Chapter 14 #5
Ranger considered this, and considered it again. “Tempting, but I don’t want to risk not being here when they come out with news.”
Toni put a comforting hand on his thigh.
It had taken a long time before Ranger stopped jumping at touches like that.
He doubted he’d ever be able to handle oral sex, but as Toni had said to him months ago, that was okay.
Their sex life certainly wasn’t lacking, and he’d recently allowed her to start undressing him.
“I told you to bring a book or something to entertain yourself. Did you finish that last book I gave you?”
Ranger shook his head. “After the false alarm yesterday, I was too antsy. Couldn’t concentrate enough to read it.
Plus, the fight scenes are so unrealistic.
How does the author expect anyone to believe that a heroine who has never picked up a gun before suddenly has perfect aim, just in time to save the hero’s life? ”
Toni laughed, leaning over the arms of the waiting room chairs to kiss his cheek. “Because we’re not reading them to learn accurate weapons training. We read them for the joy of being swept off our feet by a sexy as fuck hero with a larger than average dick.”
“Well, if that’s not a slap to the ole ego,” Ranger grunted.
Toni walked her fingers up his chest. “Trust me, your ego doesn’t need any more inflating. Not after what you did to me last night.”
Ranger was very aware how cocky his smile was at those words.
Toni had recently put her house up on the market and had officially moved into Becks and Ghost’s house with Ranger.
It wasn’t their forever home, but it was their for-now home.
Ranger wasn’t making any big decisions in regard to working at the bar or moving out of the house until he’d at least reached his one year marker.
After Cross’ betrayal, many things came to light about his and Pike’s enterprise.
The amount of drugs the club had found in Cross’ house had been too much for them to consider disposing of themselves.
After Keys had gotten what he needed from Cross’ computer and phone, and removed any trace of the transfer Ranger had started, Ghost had called the authorities.
Since Cross hadn’t lived in Mount Grove, unfortunately it wasn’t Carlos who answered the call, but Carlos was able to pull some strings between departments to keep the club’s name from the reports.
Cross’ death was deemed an unintentional suicide by overdose, which no one could claim otherwise when the syringe was found in his arm and there were no signs of a struggle. Not even a spilled coffee tray.
The one loose end that the club was aggravatingly unable to discover was who was supplying Cross with the drugs. Now that the Feds and police were involved, the club would have to tread carefully, but Ranger knew they’d figure it out eventually. And once they did, the club would destroy them, too.
Cross hadn’t just betrayed Ranger, though.
His greed had gone beyond that, finding those within the program who were struggling, like Brently, and manipulating them into getting hooked again.
It wasn’t just his sponsees, either. The club was able to cast Cross’ web across multiple towns and counties, including the township where the older gentleman from Toni’s Al-Anon meeting had buried his grandson.
Ranger could only conclude that Cross’ sobriety tale had been true after it was discovered that Cross had a large supply of prescription painkillers, fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, benzodiazepines, heroin, meth…
But not cocaine, which had been his vice.
He likely was as sober as he’d claimed to be.
Toni had even mentioned that she didn’t think Cross was high.
Unfortunately, Ranger’s memory of the incident was too hazy for him to corroborate that, but he trusted Toni’s assessment.
Autopsy showed that the heroin Cross had offered Ranger had been laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl.
The chances of him having let Toni go after killing Ranger were slim to none.
Ranger might have lost a lot of sleep over his mind torturing him for not getting high, but he never lost a single Z over killing Cross.
With the mess Pike and Cross left behind, Colby decided to stay in the area.
He was appalled and disgusted to learn of Cross’ betrayal to the community, and vowed to make amends by helping the club fix Cross’ wrongdoings.
Ranger, begrudgingly, accepted Colby’s proposal to be his new sponsor, but after how his relationship with his last sponsor had ended, he supposed Colby was as good as he was going to get.
Didn’t help that Colby flirted with Toni every chance he got. The fucker.
Since it was after three in the morning, Toni and Ranger were the only ones from the club in the waiting room.
Ghost told everyone else, especially those with kids, not to come until the next day.
Still, despite the hour, there were regular texts on the club’s group chat, which now included Toni, asking for any updates.
Ranger reached for Toni’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
She squeezed his hand in reassurance without looking up from her book.
Despite Keys’ and Rose’s best efforts, there was still no sign of Debra Anderson.
Around Christmas, Toni had decided she was done holding out hope that her mom would just reappear someday.
In a private ceremony of just the club and Susan Brown, Toni officially laid both her parents to rest. Maybe her mom was still out there, but after this long with no hint of her whereabouts, the chances were low.
The current theory was that Pike killed Debra Anderson over a money dispute, which sent Wayne Anderson into his daughter’s home for valuables to spare his own life.
Ranger hated the pain that her parents had caused her.
He strove every fucking day to ensure that he never disappointed her the way her parents had.
Their rules were still in place, likely always would be.
He still had bad days, but there were so many more good days in comparison.
And as Toni constantly reminded him, every day with her was a good day.
Ghost came barreling into the waiting room, decked out in a long green scrub gown and hat that horribly clashed with his ginger facial hair. But the beaming smile on his face would have distracted any fashion police in the immediate area.
“He’s here!” he announced jovially. “Seven pounds, six ounces of screaming fury, but he’s here!”
Toni and Ranger leapt to their feet, cheering, each hugging the new father.
“And Becks?” Ranger asked.
“Perfect in every way,” Ghost assured him, still grinning widely. “They’re cleaning her up now, and we’ll get you guys back there as soon as she’s ready.”
Ranger patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you. Toni was starting to get on my nerves with how anxious she’s been.”
Toni gasped out, swatting Ranger’s arm at his blatant lie, as Ghost laughed, clearly not believing him. “You guys take your time and let us know when you’re ready,” she told Ghost. “I’ll be out here teaching Liam the consequences of lying.”
Ghost chuckled. “I have no doubt. Maybe another hour, okay? And then we’ll get you guys back there.”
A few minutes after Ghost headed back through the doors that took him to the Labor and Delivery department, Ranger’s and Toni’s phones pinged with a message in the club’s group thread.
Ghost: It is my honor to introduce you to my son. Born 3:22 AM, he’s 7lbs, 6oz and 20”. Both Mommy and Baby are doing wonderfully.
Under a picture of a very sweaty and disheveled, but smiling, Becks holding a red-haired baby swaddled in a blue blanket was another message.
Ghost: Liam Andrew “Andy” Fremont. Liam for the uncle who never stopped fighting and Andrew for the grandfather taken too soon.
Ranger didn’t realize a tear had trailed down his cheek until Toni leaned over and wiped it away. Her own eyes were filled as she smiled proudly at him. He took her face between his hands and kissed her gently.
“I love you,” he admitted for the first time. “And when everyone’s not busy celebrating my nephew’s birth, I’m going to ask you to marry me. You good with that?”
Toni’s smile was answer enough, but she still said, “Yeah. I think I might be. You sure you want to be stuck with me for the rest of your life? Because I know a lot of damn good lawyers. Divorce isn’t looking good for you.”
“Very sure, and if the word ‘divorce’ crosses your lips one more time, I will take you over my knee and spank it out of your vocabulary.”
Toni waggled her eyebrows. “Promise?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then it’s a good thing I love you, too.”