Losing Me, Finding You(68)

“Sparks, you in there?” It's Gaine.

“Just a second,” I call out. “Christy, are you there?” It's gone awfully quiet on her end of the line.

“I'm here, but I'm going to have to go soon. Leave me your number and I'll try to call you back if I can.” I read my new cell number (which I've already memorized, please and thank you) out to my friend and stand up to answer the door. I can't stand to listen to that infernal banging anymore, and it appears that Gaine cannot take a hint. I let him in and step away, watching as he closes the door behind himself and leans against it with a sigh, eyes flicking around the room appreciatively. “Amy … I … I have to tell you my secret and then I'm going to hang up. If it bothers you, don't answer when I call you back.”

“Christy, honey, there is nothing in this world that would keep me from talking to you.” I watch as Gaine stands up and starts pacing around the room anxiously. His dark brows are knit together and his knuckles are white as bone, protruding from his skin when he clenches and unclenches his fists nervously.

“Amy, I'm … I think I'm a lesbian.” I pause for a moment.

“But you said you kissed Beck and liked it?” I'm not judging her, just asking a question. I just want to understand her better because I can tell that's what she needs. God, I shouldn't have left her there.

“I liked doing something I wasn't supposed to do. That's what I liked. Amy, I … I think I've known for awhile, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. And then when we came home from the bar that night, it just clicked. I don't know how or why, but it did. I'm sorry I took it out on you.” She pauses for a moment, just a quick moment, not nearly long enough for me to tell her that I love her and that I don't care and that I'm coming back to get her no matter what – gay, straight, whatever. Christy is my friend and I don't care about any of that. But then she hangs up and I'm left with a dead line, one that doesn't ring when I call back.

“Shit,” I snap, slamming the cell phone down on the nightstand. Gaine stops and stares at me quizzically.

“Austin here?” I shake my head no, but I sure wish he was. I need to talk to him as soon as possible. I consider calling him, but wonder if he'd even answer. There must be a reason for his disappearing acts. I force myself not to think about what Mireya said about Kimmi. “Fuck.”

“What's wrong?” I ask him, but he just shakes his head.

“If I get you involved in this, Austin'd kill me.” Gaine glances over at the bed and whistles, pushing a forced smile onto his face. “You lucky f*cks. I got stuck in that crappy motel over by the highway. If I hadn't already known that Kent had it in for me, I'd have guessed it from the room I got in that shit hole.” I try to smile back, but mine is forced, too. Poor Christy. I watch Gaine's face for a moment as he struggles to keep his secret inside. It isn't an easy thing to do.

“You can tell me,” I say to him, moving across the room and putting my hand on Gaine's shoulder, right over his broken heart tattoo. He looks down at it and then back up at me, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette and then seemingly thinking the better of it.

“Nah, you know what. I'm probably overreacting, I just … ” Gaine stops talking again and shakes his head. “Doesn't matter. Could you just tell that f*ck to call me as soon as he gets here. And tell him to stop turning off his f*cking phone.” Gaine touches a hand to mine and moves over to the door, pausing with his fingers on the knob. “And Amy, if you see anybody weird hanging around, stay away from 'em for me, would ya?”



Chapter 48

Kimmi and I go out and get ready to do what we do best: robbing banks.

Our duo is ten tears in the making, a decade old partnership that's evolved against all the odds, managing to survive despite enhanced security and technological advances. Sometimes, I don't know even know how we do it anymore. Seems like people are more attached to plastic than ever, swiping away their money with the push of a button. Fortunately, for now, cash is still king in certain places, older places, places like this.

Fort Clinton.

The population is old, rich, and stubborn, and the bank, well, it's in a historical building wouldn't ya know? In fact, it's even got a plaque from the historical society displayed promptly out front, gladly announcing the decades that it's stood in this very spot, a testament to man's resilience and how far we've come. Unfortunately, this also means that security is much more lax and a little behind the times.

These are the types of places that Kimmi and I seek out through careful research, the places we guide the Triple M'ers around to without leaving a trail that's easy to follow. This is our f*cking legacy, the one that nobody knows about except us – Kimmi, me, Kent, and Melissa. For some reason though, I'm almost desperate to tell Amy, to let her in on my secret and share all the stories that are built up inside of me, the ones that have been bursting to get out for years, but who had nobody to listen. Doesn't seem like such a strange thought until I remember that, following Kent's wishes, I've never told a soul, not even Mireya or Beck or Gaine.

Maybe that's why I'm so damn pissed when he surprises Kimmi and me on our way out of the spare room, the one we always check out to keep our things in when we're working. It's kinda sad that even after all these years of carrying around our gear, the other Triple M'ers have never thought to ask what all this crap is and why there's always one room that isn't registered to anybody in the MC. Guess they don't care, and I suppose I can't blame 'em. They have everything they need provided to them, and yeah, Kent recruits some of them for jobs that I don't know about, things that are as secretive to me as my job is to them, but for the most part, they get to enjoy life without worries.