Page 64 of Ridin’ Dirty

Wednesday morning, I woke up alone in bed.

It didn’t take me long to discover both Pistol and Reaper were gone—his truck no longer parked in the driveway. While I considered this as a sign he was feeling better, I didn’t love how he left while I was still sleeping.

It was on my way out of the kitchen when I spotted his note.

Got shit to do. Club business might keep me late. Don’t wait up. Don’t worry either. Feel fine.

At the bottom of his note was his phone number.

It wasn’t romantic or sweet, but it made me smile anyway.

Stupid. It was so totally stupid, but I liked it.

Something had shifted between us.

His note proved it.

When I added his digits to my phone, I acknowledged how I had an uncanny ability to read into absolutely anything. Giving me his phone number made sense on a logistical level—but it was more than that. His note meant he thought twice before leaving.

He thought twice about me.

I shot him a text, so he had my number, too. I got a thumbs up reaction, but I didn’t hear from him for the rest of the day. Though, his silence wasn’t why I found myself going a little stir crazy as the day progressed.

I wasn’t exactly the stay-at-home type. Sure, it was nice to unwind someplace familiar and veg on the couch every once in a while, but most days I was used to spending hours on my feet at Viv’s before coming home to my place. Even with all my things unpacked, Pistol’s house didn’t feel like home.

I appreciated Viv giving me the time, but after three days off, I was ready to get back to some sort of routine.

At least, I thought as much until Carmine called.

It was late afternoon when he started blowing up my phone. Not yet certain what to say to him, I decided not to answer. Something told me he’d been by the diner. After his tenth call, I knew he’d been by my apartment, too. Or, what was my apartment.

I wouldn’t be able to avoid him long, but neither was I ever going to be able to tell him the truth. Not all of it, anyway. How Pistol and I met was innocent enough. The rest, not so much.

But instead of thinking up an explanation, I deflected in favor of rearranging things around the house. A couple of my next-day packages arrived. Hopeful I could put the new items to use and get rid of the wrapping before Pistol saw it, I decided it was a better use of my time.

It was early evening when I found myself wandering slowly toward the kitchen—not for food, but for another glimpse at Pistol’s note. When I pulled my phone from my pocket and had the crazy urge to call him to check in, I admitted I was losing my grip on reality, and I needed a friend to talk some sense into me.

It had been a few weeks since Charity and I last spoke, but in spite of the distance between us, we always answered when the other called. I scrolled through my contacts until I found her, then initiated a video chat.

“Hey,” she answered on the third ring. “Hold on a second, will ya? Oh, my gosh—your hair! Shit. Hold on! Slick just got here to pick up Bodhi. I’ll be quick. Don’t hang up!”

“I’ll be here,” I replied, speaking through a smile.

Things with Charity and Slick never really panned out. Not the way she hoped, anyway. Rather than work her way into ol’ lady status, she became his baby mama instead. She swore up and down it wasn’t on purpose, and as her friend I vowed to believe her—but it wouldn’t have surprised me if Bodhi was her last-ditch effort to win over the man she loved.

In the end, I think she got something better.

Charity loved being a mom. It wasn’t easy, doing it all on her own, but Slick helped out financially in a big way and he came around enough for Bodhi to recognize him. Charity didn’t live at the clubhouse anymore, but had a small apartment in a decent neighborhood, not far from the shopping center where she worked at a nail salon.

While I felt certain she’d never get over Slick, she had Bodhi’s undying love. It was so pure and beautiful, and that was more than a consolation prize.

“Okay, I’m back. Holy hell. Look at you! How is it even possible you can make bangs look that sexy?”

I laughed as I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know about all that, but I was craving a change.” With a frown, I added, “Should have waited a week. I might not have gone through with it if I knew how much change was on the horizon.”

“What does that mean?”

Charity plopped down onto her couch, hugged one of her knees to her chest, and settled in with wide-eyed curiosity.