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“You realize this shit is going to need to be a discussion,” Fallon said, falling into stride with me at the back of the group. All the running and riding was catching up to me now that the adrenaline was wearing off. I was pretty sure I’d set my recovery back a few weeks. But it was worth it. We got her back. That was all that mattered.
“For the record, I tried to fight it,” I told Fallon.
“Is that the reason Billie suddenly didn’t come around anymore, and couldn’t look you in the eye?”
“I think I was harsher than I realized at the time. She was off-limits. I don’t want you to think I didn’t know that. I did. And I respected that. Even if…”
“Even if it was harder than you thought it would be.”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Fallon said. “She’s been crazy about you for a long time. I figured it was one-sided.”
“I didn’t think there was a choice.”
“There’s not,” Fallon said. “Not if the intention is something casual. But if it is more than that, I think we all know you well enough now that we can trust you. Well, I think I can. This is a matter for you and Sugar to talk through.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to be the one to bring it up, though.”
“I’ll mention it to everyone before they slip up to Sugar,” he agreed.
“I appreciate it.”
“Yep. But don’t sit on it, or you’re going to force me to tell him myself.”
“Got it,” I agreed.
“You okay to ride back?” he asked. “You’re walking like a grandpa first thing in the morning.”
“I feel like one too. It’s not a long ride,” I said, even if just looking at my bike filled me with dread.
Eventually, though, I had no choice but to climb on and follow the men as well as Billie, Vi, and Layna back to the clubhouse.
Where literally everyone in the family was there to swarm Billie with as much love as she could accept.
I stood back and watched. Partly because I was so glad she was okay that I was drinking in the image of her there with her loved ones, relatively unharmed, even managing to smile here and there. The other part was the fact that any movement was causing pretty blinding pain, so just staying near the bar was the least agonizing option.
“Not exactly the welcome home you had planned, huh?” Seth asked as Valen walked up to grab a refill.
“You kidding? It wouldn’t be a proper welcome home without some sort of life-or-death scenario,” Valen said, smirking as he raised his glass to his lips. “Feels good to be back. Who wants to place a bet on when the next life-altering event will take place? I’ve got the six-week mark.”
“This club?” Voss asked in that rough, rumbling voice of his as he walked up. “I don’t think they’d make it three weeks.”
“Hey, Fall,” Seth called, getting a nod from the president. “We got any leads on the fuckers who ambushed us?”
“Nothing concrete, but we got leads.”
“Okay,” Seth said, smirking at us. “I will take the week mark.”
“Why would you take sooner when we have no leads?” Valen asked.
“You’ve been away for a long time,” Seth said, smirking. “With Chris taking over for Aunt Lo at Hailstorm, she’s gotten even more obsessive than she used to be. The fact that there are no leads is, no doubt, driving her up a fucking wall. She will have something for us in a couple of days.”
“Chris finally took over, huh?” Valen asked, nodding.
“You have a lot of catching up to do,” Seth said, clapping him on the shoulder, then moving away. “Oh, by the way,” Seth called, turning back around to smirk at Valen. “You’ll never guess who I bumped into at the coffeehouse today.”
Valen’s smile fell from his face immediately.
“No,” he said, the look of dread on his face matching the dread in his voice.
“Yes,” Seth said, his smile devilish.
“You didn’t.”
“I mean, she asked what was new. You’re new. I didn’t really have a choice but to tell her, did I?”
“You fucker,” Valen growled, charging forward as Seth weaved through the crowd, trying to avoid him.
“Shit is interesting here,” Voss declared, grabbing a refill, then moving off to talk to some of the older guys.
“Hey,” Billie’s voice called from my side, soft, sweet. “That bar has been holding you up long enough,” she said, sliding an arm around my lower back, then slipping under my arm. “Let’s get some salve on your back and your brace back on,” she said, pushing her shoulders up to take some of my weight.
“I can—“
“No, I’m pretty sure you can’t,” she said, shooting me a soft smile. “Otherwise, you would have gotten to a more comfortable position sooner,” she added, pressing a hand to my stomach as she moved us past a few of the guys.
