Chapter 8 — Holt #3
Chairs scrape back. Brothers stand and start talking in smaller groups. I walk over to Cain.
"How reliable is your source?" I ask quietly.
"Solid. He's been inside Marrow three years. Fed us the warehouse location. This is good intel."
"Why's he talking?"
"Crane's getting sloppy. Escalating in ways that are bad for business. My source wants out but needs leverage first. Helping us hurt Crane gives him leverage."
I process this. "You trust him?"
"As much as I trust anyone in that position. But yeah. I think he's real."
"Okay."
Cain looks at me. "Your woman. She know what she's signed up for?"
"She knows enough."
"Good. Because if Crane's targeting civilians to make a point, she's visible. Teacher at the school. Your girl. She's a two-for-one."
"She's protected."
"I know. Just making sure you know what you're protecting her from."
"I know."
He nods and turns back to his laptop. Clint appears at my shoulder.
"You good?" he asks.
"I'm good."
"Your woman handled Wednesday church well. She solid for this?"
"Yeah. She's solid."
"Good. Because this is about to get messy and the brothers need to know their women can handle it."
"She can."
Clint nods. "Go home. Tate's guys will be in position by noon. You see anything before then, you call."
"Will do."
I walk outside and the sun is fully up now. Bright morning. Looks peaceful. Feels like the calm before something breaks.
I get on my bike and ride home. Pull into my driveway and Katherine's car is still there next to my truck. I walk in the front door and hear Louis laughing in the living room. Find him on the couch watching cartoons. Katherine is in the kitchen washing dishes.
I walk straight to her and pull her into my arms. Just hold her for a minute without saying anything. She wraps her arms around me and holds me back.
"Everything okay?" she asks against my chest.
"Yeah. Marrow's planning something but we're ready. The club's covering the school and the house. You're safe."
She pulls back and looks up at me. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
I cup her face. "I'm fine because you're here and Louis is safe and the club's got this handled. That's all that matters."
She searches my face. "What do we do now?"
"We keep living. We don't let them make us scared. We do exactly what we've been doing."
"Okay."
Louis appears in the doorway. "Dad, you're home!"
"Yeah. Come here."
He walks over and I pull him against my side and Katherine is on my other side and we stand in my kitchen like that for a minute. The three of us. My whole life.
"We're okay," I say to both of them. "We're going to be okay."
Katherine looks up at me. "I know."
And I believe her.
We spend the rest of Sunday together. Lunch at home.
Louis wants to work on his model airplane so we go to the garage and I help him with the detail work while Katherine sits on a stool watching and asking questions.
She's genuinely interested in how the pieces fit together and Louis explains everything with the seriousness of an engineer.
Dinner together. Bath time for Louis while Katherine cleans up. Reading time and then lights out. Louis asks if Katherine is staying again and I say yes and he smiles and closes his eyes.
That night Katherine and I sit on the back porch again. She's quiet and I know she's processing what this means. That danger is real now. That Marrow is coming.
"Are you scared?" I ask.
"A little. But mostly I'm just... here. With you. And that feels more real than the fear."
"Good."
"I meant it last night. I love you."
"I love you too."
She leans against me and I put my arm around her and we sit in the dark listening to the night sounds. The future is uncertain. Marrow is planning something. The next seventy-two hours could bring violence or nothing or something in between.
But this moment is certain. This moment is perfect.
Katherine in my arms. Louis asleep upstairs. The club watching my back. Bloomfield protected. This is the life I built. This is what matters.
Danger exists. It's real. It's coming.
But love is more real.
And I'll protect what's mine with everything I have.
Eventually Katherine shivers and I take her inside. We lock the doors and go upstairs and get in my bed and she falls asleep with her head on my chest.
I lie awake for a while listening to her breathe and thinking about everything.
About the fact that ten days ago I didn't know her and now I can't imagine my life without her.
About Louis asleep down the hall who has started calling her Katherine instead of Ms. Hayes when we're at home.
About the club solid and ready. About Bloomfield under protection.
About the fact that I told her I love her and she said it back and now everything is different and exactly right.
This is it. This is the life. Danger and domesticity and love all woven together in ways that can't be separated.
And I wouldn't change any of it.
I finally fall asleep with Katherine warm against me and the certainty in my chest that whatever comes next, we'll face it together.
Because she's mine. And I'm hers.
And that's all that matters.