“No shit. How do you think Valentina is going to handle today?” Doc asks me. The guys have left her alone for the most part. I think that’s probably because everyone is getting the silent treatment from their Ol’ Ladies. The women are definitely standing in solidarity.
“Expectin’ the worst and prayin’ for the best. Do you have your med kit on you, just in case?”
“Yeah, it’s in the car. I told Fallon to keep it in there in case today is rough on anyone.” Rage and his woman, Jolie, are walking in along with Shadow and Shila. To say it’s a packed clubhouse would be an understatement. It seems like every man and his Ol’ Lady are staying in their rooms since shit went down. After realizing the gate was being opened by one of our recruits after he was handed a wad of cash from Brain to do so, we’ve stayed on high alert, gates closed and surveillance being watched around the clock in case the Irish decide they want Brian back. I kind of hope they do, just to get even more redemption for losing Crank. If they do decide to make their rounds, they won’t find Brian or his goons he brought with them. The pigs have been well fed this week, and not a single man left until there wasn’t an ounce of evidence to be found.
“Thanks, man. Appreciate it.” I clap him on his back. We’re all standing in the forecourt where shit went down, solemness surrounding us. Sure, shit is cleaned up. That doesn’t mean it’s sitting well with us.
“Let’s roll!” Shovel announces, spinning his hand above his head. We all follow the hearse carrying Crank to the cemetery. A few of us are riding behind the vehicle, followed by the limo carrying the women and children, the rest of the convoy trailing at the end. My mind blanks out the fact the last few days have been harder on Valentina than they needed to be, what with her having to file a missing person’s report on her dad even though Brian claimed to not be her father. That had to fucking sting, and I figure in the next few days, we’ll stop by her parents’ house, go through what needs to be gone through, and maybe find the answers there, which will only make shit worse for her.
That’s probably why she hasn’t been able to fully process shit, not knowing what the truth is, losing Crank while he saved her life. That shit is fucking hard. Been there, left the force because of the crookedness, getting shot at, stabbed a time or two. It wasn’t fuckin’ worth it. I’d rather have the brothers right alongside me than my own partner willing to shoot me in the back. It doesn’t take long until the cemetery comes into view, and fuck, Crank would be proud as hell knowing the town turned out like this. Only he’d rather it be for a barbecue instead of his funeral. If he were here now, he’d be smiling up a storm, chasing after kids and happier than ever. My chest tightens knowing that shit won’t ever happen, and I’m not ashamed to say I miss the old coot.
17
VALENTINA
I’d have liked to say things got better after the funeral was over, but they didn’t. Shit seems to get worse way before it ever seems to get better. There was so much to do, not just for Crank but my parents’ place as well. There was also this deep-seated need to figure out what has really happened all these years.
Corey wanted to stay, but apparently, Crank’s lawyer is delivering his last will and testament today. That doesn’t mean he left me here alone, even though I all but begged for him not to worry about me. That didn’t seem to matter. That’s why his mom, Jenny, and his sister, Izzy, short for Isabella, are here with me. I hate that we met on such awful terms, that his mom is struggling with cancer, yet after hearing about the shit that went down in my life, she was pulling on Corey’s ear and yelling at him in that tone only a mother can. I mean, I guess it’s a good thing he admitted our relationship started on a lie, and yes, I am still holding a mean grudge against him. In my defense, he still has yet to say those two words that are the hardest for a lot of men to say, you know, the words I’m sorry. Yep, he’s yet to mutter them.
“Here ya go.” Izzy brings us all a hot cup of tea then plops down beside me. There’s a stack of files each to one side and in front of where we’re seated. Jenny is set up in a chair, resting, since she had another chemo and radiation treatment earlier this week.