Crash (Brazen Bulls MC #1)(77)

“Trying to keep Jesse out of my life, I pushed everybody out. I see my folks once a year, far away from home. I wasn’t there for my little sister’s graduation, or my brother’s wedding. I wasn’t there when my grandma died. It’s been years since I had a friend that I’d see away from work. Ollie’s never met any man but you. I didn’t realize how I’d cut myself off, how many barriers I’d put up between me and everybody else in the world, until you crashed through them. On the very first night I met you. It didn’t occur to me that my life had any impact on anything but me. I guess I didn’t realize that I mattered again.”

“Jesus, Wills.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“No, I didn’t mean you should feel sorry for me.” She came up again and met his eyes. “Just—I’m glad I killed him. I’m glad it was me. I don’t know how to feel about that, that I killed somebody and I’m glad about it. I need to work through that. But I’m sorry it caused you trouble—and I’m glad you’re here to get caught up in my shit.”

Surprised at how she’d turned that sad story around, he laughed. “Me too. Nobody I’m happier to clean up after than you.”



oOo



After Rad and Willa sat down in the office with Delaney and talked it out, Rad left her at the bar with Mo and Joanna and a full coffeepot.

The clubhouse was quiet, and not only because it was a weekday afternoon. The surface of the bar was covered with catalogues and papers, and Rad knew that the patches would be doing their level best to be scarce during sunlight hours for the next few days.

Mo had just finished with her school year, and she always turned the full wattage of her considerable attention on the clubhouse in the summer. By mid-June, she’d have the summer’s project mapped out and organized. Last year, she’d redone Delaney’s office. The year before that had been the patio. A few years back, she’d redone the crash pads upstairs. By the looks of the catalogues Rad had given the slightest, most surreptitious glance at, the party room had come up in the rotation.

And that meant a shit ton of work for the patches. In addition to the service station and their club work.

He kissed Willa and headed to the chapel. Behind him, he could hear his old lady being lured into Mo’s web.

Delaney must have heard it, too, because he chuckled as he opened the chapel door.

The rest of the Bulls were already at the table, shooting the shit. Best place in the clubhouse to hide from a woman was the chapel. It wasn’t a place to hang around in for the shit of it—it was the place that held all their secrets and was sacred for it—but if you were a little early for church and looking to maybe not get noticed by a clingy sweetbutt or an old lady with a job list, then you weren’t hanging out or hiding. You were just early for church.

When Delaney sat down, the loose talk settled, and the men sat up straighter in their chairs. After Rad fielded a couple of questions about his bandaged arm, and took some shit for getting mauled by his woman’s dog, Delaney gaveled the meeting open.

“Okay. We got lots to talk about today. I’ll get the easy stuff out of the way first—Horde’s run went smooth, and I think Little Ike’s gonna be good on point here on out. Eight, Beck, Griff, Apollo, and Dane—thank you for hauling ass to keep our schedule tight and get our leg of the run done and get back here. Kirill is pleased. So pleased he wants to bump up the start of the second route, get that going in two weeks.”

Becker spoke up at that. “He know about this new bullshit with Rad’s chick?”

Not liking the way Becker had phrased that, Rad turned on him. “You want to be careful how you talk, kid. That’s my old lady.”

“You mark her yet?”

“Boy…” Rad stood up. Becker stood, too. “Watch your mouth or I will hand it to you so you can see it.”

“Sit down, both of you.”

Their president’s tone brooked no resistance; they both sat.

“Rad says she’s his old lady, she’s his old lady. I assume she’s keeping your flame?”

It mattered to the club that a woman make that visible commitment. Old ladies knew secrets—Willa would know Rad’s secrets—and so, just as the patches wore ink to show their loyalty, their women did, too.

Willa hadn’t said yes, exactly, yet, but she would. She hadn’t said no, just that she needed more time. But things had changed these past few days. Yet another catastrophic event had intensified their feelings. Their relationship thus far had been a constant careen from one impact to the next.

“She is,” he answered Delaney. “Soon’s all this settles.”

“Good. To your question, Beck—no, I didn’t tell Kirill about what happened with Willa. I wanted to get all the information I could, and I wanted it run through at this table first. So that’s what’s next.” Delaney turned to Rad. “She’s your woman, Rad. Say your thinking first.”

“Okay, yeah. First thing I want to lay out here is that this ain’t like Dahlia’s shit. This ain’t Willa tryin’ to wrap me up in her chain. This is real. I told you already what that guy did to her. Apollo—I know you looked into her story.”

Apollo nodded. “Sorry, Sarge. Had to.”

“I know. Now say what you found.”