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“And now Hunter’s gonna be out of the house before I know it too.”
“Why do they have to grow up, right?” Ice says.
His kids are two and three years younger than my son, so he has more time left.
“I’m never letting Harper out of my sight, I’ll tell you that much,” Tank says. “It’s alright for Lily, she always knew how to take care of herself and she always had a plan, but my daughter’s staying right where I can keep an eye on her at all times.”
The rest of them grunt in agreement. Scar has a son and a daughter, and while Rook and his wife are childless, they did take in a bunch of foster kids over the years.
“Oh, come on,” Hawk says as he emerges from the house. “You’re standing here clucking like a bunch of mother hens. Children grow up, it’s what they do. Now, who do you want me to send to keep an eye on her?”
He’s got me there. I figured her leaving would be a more drawn out affair, that I’d have the time to plant a couple of guys at that reservation she’s from, guys she doesn’t know on sight, to keep an eye on her.
She’s been talking about going for the better part of the last twelve years, so I didn’t expect it to just erupt on me like this.
“She is going to be with her family,” I say. “And they take care of their own out there, don’t they?”
Hawk shrugs. “Sure, for the most part. But with all the poverty there’s also a lot gang and drug activity. You know this.”
I do. The taillights of her pickup have already disappeared through the gate, and the uneasy feeling that I’ve had since she burst into my office to tell me she’s leaving right now, tonight is intensifying.
“Did you find out what happened to her at the police station?” I ask, evading making a decision regarding her protection. I’m not sure how to handle it. Knowing her, she’ll spot anyone I send after her now from a mile away and send them packing.
Hawk shrugs. “All I know is that the chief asked to see her in his office. My contact was one of the cops who brought her in there, but that’s all he could tell me. He has no idea if she was released or not. Eagle picked her up and then brought her here eventually.”
Eventually, is the right word. The two of them have always been very close.
“Hey, we could send him,” Tank says in an exaggeratedly happy tone, so I know he’s messing with me. He knows exactly how I feel about any guy, not just Eagle, getting too close to my daughter.
“If Eagle grows up to be half the man his father is, he’ll be a good man,” I counter.
His father is currently serving a life sentence because he took one for the club, and in all the years, he’s never rolled on the club despite enormous pressure. He could be out by now, if he gave up the club. So I’m very grateful to the guy, and he has all my respect. It’s why I’ve done as much as I could for his kid.
“He could be the logical choice,” Hawk says. “They get along, and the way he looks at her, I doubt he’ll ever let anything happen to her.”
I shoot him a dark look, so he sort of mumbled the last part of the sentence.
“She wants to do this on her own and I gotta let her,” I say. “If she wanted him along, she’d say so, which leads me assume she doesn’t.”
“You mean to just cut her loose,” Ice asks in a sharp tone that tells me he thinks I’m making the absolute wrong choice and that he means to do something to change my mind. He cares for her like an uncle, so I get his anger.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” I say. “She needs space, but she can’t be entirely on her own. It’s too dangerous. I still have more enemies than I can count, and besides, there’s too many men preying on young women like her out there. I just mean, she shouldn’t know that we’ll be keeping an eye on her.”
Ice grunts in agreement, nods, and looks satisfied with my answer.
I turn to Hawk. “Send a couple of guys after her to make sure she gets there safely. Make sure they know she better not spot them. As for the rest, I gotta think on it. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I head into the house, hoping Roxie is still awake. I need her input on this, because where our children are concerned, she knows best and I’m man enough to admit that. If it were truly up to me, Lily would still be here, behind the thick walls of Sanctuary.
But I always knew I’d never be able to keep her here forever. I knew that since the day she came to live here. She’s got too much of my restless blood in her veins. So I know she’ll never be happy unless she’s free to do exactly what she wants to do.
* * *
LILY
The night is velvety black on this narrow country road bordered on both sides by tall, thick redwood trees. I could’ve been on the interstate by now, but decided to stay on this empty, treelined path instead. Maybe it’s my ancient blood talking, now that I’ve finally let it have a voice, now that I’ve finally decided to do the thing I’ve been planning for so long.
I’ve mapped out the path back to the reservation where I was born so many times I know the route by heart. It’s right at the top of South Dakota, so it’ll take me almost exactly 24 hours to get there. That’s if I don’t stop. So I’m thinking I’ll be there in two days.
