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“But why?” Raven pushes.
“Because she’s the reason for my best friend being killed in a drive-by,” I snap. I whirl away from them, only to slam my fist into the punching bag before turning back to them. “The one person I had in my life back then, I lost because of her. So, there’s no way I want or need her to be in my life now. She’ll do nothing but fuck it up all over again.”
“You’re blaming her for a death that wasn’t her fault,” Rachel yells.
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“You should.” Rachel steps forward, holding her own. “You blamed her, but what about those who pulled the trigger? Did you ever think what went through her mind? I sat there with her and I saw the moment she saw you. The pain in her eyes. The guilt.”
“I think you need to talk to Coyote about this,” Stoney suggests.
I shake my head, knowing why. He wanted me to talk to Coyote more than once about what happened. He had gone through something similar, but it’s not the same. His friend’s death was a total accident, Noah’s wasn’t.
“Just think about it,” he says and turns to his wife. “Call Noelle. Tell her if she’s still up for the job, it’s hers.”I open my mouth to protest, but he holds a hand up. “You wanted Rachel to find you someone to look out for Bride. She did. If she accepts the job, then you’ll deal with whatever the fuck’s in your head, but you’ll do it knowing someone with her skills is looking out for your little sister.”
What the fuck just happened? I ask myself as all the ol’ ladies leave me alone with their men.
“Prez, I can’t be around her,” I protest.
“Too bad, it’s well past time you dealt with the ghosts. Besides, we need someone to not only help with Bride but all the kids,” he says.
“Why’s that?” I frown, and a feeling of unease hits my gut.
“Got a call from Chains,” Tracker announces and glances back to make sure Victoria isn’t around. Seeing she’s not there, he refocuses on us. “Shit’s gone down there, and some light has been shed on a major problem.”
“What problem?” Blaze demands.
“One that puts Jamie in danger,” he answers and goes on to explain the threat and how it involves firstborns to the Garnier family. “They believe that with Victoria being the first one to have a baby, she’ll be the first to be targeted.”
“What the fuck? Who the hell would do that shit?” I sneer, my lip curling in disgust.
“Long story short, a man named Perrin . . . he’s got a grudge he’s holding deeply. I’ve got Nerd already working on getting us all the information he can on the bastard.”
“Might want to get Amaya to help him out,” Blaze suggests.
“No,” Stoney grunts and shakes his head. “We don’t need any of the ol’ ladies to know this shit. Not right now.”
I nod in agreement and grab a towel off the shelf nearby. I run it over my sweaty face and chest. “Just let me know what you need for me to do and I’m there.”
“Right now, what I need for you to do is figure shit out with your past. You’re right, you need a nanny, and I agree with Rachel, Noelle would be a good fit,” Stoney remarks, narrowing a sharp look in my direction.
“Prez, I can’t.” I shake my head and let out a harsh breath. “I finally got my little sister out of that area and was able to leave the past where it should be. Noelle is just a living memory of the only person I had in my life back then. Noah and I were best friends. More like brothers. Did everything together and then, because of her, he was killed.”
“Did you ever question why? What was the drive-by all about?” Tracker asks.
“Maybe you need to read the file that Nerd put together for Rachel. It’s all there.” Stoney shrugs.
“I’ll think about it,” I grunt, though we all know it’s a lie. I have no intention of looking into Noelle.
No way in fucking hell will I do anything that involves her.
* * *
“Cy-Cy, can we go get pizza?” Bride asks from the backseat of my truck.
I bought this truck not long after getting out of the military. I knew I was going to need something to put Bride in because I definitely couldn’t put her on my bike. Although she loves to sit on it whenever she gets the chance. She’s got a love for bikes, so for her upcoming birthday I decided to get her a little dirt bike. Let her learn to ride in the field at the clubhouse.
“Pizza?” I chuckle and come to a stop at a light and glance back at her. “Don’t you ever want anything else besides pizza? What about chicken and broccoli at home?”
