Chapter 34
Raeleen
“He gave you gifts?” Norma asked as she dealt the cards to me the next morning. It was the weekend and today I was spending all day with some of my favorite ladies.
I nodded, putting my cards in order in my hand.
“Well that cinches it,” Henrietta said. “How can you stay mad at a man who gives you presents?”
“Depends on how shiny they are,” Margaret pointed out.
The women cackled together as I shook my head.
I wasn’t about to tell them the kinds of gifts Pyre had left me.
They’d be horrified. I wasn’t sure if anyone would see the significance in what he’d done like I did.
The fact that he’d not only kill for me, but dismember anyone who threatened me?
It was a weird reaction, but it made my chest go all warm.
Maybe Ainsley would understand. She knew how crazy these bikers were. She might find the fact that Pyre had basically told me he’d murder anyone who tried to hurt me romantic like I did.
Except she wasn’t really the romantic type. Ramona, or Mona as we called her. Mona would understand. Even though she was mad at Pyre for my sake she would find his gesture romantic.
Aren’t we just a collection of emotionally starved women? Yes, yes we are.
Sighing, I focused back on the women and found them watching me. That made me nervous.
“What are you going to do, dear?” Henrietta asked.
I’d told them that Pyre had betrayed my trust, though not how. When they’d asked if he cheated, I’d quickly told them it wasn’t that. I didn’t want them to think badly of him. He’d hurt me, deeply, but I still loved him. Sure that love had come on quickly, but it was no less powerful because of it.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
Norma narrowed her eyes. “You listen to me. I don’t know what this boy did, but unless it’s something extremely grave, you talk to him and you work things out.” She looked around at her friends. “Pride is no reason to get to our age and be alone.”
The other women nodded.
“You want a husband. A family,” Margaret told me, as if I didn’t already know. “You’ve found the husband, Rae. Hang on to him.”
I didn’t need the lecture. I already knew I was going to forgive him.
That didn’t mean that we weren’t going to have a serious talk about how we were going to move forward.
It also didn’t mean I was going to just forgive him right away.
He was going to need to wait until I was ready.
And I wasn’t sure how long that was going to take.
He’d just have to sweat it out until then.
Norma got up and went over to the kitchen area while Margaret and Henrietta continued to tell me why Pyre was such a keeper. I focused on Margaret. “I’m sorry… What?”
“Your young man dropped off gift baskets yesterday.”
“...gift baskets?” I couldn’t see him putting together something like that. Not even to get into my good graces. Just picturing him tying ribbons onto the handles of wicker baskets made me snort out a laugh.
“They weren’t actual baskets,” Henrietta said with a roll of her eyes. “They were just boxes.”
“Of what?” I asked.
“Lube, condoms-”
“And best of all, Viagra!” Norma said with a wink and a happy little shimmy, sitting down and placing a plate in front of her on the table.
I stared at the blackened hunk of bread that used to be a bagel.
I wasn’t sure what I should address first, the fact that Pyre had dropped off sex supplies to the assisted living home, or the fact that Norma had mangled a bagel to near unrecognizable proportions.
Before I could decide the fire alarm started blaring.
People all around me reached up and began turning off their hearing aides, as if this happened all the time. Meanwhile, my ears were ringing and my brain was melting the alarms were so loud. “We should go outside!”
Margaret waved off my suggestion. “Then we’d miss the show!”
“...show?” I looked at them in confusion.
Henrietta looked at her watch. “Any minute now… Ah, right on time.”
Turning in my seat, I followed their gazes, then groaned as six young, good-looking, muscular firemen waltzed into the building. There were smiles on their faces, as if this was something that happened often. Considering what I knew of Norma and the others, I had a feeling it did.
I bit the insides of my lips as the alarms shut off abruptly and the women began to crowd around the young men and flirt shamelessly. This was just another fun, unexpected day at the Sentinel Serenity Assisted Living Home.
The next morning, I poked my head just inside the hospital room. I stepped fully inside when Owen lifted his head then smiled at me.
“Well, if it isn’t my guardian angel.”
My face flushed hot as I went and set a vase of flowers on the nightstand next to him. There were flowers and balloons on nearly every surface of the room. Owen was well loved in this town and it showed.
“I really wouldn’t say that,” I told him.
He frowned. “I’m so damn sorry about everything that happened.” He reached out and took my hand as I sat in the chair next to his bed. “This type of stuff is never supposed to reach the citizens. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“I’m glad you’re okay,” I replied, shaking my head. “I was terrified they were going to find you.”
“Warrant filled me in on what happened out there while I was taking a little nap.” His smile was rueful.
I highly doubted he’d gotten the full version of the story.
“I owe you my life, Rae.”
“Trust me, if it wasn’t for the guys we both would’ve been in big trouble in a hurry.
” I tried to keep the explanation vague since I didn’t actually know what Warrant had told him, but I was sure he knew the club had gone to help since the deputies had seen them out there that night.
“I’m just glad we both walked away from it. ”
“Same. Thanks for the flowers, though I’m pretty sure I should be sending those to you.”
I dismissively waved a hand at him. “I’m not planning on sending thank you flowers to the clubhouse every day even though they all helped save our lives. I don’t expect you to send them to me either.”
He sighed, squeezing my hand, then letting go. “My damn crime scene got trampled to hell.”
I laughed. Of course that was what he’d be worried about. “I don’t think anyone is going to blame you for that.”
He made a face. “DEA is coming into town. As it is, they think we’re shit kicking bumpkins out here. Guaranteed someone will say something as we try to piece together everything that happened.” His eyes strayed toward the door. “I haven’t told anyone else…but I have a couple…gaps.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Gaps?”
“I don’t exactly remember everything that happened before those assholes bounced a bullet off my head.”
“That’s not exactly surprising,” I told him. “Are you missing anything else?”
“Not that I know of… Would I know if I was?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Things like birthdays, names, what the date is?”
“That’s easy, today is grorkday, nineteen oh five.”
I stared at him blankly. “Um, what?”
He lightly thunked the side of his head like you would a TV. “Just kidding. It’s Sunday."
I blew out a relieved breath. “Don’t do that.”
He winked. “I think I’m all good. And I remember I was out there for a dead body…but that’s about it. I was hoping you could help run me through everything we did before it all went downhill.”
“Of course. I haven’t written up my report on the body yet,” I admitted.
I also hadn’t told anyone that I was having nightmares.
That was something I’d have told Pyre, if I wasn’t mad at him, though my anger was draining away day by day.
Sitting here looking at Owen in his hospital bed seemed to be taking care of the rest of my irritation.
“But the short version is that he was stabbed, likely by one of the guys that tried to kill us. That connection is your job though.”
I knew who stabbed that guy, but I would never say anything to Owen. I couldn’t give Forge up. We could have died. Both of us. The only reason we hadn’t was because of Forge and the club.
That was part of the reason I couldn’t be too mad at the guys for breaking into my funeral home.
It was hard to hold a grudge when you owed people your life.
Plus, after speaking with my friends, I just knew it wasn’t worth detonating a relationship over.
We needed to talk, Pyre and I, and we would once I pulled myself together, but I was going to forgive him.
I probably always knew I would, which was part of why I’d been so mad at him to begin with.
“One of my guys got an ID on the body. Dan Channing.” Owen rubbed his forehead, careful not to touch near where his injury was. “Said some of the evidence was missing though.”
“Oh? What evidence?”
“Murder weapon, for starters.”
I winced. “That’s not good, but honestly anyone could’ve taken that while we were…busy.”
“Yeah. Not sure why they’d bother. Did you get any descriptions?”
“Sorry. It was dark and everything sort of happened so fast. I can tell you what I’m able, from examining the body, but that’s it.” There was no way I was mentioning Forge. I wasn’t sure Owen would share my belief that he shouldn’t be held accountable for anything as a thank you for saving us.
And I realized that part of working with the club meant I should check with Cypher about what I should or shouldn’t tell Owen. No wonder Ainsley resigned as sheriff and took a job with Sentry Securities. This was a hard space to be in.
Guilt at holding back on him made the next words nearly get stuck in my throat. “Why don’t I go to the station later today and give a statement?”
“Yeah,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Anything you tell me might get lost somewhere.” He lightly tapped a finger against his head.
Laughing, I reached out and pulled the tray of food sitting nearby over. “What did they bring you? Oh look, Jell-O.”
He groaned. “I hate Jell-O. I want a steak.”
“You get…” I made a face. “I honestly don’t know what this is.”
“Chicken delight,” he grumbled.
I cringed. “Do I even want to know what’s in that?”
“No. Trust me, you don’t.” He brightened up, a smile spreading over his face. “But you could get me something.”
“Oh…I don’t-”
“Hey, asshole, I thought you might be sick of hospital food-” Warrant broke off as he walked into the room and saw me sitting there. He had a six pack in his hand that he hurriedly hid behind his back. “Oh. Hey, Rae.”
“Hi, Warrant.” I smiled at him. I was sure my expression was a little off because a look of concern crossed his face. He didn’t know it yet, but I was planning my revenge on him.
“Oh, thank fuck. What did you bring me?” Owen said, missing the tension in the room between me and Warrant.
With the beer still hidden behind his back he held out his other hand. “Steak sandwich. Mom made it for you.”
“She’s an angel. Deserves the damn world,” he said, digging into the bag and taking a huge bite from the sandwich. “Tell your dad he better watch out or I might steal her away.” His mouth was full of food, but he kept talking, his eyes nearly rolling into the back of his head in bliss.
“Fucking weirdo. Stay away from my mom.” But Warrant was watching me. As soon as Owen started talking again about how damn good the food was, he asked, “You still pissed?”
“At you? Or Pyre?” I asked, my smile turning slightly mean.
“Both.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t giving anything away. Once I exacted my revenge on the apple thief then I’d fully forgive him. “I’d better get going.” Reaching out I grabbed Owen’s hand and squeezed. “I’ll go make that statement.”
“Thanks, Rae.” Owen’s eyes softened as he looked up at me. “I’m not planning to stop thanking you.”
I patted the hand I was holding. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” I shot Warrant a cool look—I wasn’t actually that mad at him, but didn’t want him to know it yet—and said, “You’d better watch that apple.” I nodded toward Owen’s tray. “They tend to go missing around this one.”
Owen frowned, looking between me and Warrant, but I didn’t stick around to explain.
Leaving them to decipher that in any way they chose, I sailed out of the room.
Once I was out of sight, a grin spread over my face.
Warrant thought he was the king of pranks, but he was about to learn that you shouldn’t mess with a woman who grew up with three older brothers.
I’d ordered something called an annoy-a-tron from an online site.
I had a valid reason to stop by the clubhouse today, since I needed to speak to Cypher about what to put into my statement.
These little devices I got made all sorts of annoying chirps and sounds at irregular intervals.
I planned to sneak into Warrant’s office there and hide a few.
I hadn’t quite decided if I was going to ask Ainsley to help me hide some inside Warrant’s home, or just slip in through a window and place them myself.
Either way, I fully expected Warrant to start losing his mind over a matter of days.
I couldn’t wait. It was what he deserved for breaking into my business.
Humming a little, I got into my car with revenge on my mind. These bikers were going to learn that just because I was easy going didn’t mean they could get away with doing whatever they wanted to me.