Page 47 of Brooks (Dirty Misfits MC 1)
Maybe—just maybe—Brooks and I being together was my ultimate protection.
Which I knew would’ve made Gage elated.
I will always love you, Gage.
The wind whipped around outside and I turned to look out the window. I watched Archer as he looked up at the sky, probably seeing if a storm was rolling through or something. There wasn’t a dark cloud in the sky, though. Just wind kicking up out of nowhere and whistling through the draft window in my cramped office.
Then, I heard it.
The softest, most delicate sound on the tails of the wind filtering through my office.
“Be happy.”
It sounded so clear and so real that I leapt out of my chair. I looked around the room to see who had slipped in here without my noticing. My eyes watered and my breathing became panicked. The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end as my eyes trailed across my office.
Then, my office door burst open.
“What is it? What’s happening?” Archer asked.
He peeked around the door and searched my small office before he stood to face me.
“Raven!”
I jumped at the sound of his voice. “Sorry, sorry. I, uh…”
“I saw you hop up in a panic. Are you okay?”
I swallowed hard. “Do you think he’d be happy for me?”
Archer blinked. “What?”
“Gage. For me and Brooks. Do you think he’d be happy? Or do you think he’d hate me?”
He sighed, his face softening. “I think Gage would want you protected, happy, and cared for.”
“So, you don’t think he’d—”
He shook his head. “I think that if he trusted anyone to give you those things, it would be Brooks.”
I nodded. “Okay, okay. Yeah. Yeah, I-I think that, too.”
He walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Gage thought the world of Brooks. I’ve never seen any two guys closer than those two. And I think that if you were to strike up a relationship with anyone, he’d be happy it was someone he already knew was honorable.”
A tear slipped down my cheek. “Yeah, me too.”
He brushed it away. “Now, how much longer do you have to work?”
I sniffled and looked down at my desk clock. “Uh, two more hours.”
His hand fell away. “Sounds good. Brooks should be back by then, anyway.”
I wiped away the rest of my tears. “All right, yeah, yeah. Give me two hours and we’ll head out.”
“You take your time. I just want to make sure I keep him in the loop.”
“Oh, definitely.”
Archer offered me a hug and I took it. I drew in a deep, steady breath and felt the rest of my panic and shock fall away from my body. But when he released me and made his way out of my office I turned around, gazing back out the window at the swaying trees.
And I waved to the voice in the wind that had come to comfort me.
“I promise, I won’t hurt him,” I whispered.
I eased myself back down into my chair, feeling more secure about this thing between me and Brooks. I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew that voice was Gage. I knew he had come out of wherever he ended up in his afterlife to let me know he was okay and to be happy, and my heart clung to that moment. I closed my eyes and replayed it. I relived it as many times as I needed to for my soul to settle down.
Then, I opened my eyes and got back to work.
The two hours flew by like lightning, and soon I was packing up for the day. I checked my schedule just to make sure I had things right in my phone calendar, then I headed out to my car. Archer revved his engine, making me smile as I slipped into my car. And after driving through a little fast food pizza joint to get all of us something to munch on once we got home, I got back out onto the road.
Before I couldn’t hear Archer any longer.
“What the—”
I peeked into my rearview mirror but didn’t see him behind me. There was some dumbass eighteen-wheeler blocking my view, and the engine on that thing alone swallowed the man whole. I put on my turn signal and got over into the left-hand lane, ready to slow down and match myself up with Archer.
But when the truck pulled ahead of me, I still didn’t see him.
Oh, boy.
I got back into the right-hand lane and rummaged around for my phone. Had he stopped to pick up something and I didn’t see him pull off? I came to a stop at a stoplight and checked my phone, but all I had was a missed text from Brooks. I cleared my notifications and searched my phone, wondering if on the off chance I might have had Archer’s number.
I didn’t see it, though. And when the car behind me started honking at me to go, I slammed on the gas.
