Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
W ith no regard for the late hour, Scar dragged a very sleepy Tally out of bed so he could shower. She grumbled and protested, but still joined him. Tally practically fell asleep against the shower wall while Scar scrubbed and sanitized. Then he picked her up, dried them off, and brought her back to bed.
“We’re going to have to work on this whole ‘clinginess’ thing,” she complained. When she tried to grab her pillow to cuddle, Scar tossed it to the end of the bed and then took its place. Tally nuzzled the side of her face into his pectoral. “Tomorrow,” she decided, placing a palm on his cheek. “We’ll work on it tomorrow.”
Scar’s lips twitched and he craned his neck to place a kiss atop her wet hair.
They were silent for a long while. Her breathing evened out, and Scar had assumed she was asleep, but then she spoke.
“Is he dead?”
Scar didn’t bother to open his eyes. The room was dark enough where he wouldn’t have been able to see her features clearly anyway. He was not surprised she’d figured out he’d been with her father the previous evening and most of the night. Likely, she smelled the blood on him prior to their shower. Not all of it was her father’s either. He’d split his knuckles open from the amount of force and repetition he’d put into the blows.
Slowly, he shook his head. She would feel the motion with her hand.
“Do the other women know there’s a secret room below the clubhouse floor?”
His chest quaked beneath her with silent laughter. Fuck, he loved how smart his woman was. It must have something to do with her echolocation. Was she able to tell the difference in the floor boards or perhaps hear the hollow room below? He wanted to learn how to use his ears as she did hers.
Again, he shook his head.
Tally sighed, pulling away from him to sit up. Scar immediately sat upright, reaching for her. He picked her up and set her on his lap so they were chest to chest. His cock was hard, because it always was around her, but he did not place himself inside or rub her sensuously. Even he wasn’t twisted enough to have a conversation about her father while fucking her.
Tally ran her fingers through his drying hair. “I want to see him, Scar. I need to talk to him.”
Scar wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He didn’t care about her talking to her dad, about making her peace with the man’s pending demise, but there was no way he was taking Tally down into the cellar. He did not want to taint her with the likes of that place.
But it was late enough—or early enough, based on one’s perspective—where he could bring Alpha out of the cellar and no one would be the wiser.
She leaned forward and kissed his lips. “Thank you.”
It really should bother him that she could read him so well, but there was something to be said for having no secrets from your partner. Even inside your own head.
* * *
When Tally went to put a pair of flats on, Scar stopped her and handed her sneakers instead. Not only did they need to be stealthy, but he wanted her feet to be protected.
He had her wait outside on the back patio while he went to retrieve her father. Alpha was a bloody mess. Personally, Scar didn’t care, but he couldn’t leave a trail of blood leading through the clubhouse.
The prospects kept buckets of water below, as there was no immediate water source. Scar poured several on Alpha to wake him up and to wash away most of the crimson. He also threw some water on Nathan Moore, because why the hell not.
Alpha dropped like a log when Scar released him from his chains. He landed in whatever liquid was still draining on the floor. A swift kick to the man’s side encouraged him to his hands and knees. Naked, Tally’s father crawled forward with Scar shepherding him like a sheep.
At the bottom of the stairs, Scar threw a pair of Grumpy’s gym shorts at the man. He was the closest to Alpha’s size. While the man was her father and Tally was blind, it bothered Scar to take Alpha out of the cellar unclothed. He didn’t spend time analyzing that feeling or his decision to break into Grumpy’s apartment in the middle of the night while his brother was sleeping to steal a pair of his shorts.
Because Grumpy certainly wasn’t getting them back.
When Scar grew impatient during Alpha’s struggles to dress, Scar broke two of Alpha’s fingers. Scar’s earlier torment of the man had been mostly done by his fists, so there were still plenty of Alpha’s bones to break.
Once outside, Alpha gasped upon seeing Tally standing under the covered patio amongst the picnic tables.
But when Alpha tried to speak, Scar put his hand to the man’s throat and squeezed. He held on long enough for Alpha to nearly lose consciousness before letting go. Alpha collapsed against a picnic table as he fought to catch his breath.
The club’s property was several acres. The owners of the property before it was a distillery had been farmers. When the distillery purchased the property, they purchased all of the land, though they’d only used a small portion of it. The club had purchased everything as well, since the distillery did not want to deal with multiple sales to get rid of all the property and had undersold the value of what the land was worth by a good deal.
Scar took Tally’s hand as he led father and daughter into the trees to the left of the clubhouse. Past the pond where the kids swam during the summer and ice skated during the winter, they continued. The trees would help muffle any screams.
Alpha stumbled and struggled in bare feet, but he followed. When they were a significant distance from the clubhouse and any of the members’ homes, Scar stopped. He turned Tally around to face her father.
“Why, Dad?”
That seemed like a loaded question, but Scar mentally shrugged. This was her show.
“Tally, baby,” Alpha gasped, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. “What are you doing here? Why are you with him ?”
“You don’t get to ask the questions here, Dad. Not about me, and certainly not about Scar. I want to know why . Why would you do any of this? Primis, capturing and torturing Scar, abandoning Mom …? I deserve the truth. How much of my life has been a lie?”
Alpha’s eyes flicked between Scar and Tally, and then landed on their clasped hands. There was a possibility that he’d been under the assumption Scar had only taken Tally’s hand to guide her through the woods, but now that they were stationary, it was obvious there was a different reason for their touching.
“You’re fucking him?” Alpha sneered. “You’re fucking the enemy ! Tallulah, how could you? You betrayed me.”
Scar pulled a blade from his tactical vest but did not throw it. Instead, he handed it to Tally. She accepted the handle, and without hesitation, threw it into her father’s hand that was braced against the tree. It speared through his flesh and bone, embedding into the bark beneath.
“Answer my fucking questions, Dad!”
Scar pulled another knife, holding it ready for her if she desired it.
Alpha’s screams of pain went on for several minutes, but eventually he started speaking. “Do you have any idea how valuable a man like Solo is? If trained appropriately, he could start wars .”
Tally stiffened on Scar’s behalf. Alpha’s confession didn’t shock Scar enough to bring a reaction out of him. “You were going to sell him?”
“He’s a cutthroat! That’s all he is! I was so close to having him in the palm of my hand eight years ago! He was mindless, a machine! He did everything I asked of him and never questioned anything !” Alpha’s anger seemed to be clouding his pain. “I had countries asking for him, but I hesitated, not wanting to lose him myself.” The man shook his head. “Fucking mistake and I lost my opportunity.”
Tally’s chin quivered, and she looked like she was going to be sick. Scar moved. Placing the blade in her right hand, he released her left to shift behind her and wrap his arms around her lean waist. Her left hand came up to grab his bicep.
“He’s a person , Dad. How…?” Her voice cracked. “How could you ?” Scar didn’t know if she was referring to the color of their skin or to her father as a person.
“He’s a murderer . Has he told you just how red his hands are? About what he did to the men who murdered his team? How he ripped them apart with his bare hands? How about the hundred and seventeen hits he took out while under my employ? Or the twenty-two he committed last month in Atlanta? Really, Tally, I thought you had better taste in men.”
Tally stiffened, her nails biting into Scar’s arm. “What Scar has or hasn’t done isn’t up for debate, Dad. I am asking about you . Why did you do it?”
“Because war is profitable!” Alpha spat, his voice practically a roar. “I fought in it. I bled for a country that has done nothing but exploit my ancestors. So I thought, why not get even? Why not use their bloodlust to fill my pockets?”
Tally shook. When a tear escaped her left eye, Scar bent to lick it away. He pressed his nose into her hair, which was back up in that fucking braid, to lend her strength and comfort.
“You sicken me,” she finally said in a wobbly voice.
“I only took advantage of what the world was already doing,” her father defended, a little breathless. “I did not start any wars.”
“But you did nothing to end them either!” Tally shouted. “You had the money, you had the people. I thought you were helping to make the world a better place, but all you were doing was making it bloodier!”
Alpha’s laugh dripped with condescension. “Don’t be so na?ve, Tally Ally. You certainly didn’t mind when my money paid for your things , your education, your restaurant…”
“I didn’t know it was blood money!”
“And now you do. Only instead of just accepting that this is the way the world works, you’re spreading your legs for the enemy.”
That time Scar did stiffen, but Tally signaled him to wait.
To her father, she said, “Who the enemy here is, Dad, is a matter of opinion. For lack of a better expression, my eyes are wide open now and I am finally seeing you for who you truly are.”
“And now that you do, after all I’ve done for you, Tallulah, this is how you repay me.” His eyes flew to Scar’s. “Do you have any idea how valuable the man you’re fucking is? I’m talking millions . But I could never break him. Perhaps it’s not possible to break what’s already broken.”
Tally threw her other blade. “He is not broken! He has suffered more than you could comprehend, and yet he has more of a soul than you could ever have! I am proud to be his lover, to be the woman he chose to give his heart to. I love him, Dad, and I will not allow anyone to insult him simply because he is different.” She shrugged offhandedly. “What do I care how red his hands are? Color means nothing to me.”
The emotions running through Scar were unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. A rainbow of love, hope, compassion, pride, relief… All for this beautiful, magnificent creature in front of him. He pulled her to him, resting his forehead against the top of her braid. Fuck, he’d never felt so humble in his entire life.
He was barely listening as Tally questioned her father further. The only one that really drew his notice was, “How did you know he was at my apartment?”
“When you called me about the fire in your restaurant, I had my tech guys pull up the security footage. I saw him inside your restaurant, watching you. He was stalking you, Tally.”
Scar’s lips twitched as Tally snorted. “Oh, I’m aware.” She rubbed Scar’s bicep, as if getting his attention. She had no idea just how much of his attention was already on her. “Do you have any more questions for him?”
Scar shook his head slightly against her hair. He had no questions because he didn’t care about Alpha’s answers or lies. All that mattered to him was Tally.
Tally reached her hand behind her, pulling out one of the blades from his vest. Scar released his hold on her as she stalked forward towards her father, blade ready. “What’s the expression, Dad? ‘It’s not personal; it’s just business’? Well, I’m about to make things very personal. After all, you trained me well.”
* * *
It was after sunrise by the time Tally and Scar returned to the clubhouse. The main room was not empty, which was not surprising considering most of the single members gathered for breakfast and/or coffee around the bar in the mornings before going to work.
However, it was unusual to see Steel, Lucky, and José amongst them. As soon as they entered, Steel crooked a finger at Scar.
Tally’s discreet clicks were covered by the echoes of talking, work plans, and razzing amongst the brothers.
“It’s past time we had a talk,” Steel told Scar as they approached. “Tally, you might as well join us so we can actually get some answers from him.”
Tally grinned up at Steel. “I don’t know why you guys have such problems understanding him. He’s very loquacious with me.”
Steel snorted and then walked towards his office, holding a cup of coffee. Lucky followed, a danish in his hand. The VP was doing nothing to hide the love bite on the side of his throat.
José gave Scar a pointed look, grabbed his mug of coffee and a donut. Seemed he wasn’t moving until Scar did, probably fearing that Scar might vanish unless he kept an eye on him. But he needn’t have worried. Tally started walking after Steel and Lucky, and Scar would follow her anywhere.
Inside Steel’s office, Tally walked right up to one of the chairs facing Steel’s desk. She pulled her arm to guide Scar to take a seat and then promptly sat in his lap.
Lucky parked his ass on the corner of Steel’s desk. After closing the door, José took the only other visitor chair, to Scar and Tally’s left. It did not pass his notice that Scar was the only one in the room not wearing a cut.
“Are the two of you staying?” Steel had never been one to beat around the bush. It was one of the things Scar respected most about him.
The older man was a good leader and family was his core value. It hadn’t taken Scar long to realize that ‘family’ did not mean ‘blood’ when it came to Steel.
“We are,” Tally told him with confidence. “This is where Scar’s family is.”
Steel’s expression did not change at this news, but Scar saw his eyes light with approval. “What we are about to discuss, Tally, does not get spoken of outside this room. As an ol’ lady, you know that there are certain things that you can be told and certain things that you can’t be told. Normally, we would not have this discussion in front of an ol’ lady. It’s between club members, but you’re a…unique situation.”
Tally nodded. “I understand. If it helps, my father’s body is buried here on your property. So you now have leverage over me because I’m the one who killed him.”
Shock registered on Steel’s, Lucky’s, and José’s faces, but all Scar felt was unwavering pride. His woman was fucking incredible.
“How did…?” José started, but then stopped.
“Scar got him out of the basement for me,” Tally answered without hesitation. “I don’t know who else is down there, and I don’t want to know. But if you have someone else whose senses are as sharp as mine come through here, you might want to move your super-secret door to your hidden chamber.”
Fucking hell, this woman could not get any hotter. Why the fuck were they not in their apartment? Scar needed to be inside of her, right fucking now.
Steel cleared his throat. “He should not have told you about that.”
“He didn’t,” Tally told him. “I knew about the basement the first day I was here. I just didn’t know why there was soundproofing in a section of your floor until last night when Scar disappeared for several hours. I put it together then.”
Lucky shifted on the desk. “The other women?—”
“Don’t know,” Tally finished for him. “I know. Trust me, when your ears are as good as mine, you tend to pick up on things that people would rather keep hidden. I know how to keep my mouth shut. And need I remind you that I just gave you equal leverage over me. Scar can give you the murder weapon if needed.”
Scar splayed his hand over her belly. He heard the slight quiver in her voice when she said the word ‘murder’. She was not as blasé about having killed her father as she seemed. He had no doubt it would hit her soon, and he would be there to hold her as it did.
Steel shook his head. “Not necessary. We appreciate your discretion.”
“What will it take for you to allow Scar back into the club?” Tally asked pointedly. “Because I have to tell you, Simone’s been rewatching Sons of Anarchy since we found Scar’s cut in my apartment, and I will not stand back and let you have a blanket party on him or something.” Her face turned towards Lucky in that slightly off-center way she did when she was trying to speak directly at someone. “Neither will Harper or Sissy. You’d have to go through us to get to him.”
Scar started absently playing with the end of Tally’s braid. He was collecting a number of her bands on his right wrist from removing so many from her hair. Maybe he’d be able to collect all of them so she couldn’t put it back up again.
Lucky cleared his throat. “We aren’t that sort of club. We’re a family.”
“I’ve recently added patricide to my resume,” Tally said with a shrug. “‘Family’ is a bit of a loose term for me right now.”
“Not for us,” Steel said sternly. “But I can appreciate your honesty, Tally. So let me return the favor. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be President. My wife, Jenna, is sick.” Steel had to swallow hard. “She’s going to need more and more of my attention as time goes on, and frankly, I’d rather spend what time we have left together with each other and our children.”
“Sissy told me about Jenna. I am so sorry.” Tally’s voice was full of empathy for a woman she’d only just met.
Steel nodded once, though Tally couldn’t see it. “There are some things I have to get in order before I can step down and then we’ll cast a vote for the new President.”
“Wait,” Tally held up her hands. “You don’t mean Scar as your new President, right?”
José snorted, Lucky blanched, and Steel coughed. Scar just removed her hairband, adding to his collection.
“God, no!” Steel answered. “Scar has many talents, but leadership is not one of them.”
Scar started to comb his fingers through Tally’s hair.
“We don’t know who would be voted in,” Lucky told her honestly. “And that’s something that won’t be discussed here or now. Steel’s point is that we would like Scar back in the club prior to Steel stepping down.”
“Would he be an Enforcer again?”
Steel shook his head. “Ghost is our Enforcer and there’s no reason to have two, at least under my reign. Bulldog is in agreement on this,” Steel added pointedly to Scar, as if he knew Scar was only half-listening.
“It’s for the best, Julian,” José added. Did he think Scar would disagree?
“Here is what I am offering,” Steel continued. “Scar can rejoin the club as a patched member after a prospecting period of six months. During that time, I am encouraging him to see Dr. Rutenberg. He’s a therapist in town some of the others in the club see. While I cannot make Scar go, it is my hope that he will. After learning the extent of what he’s gone through, I think it’s for the best.”
Tally patted Scar’s shoulder behind her. “So do I. In fact, we’ll both go.”
“Pretty sure you walking into that office would be the only way to get him there,” José muttered.
Scar did not disagree.
“What would prospecting entail?” Tally asked. “I won’t have him hazed or scrubbing the floors with a toothbrush.”
“Well, frankly,” Steel told her, “you have no say in what a prospect can or cannot be subjected to. However, let’s be honest. I can’t really see a member telling Scar to do something degrading or humiliating and live to tell the tale. No, Scar’s prospecting time will be more about reacclimating himself into the club and the town, as well as getting you situated with whatever it is you need to make Mount Grove your home.”
Tally smiled. “Good. Now, I have conditions of my own.”
Steel raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“Scar has offered to build me a house. I know you have your little communities being built with your communal backyards, but that’s not going to work for us. We need more privacy. Do you have a plot that’s more secluded we could use?”
“I’ll have Demo look into it,” Steel promised. “Anything else?”
“Yes,” Tally told him without faltering. “I would appreciate it if you put the word out amongst the members that just because Scar is able to touch me and I am able to touch him that it does not mean they are able to. Have you ever asked yourself what it feels like for him when you touch him? Touch for him isn’t just ‘uncomfortable’. It’s painful. A simple pat on the shoulder for you is like a white-hot branding iron to him.”
Steel was silent for a long moment. “I’m not sure we realized the extent of his…condition. For that, I apologize, Julian.” To Tally, Steel added, “Of course, I’ll put the word out.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “Then we accept your terms.” She leaned forward over the desk, her hair half out of its braid, to shake Steel’s hand.
Apparently word had not gotten out yet to the club, the ol’ ladies, or the club kids about the details of Scar’s touch-sensitivity. As they walked out of Steel’s office, Tally and Scar hand-in-hand, a small figure came charging at them. Scar stepped in front of Tally automatically—and then had to scramble to catch Scotty as the teen threw himself into Scar’s arms.
“Uncle Scar!” he cried out, clinging to him. “I knew you weren’t in Heaven! I knew it!”
* * *
For several weeks following Scar’s return to the club, things were relatively normal. Demo found a plot of land that worked for both Tally’s and Scar’s needs and Cage got them on the schedule to start excavating.
Simone and Tom went back to Atlanta with Scar and Tally so that they could work on getting their home packed up and sign with a realtor. Tom and Keys were officially partners in their security gig. Keys was planning on breaking ground on a new building, after finalizing the sale of the property across the street from the club’s. Tom and Simone were still looking for a house in Mount Grove and were staying in one of the trailers the club kept on property for anyone unfortunate enough to need a home or a safe place until they found something they wanted. Financially, they also needed to wait until their home in Atlanta sold before they could purchase in Mount Grove.
With Tom taking over the business side of Keys’ startup, Keys was able to devote his full attention to the actual building of a true security system. He planned on using Scar as the guinea pig to see just how secure it really was when it was ready.
Jasmine and Sophia’s duplex was now finished, and the club threw a huge party to celebrate the two couples’ new home. It was at the party that Sophia’s parents announced their retirement at the end of the year. The vast number of businesses and property in and around Mount Grove would be split equally between their three adult children. Amongst other assets, Sophia would be getting the diner in town, a community staple, as well as the building which housed Dr. Rutenberg’s office and a used book store.
Sophia walked right up to Tally and said, “Looks like I’ll be needing a new chef!”
It wasn’t that simple and there were a lot of logistics to go through, but Tally was leaning towards partnering with Sophia to run the diner.
Scar eventually met Tally’s mom. To say the meeting went poorly was an understatement. The woman was completely terrified of Scar and had even tried to call the police to ‘rescue’ her daughter. Thankfully, Tom and Simone were there to also help smooth things over.
Tally did not tell her mom that her dad was dead, nor had she told her that Tally was the one who killed him. As Steel said, what was discussed in the confines of his office would remain there. Only in the privacy of their bed did Tally let herself mourn the father she’d lost, not the man he had been.
Keys was keeping a close eye on what was happening with Primis. He was able to tweak the records enough to make it look like Henry Meacham had embezzled the startup money from his in-laws rather than using money gifted to him by his wife. While the Feds had spoken to Tally’s mom numerous times, it did not look like they were pursuing any legal action.
Scar took Tally to the rehab center Pumpkin was recovering in to meet him. While both Pumpkin and Scar had been hurt during the incident at the bridge in April, neither had known about the other’s condition until several weeks later. The club had kept Scar’s death from Pumpkin, though not purposefully, and had informed him when the doctors believed he was strong enough to handle it.
The news of Scar’s resurrection had been equally as shocking. Pumpkin was working hard every day to get better so he could return home to his son. While Frankie was doing an exceptional job caring for SJ in Pumpkin’s stead, Pumpkin was highly motivated to make a full, or close to a full, recovery. What he didn’t know was that the club was also building him a house. In the second housing section the club members could claim now stood a single-story modular home for Pumpkin and SJ. It was the club’s Congrats on Not Dying gift to Pumpkin.
Per Tally’s promise to Steel, Scar did start to see Dr. Rutenberg. Tally went with him, both to get him there and to translate. Dr. Rutenberg was completely fascinated by the dynamic of their relationship and how they functioned as a couple. Tally made it very clear to the doctor that he was there to help Scar get past his trauma, not to judge or evaluate their relationship.
What Tally didn’t know was that Scar had started visiting the good doctor at night in his home to work on a surprise for her. Dr. Rutenberg agreed to help Scar so long as, when it was over, they could start working on boundaries during their official sessions.
Scar’s time as a prospect would eventually end. Not that there was much of a difference to his time as a prospect to his time as a member. Viktor and Darrin, the club’s other prospects, definitely had the shorter end of the stick, but neither of them dared to voice a complaint. Neither had been around to meet Scar before, so they were understandably intimidated by him and his reputation now. Tales of Scar had been a big topic of conversation during the two months the club thought Scar was dead.
Having been an only child all her life, Tally had never thought she’d have nieces or nephews—and now suddenly she had too many to count. She and Scar would not be adding to the club kid count anytime soon, and that was okay for them.
Scotty did not seem to be grasping the concept that Aunt Tally was blind. “But she has eyeballs!” he often argued.
It wasn’t until Tally removed her prosthetics that Scotty got it. He would come by Scar and Tally’s apartment in the mornings to help her pick out which eyeballs she would wear that day, which helped him wrap his mind around the fact that her eyes were as fake as Uncle Pirate’s leg.
Sissy and Scissors’ wedding was fast approaching. The brides were equally excited to start the new chapter of their lives. Sissy dragged Tally completely into the wedding planning, which also helped her to get to know the other ol’ ladies better and without the formality of a Getting to Know the New Girl meal.
Lucky was an emotional mess when it came to his little girl’s wedding. He was trying to be strong, but everyone was seeing through it. The brothers were stocking up on tissues for the Big Day. Bear was almost as bad as Lucky. He’d known Sissy the longest and had even been at the court dates when Lucky had received guardianship for Sissy and then Scotty, as well as the day of their adoption. He’d been Uncle Bear far longer than the club had been around. Anytime the wedding was brought up in Bear’s presence, he turned into a blubbering mess and started telling stories about Sissy growing up and how little she’d been.
Ivy was sticking around through the wedding. To everyone’s surprise, Steel allowed Ivy into Church one July meeting to share her news: she was starting a club of her own, except this one would be nomadic and women only. Steel then called for a vote as to whether to allow Ivy’s new club to be allied with the Via Daemonia . The vote was unanimous.
Non Cras Motorcycle Club was born.
Ivy then dropped another bombshell. While she claimed the position as President, she would be taking one of the Via Daemonia as her VP.
Everyone turned to Angel, who promptly shook her head. “Don’t look at me. I have two kids and an ol’ lady at home. I can’t hit the road full time.”
That was when Scissors stood up. “After we return from our honeymoon, Sissy and I will be joining Ivy. Sissy can work remotely and is looking forward to traveling.” Looking down the table at her stunned soon-to-be father-in-law, Scissors said, “I’m not taking her away from you. Since the club Ivy wants to build is nomadic, we still need a home base. With the partnership between the two clubs, Steel’s offering Mount Grove to be that base for as long as we want. Plus,” she added with a bit of a coy smile, “eventually we’re going to need time at home when we start popping out some rug rats, and of course, they’ll need bonding time with their grandpa.”
* * *
Once Tally approved of the three-dimensional model of their future home that their architect built for them, construction started. Cage’s goal was to have the structure built prior to winter and then they could work on the interior once the weather turned.
None of the modular homes were to Tally’s liking, so their house was being built from scratch. No one was complaining about Tally and Scar living in the clubhouse for the next several months because Tally kept them well fed. The only issue was when Scar woke up to find Tally already in the kitchen cooking for his brothers. Then he would come out, generally without clothes on, to throw Tally over his shoulder and take her back to their apartment, regardless of who was in the clubhouse or what Tally was in the middle of doing.
Scar was not sleeping a full eight hours. He didn’t think he ever would, but he was sleeping , and that in and of itself was an improvement. Some nights, it was less than an hour, while others, it was over two. Dr. Rutenberg stressed not to push it, but he also encouraged Scar to remain in bed while Tally slept. It kept Scar calm, and perhaps he would go back to sleep.
Tally fit in with the club like she’d been born and raised amongst them. Once the brothers got past some uncertainties of how to act around her due to her blindness, they treated her just as they would any other ol’ lady.
With one exception: they were constantly challenging Tally to a fight.
They were, of course, skeptical upon first hearing Tally’s claims that she was trained in combat. Outside of comic books, they’d never really heard of such a thing. Which then led to a demonstration and then to near-daily challenges.
Tally rarely lost, and accepted the times she did with grace. Ghost was one of the few who actually provided her with a challenge, so she enjoyed working out with him. One of the external buildings to the clubhouse was a garage where most of the club stored their bikes during the winter or did maintenance. The back part of the garage had recently been converted into a gym with weightlifting equipment and even a sparring mat.
Many of the brothers did not participate in these challenges, though that did not stop them from enjoying the show of Tally whooping some ass. The one fight everyone kept rooting for, though, was between Tally and Scar.
“It’d be like Daredevil meets the Grim Reaper!”
Scar finally agreed, but would not fight her with an audience. Which was how, one August afternoon, Tally found herself flat on her back on the sparring mat, the two sections of her walking cane rolling away from her, and Scar overtop of her. Her arms were pinned over her head.
She felt his lips touch her temple and then travel down to her ear. The question, when it came, was hoarse. It wasn’t loud, a spectacle for all to hear, nor was it completely painless. Her heart nearly burst at the words, knowing the sacrifice it had taken for him to utter them. Though phrased as a question, it really wasn’t one, because how could she refuse when this wonderfully damaged man owned her heart, body, and soul.
“Marry me?”