“Hold on, Storm,” I grunt, putting the speaker on so that he can hear Lore as well. We don’t keep secrets from each other.
Devon is holding church now so the yard is pretty empty outside of a couple of prospects at the gate. We’re not worried about anyone overhearing us.
“Why don’t you think we should want her?” I ask.
“What do we have to offer her?” Lore asks in return. “We have a lot of money she doesn’t want and no permanent address. We’re outlaws and she’s this adorable little nurse.”
“Her brother is attached to the mafia,” I say, sharing what Storm just told me. “She’s not a stranger to crime.”
“Her brother actually owns a club with an underground fighting ring,” Storm chimes in. “I don’t think the illegalities bother her. She doesn’t trust us.”
“That’s fair,” Lore sighs, rubbing his face. “I’m not saying that I’m interested in letting her go. However, I think we need to make sure we have something to offer her that she actually wants. So what is that?”
“She wants stability, but she wants to earn it for herself,”Storm grumbles. “Fuck, I think she ultimately wants to be wanted, Lore. Not for what she can do for others, but for herself.”
The three of us are quiet as we think.
“Did you really beat the fuck out of her brother?” I ask finally. “This goes deeper than our brief history with her.”
“My contact seems to think Marie has issues with being the disposable baby sister,” Storm says. “And yeah. I fucked up his pretty face.”
“None of that,” Lore snorts. “We’re not dating her brother.”
“Good, because he’s packed up and taken,”Storm chuckles. “For real though, we’re dealing with some underlying trauma that goes beyond us.”
“Then we show her that this goes beyond biology and the roll of a dice,” Lore says. “And we steal those goddamned heat blockers.”
Guess he heard that part earlier.
“What is she doing right now?” I ask, desperate to know.
“She’s at the shelter. She goes into work at five,” Storm says. “Why?”
“I want to be the first thing she sees when she gets out of work,” I smirk.
“That didn’t go so well for me the last time I did that,” Storm mutters. “She owes us a date though. We could collect on that.”
“I don’t even want to know how you managed that,” Lore says. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before I get pulled into Devon’s drama.”
“We’ll see you soon,” I tell Storm before disconnecting the call.
Lore and I walk to our bikes, and I can tell he’s deep in thought.
“What’s up?” I ask, lips pursed as I prepare to wait him out.
Lore does exactly that as he climbs onto his bike and gets situated. It’s only once his helmet is in his hand that he answers.
“Has Storm found a home base yet in Minneapolis that’s more permanent?” he asks.
“I think he’s working on it,” I admit. “A lot has been happening in a really short period of time.”
“I know,” he says, blowing out a breath. “We can technically take a break after this last job. The guys can handle anything else to keep them from getting into trouble.”
“They definitely need the help,” I chuckle. “I love them like my brothers, but they’re not exactly calm fuckers.”
“It’s what I built this club on,” Lore says. “A safe place for the wanderers. What happens when wandering isn’t enough though?”
Staring at the shiny chrome of his bike, I nod slowly.
