Last Ride (Wind Dragons MC #5.5)(9)

“Good,” he replies, vulnerable moment over. He kisses the top of my head, then returns to his seat.

I say good-bye to both of them, then take Tracker’s four-wheel drive back to my house. Dex is at home with Asher, but now he’ll go to Rift and do whatever other stuff he has to do, while I’m with the kids, cooking dinner, bathing them, and getting them into bed. When he gets home, we have our alone time, time that I really look forward to. This is what my days consist of, and it’s more normal than anyone would think. I’m not doing badass things all the time; for the most part, it’s mom and wife stuff.

“Hey,” I say, giving him a kiss when I spot him going through some paperwork on the kitchen table, Asher asleep against his chest.

“Hey, how was your day?” he asks, smiling back. “Did you get the charity run sorted out?”

“Not really,” I admit, taking Asher from him and holding him against my chest. “Kind of got distracted.”

In fact, I forgot why I had gone to the clubhouse in the first place, because everyone bombarded me with their drama the second I got there. I kiss the top of Asher’s head, breathing in deeply, loving the baby smell of him. “I missed you, little guy.”

“Do you want me to get Clover?” Dex asks, standing up and wrapping his arms around the two of us.

I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll get her; you go take care of whatever you need to. Tomorrow I have to go to the law firm, so you’ll have to get her then.”

“All right,” he says, kissing me once more, then grabbing his keys and heading out. I sit down and just enjoy having Asher in my arms. After being around so many people, it’s kind of nice to have a little peace and quiet.

It’s the best of both worlds.





FIVE




Faye

THE next day, it seems Irish took my advice and told Tina the truth about her ex-boyfriend, because I can hear the yelling the second I walk into the clubhouse.

Did he bring her here to tell her, hoping he’d have backup? I find them outside, Tina throwing things at him, her face red in fury. I sit down and open my can of soda, ready to watch the show. She’s probably going to be mad at me too, and at everyone, because we all went along with Irish’s story. She has a right to be mad. She probably feels alone right now, like no one is on her side. We all went against her.

It’s not as black and white as that though. She’s Irish’s old lady, and he decides how to handle her, not us. We support him no matter what. I’ve known Irish longer than I’ve known Tina; he’s family. And while women stick together, it’s not really my place to get involved in this shit. I usually step in when the men need to hear something, like when Vinnie was being stupid when Shayla was pregnant, but for the most part I really do try to keep my mouth shut. Try being the key word. It’s hard when everyone comes to me for advice.

“You lying bastard! I can’t believe you made me think that I saved the day, that our plan worked!” she yells, pointing at him. “When really you just killed him to solve the problem!”

I cringe. Why doesn’t she scream that just a little louder, so everyone can hear? I’m sure the police who sometimes drive past the clubhouse would love to hear it. Irish spots me and flashes a look that’s clearly asking for help. With a sigh, I put my drink down and walk over to them, just as Tina turns her back to Irish, her shoulders shaking as she starts to cry.

“Let me try and talk to her,” I tell him. He nods, but doesn’t move from his spot, just watches her helplessly. “Irish, give us a few minutes.”

He reluctantly takes a few steps back, but apparently that’s all the room he’s going to give us. I touch her shoulder, pushing aside her beautiful curly red hair. “Come on, let’s have some girl talk.”

I wait for her to throw it in my face, the fact that I knew and didn’t tell her. Why would she want to talk with me right now? But she doesn’t, so I guess she must be a better person than me. I lead her to the kids’ swings and get her to sit on one while I take the other.

“Men underestimate us as women,” I start with, swinging slowly. “Irish wanted to protect you. Yes, he lied. Yes, you have a right to be angry. But at the end of the day, you have a man who is willing to murder someone for you, cover it up, then lie about it so you don’t have to feel any guilt, so your hands remain clean while his only get dirtier. I’m not saying what he did was right—he probably should have just let him rot in prison. But that’s not what happened, and in his mind, he probably thought he was doing what’s safest for you in the long run. Darren can’t hurt you anymore. He can’t threaten you. He can’t stalk you. And now you can heal. I know it seems like what he did was selfish, killing him when you didn’t want that to happen, but he honestly did what he thought was the right thing to protect you. Do you know how many women would give anything to have that type of devotion? Look at the bigger picture here, Tina.” I stand up, offering her a small smile. “And I’m sorry that I had to lie and go along with it, but right now why don’t you surprise Irish and show him that you are the right woman for him? And that this burden isn’t too big to bear, because you’re strong enough, aren’t you, Tina?”

She listens to my words but says nothing, so I don’t know if I’ve reached her or not. Hey, I tried. I walk back inside, touching Irish’s arm as I pass.