Chapter 12
Willow
D ean was standing across the parking lot from our table of ladies, speaking to Ghost and a few Phantom Renegades.
I saw a couple Death Hounds standing off to the side and some club patches I didn’t recognize.
Everyone was having a good time as the music filtered through the party and the smell of weed hung heavy in the air.
My drink was almost empty, so I looked to see if anyone else was in need of a drink. Charlie noticed I was almost out and held up her hand. A moment later, someone appeared at her side. “Yes, Ms. Charlie?”
“We need another round, and can you ask Animal to swing by for a minute?” she requested, and the man stood and started taking notice of what everyone was drinking.
As he walked away, I gave her a curious look before she explained, “Prospects’ jobs during the Rally vary, but there’s one assigned to the club’s ol’ ladies to make sure the drinks are safe and we have what we need without having to go look for it. ”
I was impressed when Cheyenne added, “One thing you’ll quickly learn about the Sinners Revenge is that their ol’ ladies are an esteemed part of the club. They make sure we’re always protected and kept outside the club’s business.”
“But the guys are gossips, and we learn to keep their secrets,” Paige continued, and she seemed like there was something else she wanted to say but didn’t.
I wasn’t going to push for information that wasn’t mine to have, and in time, I was sure I would hold secrets for Dean like they did for their ol’ men.
I’d heard from my mother about how she was Popeye’s ‘soft place to land’, but until that very moment, I hadn’t fully understood what she meant.
Now, I thought I understood—she was his place to be vulnerable, where he could let his guard down.
Looking off to the side, I tried to discreetly wipe the corners of my eyes as the realization of my father’s love for me became clearer, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. Glancing over, I saw Paige looking worriedly at me. I tried to force a smile, but she quickly asked, “What’s wrong, Willow?”
Shaking my head, I responded, “Nothing. I just got something in my eye.”
She didn’t seem convinced, and she looked across the parking lot. I was afraid she was about to get Dean, but he must have seen something that brought him to our table. He knelt beside me, and Paige moved away to give us some space as he wiped my cheeks and asked, “What’s going on, beautiful?”
“Nothing,” I returned, adding, “It’s silly.”
He took my hands and stood, pulling me from my chair. He looked at the table of worried women and said, “We’ll be right back,” before he tugged my hand, getting me to follow him.
He didn’t go far before he found an empty picnic table off to the side of the lot. After he got me seated in a chair, he took the one next to me and pulled it out, quickly sitting as he spoke. “I can’t make things better if you don’t tell me what’s wrong, darlin’. Why are you crying?”
He brushed the back of his hand down my cheek as the memories of both my father’s anger and his kindness bombarded me.
I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to him, and being here with Dean, seeing Phantom Renegades cuts moving through the party, just made the emotions bubble up to the surface.
I hated to cry, but this wasn’t sadness. It was cathartic, and very much needed.
The tears fell from my eyes as I tried to explain. “The ladies were talking about . . .” A fresh round of tears fell as he looked over at them, like he was about to confront them. When I took his hand, he snapped his gaze back to me. “I just . . . I realized how much my father loved me.”
Dean’s worried expression broke, and he gave me an understanding look as he pulled me into a deep hug, allowing me to shed the pain I had in my heart over my father. I missed him, and there was no going back to tell him how much I loved him.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I heard Ghost bellow next to us, scaring the shit out of me. I jumped, and he looked at the tears streaking down my face before his deadly gaze turned to Dean.
Ghost had a hair-trigger temper since our dad died and he took over the Phantom Renegades, and if he started a fight with Dean, it would become a bloodbath. So, I had to tell him before he got the wrong impression.
I stood from my seat and stepped in front of him, forcing him to look at me as I explained. “I just realized how much Popeye loved me, and I started missing him.”
My brother’s hardened gaze softened, and he pulled me into a real hug as he rubbed my back.
Dean looked on from his seat as Ghost spoke.
“Dad loved you very much, Willow. He just sucked at showing his emotions.” He released the hug, so I followed, then he pulled a chair out, sitting it beside mine and Dean’s as I retook my seat.
“Popeye’s biggest regret was that he couldn’t make this right.
” He pointed from Dean to me and back again.
“He saw Jigsaw’s sacrifice for you and how cold you became after he left.
He knew what you had was real, but you were so mad at him and the world that he didn’t know how to make it right. ”
Dean reached over and took my hand. I looked at the connection then at him. “I’m sorry.”
He kissed the back and said, “Remember, no apologies. We have our whole future to look forward to, and I think I can speak for Ghost when I say there’s nothing about the past we can change.”
“Jigsaw’s right,” Ghost agreed as he stood from his seat. “The past is over, and you two are exactly where you’re supposed to be, when you’re supposed to be there. Don’t beat yourself up, Willow. Guilt does no good.”
He walked off, and I looked back at Dean. “Do you want to go inside for a bit, or would you like to rejoin the ladies? You’re welcome to come out to the bonfire if you want. They’re going to get it started in a few minutes, I think.”
Shaking my head, I wiped the evidence of my sorrow from my cheeks and blew out a deep breathe. “The ol’ ladies are going to think I’m crazy.”
He laughed and stood from his chair, pulling my hand and getting me to my feet in front of him. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me against him as I linked my hands behind his neck. “Let them think you’re crazy. They already think I am.”
He crossed his eyes and made a silly face, causing me to laugh.
The smile he gave me was reassuring and full of love, and I kissed him, needing the connection to ground me.
He pulled back and released his hold on me to take my hand.
Walking back to the table, he reached into his cut and handed me a rolled joint.
“If you want to. No pressure or expectations, but I thought it might help calm you down,” Dean explained.
I tugged on his hand, and he gave me a curious look as I leaned over and kissed his bearded cheek. “I love you so damn much.”
He wiggled his eyebrows with a cheesy smile before finishing our walk back to the table.
The sun was almost set, and they had lit torches on the tables as the bonfire roared to life off in the field.
Not wanting the ladies—my new family—to think I was slipping off the deep end, I looked at their worried faces and explained, “I’m sorry I was so emotional.
I just miss my father, and it all kind of hit me at once. I didn’t mean to make a scene.”
Cheyenne stood from her seat and walked around the table as Dean released my hand. She hugged me deeply and whispered, “I miss my dad too, and I’ll listen anytime you need to talk.”
“Thank you,” I returned, and she released her hug and returned to her table.
“Are you gonna be okay?” Dean asked me and I smiled and looked at the ladies sitting around the table.
“I’ll be fine.”
He made sure I was settled then kissed my head before walking away. I saw him look back twice before he rejoined Ghost and one of the Death Hounds. Roughstock was standing off to the side, speaking with a man who had a Sinners patch but I couldn’t tell much else about him.
I exhaled and noticed the ladies weren’t speaking. I felt like I’d thrown a wet blanket over the party, so I opened my palm and asked, “Does anyone smoke?”
Jackie did a little wiggle in her chair as she pulled a lighter from the tiny pocket of her cut.
I handed the joint to her, and she lit the tip, inhaled, and passed it to Cheyenne.
The only two people who got skipped before it was passed to me was Laura, since she was pregnant, and Charlie, who held her hand up to decline.
It had been months since I’d smoked, and when I inhaled, I realized how smooth it was. Blowing the smoke into the air, I handed it to Jackie and remarked, “Damn, that’s good.”
“That’s some special stuff that our friend from Portstill brought for the Rally,” Cheyenne remarked then pressed a finger to her closed lips.
I knew that to be a ‘don’t tell’ motion, and having been around clubs just enough, I knew that secrets weren’t to be shared.
We made one more rotation around the table before Jackie was dropping the little piece into an ashtray.
I didn’t need any more as the tingles were building throughout my body.
Not wanting to mix alcohol with weed, knowing I’d make myself sick, I looked at Charlie and asked, “Where can I get a bottle of water?”
She smiled and raised her hand into the air again. The same prospect was immediately at her side as she requested, “Everyone needs a bottle of water, please.”
Without remark, he nodded and turned to walk away, returning with an armful of bottles. Placing one in front of each of us, he looked at Charlie and asked, “Anything else, ma’am?”
“No, thank you.”
He left, and that was when I noticed he was just off to the side, about twenty feet behind us. His eyes were locked on our table, and he didn’t make a move elsewhere. I opened the bottle and took a swallow, and when I placed it down, someone beside me gasped.
“What?” I asked, and Paige stood, trying to block my line of sight with a worried expression on her face. I peered around her and saw some skanky, half-dressed woman standing behind Dean. I looked at the group and asked, “Who’s that?”
Jackie wrinkled her nose as she spoke. “That’s Nicki, a club slut who comes up for the Rally every year.”
“Why is she staring at Dean?” I asked.
“Because she thinks she’s going to turn his head when he’s told her to leave him alone for the last three years,” Jackie explained.
I stood from my chair and looked at the ladies. “What’s the rule about touching someone else’s ol’ man?”
Cheyenne smiled deeply and explained, “He’s your ol’ man and what you say goes. If it was me, I’d knock her ass to the ground, but she’s never been stupid enough to even look at Roughstock.”
I clenched and unclenched my hands as she took two steps closer to him. He said something over his shoulder and moved to the side, only for her to mirror his steps. Without taking my eyes off her, I asked, “So, if I punch her in the mouth, I won’t have a problem with the club?”
“Hell no. In fact, if you can get her disgusting ass to stay away, I’m sure the brothers would give you a parade,” Cheyenne remarked. “She’s just nasty, and no one wants to take a turn on the most rode slut in this part of the country.”
I looked at the table and was met with smiles. Charlie added, “Don’t tuck your thumb or it could get broken.”
I nodded to her and walked across the parking lot, shifting and moving though the growing party until I was right behind Nicki. Dean took another step to the side, and she did the same.
“Fuck off, Nicki. I’m not interested,” he said over his shoulder.
I was pissed she was bothering him and not listening to his words, and when she put her hand on him, I saw red. Taking two steps up to her, I put my hand on her shoulder and spun her to face me.
“What the fuck? Who the fuck are you?” Looking down at my shirt, she reached out for the tape, trying to remove it as she said, “There’s no way he claimed you.”
Dean went to say something, but I shook my head at him and stepped into her personal space. “He’s told you multiple times to leave him alone. I’m telling you to stop touching my ol’ man before I make you stop.”
She shoved one hand against my shoulder and sassed, “What are you going to do about it?”
I looked at Dean, whose eyes were wide and his smile feral, then noticed my brother standing off to the side with laughter across his face.
I raised my eyebrows and looked back just in time to see that dirty slut try to slap me.
I caught her wrist, and her eyes grew wide as I flung it down to her side.
Balling my fist, I drew back and punched her straight in the face. Blood poured from her nose as she collapsed onto the ground. She looked up at me as I leaned down and spoke with a deadly tone I’d never heard from myself before.
“If you ever lay a hand on my ol’ man again, I will bury you up to your neck in shit and run over your face with my bike.
” She tried to scurry back, but I gripped onto her shirt and yanked her up from the ground.
After taking a handful of her shit-brown hair, I held her up in front of Dean as I ordered, “Apologize to him.”
“I’m . . . I’m sorry. It . . . it won’t happen again.,” she cried, and I released her hair with a push away from me.
Dean’s eyes were feral as the gathered crowd began to hoot and cheer.
He took one step to me, and when he leaned over and placed his shoulder against my stomach and stood up, lifting me over his shoulder, I screeched.
Cheers erupted as he marched through the crowd and up what I assumed where the front steps of the clubhouse.
On a mission, he moved though the bar and then up a taller set of stairs. When I heard him using a key and then a door opened, I believed we were in his room upstairs, but it wasn’t until he tossed me onto the bed that I knew I was right.
“Get naked. Now,” he demanded as he hung up his cut. I rushed to take my clothes off, dropping them and my shoes onto the floor beside the bed. Dean was practically ripping his clothes off before he turned back to look at me. “Spread your legs.”
I did as he demanded, because that was an ol’ lady’s job.