Page 117 of Girth (Marked Skulls MC 1)
“They probably think I’m cooperating or some shit. Bringing you to the bar will help me piece together for them what’s happened,” he said.
“Gotcha.”
“We can go talk to my mom, I’m sure she’ll be just fine with watching Emery until this all blows over. She’s gonna be safe with her, you know this.”
“I know, I know. I just… I’m so sorry, Hawk,” I said.
“Stop that.”
“I brought you so much fucking trouble, and all because I went on some stupid joyrides,” I said.
“Syd, for all I know the Iron Souls set you up to take the fall for this shit. We’re gonna fix this. We’re gonna make it better again. But you gotta trust me when I tell you that The Road Rebels can help you. We all can. You and Emery will be safe.”
“But won’t they expect me to stay? After this is all said and done, won’t they want me to stay with them?” she asked.
“We can talk about that when the time comes. Lot’s changed since you’ve been gone. I think you’ll enjoy the dynamic a bit more,” he said.
“I’m scared,” I said breathlessly.
“And you have every right to be. But I promise you this, Sydney Marshall, so long as you’re by my side, you and Emery both will be safe.”
I looked deep into his eyes and threw my arms around him. I crashed my lips into his, soaking up his strength and courage as his hands dropped to the small of my back. I had no idea what I was walking into, and I had no idea how anyone would react, but all I knew was this.
If my next few steps ensured Emery a stable life, one where I wasn’t thrown into jail, then I would endure whatever ridicule came my way in order to give that to her.
After all the shitty decisions I’d made, it was the very least I could do for my daughter.
Chapter 15
Hawk
I took Syd back to my mother’s house, and we promptly sat her down. Emery was still sound asleep, even as lunchtime began to roll around. Syd wanted to go wake her up, fearful that she wouldn’t sleep tonight if she didn’t wake up now. But my mother insisted that she slept as long as necessary and sat us both down with cups of coffee in front of us.
“Ma, we need to ask you something,” I said.
“And please, feel free to say ‘no,’” Syd added.
“We were wondering if you’d watch Emery for a bit,” I said.
“Is everything all right?” my mother asked. “Did something happen?”
“Well, sort of. We have a way to get us all out of trouble, but it’s gonna require Syd and I sort of… teaming up,” I said.
“And you want me to watch Emery while this all happens back in Nevada,” she said.
“What?”
A groggy Emery was standing at the entrance to the hallway and Sydney ran over and scooped her up. My mother got up and scooped her a bowl of ice cream out of the freezer, covering it with sprinkles and caramel syrup. Emery’s eyes lit up when it was sat in front of her, and we all sipped our coffee while the hungry little girl went to town on her bowl of ice cream.
“Did you sleep okay?” my mother asked her
“I like that room. The TV comes out from behind the bed.”
“What?” Syd asked.
“There’s a small TV in the room Emery was sleeping in. It’s mounted to a twisting arm that hooks up behind the bed. You can bring the television right in front of you while you’re laying down in bed.”
“Oh, yeah. She’s gonna be all over that,” Syd said.
“Miss Emery, I have a question to ask you,” my mother said.
“Is everything okay?” Emery asked.
“Everything’s just fine. My son, Hawk, and your momma have some stuff they have to go do for a couple days,” she said. “Would you like to go with them or stay here with me?”
I felt Syd jump at the question she asked, but I squeezed her thigh to settle her down. If there was one thing my mother was brilliant at, it was communicating with children. They called her the ‘toddler whisperer’ around here because she could always come in and solve any parent’s problems.
We all watched Emery’s face as she thought about the question, her eyes darting around to everyone before landing back on my mother’s face.
“Can I have ice cream for lunch every day?” she asked.
“Ah, a negotiator I see. You get that from your momma,” she said, grinning. “Of course you can. In fact, I’ll have a bowl with you right now.”
Emery’s face beamed, and I heard Syd breathe a sigh of relief.
“We won’t be gone long, sweetheart. Just for a day or two,” Syd said.
“Where you guys going?” she asked.
“We’re… going to set up some things at my place,” Hawk said. “I figured you guys might wanna stay there a little while longer.”
“That why we had to leave? Because you had to fix it up? Mom said you had to work,” Emery said.
“Mom was right, but I was making up the house for you guys as a surprise. I know you guys haven’t really touched down anywhere, and I want you guys to be as comfortable in my home as possible,” I said.
“So, you guys are gonna go fix the house, and I’m gonna stay here?” she asked.
“Is that all right with you?” Syd asked.
“There’s ice cream, Mom. Of course, it’s all right.”
“Wow. Such an attitude,” I said, grinning.
“We’re going to have lots of fun, don’t you two worry. Now, finish your coffee and get out of here. The two of you can grab lunch on the road,” my mother said.
“Not into making lunch for people anymore?” I asked, grinning.
“Not when those people are two grown ass adults,” she said.
“Mommy, she said a bad word,” Emery said, whispering.
“And I apologize,” my mother said, smiling.
I could see Emery was still a bit nervous. She was trying to be such a strong little girl, and I wished she didn’t have to be. She was experiencing so many things way too fast, and I peeled myself from the chair so I could get down in front of her. I wrapped her in my arms, and she fell into me, her head nuzzling up underneath my chin as I kissed the top of her head. I could feel her little body just trembling up against me, and I felt tears spring to my eyes as I rocked her side to side.
“When we come back, everything will be just fine. I promise, okay? We’ll have a home and a plan. We’ll get you enrolled in school somewhere, and you’ll be surrounded by people that will come to love you. I promise,” Syd said.
There was a part of me that couldn’t help but think that maybe she was talking about sticking around with the club.
We finished our coffee, and my mother took Emery back into the room. They started watching some cartoon back there, and already I could hear Emery
giggling with my mother. It warmed my heart to listen to my daughter bond with my mother like that, and for a moment I saw Syd get wrapped up in the moment, too. A smile crossed her cheeks as she held the door open, her foot on the porch while the rest of her body clung to the sound of the laughter falling from her daughter’s lips.
Our daughter’s lips.
“Come on. We’ll take my bike,” I said.
“What are we gonna do with my van?” she asked.
I went over and typed in Mom’s garage door password. The massive door lurched open, revealing a big spot for her to park her van beside my mother’s car. I watched as she drove it in and took out Emery’s car seat, sitting it beside my mother’s car. She locked the car and set the keys on top of the tire, out of sight but easily reachable if my mother needed it for some reason.
Then, we grabbed her change of clothing, shoved it into the carrying case on the back of my bike, and we hit the road.
Feeling Syd’s arms around me threw me back to when we were younger. When I’d gotten my first bike, she was the one that rode it with me. We broke it in with a twenty-mile trek into a neighboring town where we stopped for food and milkshakes. We laughed and joked. I bragged about that shitty bike while she kept stealing my fries. It was the first time I could recall ever looking into her eyes and knowing she was the woman I wanted to spend my days with.
And now she was here, with her arms wrapped around me while we cruised down the backroads of California.
It took us awhile to make our way back to Nevada. By the time we got back to my house, it was almost two in the morning. The both of us were exhausted as we slowly slid from my bike, and the two of us tumbled onto the couch and promptly went to sleep. When we woke up, I could tell Syd was nervous about what was to come. Her hands were shaking around the mug of coffee she’d made herself, and she was particularly quiet. Whenever I brushed up against her, I could feel her trembling, and I knew nothing I could say would take away her nerves.
