders. These people go however far they need to for their cause.
That’s not the kind of heat we want right now.
Once we get to the farmer’s market, we see members of the cult right away, but I know there’s no way I’m going to be able to get close to them. They only speak with certain people, people who they believe are their target ‘market’, I suppose.
Usually, folks think they can convert. Since I’m a sole man, I highly doubt they’re going to want anything to do with me. They’re not going to be open to talking to me, but a sweet-looking newly married couple . . . I’m betting that will be enough to get their attention.
“All right, so here’s what we’re going to do, and you’re not going to like it.” I look at both Abyss and Reno.
They look at each other and then back at me.
“You two are going to be newlyweds.”
“No!” Abyss immediately goes against the idea.
“Oh, come on, man!” Reno grumbles.
Both of them complain, and I snap in their faces. “Hey! What the hell makes you think you have a choice right now? We need to get this done, and this is the easiest and safest way. We’re all in public, and with you dressed like that, I’m sure that they aren’t going to be too suspicious.”