Epilogue
“ K id’s lookin’ proud of himself.” I tap my glass against Finn’s as we watch Rocco dust off his new cut and show it off to the girls.
“He is, ain’t he?” I can see Finn ain’t overjoyed about the fact his brother just became a fully-patched member, but there's a glint of pride in his eyes too.
“So, will he be heading back to Montana with ya?” I check.
“Nah, ain’t no point, yet. There's a lotta work to do. I told him he’s better off stayin’ here and learnin’ from some of the best.” Finn slaps my shoulder as if he’s telling me I’m one of ‘em.
“Where’s Corey? I was gonna try and catch him before I get outta here,” he asks
“At home, studying like he should be.” I breathe out heavily when I think about how hard things have been between us recently, he’s really starting to resent me for not letting him prospect, I wish that kid could see the potential in himself.
“Ya know what they say ‘bout all work and no play,” Finn reminds me. “Hell, when I was his age I was–”
“Exactly, and so was I. I want better for him than that,” I cut him off.
“Well, I wanted better for him too.” Finn looks over to Rocco who’s getting the top of his head rubbed by Ruckus’s knuckles. “But he’s lookin’ happy, and who am I to tell him what his future holds?” Finn leaves me on that thought to join his brother, and I finish the last of my drink, before heading for the door.
I ain’t been home in a few days, mainly because I’ve been avoiding having another conversation with Corey about the club. I really thought that Ruckus giving him some shifts at the gym would be enough to make him feel involved, but if anything it’s made him more hungry for it.
“Hey, Dev.” Ruck catches me before I can make it out. “Where ya goin?”
“Home, ain’t been there in a while,” I growl.“You're ready for the mornin’ though, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I roll my eyes and go to move on. I ain’t looking forward to riding all the way to Colorado with Raze, Wrath and Ruck so we can discuss how to handle the Arizona situation. I’m done with worrying about corruption and disloyal members of this club.
“Wait…” Ruck halts me again. “I just wanted to say, thanks. Freya standing up and giving that speech in front of everyone was hard for her. What ya said after was real nice.”
“I was just speakin’ truth, Ruck.” I didn’t know Davy for long, but I knew he was a good person. He wouldn’t want Freya carrying the weight of guilt for the rest of her life.
“I know, but she needed to hear it.” He looks over his shoulder to where his old lady is standing with Finn and Rocco. “I told Finn the club would take care of him until he’s ready to take on his first Montana member.” Ruck smiles.
“They’re proven to be just like him, huh?” I watch the way the brothers interact with her, making her laugh and proving the past is done.
“They’ve both been great about it. I think it brought ‘em a comfort to hear her story, gettin’ a gal outta trouble was always Davy’s favorite thing to do.” Ruck laughs.
“He did love being a hero.” I laugh with him.
I know Freya had spoken to the brothers before she announced to the club what actually happened before Davy went on his last run, and they showed what kind of men they were when they stood beside her as she made her confession to us all. It can’t have been easy for her, but anyone who knows how things were back then, would also know that Davy’s death can’t be pinned on her alone. He should have set up the Montana charter years ago, he always planned on going back to his roots, but he’d stayed here because Jimmer already knew he couldn’t trust Cliff. I believe Cliff knew that, it’s why things were always a little hostile between ‘em, and what went down with Ruckus’s old lady just gave Cliff another reason to have the trigger pulled.
“Finn thinks the guy that shot Davy was Cam,” Ruckus tells me, scratching his jaw. “ No one can account for him at that time, and we know he was workin’ with Cliff, now.”
“Makes sense.” I hate the fact we all trusted that fucker.
“Ruckus, come look at this, Finn found old pictures of you and Aaron when he was going through the photos Vex sorted,” Freya calls him over and he quickly runs to her beck and call. I’m starting to wonder what's happening to the brothers around here. Our president went home early, Wrath’s married with a kid on the way, and Ruckus actually put a ring on a girl’s finger. Shit’s gone fuckin’ crazy.
I make it out to my bike without being interrupted again and I raise my hand to Vike when I see him on gate duty and not looking happy about it.
“Not havin’ a prospect fuckin’ sucks,” he calls over before I can start my engine and I swear if he’s another guy who’s gonna give me shit about Corey, he’s gonna learn real quick how sick I am of hearing it.
“We all gotta take a shift, Vike. I was on duty last night.” I slide my gloves over my hands and light myself a cigarette.
“Don’t know any young, trustworthy, guys keen to join a brotherhood, do ya?” He shakes his head and laughs. It’s been a while since he did that, Vike lost his best friend, and I think about Saul instead of pounding his head into the asphalt.
“No,” I tell him, balancing my smoke between my lips and revving up my engine.
I pull up outside the house and see Corey’s car on the drive, the only light that seems to be on is the one in his bedroom, and I’m hoping that means he won’t wanna talk about the fact we got an opening for a prospect. Him and Rocco are friends and he would have heard the news by now.
I head inside, moving through the dark to grab myself a beer. The fridge is always stocked with them instead of food, but I do spot a Tupperware container that no doubt came from Jean next door. She’s a busybody, but a kind one. She smiles and waves at Corey but avoids me at all costs. It’s pretty obvious that she feels sorry for him, you can see it in her face, and taste it in her fuckin’ pity food.
I place it back becasue it wasn’t made for me. Grabbing my beer, I head over to the couch. The door to Corey’s bedroom swings open and I stand static when his girlfriend tumbles out of it laughing.
Look away…Look the fuck away. My head is screaming at me but my eyes remain fixed on her body and the white lace underwear set she’s clearly wearing for my little brother.
“Oh, shit!” The laughter turns to horror as she covers herself with her hands and awkwardly curls her body. It’s still dark, but I can see enough for my dick to go fuckin’ hard. “I’m sorry, I was just heading for the bathroom.” She laughs nervously, and when Corey steps outta his room wearing just his boxers, he flicks on the light and makes the vision in front of me even harder to ignore.
“Shit… Dev, I was studying, I swear. Millie was just–”
“Goin’ to the bathroom,” I remind her, nodding my head toward the bathroom door and cursing myself when my eyes follow her.
“You don’t have to be so fuckin’ rude.” Corey looks pissed at me and I don’t respond, just take a seat on the couch and light myself another smoke.
“Don’t do that.” He shakes his head.
“My house, I’ll smoke if I wanna.” I shrug.
“I don’t mean the smokin’, I mean the disappointment. I’m just doin’ things that a normal guy my age would do and you're lookin’ at me like I’m committing a sin.”
From what I just saw that girl is a fuckin’ sin. I sure as hell feel like a sinner for the thoughts going through my head.
“But you ain’t a normal guy, Corey. You’re a fuckin’ genius.” I’m about to lecture him, but the bathroom door opens and I’m silenced when Millie comes back out wearing my fuckin’ robe.
“Sorry, I was… I think it’s best I go home.” She clutches it tight around her neck and blushes, before heading back to Corey’s room.
“No, babe, you should stay. It’s fine, right, Dev?” My brother looks at me and narrows his eyes.
“I think it’s best that she leave,” I tell him, toking back on my cigarette and trying to stay calm.
Corey shakes his head at me as the girl continues to his room, and when she comes out a few minutes later wearing her waitress uniform, I keep my eyes to the floor while she kisses my brother and heads for the door.
“Mill, I would…”
“Don’t worry.” She shakes her head and smiles at him, before turning her attention to me. “Sorry, again, Mr. Kendrick,” she adds like I’m some kinda old fuckin’ man and I feel the growl vibrate in my throat as she leaves.
“You're an asshole.” Corey heads to the refrigerator and grabs himself a beer.
“ I’m an asshole? You’re the one who just let your girlfriend leave without a ride home, and you're too young for this shit,” I point out, taking the beer out his hands and thinking about all them young girls who have been showing up dead.
“Yeah, well, I’ve had a few beers tonight,” Corey admits, looking guilty as fuck and ready to hear me go at him.
“Jesus Christ.” I slide my hand over my face and snatch his keys from the counter. Against all my better judgment, I follow her out.
“Wait!” I call out when I see her walking down the street. “I’ma give ya a ride.”
“Honestly, I’m fine.” Her eyes hold that same fear for me that Jean’s do.
“Just get in the fuckin’ car,” I tell her, opening the driver's door and getting behind the wheel.
“Haven’t you been drinking?” she asks when she slides in beside me.
“I had one at the club, that's all,” I tell her, getting impatient while I wait for her to fasten her seatbelt.
“You know, you really don’t have to do this, my house is just a few blocks away.” She smiles politely.
“Ain’t no mansions a few blocks from here, darlin’.” I huff a laugh as I pull off. We’ve barely left our street before I hang my arm out the window, the air feels fuckin’ thick tonight.
“You know, I think you have the wrong impression of me,” she speaks up, proving that she has no intention for this to be a silent journey.
“You do, huh?”
“My parents are rich and my daddy does an important job, but I’m not spoiled.”
The fact she just called him ‘daddy’ tells me otherwise.
“I never said you were.” I look at the waitress uniform she’s wearing. It ain’t the kinda job that will keep her in designer bags and fancy heels. I’ll bet her parents make her do it to teach her values.
I’ve given this girl's body far too much of my attention tonight so I choose to ignore the fact the dress is far too short and tight around her tits. You can tell the Lotan brothers, who own the diner where she works, cater to a certain type of customer.
Sinner’s a fuckin’ regular.
“I work hard, and I study hard too,” she informs me proudly.
“Didn’t see much studying goin’ on tonight.” I light myself another smoke as I head toward the Dawson place. I bet it makes Frank Dawson's skin crawl to think of his precious, little girl being with a poor wretch like my brother, he has no idea that one day Corey’s gonna change the fuckin’ world.
“Sir, I don’t wanna talk out of turn but–”
“Can you drop the fuckin’ ‘sir’ and the ‘Mr Kendrick’ shit?” My snapping causes her pretty, blue eyes to widen in shock.
“I’m sorry, I just… I don’t really know what I should call you. I don’t know your first name and Dev sounds kinda stupi…I don’t mean…I… oh fuck.” She drops her head into her hands like she just signed her own death certificate. I don’t know how to feel about the fact she’s so afraid of me, but I’m gonna take it as a good thing and hope it keeps her at a distance.
“What did ya wanna say?” I ask, wishing I hadn't cut her off.
“Don’t worry.” She shakes her head in her hands before looking back up and taking a deep breath.
“Come on, I wanna hear ya talk outta turn.” I pull up outside the gates to her parents’ mansion and look at her.
“Fine.” She turns her head so she’s facing me. “I think you put a lot of pressure on Corey. I get that you don’t want him to be like you.” Those fearful eyes look over me again and I can tell by the way her hands are shaking that she’s being real brave. “But, he’s just a kid, wanting to be like his big brother, you should let him have a little fun.” She goes to get outta the car and when I grab her arm to stop her she gasps so fearfully, I immediately retract.
“You don’t get anythin’ about us, little rich girl. You ain’t seen the shit we’ve seen. Corey is gonna be somebody. Somebody who your daddy would be proud to open them gates for. He’s gettin’ outta here, and if you got any sense you’d get outta here with him,” I warn her because no fuckin’ good ever came outta Long Beach, specially for young, pretty girls like her.
“Thanks for the ride, Mr Kendrick.” She smiles sadly over her shoulder before getting out and closing the door. The headlights shine on her as she rushes around the hood to get to the gates and I allow myself to see all the things that has my brother so crazy about her.
Millie Dawson isn’t just a pretty girl, she’s a nice girl too, and as I pull away and head for home, I put to the back of my mind, just how fuckin’ nice she would be.