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“Do you see me lookin’ at anybody else?” he teased..
Rya thought for a minute then answered, “Can I have red? I think every barn should be red, but Daddy says—” She caught herself. “Um, said.”
She walked to the trailer, never finishing her sentence, but I think I understood. The barns back at her house had been a dark bronze with white doors. I think my little country girl preferred farm colors to money.
Once Sable was in a stall, settled and eating, Diesel read his phone then told me, “There was another reason why we chose to get the horse settled before formal introductions.”
My head tilted.
Diesel gestured to the barn doors. “He’s outside.”
Not sure who to expect, I walked through the opening then squinted in the sun. A large shadow caught my attention. Hand on my forehead to block the sun from my eyes, I suddenly recognized the man.
My heart thundered. “Stew.”
Mystic Myths’ bouncer.
I hadn’t seen him since before the fire the night Tiny Cherry died. He’d been severely burned and was still in the hospital when Piercer kidnapped me and my Ani. By the expression on his face, he hadn’t forgiven himself for it.
The sun glistened on his forming tears. “Little guy,” he shrugged, so much pain present in his tone. “I’m so sorry.”
I ran and crashed into him. “Stew.” I would never blame him for the actions of heinous people. Plus, this man became a biker and Moola his old lady just to find out more about what they knew about me. Without being patched in, clubs couldn’t share certain details.
You’d think Diesel wouldn’t want that kind of brother, one not as committed as others. Or did he see the sacrifice as the worthiest of all commitments to his son?
Arms around me, Stew simply kept apologizing. “Had I done my job—”
“No way, Chucker-Outer. None of that was your fault.”
Chucker-outer was his nickname at Mystic Myths because if a patron didn’t behave, that’s what Stew did with them. Chucked them the fuck out.
Now 6’ 2”, I was taller than the man who’d watched over me for seven years. He had even, against Ani’s wishes, interfered and helped Ani and I to have Dio in our lives all those years ago.
Swiping at his eyes, he told me, “Maybe she would still be alive.”
I burst into tears, hugging him with all the strength I had. “Nope. We were all up against an evil we couldn’t understand.”
“She loved you so much, Little Guy.”
“I know. I was blessed to have her for as long as I did.”
He froze. “Oh my god.”
To view what he was seeing, one of my arms released him to peer behind me. Seeing my girl, I waved her over. “Little goddess, come meet someone very dear to me.”
That’s when I noticed Stew’s scars. On his neck. His arm…
I inhaled sharply, but it wasn’t his scars that had moved me. It was his tat.
Over some damaged skin there was a mask, like the silver one I drew on my black walls, and a cherry together with a set of wings. Stage names: Laced Bandit and Little Cherry
My chest seized in joy and sorrow that the tat was ever needed. “Stew, fuck, my dude.”
Nodding toward the tat, he said, “Never forget. Right?”
“Never forget.” I hugged him again then made space for… “This is Rya.”
His jaw hung again. “You look so much like Demi.”
