Page 97 of Smitty

Preacher and Grim were waiting in the hall when I closed the door behind me. Preacher gave me a hint of a smile as he announced, “We heard it all.”

I glanced back toward the door as I told him, “He gave us more than I thought he would.”

“Yes, he did, and he’ll be rewarded for it.” Preacher crossed his arms. “I’ve already put in a call to Memphis and the others. They’re checking the bar and the cabin to see if they can track this Chains asshole down.”

“Good. Hopefully this will be the end of it.”

Preacher gave me a brotherly clap against my shoulder as he said, “You did good, son.”

His words hit harder than I expected. I hadn’t been a brother long, but from day one, I’d hoped to find my way in the club. And while I was still treading water, today was a good start. I gave Prez a nod and said, “I’m glad I could help.”

“Me too.” He chuckled under his breath. “Now, go grab yourself a beer and catch your breath. It might be a bit before we need you again.”

“Sure thing.” I turned and started down the hall. “I’ll be in the bar if you need me.”

I walked into the bar, and just like earlier, the place was a ghost town. Even the hang-arounds were keeping themselves scarce, and that was fine with me. I needed a moment alone to clear my head. I grabbed a cold one from the cooler, sat down at the front counter, and as I tilted the bottle back, my mind drifted to the night before.

We both climbed into bed with a million thoughts on our minds, but the second Brooke curled up against me, everything went quiet. There were no thoughts of the club or the Coyotes or Ryan. It was just me and the woman I’d spent years trying to forget and the steady rhythm of her breath.

She was everything. Hell, one look from her could level me. One kiss could pull me from the darkness, and her touch could leave me breathless. I’d memorized every freckle and every scar on her body years ago.

It was funny how time could steal so much from a man, but not that.

I hadn’t forgotten that she hated the silence after we’d made love. She’d always filled it by telling me about the places she’d been growing up or stories about the kids from the shelter.

Somehow, every one of them became important to me because they were important to her. Brooke had a way of carrying other people’s burdens like they were her own. Not as some martyr, but as someone who wanted to find a way to make their lives better, even if it meant sacrificing herself to do so.

That was Brooke. I’d never understand why she’d chosen to love me. I didn’t deserve her. Probably never would, but I’d spend the rest of my life trying to.

That thought had me reaching for my phone.

I’d been so caught up with the guys that I hadn’t had time to check in with her. It’d been a few hours, and I hadn’t gotten any messages from her. I’d hoped that meant that she’d gotten some rest. It wouldn’t be long before she had to go pick up Anslee, so I decided to check in with her.

Me:

Hey. How are things going?

Brooke:

Okay. I guess.

Ryan stopped by.

I knew the thing between her and Ryan was going to be hard to navigate. Brooke had made her feelings clear, but that hadn’t stopped him from hoping that things would take a turn in his favor. I couldn’t blame the guy. I knew what it was like to be around Brooke. It was impossible not to love her. And while she wasn’t in love with him, she still loved and cared for him in a different way. That still was hard to deal with.

I had a feeling their conversation wasn’t easy for either one of them, so I asked:

Me:

You okay?

Three dots appeared.

Disappeared.

Then came back again. I took a long pull from my beer, trying to be patient until her message finally came through.

Brooke: