She shrugged. “I said swing by. If they know where you live that’s where they’ll be waiting for us to return since they were dumb enough to lose us on the road.”
Shit, she made a good point. “Fine.” I turned back out of the parking spot and we took the long route home just in case.
When I pulled into the driveway Rocky grinned. “At least we have one more night of normalcy.”
I let out a frustrated groan as I stepped from the car. How in the hell were we going to survive this? Without my brothers, we were doubly fucked.
***
“Your focus is for shit this week man, what’s up?” Golden Boy had done what he needed to. After two days of half-assing my job he called me to his office.
“Just some shit going on that I need to deal with.” I hadn’t returned any of Savior’s calls since he dropped off the car and I knew he had questions, but I wasn’t ready. Rocky claimed she was working on an exit plan, but she was so fucking tight-lipped I didn’t know if that was bullshit or not.
“Tell me about it.”
I looked at Golden Boy with his long fucking mane of blond hair. The contented look he wore was so different from the man who’d returned to us after six years of wrongful incarceration. He was relaxed and happy. That caged animal look was gone. And I thought maybe if anyone would understand, it would be him. “Has anyone told you anything about Rocky?”
“The chick you banged at Max’s wedding who showed up claiming to be pregnant with your kid? Maybe a little,” he smirked.
“That smartass girlfriend of yours is rubbing off on you.”
“Plenty of rubbing does go on,” he said with a dirty grin and I rolled my eyes. “And she’s my fiancée now, asshole.”
I guess I’d been more absent than I realized. “I hadn’t heard. Congratulations. It’s about time. I was wondering how many kids you’d have before you married the woman, shit.”
“Please. Teddy has put it off so much I’m beginning to get a complex about it.” His wide, shit-eating grin made a liar out of him. “She has her reasons and I respected them, then one day out of the blue she stands in front of me naked as the day she was born and says, ‘I’m ready to marry you.’” He shook his head, his expression pure disbelief even now. “That was it and here we are.”
“I’m happy for you, Golden Boy. If anyone deserves all this, it’s you.”
“You too, it looks like.” His expression was now serious, something it was still hard to get used to after months of scowling and angry absence. “There is nothing on the fucking planet that would ever stand between me and my family. Nothing and no one could stop me from doing what I could to protect them. Not the law and not the club,” he said pointedly, and I knew he’d been looped in on our earlier discussions. “Family is family, Lasso. No matter what kind of family it is, no one knows that shit more than guys like us. But sometimes, a man has to do what the fuck he has to do. Know what I’m sayin’?”
I nodded because I knew exactly what he was saying. No matter how it happened between us, Rocky was mine to protect. She’d scoff at me saying it like that, but it was true. Our child was growing inside her and I had to keep them both safe. Whether the Reckless Bastards had my six or not. “Thanks, Golden Boy.”
“Anytime. But before you do anything stupid, talk to Cross again.”
I grunted yes because that was what he wanted to hear but nothing had changed in that regard.
“I can handle it but thanks.”
I spent the rest of the shift coming up with different plans that didn’t involve running away even though I knew that was what Rocky wanted. We were safer here in Mayhem with the MC than on the road in unfamiliar surroundings. Things had gone quiet for the past two days, but they wouldn’t stay that way forever.
“Come on Lasso, lets close up shop and grab a beer.” Jag stood at the entryway to my station where I was putting away the tattoo gun and straightening my shit, so I wouldn’t have to do it tomorrow.
“Can’t. Got some shit to take care of tonight.”
“One drink,” Jag insisted, sounding impatient. “Come on.”
I followed Jag out and we made the short drive to the clubhouse. Instead of going inside where it sounded like there was a party going on, we grabbed a six pack from the fridge in the back and sat outside. The clubhouse was far enough away from Vegas that the lights were a sight rather than a nuisance. We could see occasional stars in the sky, burning bright on a clear night like this. “What’s up, Jag?”
“That was going to be my line. You’re quiet as fuck, you don’t talk to anyone and I haven’t seen you in days. What’s going on?”
I took a long pull on the dark beer, letting the bitter icy liquid slide down my throat. “Nothing. I’ve just been busy.”
“And Rocky? How is she?”
I sighed and looked at Jag. He was my closest friend but right now I couldn’t separate that from the club’s refusal to help and that wasn’t fair to him. “She’s fine. Still sick on and off all day and so fucking emotional. She cried when an old man was found guilty on Law & Ord
er and wanted to throw away the TV after watching cable news for three hours. Straight.”