Sinner's Revenge (Sinner's Creed MC #2)(84)
I can’t take my eyes off her. I can’t wipe this smile from my face either. I love her so f*cking much. Just like this. This is my Diem—bitchy, self-centered, and bossy. I think it’s the cabin. Almost every good memory we have was shared here. I was going to miss this place.
“Stop looking at me like that. It’s creepy.” She grabs her sandwich and her milk, heading straight for my recliner. Dressed in my shirt, she pulls it down over her legs, using her knees as a table. I hear the opening credits of Gunsmoke and capture this moment. Then I remember all the other moments we’ve had together. Like so many times before, I’m prepared to give my life for the ones I love. Today might be my final day, but it would be just the beginning for Diem.
*
Rookie and Carrie arrive, and judging by the smile on Diem’s face, the decision to bring Carrie was the right one. I jerk my head toward the bedroom and Rookie follows. Closing the door behind me, he starts before I have a chance to say what I need to.
“Carrie will not let Diem out of her sight.” The finality in his tone has me shaking my head. He just ignores me. “I trust her. You should too. But I’m coming with you.”
“No,” I say firmly. “I need you here. If this shit goes south, this will be the first place they come. I won’t leave our girls to fend for themselves. I need you here. They need you here.” He doesn’t like it, but finally he agrees.
“Fine. But if I don’t hear from you by morning, I’m coming to get you.”
I nod. “Call Cleft. Get him to arrange for her to have a passport in a different name. Have him meet her at the airport in Houston along with a one-way ticket out of the country. There is some money in my safe along with the information for my accounts overseas. If I’m not back by morning, put her ass on a plane and get her out of here. If you don’t, she will die.”
Removing his hat, he rubs his hand over his head. “I’m not so sure about this, Shady. Dorian’s not the kind of guy you just walk up to and demand shit from.”
“I’m not demanding anything. I’m just going to talk to him. Her leaving is just a precaution. Trust me.”
“It’s him I don’t trust,” he snaps, cutting me off. “He will kill you.”
“Then guess what, I’ll die and Diem will be free.” Stepping closer, I wrap my hand around the back of his neck, bringing his face an inch from mine. “I would give my life for you. For my club. For Carrie. I am not scared to offer up the same thing for Diem. I will not be intimidated by any man. I don’t care who that motherf*cker is.”
Taking a deep breath, he nods, grabbing my shoulder. “Okay,” he says, his eyes burning with respect and pride. “Do what you got to do. I’ll take care of everything else.” Pulling him in, I hug my brother. My best friend. The one person I trust with the one thing that I hold close to my heart—my Diem. He will do this for me because he loves me. And because he knows I’d sure as f*ck do it for him.
*
My bag is packed, slung over my shoulder as I prop up against the wall and stare at Diem, who wears a genuine smile for the first time in weeks. She already looks free . . . happy. Her eyes move to me and I give her a smirk. Her face falls as she takes me in, fully dressed and packed to leave. “A minute?” I ask, nodding my head toward the kitchen.
She follows me in, her hands fidgeting nervously. “You’re leaving?” she asks, once we’re alone.
“Yeah.” I smile, caressing her cheek with the back of my hand. “Remember when I told you I would handle everything? Well, some things can’t be done over the phone.”
She nods. “I know.”
“Look,” I start, framing her face with my hands. “I made some arrangements for you. Rookie is going to handle everything. But I need you to do exactly what he says when the time comes.”
She pulls away, shaking her head. “He will kill you, Shady.”
I roll my eyes. “So I’ve been told,” I say, bored. “What he will do is listen to what I have to say. Trust me, babe. I’m pretty good at this. I know what I’m doing, I just don’t know how long it will take. So I need you to do as I ask.”
“I’m not gonna sit back and let you deal with this shit yourself,” she snaps, her eyes flashing with anger.
“What happened to letting me handle shit, huh? Where’s that Diem from the shower this morning?”
“She found her nuts in a sandwich,” she spits back at me. And I almost smile.
“I made you a promise. I plan to make good on that promise too. Now it’s time for you to keep your word. I’ve never asked you for anything, Diem. I’m asking you for this. And if I remember correctly, you owe me one.” It’s a shitty hand to play, but it’s the only one I have. But it doesn’t hurt her.
Coming closer, she reaches out, fisting her hands in my shirt. “My life will be worth nothing if the rest of it is spent grieving you. I can deal with anything this shitty life throws at me because I know I’ll have you to come home to. But if you leave, I lose everything.”
Her words are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. She’s what I’ve spent my whole life searching for. She’s the only thing that can fill that void in my chest. And for that reason alone, is why I’m doing this. “I will come back to you. I swear on your life, Diem—the most precious thing I value. I’m not asking anymore. I’m telling you.” Cradling her neck in my hands, I run my thumb across her cheek and whisper my final plea. “Let me go.”