Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
AMES
Bronwyn measures my blood pressure again, while I think on the words she and Flynn had given to me.
Satin had saved me, she’d picked me up from the streets when she didn’t know anything about me.
She’d upended her life, not once, but twice, moving first from Phoenix to Tucson, and then to this little town of Gravity, just because she wanted to help hide me.
My bodyguard, she’d called herself. She’s been the only port in my storm, and when she’d introduced me to Freak as her sister, I hadn’t argued, I’d grown to love her like a sibling.
I’d never told her the root of my problems was money, I realise.
Then wonder, why not? Had I, as I thought at the time, really considered it wasn’t an issue?
Or had there been a niggling doubt there all the time, that if she’d known in a few years I’d be worth more money than a stripper can earn in a lifetime, that that would change her opinion of me?
I suspect Volkov had offered her money. There’s no other inducement that would have caused her to betray me.
The clubhouse door crashes open, I flinch.
“Shush,” Bron hushes me. “Nobody wanted to cook, so they ordered pizzas. It’s just a couple of the boys who went to collect them.” She adds as an afterthought, “Could you eat?”
I’ve had nothing since breakfast. When I nod, she looks delighted.
My mind back on line, I suddenly think to ask. “What happened to Dee? He’s been shot. Shouldn’t you be with him?”
She chuckles softly. “Saint’s in the medical room with him. He was an Army medic, and is up on gunshot protocol. The bullet went straight through his arm, it just needs cleaning and stitching up. Saint’s well able to set up an IV as well.”
“Dee saved me,” I breathe out.
A deep baritone voice sounds. “Is it okay if…?”
“Yeah, Bullseye. Ames is going to be fine.” As she squeezes my fingers, I sit up, pull my feet from Flynn’s lap, and sit up properly. I do, however, slide along so I can feel Flynn’s body against mine. His closeness grounds me. I notice Bron glides away.
Bullseye seems less sure of himself than I’ve seen him before. “You okay?” he asks. When I answer that I am, he grimaces. “Shouldn’t have let her into the clubhouse. But wanted to prove which side she was on. Should have foreseen that she might have been trouble, and left you better guarded.”
“I’m alive,” I tell him. “What happened isn’t your fault.”
His head shakes once. “The buck stops with me. Everything that happens in this clubhouse is my responsibility.”
“Delusions of grandeur,” Flynn stage whispers into my ear.
Bullseye’s eyes go a steely grey. “Wondered when the asshole would surface.” But then he grins. “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s good to have you back to yourself, Brother.”
Quick to respond, Flynn mock blows him a kiss. “Knew you missed my wit.”
Despite everything that’s happened, my lips twitch.
Bullseye suddenly pats his pocket, and pulls out his phone. His face tightens. “I’ve got to take this.” He disappears across the clubroom, I suspect to his office.
“Shall I get you some pizza?” Flynn asks, drawing my attention to where everyone is huddled at the other side of the room, they’re crowding around tables laden with food.
“No, I’ll get you some,” I tell him. I might have had the wind mentally knocked out of my sails by Satin’s sudden death, but at least I’m physically able, unlike him.
I still feel a little shaky as I get to my feet.
But with each step I feel stronger. As I approach the table where boxes are laid out, the brothers step aside to make room for me.
I get a few nods, or those chin raise things the men use to communicate, and a couple of sympathetic pats to my shoulder.
Trixie hands me a couple of paper plates, and I load up a few pieces of pizza. I take them back to Flynn, then ask, “Do you want a drink?”
“Beer, please,” he answers eagerly.
I head for the bar, coincidentally arriving at the same time as Bronwyn. She’s got a young boy beside her.
When I raise a brow, she supplies the answer, “This is my son, Trip. Trip, this is Ames. You going to say hello?”
The boy, about eight or nine, I think, peers around her. He regards me for a long moment, then says a soft, “Hi.”
Bronwyn beams as if he’s said something clever. I pay it no mind, instead, when Dum comes over to take my order, I ask for a beer, then give her a sideways glance. “Is it okay if I have a drink?”
“As your nearly qualified registered nurse, I’d have to say no.” Her mouth curves. “But as your friend, I’ll tell you, one won’t hurt.”
Dum raises a brow when I ask for a glass of wine.
While I’ve got Bron’s attention, I pose my question quietly. “I don’t want to have nightmares tonight. Can you give me some of the good shit?”
She snorts a laugh, then sobers. “Girl, I think you deserve it. I’ll give you some before I leave.”
When I take our drinks back to the sofa, Flynn frowns at my glass. “Medically approved,” I tell him.
I’m surprisingly hungry, so I dig into my food.
Flynn copies my example. We’re both about finished when Trixie comes over.
She nods approvingly at my empty plate, then gives Flynn an apologetic glance.
“Bullseye’s going to call church in a minute.
I’ll sit with Ames.” She glances at me. “If that’s okay with you?
Ace should be here any moment, I’d like to introduce you. ”
Oh yeah, Ace is her son, I remember. I notice Flynn’s looking at me in concern. I nudge him. “I’ll be fine.”
“If she needs me…”
“I’ll come get you,” Trixie responds fast.
After we both watch Flynn swing his way toward Bullseye’s office, his arms bearing most of his weight, Trixie grimaces. Then she turns back to me. “I’m so sorry about your friend.”
Automatically my eyes go to the place where she had fallen, I expect to see blood, but all that’s there is a suspiciously clean square yard of floor. “What have they done with her?”
“They’ll have taken her to the mortuary.”
I blink fast. “But isn’t that dangerous? How can they explain…”
Trixie laughs. “Words’ dad owned the funeral home, passed it on to Words when he died. It belongs to the club now. As Gravity is only a small town, it’s the whole nine yards, chapel, graveyard and cremator. Words is an ordained minister.” Mirth fills her eyes as she chuckles.
Mine narrow. “What’s so funny? Are you suggesting Words will disrespect Satin, he’s going to feed her to the pigs or something?”
Her humour immediately disappears. “No, of course not. He won’t be giving her a full funeral service, and she’ll be cremated. But why the fuck did your mind go to pigs?”
Feeling stupid, I point to myself. “I was studying Forensic Science at Arizona State. I’ve got an interest in how bodies are disposed of.”
“Well, if Words runs out of space in his cremator, perhaps you can advise the boys on how best to deal with the extra.”
She raises a brow, and suddenly we both laugh.
“Oh, I’ve got lots, dissolve in lye—downside, of course, is that takes time—or put through a wood chipper.
Now, that can get messy, and you’re likely to get covered in shredded body parts.
” I wave my finger toward her as if making a point, “And that means lots of DNA for law enforcement to find.”
Slapping her hand on her knee, she doubles over.
“Girl, I think you’re going to fit in here just fine.
” Then, her eyes still smiling, she confides, “I only laughed when I mentioned Words being a registered officiant, as he was the one who married me and Freak.” Shaking her head, her lips press together.
“He was reluctant, but we didn’t want anything particularly fancy, just a quiet wedding here at the club.
Of course, we could have had Smooth from New Mexico to officiate, but, oh, well, you’ll have to ask Bronwyn or Pippa what happened when they got married.
But back to ours, Words protested he only knew how to conduct funerals, but we pressured him into doing it.
He got his revenge by using the same format and words as he would have if someone had died.
” She barks a laugh, and then tries to mimic his voice, “Dearly beloved, we’re here to mourn the loss of two dear souls…
Well, you get the point.” My eyes widen.
“Actually, it was exactly right for us, all we wanted was to say our ‘I dos’, and he sure did provide some entertainment.”
“It was great,” a strange voice says behind us. “And we all forgot about the rings. I still had them in my pocket, and it was hours later that I remembered them.” The young man plonks himself down beside Trixie.
“It was a perfectly imperfect wedding,” Trixie agrees. “This is our son, Ace.” She looks at the teenager fondly. Then introduces me. “This is Ames.”
He gives me a very adult chin lift. “You’re the one who’s taming Rat.”
“I’m trying to.” I smile back at him.
“Ace, do me a favour and make yourself scarce for a moment.” Trixie says.
“Sure,” he easily acquiesces. “You happen to know if there’s any pizza left?”
“Doubt it, kid. But knock yourself out and go look.”
His brow creases. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waves him off. As he disappears, she leans in close and confides, “He hates being called ‘kid’.” Then she shrugs, “But he’ll always be that to us.”
Actually, I’ve got sympathy with him, I’m only three years older. And I’d hate if that moniker was applied to me. But I keep my mouth shut. I don’t know Trixie well enough to argue on his behalf.
Trixie leans forward, placing her hands on the table. “I sent him away so I could check in with you. How are you really feeling about Satin?”
I rest my head in my hands. “Fucking terrible. Betrayed, hurt. You name it. I don’t understand why she did what she did.”
She purses her lips and her brow furrows. “I don’t understand why she tried to kill you.”
I have one answer. “She didn’t know that Malachi was dead.
And if I died, my inheritance would go to my brother.
Volkov probably thought he could get his money that way.
” My lips press together as tears come into my eyes.
“She was a good friend, Trix. She found me on the streets, got me away. She loved,” I start to choke up, “playing the role of my bodyguard. She let me share her apartment that she rented here, and it was her money that kept us fed. She earned more dancing than I did as a server. She never asked for anything in return. I’d always planned to reward and reimburse her when I came into my inheritance.
” A tear leaks from my eye. “I never thought for one minute she’d betray me.
I defended her when Flynn told me his suspicions. ”
Trixie places her hand over mine and squeezes it gently. “Strippers often come from a hard life, Ames. It’s rare someone takes that occupation because they want to. Maybe she saw money as her way out. I’m not saying she didn’t care for you, but maybe she cared about herself more.”
“If the brothers hadn’t rushed out…” I swallow hard, remembering the scene. How scared I was when she’d taken that gun out.
“There was a bug planted under that table, Freak told me,” she adds fast, when I widen my eyes. “They were listening and heard everything.”
If they hadn’t done that, if the prospect hadn’t distracted her for a moment, it could be me dead, and enjoying Words’ facilities now. The thought is chilling.
“I think it’s margarita time,” Trixie announces, placing both her hands flat on the table. “Dum?” she yells. “We need a pitcher of margaritas, and we need it now.”