“I heard him telling Lila that he wanted her try to make friends with Shay. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. Looking back, it just doesn’t seem right,” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I like Shay; she’s a good woman. Still, it ain’t my fucking job to make sure she has friends.”
“He asked me all kinds of questions about Shay,” I say reluctantly, not wanting to even consider that my brother has anything to do with this shit.
Red questioning me about her pissed me off. In all the years that I’ve known him, he’s never questioned me about shit. At the time, he said he was just busting my chops because I had never had a woman on the back of my bike before. I didn’t like that shit at all, but it never even crossed my mind that he was pumping me for information.
“He asked me about her too,” He says, blowing out a frustrated breath.
“What did he want to know?”
“I don’t know how to explain it.” Rollo replies.
Bringing my fist down hard on the desk, I growl out. “Try.”
“He would just say shit all the time. Little stuff, at first I didn’t even realize he was doing it. Like, he said something about her looking like her brother. I said I didn’t know if she did or not. As far as I can remember she’s never mentioned anything about her family, so I didn’t even know she had a brother.”
“She does, but Red’s never laid eyes on him. Even if he had, he shouldn’t have been able to tie the two of them together,” I say as bile rises up in my throat.
Even though Red has never met Lock, he’s heard about him. He knows Lock’s from North Carolina, knows we served together and that he got a badge after getting out of the Army. It wouldn’t take much to track him through that information alone. Once he found Lock, he wouldn’t have any trouble figuring out his sister wasn’t dead. Instead, she was resting comfortably in my bed. The question is how Red figured out that Shay and Lock are related.
“If that mother-fucker has something to do with this shit, he’s a dead man.”
Mistakes and Pain
Shay
I stare out the window as the kitten does her best to climb my jean covered legs. Guilt slams into me as I think of the danger I’ve put everyone in. I wonder if Marcus will really hurt them, but the answer is that he already has. He hurt my family by keeping me away from them; he hurt me by forcing me to be someone else. He has never physically hurt someone, but he would’ve let my mother die; death means nothing to him. A tear trickles down my cheek as I reach down to pick Butters up. Holding her close to me, I walk to the bed. After crawling onto it, I let the kitten go. I watch as she curls into a ball at my feet.
Within seconds, she is lost in dream land. I wish I could join her; go to sleep and forget everything that is happening around me. As I close my eyes, visions of the people I love being hurt fills my mind. Nina, Rachel, Tag, Tin, and most importantly Bowie; they’re all at risk because of me. I can’t believe I brought this to their doorstep. A nearly silent knock on the door startles me, bringing my attention back to the here and now.
I climb from the bed, doing my best not to disturb Butters, and walk to the door. When I open it, I’m shocked to see Red. That must mean he got Lila from her doctor’s appointment. My first thought is of how scared her children will be, forced to stay at the clubhouse. Again, guilt fills me. “Are Lila and the girls here?”
His eyes shift towards the hallway then back to me. “Uhm… yeah.”
“I want to see them if it’s okay,” I need to tell her how sorry I am to put her and her children through this mess.
“Maybe later,” His voice is frigid. I can tell he doesn’t want me anywhere near his family, and I can’t blame him.
“I’m sorry I put you all in danger,” I say, hoping he can hear how sincere I am.
He shrugs a shoulder, letting me know that my apology is wasted on him. “Bowie wants to talk to you.”
His words send a wave of forbearing through me. “Is something wrong?” I ask stupidly. Of course something is wrong; my crazy husband is coming after me and willing to hurt anyone in his path. If Bowie needs me that can only mean something else has happened.
“I don’t know. I just came to get you when he told me to,” He explains, with an edge to his voice.
A tingle of unease runs down my spine. Something about his request feels off. Something just isn’t right. My pulse quickens, my hands get clammy. “Bowie told me to stay in here and wait for him.”
“I guess he changed his mind,” He says, reaching in to grab my arm to pull me into the hall. I instinctively try to pull away and head towards the front room, knowing that Bowie is probably there. Before I can take a step away, Red’s hand tightens around my forearm. “He’s out back.”