Love That Defies Us (The Devil's Dust #2.2)(3)

“You look stressed,” Bull observes, sitting on the stool next to me, his black hair combed back and bright green eyes looking at me intently. Looks like he brought himself away from the booze today. Ever since a member named Babs died a couple years ago, a beloved member of the club, Bull has been a loose cannon, not holding up to his responsibility as the president of the club. But Bobby and I have been there to keep things in check. We will until Bull figures his shit out. When we lost Babs, everyone felt the sting. It shook the club pretty bad, with Bull suffering the worst. He and Babs had a secret affair which only came to light after she had died. It led Bull to drinking, and he would be gone for days. He was just not himself. Bobby told me he brought some girl in here in her panties and bra trying to detox her; apparently she was related to Babs. I didn’t ask any more questions; I didn’t want to know any more.

“Valentine’s Day,” I explain.

“Shit,” Bull mumbles.

“Yeah,” I confirm, nodding.

Running his hands over his face, he questions, “What do you have planned?”

“She told me I don’t have to worry about it, but I feel like I shouldn’t listen to that. I haven’t been the best husband-to-be lately,” I reply, sighing.

Bull laughs. “You better do something, or you will be in the dog house for sure, son.”

“Fuck me,” I whisper. This ‘reading between the lines’ bullshit is a puzzle I will never crack.

“Take her out somewhere fancy, get her some nice jewelry, take her to a movie, do something, but don’t not do anything.” I nod, getting his drift. I haven’t gotten Dani an engagement ring yet; I could do that.

“Tom gets his patch today,” Bull adds. Tom Cat has been our prospect for a while now and has been excellent; he deserves to be patched in.

“Yep,” I chime in. We haven’t patched in a prospect in a few years.

“The victim from last night’s murder has been identified as Stan Neller, who owns a biker repair shop in town,” the news sounds from the TV on the wall, catching Bull’s attention.

“Oh, shit,” Bull mutters. Stan is the only guy in town we bring our bikes to when shit goes wrong. I narrow my eyes at Neller’s shop blocked off in yellow caution tape displayed on the TV screen. I haven’t seen Neller in quite a while; Tom has been doing an awesome job at fixing our shit lately. I can’t believe Neller was stabbed to death. He was old and grumpy, sure, but one of the most genuine people I knew.

***

Sitting on the couch amongst the other guys in the club, we wait for Tom to show up. Just as I am about to pull my phone from my pocket to see how Dani is feeling today, he walks in. His brown hair is down and reaching his shoulders from growing it out, and his friendly brown eyes scan the room.

“Tom! Chapel! Now!” Bull roars, making Tom jerk from the sudden outburst, his eyes taking a look of concern. I get up from my seat and follow the boys inside the chapel, finding my seat next to Bull.

“Tom, I have got something to say to you,” Bull grits, his face serious and eyes demeaning, staring right at Tom. Tom nervously squirms in his seat, nervous. I stand up and casually walk over to the cabinet in the corner, pulling out the patch.

“Yeah?” Tom questions, his tone trying to sound brave but cracking with uncertainty.

I slap the patch down on the table right in front of him, making him wince.

“Welcome to the club,” Bull laughs, leaning back in his chair, his face lifted with excitement.

Tom’s body sags with relief. He rises from his seat quickly, making the chair scrape against the wooden floor. He reaches out and grabs me, hugging me.

“It’s an honor to call you my brother,” Tom mutters, his long hair brushing against my face.

“All right, all right. Enough of the * shit,” Hawk squawks, his face wrinkled from age. He scratches his peppered hair, taking a tone of gray, while grumbling under his breath. He is such an ass and the oldest one at the table, for that matter. “You ready for the night of your life, Tom?” Bull adds, lighting a cigarette. Tom nods, a smile spreading across his face.

“Ladies!” Bull roars. The chapel doors are thrown open and in comes a crew of half-naked women, climbing all over Tom like he’s fresh meat.

I shake my head, laughing. The look of lust and shock on Tom’s face is priceless.

“I’m going home; you enjoy yourself, Tom Cat,” I say, slapping him on the shoulder. He’ll get more *, booze, and drugs than he’ll know what to do with tonight. I remember the night I got my patch very well; I had a hangover for a week and was puking my guts up for days. My mind flashes back to Dani when she was really sick.

When she had Zane, it was scary as hell. She was sick, really sick. She got high blood pressure and was put on bed rest in the hospital for a month before they had to take Zane early. I had never been so scared in my life. With Dani being so close in delivering my little girl, I am a nervous wreck. I really need to try and be home as much as I can, keeping an eye on her, but it’s damn near impossible anymore.

***

Dani

I wake up to little fingers pulling at my eyelids.

“Mom!”

I groan and try and roll over, not ready to wake up.

“Mom!”

“Yeah, buddy?” I question, still half-asleep.