22. Eagle
CHAPTER 22
EAGLE
Since Lacey’s mom was hosting her monthly book club, Lacey followed me back to the compound. After the mediation, I got a short text saying, We’re done. Details when we’re alone.
I don’t know what happened, and I’m itching inside, my skin feeling too hot and too tight at the same time.
I saw Fingers climb into his car and drive off, but he either didn’t see me or pretended not to. Either way, with legal shit, I just followed their lead.
When we got to the compound, it was dead. Back in the day on a Friday night, the lot would have been overflowing with bikes and trucks, the main rooms stinking of beer and cheap perfume. Now, the compound is quiet except for the sound of a television coming from someplace.
I stand in the doorway and hold the door open for Lacey, who rushes in and throws herself into my arms.
“You okay?” I ask. That’s my first question, and honest to fuck, it’s the only one I care about. She could be fired, broke, and actually guilty of some of the stupid shit she’s been accused of. All that matters to me is that she’s okay.
She squeezes my waist hard, burying her face against my chest. She’s quiet, but when she finally pulls back, the smile covers her entire face. “I’m amazing, babe,” she says. “Amazing, but I’m also starving. And I need to call my mom.”
She looks at her watch, then grimaces. “It’s so late. Book club is probably over, and Mom’s gotta be in bed already.”
I nod. “Go to my room and put something on. I’ll order food. You want Thai or pizza?”
“Surprise me,” she says, then turns on her heel and almost walks right into Morris, the vice president of the club.
“Hey,” I call out, surprised to see him here. I give him a hug and slap his back. “You in trouble with the old lady?”
Morris shakes his head, then gives Lacey a quick hug. “Hey, sweetheart.” He sighs. “Alice and Zoey both came down with something today.” He makes a horrified face, which means something to do with poop or puke. “Alice told me to save myself before I catch it, so I’m here for the night. I’ve got an on-site in the morning that I can’t miss, but I’ll take my chances at home after that.”
He points to Lacey. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be outta here in the morning.”
Lacey thanks him, then heads off to my room to change. She’s been keeping clothes and shoes here for the last few weeks, and I gotta say, having an old lady’s stuff in my space doesn’t feel confining like I once thought it would. It feels…good.
“I’m ordering food, man. You want anything?” I pull out my phone and open an app, while Morris sits down on a barstool at the kitchen counter.
“I’m good,” he says. “And I know you got company, but you got a minute?”
I set my phone down, but Morris tells me to order, so I do, punching in a pizza order at one of our favorite places. “All right, brother. What’s up?” I go around the counter to the fridge and grab two cold beers. I hold one out to Morris, who takes it.
“You been doing good on Crow’s crew,” he says. “You liking the work?”
I nod. “Took some getting used to,” I admit. “But I’m settled in, I think.”
Morris is quiet for a bit, like he’s trying to make up his mind.
“Crow mention any problems?” I ask, concerned. Maybe I’m settling in all right but Crow’s not liking the vibe, my attitude—anything could be wrong. And how the hell would I know? Maybe Crow asked Morris to sit me down. I can’t imagine it’d happen this way, but since nothing’s the way it used to be, I don’t have a fucking clue what to expect.
I’m shocked at what Morris says next. “Crow thinks you need to run a crew, have more responsibility,” he says. “You get bored and frustrated taking orders, but you’re real good with the details.”
I laugh. “I know that’s true.”
Morris nods and slides off his stool, the beer in his hands. “All right, then. Keep learning and figure out where you want to be. The contracting side is blowing up, so you want a crew, it’s yours. You wanna learn design or something, we’ll find a way.”
He gets up and heads toward his office, but then he turns back and looks at me. “We ain’t what we used to be,” he says. “And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the old days sometimes.”
I nod.
“You and I are more alike than you know,” he says. “In five years, you might be running your own firm. Who knows? You’ve got it in you, Eagle.”
That’s as much of a pep talk as I’ve ever imagined getting from Morris, but it means a lot. I watch his back retreat as he walks down the hall toward his office. He’s got a family now, and instead of running a criminal club, he’s running a legit business. I know I haven’t come around fast to all the changes, but I can definitely see the appeal.
I grab my phone and another beer, then answer the door when the pizza’s delivered. All the while, Morris’s words are echoing in my ears.
I’ve got leadership potential in me. The potential to run my own crew—or better, my own company.
I’m not gonna let myself get excited. The future is a long time off, and a lot can happen between now and then. What I do know is there’s a gorgeous woman waiting in my room, a hot pizza in my hand, and two cold beers getting warmer by the minute.
I head into my room and find Lacey sitting on my bed. Her hair is loose from its bun, and she’s barefoot and braless. She’s wearing a pair of my boxers and one of my tank tops. The neck and sleeves are so big on her, I can see almost every inch of her tits.
“Uh, pizza’s here,” I say. “But you look like you’re trying to distract me from eating it.”
She jumps up and grabs a beer, bouncing on her toes as I set the pizza on a side table. “I’m just happy,” she says. “So, so happy.” She runs her free hand along her body. “And I like wearing your clothes. I feel closer to you that way.”
I set my beer on the dresser and open my arms. “Tell me,” I say. “What happened today?”
She kisses me. “I will,” she promises. “But babe, I got to eat.”
We grab slices of pizza and sit on my bed, Lacey explaining how the day unfolded while we eat. By the time we’ve finished two slices of pizza and both beers, I feel like I’ve heard everything about the entire eight-hour experience. Except, of course, for the ending.
“So, then,” Lacey says, shifting on my bed, her tits falling out of the sides of my tank, “they gave me almost everything I wanted, Eagle.”
I don’t know what that means, so I ask her. “A job, money? What, babe? What does that mean?”
“I did not get an apology from Dylan, but I wasn’t expecting that anyway. But Sergio agreed to pay me not quite the full two years of salary but eighteen months, plus they will pay for my health insurance during that time, so worth almost more than two years’ salary. That was Fingers’s idea,” she adds. “He’s smart.”
I nod, thrilled to hear the club’s attorney lived up to his reputation.
“And my separation will be categorized as a voluntary resignation,” she says. “No firing or termination on my record.”
I’m confused. “So, they’re going to pay you not to work there and to tell anyone who asks that you left willingly?”
She nods. “And we are all bound by a basic confidentiality agreement. They can’t stop the employees from gossiping, but at least if anyone who might try to hire me inquires, they’ll get an official story from Lantana management that doesn’t make me sound like a brazen ho.”
I laugh out loud at that. The last thing anyone would think Lacey is would probably be a brazen ho. But I’m happy there is some confidentiality built into the agreement.
“But you can’t tell anyone,” she says quickly. “That could compromise the agreement.”
I pretend to zip my lips. “Don’t know a thing about it,” I joke.
Full and sleepy, Lacey yawns. “Eagle, do you know what this means?” She climbs under the covers, not even bothering to brush her teeth.
I’m still dressed, but I climb in beside her. “What, babe?” I ask.
“I have two years to find a new dream,” she says quietly. “Something that’s going to last. Maybe something that no one can ever take away from me.”
My bed, a double, is smaller than the queen Lacey has in her room. It’s tight sleeping here, but I love being close to her.
I love Lacey. And after only one month, I’m not ready to tell her. But I think I have to start admitting it to myself.
“Morris wants me to find a path on the crew,” I tell her. “Looks like we’re both building new dreams.”
Lacey closes her eyes and pats her rear end. “Spoon me,” she says softly, burying her face in the pillow.
I get out of bed and drop my clothes to the floor. I demolished more of the pizza while she was talking, and the rest, I’ll toss. I don’t want to leave her side even to put what’s left in the fridge.
Once I’m down to my birthday suit, I climb under the sheet and snuggle tight against Lacey’s ass. My cock jerks at the contact.
“You wanna sleep, babe?” I ask.
“For a second,” she murmurs. “But then wake me up.”
I’m not sure she means it, but I lie there awake, my cock throbbing against her ass, just thinking of the many ways I’d love to keep her from sleeping.
But pretty soon, her breaths sound heavier, and my eyes itch. I close them only momentarily, but before I know it, I fall sound asleep.
I wake up to the sound of angry knocking at my bedroom door. I don’t even have a chance to cover my dick before the door flies open.
“What the fuck?” I yell, my first thought to grab the sheet and cover Lacey.
It’s sunny outside, but I was in such a deep sleep, I don’t have a clue what time it is. When I shout, Lacey rolls on to her side, squinting her eyes open.
“Eagle?” she mumbles, her hair tangled and her breasts falling out the side of my tank when she sits up. “Is everything okay?” She covers herself with the sheet.
I’m hopping out of bed, jumping around on one foot to try to pull a pair of pants on over my ass. “Get out,” I say angrily. “Just get the fuck out.”
I never lock my door. Have no need. Some of the other guys do, but I never have guests over. And any of my brothers who open my door when it is closed know they’ll get their dick chopped off.
There’s only one person who would storm into my room like this, and she ain’t supposed to be here.
I lock my gaze on Lacey as she looks from me to the woman standing in my doorway.
“Eagle?” Lacey asks again. “What’s happening?”
“Aw, she’s fucking cute, Eagle.” The woman in the doorway, my bitch of a wife, Linda, purses her overly glossy lips and makes a face. “Ain’t she a little young for you?”
“Linda,” I seethe. “Get the fuck out of my room.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and glares. “If you’d ever answer a fucking phone, I wouldn’t have to come down here like this. You gave me no choice, Eagle.” Linda’s loud voice pierces the quiet of the compound.
The next thing I know, I hear heavy footsteps in the hall. “What the fuck’s going on?”
“Tiny!” I yell. “Get this bitch out of here.”
“ Linda .” I hear Tiny, but then I see him. He’s standing behind Linda, blocking her from leaving. “You know I don’t wanna lay hands on a woman, but you’re outta line.”
Linda slaps Tiny on the shoulder and scoffs. “Give me a fucking break, Tiny. It wasn’t that long ago you let me suck you off while this one watched.” She jerks a finger at me. “You think him fucking around with some bitch is front-page news? I don’t give a fuck about this chick. I need to talk to my goddamn husband.”
The word comes out and lands hard. I feel it, like a fifty-pound weight dropped on my chest.
And I literally hear the air leave Lacey’s lungs.
“Linda, you gave shitty head, and that was about a million years ago.” Leave it to Tiny to focus on the real problem here. “Now, I’m not gonna ask you again. You got business with Eagle, you take it up with him privately. Not here. You were banned from the compound, if I remember correctly, and that’s a ban for life. Now get the fuck out before I move your ass myself.”
Linda turns and looks at Lacey, then me, a patronizing smile on her overly tanned face. “Eagle, dear,” she says, her voice saccharine sweet. “I’ll be waiting outside. And if you’re not out there in five minutes, I’ll slash your fucking tires.” She gives Lacey a shitty grin. “The local cops won’t prosecute property damage under a grand, so I’ll only slash three of them.” She flashes a small knife she’s carrying in her purse as if to prove she’ll really do it.
Then she huffs and stomps past Tiny.
Tiny watches her walk away, then looks from me to Lacey and back. “Jesus fuck, that woman,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ll follow her, but I can only buy you five minutes, tops.”
He slams my bedroom door closed, leaving me alone with Lacey.
“Lacey,” I say, yanking a T-shirt over my head. “Let me explain.”
“You’re married,” she says, her face white as a sheet, her voice flat. “That was Linda. You’re married to Linda.”
Goddammit, I should have covered that tattoo years ago. I should have dealt with Linda years ago. My whole life is collapsing into a pile of should-haves right now.
“Lacey, you gotta understand. We’ve been married for over twenty years?—”
“Twenty years,” she echoes, looking less pale and more green as she covers her mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick. I’m so sorry.”
She scrambles out of bed, but I grab her arm. “Lacey, for God’s sake. Please. It’s not like what happened with Dylan. I didn’t lie to you. We haven’t been together in years. She came down here because I won’t talk to her. We don’t even see each other.”
“You know what happened with Dylan,” she says, “and you’re married.”
My heart is thundering in my chest, but even though I know Linda may be out there slashing my tires or tearing into Tiny, I cannot let Lacey go.
I cannot let her leave. Not like this. Not without knowing the whole story.
“Lacey, please. Please let me explain.”
I think of all the times that we lay in bed just talking. She told me about Dylan over many talks, sometimes making fun of herself for her innocence, for being so oblivious. Other times, she beat herself up so hard, I held her while she cried.
Over the last month, Lacey has been nothing if not open. And I’ve been nothing if not careful. Guarded. Maybe even deceptive.
But I can’t tell her the whole story, no matter how badly I want to. Not now. Because Lacey runs off to the bathroom and locks herself in.