Chapter 15
North
“I don’t know if I can ever repay you, brother,” I led the conversations as soon as my eyes land on Fallout. He is facing away from the door on his bed. His door is cracked, so I let myself in, closing the door behind me.
“No need. It was my choice to control all of their minds. The price was worth the prize.”
“Meaning?” Fallout has a tendency to speak in riddles, sometimes I get what he’s saying, and sometimes I don’t. Right now, being the latter.
“Delayni is worth it. When the others slaughtered her, they didn’t only take her life, they took your unborn child’s.
It went against everything rule all of us stood for.
You and Delayni were adults, able to make your own decisions and mistakes.
But your baby never had a chance to make even the slightest transgression…
” his voice cuts off and he clears his throat, turning to face me.
“I’m sorry, North. What was done can never be reversed. ”
“You didn’t know, Fallout.” I manage to speak the words without crying. I never talk about our son because it’s too painful. We didn’t even know it was possible for me to get her pregnant, but life has a way of surprising you.
“No, but he did. He can sense all living things. We both know that. He knew he would be taking two lives before he murdered her. You know, Delayni was right all those years ago?”
“About what?” I take a seat in the rocking chair in the far corner of his room.
“We were scared, every damn one of us. No one had ever broken the rules before you. We had always lived under order, and I know it doesn’t excuse any one of us, but we didn’t know any different. We blindly followed him, never asking if what he taught us was wrong. I’m just sorry, North.”
“Aye, me too, brother. Me too.” I can’t tell him it’s ok, because it’s not and never will be.
Fallout is no more at fault than I am. We all played our part in what happened, and we all have regrets.
I let my mind drift as we sit in silence, and I rock back and forth in his chair.
We should discuss what he found out, but he doesn’t seem to be in the right headspace at the moment.
If we were in immediate danger, he would have told me that first and we would be having a very different conversation.
I give him a moment of peace to collect himself, but if I am being honest with myself, I need it too.
I stand to leave him to his thoughts, and he holds his hand in the air. “I figured you’d listen to my head, North.”
“Nah, I try not to do it. I figure we all deserve a privacy. Sometimes I can’t help myself, though.
Listening to other people’s thoughts comes as naturally to me as breathing.
It’s hard to shut off sometimes. I have to force myself to not listen in, ya know?
” I yawn and stretch, wishing I were in bed beside of Delayni instead of up claiming to be handling club business.
Although, she does not know me well enough right now for her to ever be okay with waking up to me lying next to her in bed. “But I mean I can, if you want me to.”
“No. I appreciate you staying out of there when you can. But I took care of the Feds for now, convinced them they looked into us and found nothing, but they’ll be back. That is for sure. One of the agents thought of your name more times than I was able to keep up with.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with any of those women’s deaths or disappearances. I don’t know who wrapped our names up with all of it, but they’re fucking with the wrong people!” I growl, instantly irritated all over again.
“You got that right, Prez.”
We have a long enemy list, so the possibilities of who is the culprit are endless. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look. But Fallout might. “Any leads on who might have put us on their radar?
“Not exactly. But the same one who kept thinking your name, also had another name on repeat. Bobbie.”
“Bobbie? As in a nickname for Robert. Good old all-American, Bobbie?”
“Exactly”
“I don’t know any Bobbie’s around here, do you?”
“Nah, not even one, surprisingly.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s our guy either. Bobbie could be her husband’s name or maybe a kid or something. I wish I had something better, something we could use, but it’s all I could grab and keep you all safe, too. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You have done more than enough, Fallout.
You went against what you believe and used your gift.
I would have never asked that of you but will always be eternally grateful to you for doing it.
” He stands and I hug him, clapping my hand on his back.
He hugs me back but squeezes until I grunt.
I shove at his chest, “Alright. Alright. Alright. Don’t go getting weird on me,” I joke, smiling at him.
“Me be weird?” His head jerks back and his hand shoots up to his chest as he feigns as if I hurt his feelings. I didn’t. If any of my brothers have thicker skin than me, it is Fallout.
“No not you.”
“Never.”
I step out of his room and just as I’m leaving, he calls out me. “Hey North.”
“Yeah, buddy? What’s up?”
“I’m going to look into Delayni’s charges.
Maybe if it comes up in conversation find out what you can about them.
If I can get her cleared I will. But that is for another day.
She’s safe here. For now, try and take it easy for a little bit.
Get to know this version of Delayni. Don’t’ assume she’s just like she has been in the past. Give her time to get to know you too.
She will come around eventually. She always does. ”
“Thanks brother, for everything.”
Fallout has a point. I know I’ll love Delayni until the final breath leaves my body, and even then, I think I would find a way to keep on loving her.
But every time we die and come back to life, we are a little different in one way or another.
Take me for instance, the last time I died I wasn’t a biker.
We all make mistakes, right? So, I guess there’s two things I plan to keep as constants for life.
Delayni and riding as a brother of the Kings of Anarchy Motorcycle club.