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“I hope not.”
Not wanting to discuss this any further tonight, I change the subject. “Do we know how Tobias is doing?”
Dirt picks up his coffee cup. “I need a refill. What about you?” He stands and walks over to the coffee pot.
“Nice deflect.”
“The nurses say there’s no change. He comes out of the coma tomorrow.”
“And Lore?”
Dirt looks pained as he retakes his seat at the table. “She fucking hates me.”
“There’s a fine line between hate and love.”
He takes a sip of coffee and winces as though it tastes bad. “No, it’s hate. I’m going to try to speak to her again tomorrow, but so far, she’s given me the frozen shoulder.”
“Not just cold, hey?”
He shakes his head. “Nope, hell has definitely frozen over.”
“I spoke to her. Lore is in full momma-bear mode. I made her understand what happened to Tobias wasn’t on us.”
“Wasn’t it, though? If he hadn’t come to the party, if we hadn’t let Renny join, well, maybe none of this would have happened.”
“There’s a lot of what-ifs in there, Dirt. Don’t let Lore get in your head and twist things. You aren’t the same man you were. Hell, it’s been ten years… we’ve all changed. Besides, Tobias is no angel. There are a few skeletons in his closet.”
“Are you saying it’s his fault?”
Throwing my hands in the air in frustration, I say, “No, of course not. I’m saying we’ve all changed, but you letting Lore tell you it’s your fault or the club’s fault is wrong.”
Dirt’s fingers lightly drum on the coffee cup. “You’re right, brother. I can’t let Lore get into my head. We’ve all evolved, and Tobias isn’t without his own issues. This isn’t the club’s fault.”
I am glad to see he’s not internalizing all the blame. “We have to stand together and face the challenges head-on.”
Dirt takes another sip of his coffee. “Well, I hope I can get through to her and make her see we’re not devils in disguise.”
I offer a sympathetic smile. “Lore is a strong-willed woman, and she’s fiercely protective of her family. I think it’s that very quality that drew you to her in the first place.”
He chuckles softly. “Yeah, she’s always been a force to be reckoned with.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table. “Keep trying, Dirt. Sometimes, it takes time and patience to mend fences. You two have a lot of history, and not all of it was good.”
Dirt nods then shifts the conversation. “Speaking of family, what do you need me to do for Sal’s visit?”
I glance at my cell phone, still sitting on the table, a reminder of the impending family gathering. “Get Rebel to sweep my house and find six members you trust to keep an eye on things while everyone is here.”
“Who else is coming in?”
“Dave and the band… all of them and their partners.”
Dirt smirks. “Family will always look after family, right?”
I return his smirk. “You got it. Love and loyalty.”
With our unspoken agreement to focus on those closest to us, we finish our coffee in contemplative silence.
There are challenges ahead with the missing members and potential financial issues in the casinos, but we’ll face them as a united front.
