“Okay. Let me grab my coat.” Kennedy got up, making sure to tell the girls she’d see them later, and hustled down the hallway to grab her jacket. When she returned, she smiled as she said goodbye to everyone and headed out with her brother. Slipping her arm through Player’s, Kennedy walked out a nervous wreck.
She was having Christmas with her brother after twenty-two years of being alone.
Epilogue
Standing at the bar talking to Teller, Cree knew today was coming. He just hadn’t realized how fast the past week had gone by. The celebration had lasted from Christmas day through New Year’s Day.
Kennedy had recounted their time on the road. Everyone was impressed she’d rode on a pussy pad in freezing temps. Some of the hardest bikers couldn’t make the run she and Cree had. Kennedy’s reply had been, “When you’re running for your life, you’ll do whatever it takes.”
With the brothers welcoming Kennedy into the fold, and her being Player’s sister, Cree wouldn’t have to worry about her protection while he was away. Hearing her laugh, Cree looked back over his shoulder to where she sat with Player.
“You got yourself an angel in that one, brother,” Teller said.
“Yeah, she’s one hell of an angel,” Cree told him.
Smiling, he drained the beer he’d been drinking and decided to not drag his leaving out any longer. Picking up his cut, he slipped it on. Once he had it buckled, he knew it was time to say goodbye to his hazel-eyed angel. She had definitely stood up to him at every turn. Walking across the common room, Cree nodded at Player. “Katawasisiw?”
“Hmmm?” Kennedy looked up at Cree as he stepped toward her.
“I’m heading out.”
She’d been dreading it for the last hour. “I’ll walk you out.”
Putting on a brave face, she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. When he draped an arm around her shoulders, she leaned into him. No one had ever infiltrated her well-built walls. Not until Cree, and now, he was leaving. Like everyone else had done. She wanted to be pissed at him, but she couldn’t. She knew deep down this was going to happen. If he would say the word, she’d ride with him, no matter where or for how long.
There was nothing to keep him from going. If Kennedy was ever going to get her life back, her boss needed to be dealt with. Keeping an arm draped around her shoulders, he led her outside, where his bike was already packed. He’d been packed since early that morning. They’d spent every spare moment alone and away from Player’s glaring stares. The brother needed to get over it. Cree wouldn’t be gone forever—he’d be back in a few weeks.
Teller talked to him over the past week, filling him in on everything that had been happening with the club.It was time to leave the dead where they lay, Cree thought. Walking out the clubhouse, he slid on his shades. He had already checked the weather, and the road conditions were favourable once he got out of Canada.
When they reached his bike, he dropped his arm from her shoulders. He saw the tears Kennedy was struggling to keep from falling. He hated that it was because of him. “You okay, katawasisiw?”
She didn’t want him to ride off into the sunset without her. She wanted him to either stay or take her along. Hadn’t she proven herself? Stepping back from Cree, she shook her head at him.
Brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Cree smiled and got one in return. “What’s with the head shaking?”
“Haven’t I proven I can ride no matter what’s thrown at me?” She asked when what she wanted was to shout at him. She wanted him to take her with him, but Kennedy reminded herself she had survived people leaving her before. She wouldn’t beg Cree for anything.
He wondered when she’d have an issue with him leaving, but this was something else. “Iskwew, where I’m going, you can’t go.”
“Why not?” she demanded, almost stomping her foot like a child.
“I’m going back to Reno to settle things with your boss.” Cree saw the shocked look spread across her beautiful face.
Kennedy was stunned at his words. “What? Wait . . . you’re not leaving me?”
“Damn, iskwew, you have to stop thinking like that. I won’t ever leave you. You deserve to get your life back,” he said without inflection. There was no way he’d let Angelini live. The man would never stop hunting her if he wasn’t handled. Cree failed to notice how quick Kennedy changed the conversation until he was in it.
“Cree, there’s nothing back in Reno that I need or want.” Kennedy stared at him. Did he not understand how she felt? Back on the reservation, he’d asked her to be his. That was a damn commitment. “Everything I want and need is standing in front of me.”
The moment was emotionally charged for Cree. On one hand, he had Kennedy staring at him with a teary-eyed expression. On the other, he had his brother shooting daggers at him.
Not one to care what others thought about him, Cree grabbed Kennedy by the front of her sweater. Tugging her to him, Cree smashed his mouth to hers, making sure she knew how he felt about her. When he broke the kiss, he smiled at the dazed look on her face. “You sure there’s nothing in Reno you want or need? It’ll only take me a few weeks to take care of things and get back.”
She had lay awake working everything out in her head. She just needed to convince Cree she was right. “I have enough money to pay the rent for the next few months. That gives the feds time to pick up Mr. Angelini. Once he’s arrested, we can go back and clear out my place.”
He wasn’t worried about her rent getting paid. He could easily take care of it. “What about your car? You talked about it like it was your child.”
Making sure to include him in the comment as a united front, Kennedy reminded him the car was in good hands. “It’s in Provo with the chapter there. Would they store it for us?”
