“Respect?”
“From who? Us? No one here judges you for anything, let alone Z being in jail. Your family? How much did they respect you before?”
Ouch. That stings. Even though it’s true and she didn’t say it to be hurtful.
“It doesn’t worry you? That Rock could go to prison at any time?”
“Of course it does.” Her worried gaze darts down the hall. “Even more now that we have Grace. But I trust him to keep himself out of those…situations as much as possible. And I have faith that the club will take care of us…if something ever happened.”
I’ve never dared ask Z too much, which, in hindsight, I probably should have. “What exactly do they do, Hope?”
She opens her mouth, then stops herself. Finally, she shakes her head. “You have to discuss that with Z. And honestly.” She rolls her eyes, “Besides the porn empire Sway started, I don’t know what downstate does. From what I understand, every charter has their own enterprises.”
“Do the others know?”
“Trinity probably does. Heidi? I’m not sure. She’s been around the club forever, but Teller always kept her away from club business as much as possible. And I don’t know what she and Murphy discuss in private. Charlotte?” She huffs out a laugh. “We’re more likely to discuss legal stuff more than club stuff, unless it concerns us.” She grabs my hand. “Trust me, I hear the words coming out of my mouth and, ten years ago, I would’ve been horrified.”
“And now?”
“Now, I have a family I love more than anything. That I’d protect anyway I can because they’d do the same for me.”
I nod, taking all of that in. “I want to visit Z so bad. I’m so worried about him.”
She tilts her head. “I understand what you’re going through, but this is to protect Z. And you.”
Again, I wonder how Rock explained my situation. Then again, Hope’s smart. Once she heard about Kelly’s death, it might not have taken her long to put the pieces together. Especially since she knew I’d been subpoenaed to testify at his trial. And let’s not forget the way I ghosted out of Z’s life with his child for a couple years. “I know it is. But what else can I do?”
“That’s not how this works, Lilly. We do for you now.”
“I have to do something.” It feels shitty complaining about her husband but I feel so useless. “Rock wouldn’t even take money for the lawyer, or bail, or—”
“I think the club has a fund for stuff like that. For all the members. All you need to do is what Rock asked. Stay here. Keep things as normal for Chance as you can. We’ll help you out with whatever you need.”
Overcome with emotion, I end up flinging myself around her in an awkward half-hug. “Thank you.”
“This is killing me for him, Lilly. Z has the best heart.”
“I know he does.”
“Just be here for him, Lilly,” she says in a low voice, hugging me back. “That’s all I ask. Please.”
“I’m here, Hope.”
Chapter Four
Lilly
Later in the night, Rock and Hope sit down with me in the dining room.
“We want to give Z a message, but I really don’t want Hope to use your name in there,” Rock says. “What’s he call you?”
“What?”
“A nickname? Something.” Hope grins and rests her hand on Rock’s thigh. “At home or around the club, he calls me baby doll. In public, everyone calls me,” she taps her chest. “First Lady.” She glances at Rock. “Although, that does sort of signal that I’m with the president of the club.”
He huffs out a laugh and kisses her cheek. “So does the Property of Rock on your back, if anyone knows anything about us, baby doll.”
She tips her head back and they share another kiss. One that makes my insides twist.
“Guys, you’re both hot,” I joke so I don’t end up crying, “but I don’t want the bedroom act in my dining room. And I thought Wrath called you Cinderella?”
Hope touches her forehead to Rock’s before pulling away. “He does. Although I’ve never understood why.”
“You used to have a very corruptible look about you, Hope.” Wrath pulls out a dining room chair and stares at it for a few seconds as if he’s assessing whether or not it can accommodate his massive frame.
Hope rolls her eyes. “And what? Now I’m a seasoned ol’ lady?”
He grins at her. “Most of the time.”
Rock turns serious again. “A name Z will know right away, Lilly?”
* * *
“With outsiders, we’ll call Heidi little sister sometimes,” Hope adds. “Something like that.”
Despite all the sadness surrounding my heart, I can’t help smiling. My fingers brush over my mermaid pendant. “Siren.”
“Perfect.”
“Ah!” Hope reaches forward and touches the mermaid around my neck. “Mermaid/siren. Z’s so clever.”
“Eh,” Wrath wobbles his hand back and forth. “Don’t get carried away.”
“Oh, stop.” Hope taps his arm. “You miss him just as much as the rest of us.”
“Yeah,” Wrath agrees. “It’s not as much fun to insult him when he’s not here.”
I think he meant it as a joke, but it comes out so glum my chest squeezes. All the guys seem to be taking Z’s incarceration hard.
Hope nibbles on her bottom lip. “I’m so worried.”
“Murphy has his back,” Wrath says.
“Well, I’m worried about both of them.”
“Z knows how to handle himself.”
“I’m sure he does.” She glances at me. “But I want him to know Lilly and Chance are okay and that we’re here with them.”
Her obvious affection for Z used to confuse me a little, but now I understand so much better and I welcome it. I reach over and place my hand over hers. “Thank you, Hope.” I try to infuse as much gratitude as possible into the words so she understands how much her support means to me. To us.
I’m still upset I can’t go. Part of me wants to argue that Rock might be overthinking the situation and one visit to jail isn’t enough to connect Z to what happened to senator Kelly. Thankfully, that irrational side of me chose to sit down and keep her mouth shut.
Chapter Five
Z
Another day and we’re still here.
“This is such bullshit,” Murphy mutters.
“Told you that mouth would get you in trouble one day.”
He ignores the taunt. “They were quick to throw me down, but it’s fine. I didn’t want you coming in alone.”
“Thanks, little brother.” I reach over and mess up his hair. He ducks and shoves me away.
“O’Callaghan! You have a visitor.”
“Oh, goodie,” Murphy mutters. He shuffles over to the door and waits for the guard to slide it open before extending his hands. The click of the handcuffs going around his wrists is getting to be an all-too familiar sound.
“Be good,” I call out and he flips me off with both fingers.
I haven’t been locked up in a long time. There were a few stretches in my early twenties. Before we turned the upstate charter of the Lost Kings MC around. Those brushes with incarceration motivated me to work hard to keep our charter off law enforcement’s radar.
Now I remember why. I’m bored. Can’t remember the last time I’ve gone this long without being on my bike. Okay, maybe a few stretches in the winter. But even then, I at least get outside, jog through the trails on the property, or ride one of the utility vehicles through the woods. Something to keep busy.
Not good being on my own and confined, I drop down and do a few sets of push-ups. Those quickly lose my interest so I switch it up with planks and pike push-ups. I’ve got a clearer head and sweat rolling down my back by the time Murphy returns.
“That was quick.” I finish the last rep before standing.
Murphy shrugs. “Glassman only needed a few details.”
“Anyone else show up with him?”
>
“Nah.”
“No word about little sister?”