Chapter Twenty
As the clubgirls sobbed, the brothers spoke in somber voices. Fallon helped set the reception table along with Breanna and Raven. The other two old ladies, Sam and Shannon, refused to attend the funeral and reception of a club girl. Fallon figured it was because their husbands indulged on occasion with them, but a life was still lost.
“Let’s put the barbecue brisket at the end of the buffet,” Breanna said to Fallon. Lena had been cooking up a storm for the past couple days and appreciated the help Breanna and Raven offered. Fallon loved being included in the circle of club life even though she wasn’t a true old lady. Diablo hadn’t asked her to wear his patch, but they were still in the early part of their relationship. She needed to get to know him and his world better.
“Maria was one of Diablo’s favorite club girls,” she said softly.
“Does that bother you?” Breanna asked as she covered the baked beans with foil.
“I keep thinking it should, but it doesn’t. I mean, all these guys probably went with her, but that was before any of us knew them.”
Raven smiled. “You got a healthy dose of confidence, girl. I’m with you. When I started going out with Muerto, Ruby showed me her attitude, but I knew my man and that me being in his life had stopped all that.”
Fallon giggled. “I never had anyone tell me I had confidence.”
“You do. Living on your own has been good for you.” Raven smiled.
“I guess. I mean, I’m living the life I always wanted. Sometimes I think it’s just a dream and I’ll wake up back in my old bed.” She shuddered.
“Just keep going forward. Life doesn’t wait for us. Bad things and wonderful things happen. We just have to keep going,” Breanna said.
Fallon nodded and looked behind her. Diablo leaned against the bar, a faraway look in his eyes. “I’m going to see if Diablo’s okay. Do you need me to do anything more?”
Breanna touched her forearm lightly. “We’re good. Go over to your man.”
Fallon walked over to him. He smiled when she gave him a quick hug. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah. I just can’t believe I let this shit go down. I knew something was up with those two fuckers.”
“Don’t do this. In every situation, we can look back and say we wished we would’ve done something differently. And maybe we would if given the chance to go back. Believe me, I’m the queen of wishing I’d done things differently in my past. But ever since I got away from the situation at home, I realize that I spent most of my life living in the past so I missed out on the present. You weren’t the only brother in there. All of your brothers were there. Don’t put all of this on your back.”
“She was only twenty-three. Fuck.”
“I know. It’s such a sad waste of a life.”
Diablo stared at her, his gaze soft and tender. “You’re fuckin’ incredible. Most women would be so bitchy about me being sad over Maria. They’d be jealous.” He stroked her cheek with his fingers.
“I know you guys were friends. It’s terrible to lose a friend.”
He bent over and kissed her, then trailed his mouth to her ear. “You’re very special to me, Fallon.”
Excitement tingled through her, and she ran her hands over his shoulders. “You’re special to me too. More than you’ll ever know.”
And he was. Since he’d come into her life, her world had exploded. After all those years, the woman who’d wanted to emerge was finally able to do so, and it felt so fucking liberating. Where life had been gray and beige, it was now full of color. Where there had been sadness and lethargy, there was now joy and boundless energy. Life had never been so wonderful. And she was in love.In love. The emotion vibrated through her. The only thing that could make her life more over the top was to hear him tell her that he loved her.
“You gonna get some chow?” Paco said as he passed Diablo and Fallon.
“Yeah. You ready?” Diablo said, looking at Fallon. She nodded.
The rest of the afternoon was spent eating, toasting, drinking, and sharing stories, but a tense undercurrent of white-hot anger rumbled in the brothers’ voices. Maria’s death would not go unavenged.
As Fallon covered the last bowl of potato salad with plastic, Breanna came into the kitchen. “I would’ve helped you put things away,” she said, sitting on one of the stools. She took her high heels off and rubbed her foot.
“No problem. It was a nice tribute to Maria. I’m glad. None of her family came to her funeral. At first I thought it was heartbreaking, but then I realized that her family really was the Night Rebels.”
“That’s right.” Breanna took off her shoes and sighed in relief. “My feet are killing me. Are you and Diablo going to take off? I know Steel is ready to go.”
“I’m not sure what he wants to do. Raven left a while ago with Muerto. She told me to tell you goodbye. You know, she’s been helping me decorate my apartment. She’s got a real flair for it.”
