Page 99 of Healed

You old ladies.

You. Old. Ladies.

Just like Rachel earlier, it had happened so casually, so easily and effortlessly, without either of them realising what they had done.

They made me feel as though I belonged.

“Speaking of old ladies, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” he said, eyeing me warily.

“What happened between you and Rachel?”

“I—”

“You said earlier that it was best to just talk about these things.”

“I did,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“So…?”

“You’re really putting me on the spot here, Gabby.”

“More so than you speaking about me masturbating?”

He looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. “I’d much rather talk about that.”

“Luke,” I said sternly.

“Fine,” he sighed. “There’s not really much to say. On the night Rachel and Shark were attacked, Dante really didn’t take it well. This past year has been brilliant for him, especially in therapy and knowing Rachel is a permanent fixture, but back then he was processing a lot of shit—we all were, really. Anyway, long story short, he and Rachel had an argument. A big one,” he added quickly as I opened my mouth.

I had been going to say that the two of them arguing wasn’t anything new, but wisely decided to shut up and let Vienna talk.

“Rachel hit him a lot, and eventually Dante hit her back. Rachel lunged at him like a woman possessed, and I had to haul her out of the bar before he strangled her to death. We went to the pub back there,” he said, pointing to the larger pub near the Descendents fortress.

“Like the cliché people we are, we drank too much, and the next thing we were kissing. There’s no point beating around the bush. We stopped before it went too far, and a few days later, I told Dante what happened. I tried to take the blame myself, but Rachel was having none of it and said she was an equal participant. Funnily enough, though,” he chuckled. “That was actually the thing that brought them together properly. Rachel has learned to live with Beth, and Dante has learned to live with a one-off kiss.”

“Beth? Greg’s old lady?”

“Yeah. She also runs Greasy—The Greasy Spoon?”

“I know it.”

It was a diner on the way to the motorway, located at Leeds service station. It was a well-known biker hotspot, owned by the Devils, but pretty much neutral ground, provided you behaved yourself.

“I didn’t realise Beth and Dante had been a thing,” I said.

“Why would you? You weren’t around, and you had your own shit going off. Plus, let’s face it, Dante was one hell of a whore before Rachel tamed him.”

I scoffed, remembering all too well the threesome he and Vienna had with one woman back when we were younger.

“So you and Dante are fine now?”

“More than fine. He did make me get a tattoo on my ass as punishment.”

I looked at his arms—his tattoo-covered arms and raised my eyebrow.

“Different kind of tattoo,” he laughed. “I’ll show you one day. Come on,” he said, getting to his feet and holding his hand out for me. “I want to show you something quickly.”