Pope rode off a couple of days ago on personal grounds according to Cas and hasn’t been seen since, so I know she isn’t with him and it makes me antsy.
Dialling for the fourth and final time, it rings out and I pull myself off the couch to ride into town and see for myself where she is, when she comes walking in the bar with her arm looped through her mothers. Pope closely behind them.
So that’s where he’s been, with Sally.
I sit back down and wait for her to spot me, when she does she breaks out into a bright smile and detaches herself from her mom.
When she reaches me I grab her hand and pull her down on my lap. Her cheeks flush red. It’s cool knowing she gets this embarrassed being openly together when her father’s around and part of me likes to push my luck.
Her arms wrap around my shoulders and I nuzzle into her neck. Her hair smells like the dental office, making me shiver, but on her it’s becoming normal.
“You smell like work,” I tell her.
“I didn’t get a chance to shower, my parents were waiting for me when I got home.”
“I tried calling you, you’ve got a few missed calls from me,” I admit before she sees how many.
“I know, I saw you calling,” she grins.
“Why didn’t you answer?”
“I saw your bike outside and knew I’d be seeing you within a minute,” she shrugs.
Over her shoulder Pope is talking with Oak while holding Sally’s hand, Pope doesn’t like what he’s hearing so I guess Oak is filling him on today’s events but Sally looks like she is glowing and nothing can spoil her day.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen your mom happy and smiling for longer than a few seconds.”
Kyla looks in their direction and looks back to me. She too looks happier and bursting to tell me something.
“I can only tell you because I expect you to be there, but you can’t tell anyone else. They made me promise.”
Okay, this is intriguing.
“I’ll keep my mouth shut, scout’s honour,” I vow.
“Were you ever a scout?” she asks.
“Yep, now tell me.”
She squirms on my lap, causing me to fully wake up in all areas and she whispers in my ear, “My mom and dad are getting married next week.”
Wow, Pope is pulling out all the stops lately to reunite his family. Kyla being here isn’t only good for me, but for him too. He’s changing whether he realises it or not.
“My mom’s also moving to Willows Peak so you’re definitely stuck with me now,” she smiles.
“I don’t quite see it like that,” I growl.
Although, being stuck in her is something I do see, about every five minutes. It gets so bad sometimes, I think about my dick in her while my dick is in her. Like I said, I can’t get enough of her.
Claiming her mouth, she leans into me and sweeps her tongue across my bottom lip.
“I missed you today, your runs take too long,” she murmurs, clipping my lip between her teeth.
“I missed you too,” I say, between kisses, focusing on the here and now and not the lifeless bodies of the Devils Bastards laying on the ground.
A forced retching sound erupts from the other end of the couch making Kyla jump back uncomfortably.
Slade laughs unashamedly and slings his arm on the back of the couch.
“You have a house giving you complete privacy and you have a room here, which again, gives you complete privacy yet you choose to maul each other out here in front your dad,” he teases, carrying on, “I don’t know whether you’re brave or just stupid.”
“My dad is fine with us,” Kyla says, defending our relationship.
“To a point, but how much do you think he can take of watching Ricky here shove his tongue down his baby girl’s throat? Brave or stupid?”
When he puts it like that, he has a point.
“He is looking happy though, I know he hasn’t killed anyone today so what gives?” Slade asks her, being a douche.
She stiffens on my lap and squeezes my hand tight. She’s had a lot to learn about us and not all of it she understands or likes. For Slade to be this flippant about it pisses me off.
“My mom’s in town, he’s happy to see her,” she lies, shrugging as if it’s no big deal.
“Come on, let’s go find some privacy,” I say, urging her to her feet keeping a hold of her hand.
“Keep your phone on, we might need you tonight,” Slade warns.
I nod once and don’t turn back.
“I’ll say goodbye to my parents and I’ll be good to go.”
“Don’t you want to stay here tonight?” I ask, not fancying the ride back to town.
“Not really, knowing my mom is downstairs while we’re…”
“While we’re doing what?” I mock her.
She shoves against my chest and shakes her head, “Okay, I like the idea of going straight to sleep after the long day I’ve had.”
“Shut up and say your goodbyes.”
It dawns on me that this will be the first time I’ve seen Sally since Kyla and I went public. Neither Pope nor Kyla have said anything about her opinion on us so I can only assume she doesn’t see a problem me being with her daughter.
Sally stands when she sees us making a beeline for her and gives me the onceover.
“Hello Sally.”
“Hello Ricky.”
“Ricky’s going to drive me home, mom. I have the day off tomorrow so I’ll call you in the morning to arrange a time to go shopping.”
“That sounds good, darling,” she smiles at Kyla then turns to me, “I heard Thomas has spoken with you about dating our daughter, but I wouldn’t be a good mom if I didn’t say anything. I don’t need to threaten you with violence, she has her father for that. All I ask is that you look after my girl and treat her well, if you don’t I won’t step in Thomas’s way when he comes for you.”
Wow, I see where Kyla gets her inner bitch from, you think there is no darkness lurking around and boom, when pushed they come right out and protect themselves and the ones they care about.
“Mom,” Kyla groans.
“Don’t worry, babe. I understand, but I have no intention of mistreating her,” I assure her.
“That’s very good to hear.”
“Good night mom, see you later dad,” she calls out, interrupting his conversation with Oak.
I jerk my chin in his direction, pushing Kyla towards the door. Their conversation is one I don’t want Kyla to overhear and start questioning. She already believes our lifestyle is dangerous enough. If she knew what went down today, I wouldn’t hear the last of it every time I left on club business.
Pope
“It doesn’t feel real you being here and not leaving in a rush tomorrow morning.”
She lays beside me, beautifully fucked and sleepy.
“It’s been a long time due, I thought you might never get around to asking me to stay.”
“It took me too long and I regret it more and more every day,” I admit, “We’ve missed out on years together but I’m going to make it up to you, I swear I will.”
“As long as you’re standing beside me next week at the courthouse, it will be worth it.”
From now on I vow to live for the future, the past is only a time that shaped us into who we are now, other than that it can stay where it belongs, behind us.
“I overheard your conversation with Oak, is there anything we have to worry about?” she asks, rolling onto her side to face me.
“I don’t know yet, Cas is making the calls trying to find out what happened. You don’t need to worry though, I don’t want you thinking all sorts. The club is in a different place to when you were last here.”
During all my visits over the years I was Thomas, we never spoke of the club or my life in Willows Peak. To Sally I’m Thomas, not Pope.
“I trust you to keep Ky and I safe, Thomas. I’ve never doubted your ability to protect us, but over the years we ke
pt your life here away from our family, now we’re in the middle of it and I want you to be open about it with me.”
I look at her hard, she made it clear in the beginning that when I visited I was there for them and to leave the club behind until I left to return to Willows Peak. All the shit that’s happened over the years she has no clue about. She wasn’t blind to it, it just made it easier for her.
“I worry about you being here now, seeing everything that happens might remind you why you left in the first place.”
A peaceful serenity flows through the room when she smiles and strokes the stubble on my chin. I only felt this when I was with her up in her world, in Willows Peak I knew what I felt and there was never this amount of peace.
Having her and my club in one place is something I never thought would be possible.
“I waited twenty-five years for you to be ready for this level of commitment, nothing and I mean, nothing is going to keep me away from you now. For bleeding hells sake, the first night I met you, you was with a man who shot dead a man right beside me. I see through you Thomas Flynn and have done for a long time. I also saw this had to play out on your terms. When we’re married and our lives begin as one, life is going to be hell of a lot different for both of us and when I say ‘I do’ I’ll be by your side forever no matter what happens around us.”
Every word that pours from her mouth kicks my guilt into high gear. She was made for me perfectly.
Someone banging on the door downstairs breaks our bubble and I jump out of bed before it stops.
“I thought you said you hadn’t told anyone you brought this place,” she asks, reaching for her robe.
“I haven’t,” I say, roughly, “Stay up here.”
Jogging down the stairs barefoot, I sneak a quick look out the hall window and find an array of police officers standing on my porch.
What the fuck are they doing here?
Throwing open the door I stand defiantly in the doorway, crossing my arms over my chest and wait for them to say why they’re here.
“Thomas Flynn?” one asks, taking a step back from me.
I nod once and remain silently.
“We are here to arrest you on grounds of assault.”
That fucking little cunt Dean. What a grass.
Inside I’m furious, outside I keep my cool and listen to the cop reading me my rights and watch another reach for his cuffs.
I’m not a fool so I turn around slowly and put my hands behind my back.
“Thomas? What’s going on?”
Sally slowly steps into the hallway in her robe and frowns at the amount of police here.
“Get dressed and go to the club, go straight to Cas,” I tell her.
“Why are they arresting you?”
“It’s a misunderstanding, I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Come on, Flynn. Time to go,” the officer who cuffed me grunts.
Dressed in only my jeans, they lead me to the cop car leaving Sally alone on the porch. Dean is going to fucking pay for this.
The station is quiet this late of a night and they lead me straight to a holding cell.
“You want to call a brief?” one officer asks.
I don’t say anything.
Cas will call Banksy as soon as Sally gets to the club and tells them where I am. The officer walks away and leaves me in the cell.
I envision Dean lying in his hospital bed ratting me out and use it to get through the next two hours when Banksy arrives. When I’m finally led to the interview room, Banksy knows how this is going to go. They ask their questions, I say nothing, not even no comment and the officers become agitated with my silence.
They keep their questions coming and I keep my mouth shut. This should never have got this far. It wouldn’t normally bother me being here, I’d play games with them and make them earn their pay check. I’d leave them wondering why they got into law enforcement in the first place, this time is different, I have Sally now and she doesn’t deserve to be worrying about me.
After two breaks over three hours they give up on me and I’m thrown back in the holding cell.
“Not to worry, My Flynn, I’ll have you out of here soon,” Banksy assures me.
I nod once before he leaves and I take root on the bench, waiting for the second they say I can go home.
Ricky
“Oh God…Yes…Yes…Right there,” Kyla pants with my head between her legs just as my phone goes off.
Climbing up Kyla’s rocking body, I reach for the interruption and see Slade’s name flashing on the screen.
“You are not serious right now,” Kyla huffs, as I press the phone to my ear, wiping my mouth.
“Yeah.”
“You need to get back to the club, Pope’s been arrested.”
“You’re joking?” I say, knowing better than to ask for details over the phone line.
“I wish I was, brother. Bring Kyla with you too, her mom is here and could use a familiar face with her.”
“Sure, I’m leaving now.”
Hanging up the phone, I climb off the bed and start dressing.
“What is going on?”
Looking back up at Kyla still lying on the bed wearing nothing but her earrings, I internally curse Pope for getting himself hauled tonight, even though he wouldn’t have liked it himself.
“You need to get dressed and come with me to the club,” I say, throwing random pieces of clothing in her direction.
“Why?”
“Your dad’s been arrested and your mom’s at the clubhouse.”
I’ve barely finished telling her before she’s rushing to get dressed beside me.
“What has he been arrested for?” she asks.
“I don’t know yet, the sooner we get there, the sooner we’ll find out.”
I made Kyla drive here so she would have the road to concentrate on. Her nerves and focus are flying out of control and holding her hand and soothingly tracing her thumb with mine isn’t doing much to calm her.
“Keep your cool, babe,” I urge, in a whisper for only her to hear before we step into the bar.
Only Cas, Sparky and Slade, and a prospect are at the bar and Sally is perched on the edge of a table staring into space.
“What’s the deal?” I ask, as soon as Sally hears my voice, she smiles and comes towards us.
“They’ve got him on assault charges, that prick fuckin’ called the cops as soon as he got himself to a hospital,” Sparky explains.
“Oh God, I told him not to go. I knew this would happen.”
Kyla is off blaming herself before anyone else can get a word in around her.
“This isn’t your fault, Ky. It was your father’s choice to go there and do what he did,” Sally coos to her.
“We’ve got a handle on this, there’s no need for dramatics,” Sparky says, thinking he’s helping.
I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her back into me and keep a tight hold on her. Her body is thrumming with anxious, needless worry.
“I should do something,” she murmurs, like she holds all the answers.
“No, you shouldn’t. You’re going to stay here and wait it out,” I tell her.
“Sparky, Ricky, I need to speak with you,” Cas says, already on his way to the backroom.
Passing Kyla off to Sally, I look to the prospect lingering behind the bar, yawning.
“Keep your eye on them at all times.”
Sparky takes his place in his usual chair but I remain standing near the door. Slade has also joined us.
“What the fuck happened when you guys went after him? It’s not like Pope to put himself in a situation where he can get caught for it.”
“Nothing much, we weren’t even there for long. No one saw us go in or come out, it can only be his word against Popes,” I speak up.
“Well, we won’t hear anything until morning now. Ricky, you and Kyla stay here. I still haven’t heard anything about the Devil’s Bastards and now with Pope in the slammer, I want ever
yone close and ready for anything.”
Each of us nod in understanding and Cas heads out of the backroom first. Walking out of the backroom I’m instantly searching for Kyla, but she isn’t where I left her with Sally and the prospect.
“Where is she?” I ask the prospect, who looks like he wants to see his bed as soon as possible.
“Bathroom.”
Hopefully she is splashing her face with cold water to calm her down. I have to tell myself this is the first time she has been in this situation with her dad and anyone who grew up in a nice little world where everything was dandy it would be natural to freak out. She needs to understand we’ll sort this out ourselves.
After waiting for five minutes, I open the door to the bathroom and find it empty. Scanning the bar behind me, she hadn’t got passed me.
Storming back to the bar, I growl at the prospect, “How long after we went in the backroom did she go to the bathroom?”
His head snaps towards the bathroom door and frowns, “Pretty much when the door shut after you.”
I run outside and her truck isn’t where we parked it when we arrived back here after Slade’s call.
Slamming my hand against the door, it swings back and I push back inside.
“She’s gone and she’s had the last ten minutes to get ahead, you had one job, that’s all,” I yell at the prospect.
He rears back on his heels and has the grace to look guilty. Bunching my hands into fists, I’m itching to pound my knuckles into his jaw. If he were closer to me I wouldn’t be thinking twice about it.
“Come on, we better go look for her. She can’t have got that far. If Pope gets out and we can’t tell him where she is, Ricky won’t be the only brother who dies.”
I close my eyes to that vision from Slade and pray we find her soon, not just for the sake of Pope but for my own sanity too.
Kyla
I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew I had to do something. My father has said numerous times if I don’t want him cleaning up my messes, not to fuck up in the first place. Tonight, I’m going to clean up his mess and we can both start fresh. I don’t doubt Ricky will be pissed with me and even out looking for me. I don’t have to worry about him having Slade track my phone because I forgot to pick it up in the rush to get to the club. It doesn’t take long to pull up outside Dean’s apartment block, nothing looks like it had changed around here. I have changed though, the last time I walked through his door I was strung out and on the verge of begging for my next hit. I couldn’t throw my money at him fast enough, my hands shook and the come down was the worst I had experienced, up until my father got his hands on me anyway.