Chapter 15 Mellie
MELLIE
Iwatch Lyric say goodbye to Rowdy, and it breaks my heart to see him so sad. When he returned to the clubhouse after going into Tacoma earlier today, he was covered in blood, and I worried that whatever happened would somehow ruin the funeral, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
“He’ll be okay.”
I nod absently as Zombie hugs me from the side. “I don’t know how to help him.”
“Just be you, Mel.”
Turning to glare at him, I snap, “I don’t know me, remember?” Zombie looks so taken aback by my reminder that I can’t stop the snort that escapes. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”
“No, it wasn’t. It’s easy to forget that you still haven’t recovered all of your memories because you seem so… normal.”
“I’m doing my best.”
We fall into a comfortable silence while we wait for Lyric.
Being around Zombie gives me a sense of normalcy in an otherwise chaotic existence since the accident.
I try to pretend everything is fine when I’m with Lyric, and for the most part, I think I’ve done a good job of hiding my turmoil, but today was hard.
It’s one thing to be at the clubhouse, surrounded by strangers who are becoming more and more familiar with each passing day. It’s something else entirely to be here and surrounded by strangers who I’m unable to identify as friend or foe.
Many of those in attendance today made me nervous and uncomfortable.
Most of them called me by name, hugged me, and offered their condolences while others recounted past events as if they happened yesterday.
And all the while, I smiled and nodded in an effort not to have my amnesia become a topic of conversation when it’s Rowdy we’re all here to celebrate.
“Get your hands off my girl.”
Lyric’s order snaps me out of my thoughts, and I force a smile at him as Zombie releases me and takes a few steps back.
“Ready to ride?” Zombie asks.
“Always,” Lyric says without looking away from me. “You ready, pretty girl?”
The nickname triggers a memory, and I sway as it takes hold.
“Hey, pretty girl.”
I toss my suitcase into the backseat of the Jeep before climbing in and smiling at Rowdy. My wedding dress makes getting in difficult, but I manage.
Every second of my last time with Pop filters through my mind. Our conversation, our teasing about what I could do to piss Lyric off, his arm coming across my chest, the semi’s brake lights, the gunshot.
Wait… gunshot?
“Mellie?”
Strong arms wrap around me, and I shake my head to clear it. “I remember,” I whisper, resting my forehead against Lyric’s chest.
“Remember what?” he asks.
“The accident,” I reply, stepping back to lock eyes with him. “Lyric, did the police ever figure out where the gunshot came from?”
His body goes rigid. “What gunshot?” he demands.
“There was a gunshot right about the same time we hit the semi.”
“You’re sure about that?” Zombie asks. “Maybe it was just the sounds of the crash.”
I glare at him. “I know what a damn gun sounds like.”
“Right. Of course, you do.”
The implications of someone shooting at Rowdy and me begin to register. “It wasn’t an accident, was it?” I ask Lyric.
His expression hardens, and he narrows his eyes. “No.”
I study him for a moment, and then my eyes widen. “You knew that, though,” I say. I don’t know how I know, but I do.
“Yes.”
Taking a deep breath, I ball my hands into fists at my sides. I want to punch him, rage at him for keeping that tidbit from me, but I refuse to disgrace Rowdy with my actions.
“We’ll discuss this later,” I say, letting all my anger bleed into my words.
“Uh-oh,” Zombie comments.
Lyric opens his mouth to argue with me, but my expression must make him rethink that because he closes it and nods.
After a few tense seconds, he speaks, and his tone is cold. “Let’s ride.”
I turn on my heel and walk to Lyric’s Harley. I’m pissed at him for keeping such a big secret from me, but I refuse to let my ire dictate how we honor Rowdy.
The ride from Death’s Door and through Tacoma is melancholy as we make a point to pass all of Rowdy’s favorite places. There were a few that he expressly requested in his final instructions, and with each one we pass, new tears roll down my cheeks only to dry with the wind.
When we reach the clubhouse gates, Lyric slows to a stop, and I climb off the bike so that Rowdy’s spirit can ride home one last time. I walk next to the Harley, and Lyric keeps his pace as slow as possible.
As each biker parks in a row in front of the clubhouse, Peach steps outside. She was asked to remain here, along with all of the club whores, so that the food and booze could be ready for the party that’s about to commence.
Lyric hops off his bike and stalks toward me. He’s no more than two feet away when Peach launches herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. I expect him to hug her back, but he stretches his arms out to his sides, so she’s left to hang like a rag doll.
“I miss him so much,” she cries.
“You’ve got two seconds to get your hands off him,” I bite out.
Lyric’s eyes lock on mine as he grins. “You heard her, Peach,” he says casually.
Savvy, another club whore who must’ve followed Peach outside, groans. “C’mon, bitch,” she says, grabbing the back of Peach’s shirt. “You know the rules.”
Peach reluctantly lets go of Lyric. “But I’m trying to comfort him,” she whines.
Savvy spares me a glance and then spins Peach around so they’re face-to-face. “Pretty sure that’s Mellie’s job. Or have you forgotten that she’s the queen around here?”
“She doesn’t even remember him!” Peach shouts, shoving past Savvy and stomping into the house.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” Savvy says to Lyric. “If you’re okay with it, I’ll handle her.”
Lyric looks at me as if to ask if I’m okay with that, and I nod.
“Fine, but she’s on thin fucking ice,” he tells her. “She steps outta line again, and it’ll be both of you paying the price.”
Savvy nods before rushing inside, and he closes the distance between us to cup my cheeks.
“You were jealous,” he teases.
“No, I wasn’t,” I insist.
“Yeah, Mellie, you were. But like I told you before, you have nothing to be jealous of. I love you, not her.”
His words fill me with warmth, and suddenly, the events of the day crash over me. I whirl around and run inside… away from the feelings he invokes, away from the chaos, away from him.