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“That’s fine. We’re in the truck, there’s room, just figured we’d pack light since it’s just a night.”
I felt the tension rolling off her and knew I wasn’t about to add to it, so when we got into the truck and I saw her with the blindfold bandana in her lap, being fidgeted with, I declared, “You can leave that off.”
“Huh?”
“Got no intention of you being in any position where they might get their hands on you to quiz you about anything including the locations of our safe houses. You don’t need it. I called before loading up and told Deke I wasn’t making you put that thing on your face again. You don’t need more shit stressing you out right now.”
When I phoned Deke back to let him know about the blindfold, his tune had changed. He offered, “If you’re makin’ her your woman, everyone’ll have to learn to deal so you come back when you’re ready and I’ll take your back with the old ladies if their men don’t lay down the law.”
I neither confirmed nor denied I was making her mine, but told him she’d probably want some time with her grief so unless my presence was needed there, I wanted to keep her at the cabin a few days longer, give her some space to grieve. He was cool with that.
Her reaction to my news she didn’t need a blindfold was to quickly put it on anyway.
“G?” I called out.
I couldn’t see her eyes, of course, but I still knew she was frowning.
“I’d rather wear it,” she told me.
I stared at her. She stayed stock still.
“Baby…”
“Please, Jesse. Don’t,” her voice trembled.
“Don’t what?” I asked softly, putting my hand on her leg.
She choked up, shook her head, and didn’t answer me.
“Got somethin’ to say to me? Say it. Don’t hold back.”
“I’ll just leave it on for ten or fifteen minutes and you tell me then to take it off, okay?” She sniffled.
“If you’re sure. If it makes you feel better… but they won’t get their fuckin’ hands on you. I prom-”
“I’m sure.” She reached until she found the stereo knobs and turned the radio on loud. It was between stations, so she fiddled until settling on something, then she reclined in her seat.
It was some pop music and I’d normally turn it off. It was the kind of shit music the girls dance to at Ma’s bar. And the same shit they play at Deke’s Roadhouse on Saturday nights when members’ women hang out and dance together, their men watching. Nobody really likes most of it, but they’ll suffer through it to watch the girls dance.
I mind. I’ve suffered through too much of it as a bouncer, but there with Gigi, I didn’t utter a word of complaint.
Three songs later, I could take no more of the noise and switched it off.
“You can take that off, G.”
She did, tucking her long braid into her sweatshirt, baseball cap on top and sunglasses on her face. I figured it was so she wouldn’t be so easily recognized once we were within the Sioux Falls city limits.
The next hour was quiet, her eyes pointed out the window.
“Clubhouse first, then we’ll go see your aunt,” I’d said just before we pulled into the gates.
“Okay,” she whispered, acting nervous.
“You all right?”
She shrugged and I let it go. But it seemed like she was shrinking into her seat the minute we were in Sioux Falls.
Now, I found myself waiting in the front foyer alone for her after conversations with Rudy and Edge about getting an escort to the police station and probably a funeral home before they’d follow us to the aunt’s.
Delia came toward me. “She’s just in the bathroom. I wanna talk to you though.”
“All right,” I answered.
“My old man said you only need one room. She’s safe here if she’s in her own room. She can even bunk with Shanty, who said she’d be there for her tonight.”
“She’s with me,” I replied.
“She don’t need a bodyguard tonight, Jesse. She’s safe here.”
“I know.”
“Okay, then… you making her yours or are you just showin’ support?” Delia asked looking straight into my eyes.
“It’s early days,” I replied.
“And what’s your gut say? I know bikers like you, Handsome, and bikers like you know in their gut early on whether a woman’s gonna ride their dick and their bike or just the dick.”
“Ah. You think I’m an open book?”
“Not sayin’ that exactly, but I think I got you mostly figured out.”
I chuckled. “Her bein’ mine is the direction it’s headin’ in.”
She smiled brightly at me. “You being serious or paying me lip service?”
“I don’t pay lip service to anybody, Delia.”
“That’s what I heard about you, and I hope it’s true. Enough bullshitters around these days.”
I said nothing as she continued to size me up.
“Good. Good, good,” she finally declared and then hugged me as her voice dropped low. “She’s a great girl. Got overlooked early on because of some shit with a member in the beginning who was an utter asshole about her. I’m glad to see you haven’t let gossip deter you.”
