Beautiful Outlaw(11)

Bowie steps beside her and throws his arm across her shoulder. Leaning down and kissing her cheek, he says, “And you are the best mamá in the whole fuckin’ world.”

Without hesitation, she sends the back of her hand into his stomach. “Watch your mouth, hijo.”

He leans down and kisses her cheek again. “I gotta head out. I got shit to do when I get to the clubhouse.”

Nina narrows her eyes, when he curses again, but she doesn’t reprimand him a second time. “I will take care of your woman, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried.” He says, as he pulls away from her and looks at me. “If you need me for anything, just tell Nina. She can get in touch with me.”

Not yet ready to let him leave me, I move closer to him. “When are you coming back?”

He looks towards Nina, a faint splash of red on his cheeks. Finally looking back at me, he shrugs. “I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. He has no intention of coming back; Bowie is done with me.

He shakes his head, not wanting to tell me the truth. “Like I said, I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

“He’ll be back soon; he can’t stay away for long. He’ll miss my homemade enchiladas if he does.” Nina answers for him, trying to break the tension in the room.

Knowing that my last link to my family is leaving me behind causes a wave of panic to course through my body, but I fight to conceal it. I square my shoulders and paste on the serene face that I learned so well during my marriage. “I’ll be fine.”

“Of course, you will.” Nina says, as she steps next to me and grabs my hand. “Come on, cariño.”

Without looking back at him, I follow her down the hall. “What does cariño mean?”

My grasp of the Spanish language is limited at best. I understood hijo, because our housekeeper used to tell me stories of her young son all the time. Cariño is new to me though.

“It is a term of endearment.” She explains as we continue down the hall. “Similar to sweetheart.”

I nod at her explanation. “It sounds prettier in your language.”

“Everything does.”

I am about to agree, when I hear the sound of a door opening. I listen to it shut, marking Bowie’s departure, as she leads me into a vacant bedroom. Pain slashes through me again; he’s gone. The man my brother trusted to take care of me has discarded me like a piece of trash.

She squeezes my hand, doing her best to make me feel comfortable. “You’ll be all right; I promise.”

Still wearing my mask, I force a smile. “I always am.”





Not my Old Lady


Bowie

I walk into the clubhouse, just as dawn is breaking. I walk straight to the bar and tap its top. “Give me a shot of Jack and a beer.”

It only takes the prospect a minute to get my order. Walking away from the bar, I see an empty table at the back of the room and take a seat. I grab the shot and toss it back. A vision of the pain in Laura’s eyes is playing on a loop in my mind as I swallow the fiery liquid. I’m irritated as fuck, mad at myself for putting that look in her eyes. It was like she was breaking in two, but too damn proud to show it. I felt like shit for just dropping her off, but a woman like that doesn’t belong at the clubhouse. Nina’s is the safest place for her.

I lift my beer to my lips, as Tin-Man sits down next to me. “Hermano, glad to see you’re back.”

“Glad to be back, brother.”

“Took her to Mamá’s after all?” He asks, with a smirk.

I nod my head, but don’t bother replying. No need to tell him that the girl I thought I wanted in my bed turned out to be an uptight bitch. Shit, that’s not true. She may be about as uptight as a person can be, but there wasn’t a bitchy bone in her body. I swear looking at her, reminded me of a broken glass. It was like she was begging me to put her back together. That shit ain’t happening. I don’t do commitment, and a woman like her would want it all. Even if I did want an Old Lady, she isn’t what I want on the back of my bike.

“Not what you were expecting, huh?”

“Nah, man. She’s nothing like I thought she’d be. Doesn’t matter though, Nina will take care of her.”

“If Mamá’s not around to do it, Priss will.”

I smile thinking about how our sister will react to Laura. Shit, Shay. I have to start thinking of her as Shay. “Priss will have a hell of a time with Shay.”

His eyes narrow, when I say her new name. He doesn’t ask any questions though. “If anyone can fix a broken soul it’s our hermanita and Mamá. A woman running away like that, her soul is probably shattered.”