Epilogue
Three months later
Life has been pretty great. Loyal is attentive as ever. He doesn’t officially live with us, but he might as well, as often as he is at our place.
He and Farrah are more like friends than enemies these days. Well, except for when Loyal is a dick to her new boyfriend Abel.
That’s another thing I’m trying to get used to. Farrah has a boyfriend, and he is part of the same club my boyfriend is in. Or at least Loyal says he plans to join when he’s eighteen.
I don’t know how I feel about it. I am happy he knows what he wants from life, but I worry Farrah will give up her chance at a college experience to stay behind with him.
It’s hard for me to come to terms with, but I’m trying to let her live her life.
Billy hasn’t been an issue. He writes from prison, but unless it’s addressed to Farrah, I don’t keep them. She hasn’t read them either, but I know she’s been keeping them in a box. She’s still not ready.
According to Loyal, he’s been getting the help he needs inside. I hope that’s true because even though I don’t want Billy in my life, Farrah deserves to have her father in hers.
“So how is Farrah doing at the new school?” Viv asks as she takes the seat next to where I’m sitting in Loyal’s lap.
“She loves it. Since she already had friends, she says she doesn’t feel like the new girl. No one bullies her. She’s truly happy,” I admit, looking across the lawn where she sits with Abel, Jackie, and Ryder.
“Having the club will do that for you. I remember coming up in school. We always had someone who had our back,” Savage says.
“You had Colt, didn’t you? Was he a badass back then too?” Fang asks.
“That little punk? I had to bail him out more times than not,” Savage huffs out.
“He was,” Bailey mock whispers, making Savage tickle her until she giggles.
“Who is Colt?” I ask.
“He’s the vice president of the Vegas chapter. He’s from down here, though. His girl Kaityln having her baby is what brought Fang to us,” Savage adds.
“Wait.” I sit up. “Kaitlyn. Oh my gosh, I think I helped deliver her baby. Do you have a picture?”
Loyal pulls out his phone and shows me one from right after the baby was born.
“What a small world. I was her delivery nurse at the hospital. That is crazy,” I say, shocked I never made the connection before.
“See, Mami. You were always meant to be with us. Even when you didn’t know it,” Loyal tells me.
“You’re right. That’s got to be one of the craziest coincidences I’ve ever heard of. The baby is doing good?”
Savage nods. “Very well. They are actually coming for a visit in December. Well, Kaitlyn and Kolby, that’s what they named him, for sure are. I might send Fang up to grab them. Vegas has a lot of shit going down right now. Colt might not be able to get away.”
I frown. “Oh yeah. The mayor is starting a war on motorcycle gangs. Right?”
They all look grim as they nod.
“Well, I’d love to meet her officially. If she is willing,” I tell him.
He brightens back up. “I’m sure she would love that. I’ll let her know.”
Loyal’s phone vibrates. “Your friend is here. Want me to go get her?”
I smile. “Yes, please.”
I get up so he can leave as I turn toward the others.
“I apologize in advance. Gina is a bit much sometimes, but she’s the only family I have left, so I appreciate you letting me invite her,” I tell them.
Savage laughs. “A friend of yours is a friend of ours. She will be fine. We can handle whatever she has.”
“Sami, baby. You have been holding out,” Gina calls out as soon as she sees me.
I open my arms and hug her to me as she continues to talk.
“The men here are fine as hell.” She turns. “Sorry, you guys look taken, and I’m a girl’s girl. The rest, though? Point out the single ones.”
“Gina, these are my friends. Savage and Bailey. Fang and Cami. That’s Happy. Contrary to his name, he is not always happy,” I tease, making him stick his tongue out at me. “Laura is here somewhere too, but I think she went inside.”
I look back at the clubhouse and frown. I worry for my new friend. She still struggles. I wish there were more I could do.
“I’m Crank.” One of the brothers says as he steps up.
“Well, you do look like you could crank something all right. Gina, it’s a pleasure.”
“Now before you go deciding on Crank, let me throw my hat in the ring. Name’s Rex. I am at your service,” Rex says, grabbing her hand to pull it to his lips.
“Well, you seem like a true Southern gentleman. Any other men want to throw their hats into the ring?”
“Gina Marie. Stop it,” I hiss.
“Fine. Sorry, boys, my girl here is a spoilsport. Maybe I’ll catch one of you later. Hell, maybe both.” She winks.
I shake my head and pull her to sit beside me. “Don’t embarrass me.”
“Embarrassing? This is the most fun I’ve had. Look at Crank and Rex. They are ready to duke it out right there. This is great,” Cami says.
“I wish I had popcorn,” Bailey adds, making everyone laugh.
As the conversation moves on, I smile, loving how easily Gina fits in. I know I was worried, but she is able to make everyone laugh and put them at ease.
It really hurt me when my parents decided to cut off all contact. After Billy was locked up, I tried again, but they said if I wanted to live life like a harlot, they didn’t want to see me again.
Gina is the last piece of the world outside the club I had. Now that she’s integrated, I finally feel at peace.
“You good, Mami?”
“Everything is perfect.”
Sami is happy. She keeps letting out these little content sighs as she watches her daughter and friend both embrace this new life.
I have to admit, Gina is a bit of a loose cannon. The few times I’ve met her before today, she stuck her foot in her mouth.
Everyone seems to be taking her chaotic personality with stride, though. Instead of being a problem, they are embracing it as a positive.
“Don’t look, but I think Farrah might have just kissed Abel,” Sami whispers.
I tense, shooting a glare in their direction. Abel glances over at me and holds my stare.
Cheeky fucker. He knows he can’t give in right away. It would make him look weak. Once a respectable amount of time passes, he diverts his attention, showing me I’m alpha.
It’s stupid, but it keeps him in line. I don’t know if Farrah is innocent or not.
I don’t want to fucking know. She’s my girl’s kid.
Basically my kid by extension, and a father shouldn’t think about that shit.
Lord knows that boy is going to think twice before he takes things any further, though.
He won’t be using my girl and dumping her, that’s for sure.
Abel is a good kid, but he is still a young man. I know what young men think about because I am one myself. He needs to keep his hands to himself. At least until Farrah decides otherwise.
Fuck, I don’t know how I got myself into this. I don’t want her to ever be ready for something like that.
“Down, boy. They are kids. Kissing is okay,” Sami says with a laugh.
“Kissing leads to over-the-clothes stuff, which leads to under-the-clothes stuff, which leads to babies. I am not ready to be a grandparent. I am only twenty-two years old, Sami. I can’t get gray hair yet,” I hiss at her, which only makes her laugh more.
“You wanted an older woman. With that came an almost adult kid. I hate to break it to you, but she’s going to have kids before you become grandparent age. It comes with the territory.”
“Not this young, though,” I grumble.
She shakes her head, tuning back into the conversation around us.
Not me, though. My eyes are on the movement on my other side. A once relaxed Happy is now taut with tension.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him, drawing the attention of Savage and Fang.
Happy turns the phone.
Blooms on Main Ave. has gone up in flames.
“Fuck, Mami, you need to get up.”
She jumps up, turning to look at me.
“Happy, we need to go. Now,” I tell him.
That shakes him out of his stupor. He’s on his feet and gone in seconds. I’m right behind him.
“I’ll be back,” I call to Sami, hoping like hell she hears me.
We tear out of the clubhouse parking lot, almost clipping the gate as the prospect opens it. I hear other bikes behind us, but I can’t look. I have to keep up with Happy.
It takes us half the time to get to the area of the flower shop, but traffic is backed up. Happy jumps on the sidewalk, making me curse as I follow him. Once we are at the scene, he drops his bike and runs to the caution tape. I get off my own before making my way over to him.
A firefighter stops Happy as I jog to his side. “You can’t come in here, sir.”
“Fuck you, I can’t. Where is she?” Happy demands.
“Who?”
“Penelope Ward. She owns the shop.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t release any information.”
“Fuck that. I’m going to punch you out, you motherfucker. You tell me where she is right now, or I will rip your throat from your head. Do you hear me? I will rip it right out of your neck and feed it to the rats. I swear it,” Happy rants.
Cops come running over. It takes three to subdue Happy. I can do nothing but watch. This isn’t the brother I know. He is angry. A demon even. This is the face most men see before they die.
“Loyal. Find her. You have to find her,” he calls out to me.
I nod, slipping past the distracted firefighter and running toward the building.
It’s no use. The entire thing is engulfed in flames. There’s no way anyone inside of it would have survived.
“Sir, you shouldn’t be here,” a different firefighter calls.
I turn to him. “Someone very important owns that business. I know you aren’t supposed to say, but I need to know. Was anyone taken out of there?”
He looks unsure before he finally answers. “It was already blazing when we got here. We won’t know if there are any bodies until we put it out.”
My heart sinks.
If Penelope is in there, she is long gone now.
Fuck.
“Thanks. What’s your name?” I ask.
He hesitates. “Joel Bachman.”
“If you find anything out, please call me. Right away.” I hand him a card with my number on it.
“I will. I hope whoever you are looking for isn’t in there.”
Me too.
I jog back to the tape and cross it, finding Happy in cuffs in the back of a car. He looks at me briefly, and I shake my head. He looks down, and when he looks up, the demon is gone. Left in its wake is devastation.
I had no idea he cared so deeply for the woman. I didn’t even know Happy knew how to care. Yet here he is looking like his whole world just ended.
I look back at the blaze. If it were Sami, my life would be ending right now too.
“What do you know?” Savage asks, finally having caught up.
“They didn’t pull anyone out, but they also haven’t been in. If she’s in there, she’s ash. Happy is under arrest.” I nod to where he is.
“Why? What did he do?”
I look back at the flames. “What any of us would do if our old lady was in that building. He lost his humanity.”
Thank you for reading Loyal.