Redemption Road (Vicious Cycle #2)(58)
She smiled. “Okay. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
I watched her move around the side of the table and go stand between Alexandra and Kim. I was so thankful they all got along so well. It was almost a test of how well your girl would fare in the long run if she could get along with the other old ladies. I shook my head, as I sure as hell shouldn’t have been thinking of Annabel in those terms. Don’t even go there. She isn’t your girl or your old lady, and she never will be.
After I motioned to the band, the music stopped. All the patch-holding guys came forward to form a circle. “Tonight we bring another brother into our ranks. Over the last year, he’s proven himself to be worthy of wearing a Raiders patch.” I signaled to Archer, who went out the back door to get Crazy Ace. As per tradition, he had been forced to wait away from the party until he was called for.
Although his usual persona was cocky as hell, he came in with his head down. His usual pimp walk was gone. I could tell he took this as seriously as he was supposed to. The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Even the babies in some of the women’s arms were subdued. When he approached me, I turned to Deacon, who handed me the new patch. “Crazy Ace, do you wish to patch in as a full member to the Georgia chapter of the Hells Raiders?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to uphold the principles of the club while always having your brothers’ backs, even if it means sacrificing your own?”
“I do.”
I smiled and slapped him on the back. “Then welcome to the club.” I passed the patch over to him and then reached in to hug him.
After the hugging and backslapping had died down, I went over to join Annabel. “So, what did you think?” I asked when she handed me a beer.
“It was interesting.” She jerked her chin to where Crazy Ace now sat at a table alone, sewing his patch onto his cut. “Does he need some help with that?” When I chuckled, she narrowed her eyes at me. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just that no one but Crazy Ace can sew his patch on. It’s too sacred.”
“But what if he doesn’t know how to sew?”
“Then he learns real fast.”
She grinned. “It’s kind of funny seeing a tattooed guy covered in piercings with a needle and thread in his hands.”
“You’re always responsible for your cut. You never let an old lady take care of it. It’s your job to treat the leather and make sure the patches aren’t falling off.”
“Sounds pretty serious.”
I nodded. “During the rest of the night, some of the guys will try to take Crazy Ace’s cut as a way to test his loyalty. He would be in deep shit if it ever got out of his sight. First night I had my patch, I slept with my cut on so some smart-ass couldn’t take it.”
Alexandra nudged Annabel with a laugh. “It’s really like a sorority when you think about it. All the rules and procedures.”
“Not quite,” I shot back, with a smile to soften my words.
Just as the band was about to start back up, Deacon jumped up onstage. At the sight of him, whistles and catcalls went up around the room. “I know this is Crazy Ace’s big night, but my old lady and I got some pretty kick-ass news today that I have to share.”
“Deacon,” Alexandra said, laughing at his description.
He smiled down at her with love that I had never imagined he could possess for a woman. “So raise a glass in honor of my son!”
My gaze went from Deacon to Alexandra, who was beaming. A boy. I was going to have a nephew—another male to carry on the Malloy family name. I couldn’t have been happier in that moment if the news had been my own.
The elation I felt was short-lived, for when I turned to smile at Annabel I saw that her expression was one of extreme anguish. I knew in that moment that what she had been denied was coming front and center to torment her. At any second, I expected her to burst into tears. Instead, she seemed to be getting her game face on right before my eyes. She straightened her shoulders and walked over to Alexandra. She gave her a hug. When Alexandra whispered something in Annabel’s ear, her composure momentarily faltered, and her entire body shuddered like she was in physical pain.
Once again I held my breath in concern that she was about to fall apart. But instead, she pulled away from Alexandra with a smile. Without a word to me, she then made her way through the crowd to the bar. I quickly caught up to her. “You okay?”
“Fine. Just wanted a drink.”
Since Alexandra had demanded that Deacon’s ex, Cheyenne, be banned from the club, we hadn’t found a new bartender. Instead, it became the job of the prospects, and it was the reason why you never ordered any mixed drinks.
“What can I get you?” our newest prospect, Jolting Joe, asked.
“A shot of Crown Royal,” Annabel requested.
Jolting Joe’s expression showed his confusion. “Is that some sorta mixed drink?”
I laughed. “Honey, we don’t have anything that expensive here.”
“Then what’s a good whiskey that will get me drunk?” she asked in a matter-of-fact voice.
I eyed her cautiously. “You think that’s a good idea?”
“I need to get drunk. I haven’t been drunk in months. In fact, I haven’t been truly rip-roaring drunk but maybe three times in my life.” Sweeping a hand to her hip, she asked determinedly, “So what’s gonna get me drunk?”