I stand to leave him to his thoughts, and he holds his hand in the air. “I figured you’d listen to my head, North.”
“Nah, I try not to do it. I figure we all deserve a privacy. Sometimes I can’t help myself, though. Listening to other people’s thoughts comes as naturally to me as breathing. It’s hard to shut off sometimes. I have to force myself to not listen in, ya know?” I yawn and stretch, wishing I were in bed beside of Delayni instead of up claiming to be handling club business. Although, she does not know me well enough right now for her to ever be okay with waking up to me lying next to her in bed. “But I mean I can, if you want me to.”
“No. I appreciate you staying out of there when you can. But I took care of the Feds for now, convinced them they looked into us and found nothing, but they’ll be back. That is for sure. One of the agents thought of your name more times than I was able to keep up with.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with any of those women’s deaths or disappearances. I don’t know who wrapped our names up with all of it, but they’re fucking with the wrong people!” I growl, instantly irritated all over again.
“You got that right, Prez.”
We have a long enemy list, so the possibilities of who is the culprit are endless. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look. But Fallout might. “Any leads on who might have put us on their radar?
“Not exactly. But the same one who kept thinking your name, also had another name on repeat. Bobbie.”
“Bobbie? As in a nickname for Robert. Good old all-American, Bobbie?”
“Exactly”
“I don’t know any Bobbie’s around here, do you?”
“Nah, not even one, surprisingly.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s our guy either. Bobbie could be her husband’s name or maybe a kid or something. I wish I had something better, something we could use, but it’s all I could grab and keep you all safe, too. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You have done more than enough, Fallout. You went against what you believe and used your gift. I would have never asked that of you but will always be eternally grateful to you for doing it.” He stands and I hug him, clapping my hand on his back. He hugs me back but squeezes until I grunt.
I shove at his chest, “Alright. Alright. Alright. Don’t go getting weird on me,” I joke, smiling at him.
“Me be weird?” His head jerks back and his hand shoots up to his chest as he feigns as if I hurt his feelings. I didn’t. If any of my brothers have thicker skin than me, it is Fallout.
“No not you.”
“Never.”
I step out of his room and just as I’m leaving, he calls out me. “Hey North.”
“Yeah, buddy? What’s up?”
“I’m going to look into Delayni’s charges. Maybe if it comes up in conversation find out what you can about them. If I can get her cleared I will. But that is for another day. She’s safe here. For now, try and take it easy for a little bit. Get to know this version of Delayni. Don’t’ assume she’s just like she has been in the past. Give her time to get to know you too. She will come around eventually. She always does.”
“Thanks brother, for everything.”
Fallout has a point. I know I’ll love Delayni until the final breath leaves my body, and even then, I think I would find a way to keep on loving her. But every time we die and come back to life, we are a little different in one way or another. Take me for instance, the last time I died I wasn’t a biker. We all make mistakes, right? So, I guess there’s two things I plan to keep as constants for life. Delayni and riding as a brother of the Kings of Anarchy Motorcycle club.
CHAPTER 16
Delayni
My eyelashes bat as I try to figure out if I’m ready to be awake or not. I scrub my fingers over my face and sit up, feeling like I slept better last night than I have in years. My eyes scan around a room I have no memory of entering. This definitely isn’t my cell or even the bunk I had in the infirmary. This is not Shady Holler. It’s someone’s room. I have to figure out where I am and whose bed I’m in fast. Tears threaten to fall from my eyes, collecting behind my lower lids, but I fight them. Now isn’t the time to sit and cry. It is time for taking action, and the first task on the top of the list is my priority right now.
I look for clues, anything that could help me find the answers I need. An oversized black t-shirt slips off my shoulder and grabs my attention. It’s North’s. The memories starting flooding into my head at such a fast speed I am barely able to keep up with all of it.
We were forbidden.
We fell in love.
They murdered me and our child.
He was labeled as a cast out and sent to earth to carry out the rest of his days.
