16. Chapter 16
Leigh
After Hammer left, I cleaned up the house and put everything back where it was. I also taped up the windowpane Hammer shot out.
Bruce sulked. I drank a couple of beers but that didn’t help.
I was bored out of my mind. I usually was off scouting, making deals, or working.
The past week I’d been taking care of Glenda and making a lot of calls.
The Scorpions were making trouble but we weren’t sure if it was because of the shit with Linny and Glenda or their normal bullshit.
Now I had nothing to fucking do and was told to stay away from the clubhouse. I tried lying down, but the bedding smelled like her. As much as I loved that smell on my pillow, I couldn’t bear to inhale it all night.
We went outside for a while but thunder clapped, followed by a bolt of lightning. Bruce howled, jumped up, and scratched at the door, so we both went back inside.
This time of year, thunderstorms, tropical storms, and sometimes hurricanes brewed but we were at the tail end of the season. Usually storms helped me sleep, but I plopped into my black recliner, lying back as far as it would go, and stared at the ceiling.
Bruce curled up in his dog bed and when I looked down at him, his big black eyes were staring at me.
“I know buddy. I miss her, too.” Sighing, I grabbed the remote. “Maybe some TV.”
Flipping through the channels, nothing seemed interesting so I stopped on the weather station. There was a big thunderstorm on us and more moving in from Mississippi.
Thunder was rolling close together and Bruce was whining. He didn’t like storms.
But the low hum of the weatherman explaining the storms and the rain pelting the house helped lull me to sleep.
It was short-lived, though. My phone rang over and over. Most of the guys texted, sometimes Hammer would call. Leaning up in the chair, I reached over and grabbed the phone off the table between the chair and sofa.
When I turned it over, my sleepy haze was gone quickly.
I cleared my throat. “Glenda. Are you alright?”
Her voice was shaky. “I need you to come get me.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
I ended the call and flew from the chair, grabbing the keys to the truck. The bike would be faster but it was storming hard. I jogged down the hall and opened the safe, pulling out a grand and shoving it in my pocket.
“Bruce, be good. No time to crate you,” I said as I pulled my boots on and ran out the door.
Lightning flashed as I practically jumped off the steps to the ground. My sidewalk was slick and I almost slipped, so I ran through the grass instead.
I’d barely shut the door to the truck when I started the engine. I fishtailed as I turned it around to take off down the long driveway.
The road was dark and there weren’t any speed traps on the way to the clubhouse. We had a few of the boys in blue in our pocket, so they stayed away. Still, the roads were slick and pooling water, so I had to be cautious. But I couldn’t get there fast enough.
Turning down the road to the clubhouse, I sped up until I got to the parking lot. I couldn’t slide into one of my brother's bikes so I slowed down and pulled as close as I could into a space.
Skeeter and Runt opened the front doors and stood, arms crossed. Fucking prospects.
“Leigh, whatcha doing, man?” Skeeter asked as I got closer.
“You can go get Hammer if you want, but you’re not stopping me.” I kept walking at a fast pace toward the door.
“Leigh. Man, listen,” Runt said as I stepped onto the sidewalk.
They tried to crowd the doorway, but I grabbed them both by the shirt collars and tossed them down onto the concrete. They both scrambled to their feet, so I wasted no time clocking Skeeter, then Runt, before turning to run toward the stairs.
“Fuck. Go, go, go!” Runt yelled behind me.
But I had a good head start. I was already up the next flight of stairs before I heard footsteps below. It sounded like only one set.
When I got to the third floor I slammed the door open and kept running until I got to her room.
Before I even made it, she stepped into the hallway; her face went from confused to tears in an instant. She took a few fast steps and jumped into my arms.
“I got you. It’s okay.”
Her body was shaking against me. “I’m sorry. I just can’t be here.”
Rubbing her head with one hand and squeezing her tighter with the other, I said, “It’s okay. You got a bag?”
She nodded against my chest so I walked into her room as the door to the stairwell flung open, still holding her.
“Leigh!”
“Fuck off.” I carried her to the bed where I saw the bag and grabbed it.
Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out the cash and shoved it at Skeeter. “Give this to Hammer and tell him he can cash in the rest tomorrow. I’m taking her home. Now get the fuck out of my way.”
I leaned down, scooping her up under her knees and she wrapped her arms around my neck.
I didn’t run back downstairs, but I hustled. Something had fucked her up and she told me to come get her, so I wanted to get her out as fast as I could.
After a little struggle to get my keys and not drop her, I brushed past Runt, who was breathing heavily, standing by the casino room as we passed.
“Touch her and I’ll fucking kill you right here,” I deadpanned. “Tell Hammer that Skeeter has my money and I’ll see him tomorrow."
He put his hands up and backed against the wall. Turning, I backed out of the doors.
She dug her face down.
“Just a second. Sorry about the rain.”
We made it to the truck. I got her in through the driver’s side and she scooted to the middle. I tossed her bag over her and climbed in, pulling the door and starting the truck. We peeled out just as fast as I got there. She stayed close, so I draped my arm over her and pulled her against me.
Once we were back on the main road, I slowed a little. The rain was coming down hard and she was with me now. No sense in killing us both. We’d be back at the house soon enough.
She was quiet, but as we rode, she trembled less and less. I didn’t know what the fuck happened, but I was still grateful that she’d called me.
We finally pulled back into my driveway and I reached over her to get her bag.
I climbed out and said, “Need a lift?”
“You’re getting all wet.”
“I won’t melt. C’mon.” I reached in and pulled her to me. I carried her up the steps and asked, “Can you get the door?”
She let go of my neck and my skin immediately missed her touch.
Bruce stood, wagging his tail as we walked in. Glenda wiggled, so I let her down and she walked over to Bruce before leaning down and hugging his neck. “Hey Brucie,” she said, her voice cracking.
I dropped the bag on the sofa and shoved my hands in my pockets. “Glenda, I don’t know what to do here.”
She’d been so standoffish for so long. She had told me she hated me more than once. And even during the last week I knew she was torn between appreciating my help and being uncomfortable. The last thing I wanted to do was set her off again.
She fell on her ass, pulling Bruce close, and she sobbed against him.
At the risk of pissing her off, I walked over and sat down next to her, rubbing her back. Her body jumped as she sniffled and whimpered.
Her voice was muffled by Bruce but she finally asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
There were a few things she could be talking about, but I had an idea what she meant. I sighed, my hand slowing on her back. “Glenda–”
“No, no dancing around it, Leigh.” She pulled her face away from Bruce. She was red and tears stained her cheeks. Some of Bruce’s hair stuck to her. “All this time you let me hate you. Why?”
“You’d already been hurt so much.”
“Bullshit,” she seethed. “It was club business right? You didn’t tell me because of the club.”
“You know what…” I took a beat. “You’re right. But I wasn’t lying either. You’d been hurt by him so many times and stayed loyal. Knowing the truth wouldn’t change what happened. And Sam said–”
“Fuck Sam. Fuck Hammer. And fuck you, Leigh,” she said on another sob.
“I kept telling myself he loved me even though he showed me otherwise. He saved me from one monster, but turned out to be one, too. My dumbass made so many excuses.” She wiped her cheeks.
“And when he died, you all just let me think it was random. And I blamed you. And you knew. And you didn’t try to change my mind. ”
“Glenda, you had a lot going on and Sam–”
She shot to her feet. “Goddammit, I already said fuck him! I’ve been stuck in a delusion for months because none of you had the balls to tell me he turned!” she shouted. “Did you think I’d turn, too? Have I not been loyal to the Bastards? And I thought you…”
Standing, I got closer. “You thought what?” I asked as rivulets of rain fell from her hair.
Her brow furrowed and she grimaced as tears fell from her red eyes. “I thought you felt something.”
“I did. I do. You know that.”
“Why didn’t you fight for me then?” she whispered, her chin trembling.
Wiping my hand down my face, I said, “Between Hammer and your, well, condition, after they told you, I didn’t know what to do, Glenda.”
“No. Before that. The night we…”
Stepping closer, I ran my thumb over her cheek. “The night I had you. You mean that one?”
She nodded.
“You were his Old Lady, Glenda.”
She shoved me away. “You knew what he did. What he was doing. And you left me there with him. If you felt anything, why? Why didn’t you fight for me?” she shouted. Her body shook as more tears fell.
“Would you have left him? Huh?” I was getting loud, too. “Was he a piece of shit to you? Yes. But he was my brother. And he’d already patched you, Glenda. You know what that means.”
She swiped at her cheeks. “You know what, you’re right. I stayed with him even though he was terrible. But he was strung out. I hoped he would change. Be like he was before. But he only got worse.”
“You stayed loyal to him. Just like I was loyal to the club.”
A growl rose in her throat. “But when he was gone, you didn’t fight for me. I don’t understand you. Why did you bring me here, Leigh?” she asked, waving her arms around the living room. “Why did you take care of me?”