“No, and she doesn’t need to. I just want to know where those pieces of shit are, and then I’ll figure out what to do next. For now, I just want tabs on them.”
“Don’t you think that’s a violation of Fiona’s privacy?”
“Maybe. I don’t care, though. She’s my friend. I need to make sure she’s okay. No one has ever had her back. She sure as fuck will know I have hers. If that pisses her off, too bad. She’s not getting rid of me anytime soon.” She grabbed a notepad from Keys’ desk and scribbled down the information.
“Like I said, I just want their current locations, and to know if they’re doing anything to try to find her. I do not want them to know we’re looking into them, though. Think you can handle that?” She spoke to Keys with a firmness I had never heard from her before.
Whatever Fiona’s parents did, it was enough to draw the ire of my sister, and I had a feeling it was going to turn into something much bigger than a simple search. There was a troubling feeling in my chest.
The idea of anyone hurting Fiona gnawed at me. I wanted to know everything about the girl, and Charlie was handing me the opportunity on a silver platter. Keys looked over at me, and I gave him a nod, unwilling to go against my sister at that moment.
“C’mon. Let him get started. Why don’t you sit and have a beer with me? You can fill me in on what’s going on.”
“No, it’s private. It’s not for me to share. I just want to make sure you understand that if Fiona needs anything, we’re going to be there for her. I’ll do it myself, but I’m counting on you to have my back because that’s what family does. She doesn’t have that, so I’m making sure she will from now on. We clear?”
“Crystal,” I replied, unwilling to piss her off any further.
“Okay. I’m not in the mood to party. Can I crash at your house?” She looked at me.
“Of course. Here, I’ll walk you over.”
“You sure? I saw Trish up front. Don’t want to keep you from the bunny boiler.” Keys snorted at that, and I looked at Charlie, confused.
“Bunny boiler?” I asked.
“Are you kidding? Bro, she’s gotcrazywritten all over her, and had her eyes on you as soon as she got into town. If that’s not a recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is.” I was suddenly increasingly uncomfortable.
I already had my reservations regarding Trish, but I didn’t see her as crazy. I was already pretty tapped out regarding our situation, but this was new. I trusted Charlie. She had grown up in that life. She knew the type of women who gravitated to the clubhouse.
“I’m not interested in anything with Trish anymore. Come on. I’ll walk you home,” I said, and watched as Keys’ eyebrows hit his hairline at my response. He managed to put on a neutral expression before I could call him out.
“Thanks for the help, man. Let me know when you have any info.” Keys gave me a brief nod, but was already typing away before we left his room. As we walked through the clubhouse, Trish watched us from her post at the bar.
“So you broke things off with her?” Charlie asked, looking between the two of us.
“There was nothing to break off. She was just a casual fuck. One I don’t plan on visiting again anytime soon.”
“Well, you might want to let her know that because she’s still staring at you like you’ve got the Hope Diamond hidden in your pocket,” Charlie said. I looked at her, confused.
“Hope Diamond? Never mind, it’s done. I’ll make sure she knows it’s over. You happy now?”
“I’d be happier if you recorded it. Or better yet, let me get some popcorn and watch it live.” I laughed and swung my arm around Charlie, pulling her into my side as we left the clubhouse.
The rest of the walk to my house was quiet. When we got in, we both went to the fridge. I grabbed another beer while Charlie went straight for the ice cream stash she kept in my freezer. Not bothering with a bowl, she took a spoon and dug right into the pint.
“Rough night?” I asked, pointing at the ice cream. She rolled her eyes at me before taking a moment between bites to answer.
“Sometimes, I just hate people. We see terrible people all the time who are living their best lives. Murderers, thugs, and cheaters fucking dancing with the dandelions. Then, you meet someone like Fee, who has to fight the entire world every step of the way just to get a glimpse of the good life. She deserves so much more. She’s been through fucking hell but kept going. I think I’m angrier than she is at this point! It’s just not fair. She deserved so much more.” Tears were pooling in Charlie’s eyes, and that churning in my gut was back.
What happened to Fiona?It wasn’t the right time to ask, and I knew Charlie wouldn’t share. Instead, I went and gave my sister a hug.
“You’re a good kid, Charlie. I’m glad Fiona has you. She’s not alone now, and if there’s anything the club can do to help her, you know we’re here. And if you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here. Now, if you promise to stop crying, I’ll gograb the oreos I hid from you so you can get a double dose of chocolate right now.” She sniffled once, then nodded, and I pulled away.
I grabbed the package of cookies off the top shelf, where I hid them from her. Charlie might have been tiny, but damn, could she put food away—especially sweets. I went back to my beer as she decimated the ice cream and cookies. When she finally went up to sleep, I remained wide awake, uninterested in going back to the clubhouse.
I sat in the living room, the TV volume on low until it became nothing but background noise to my revolving thoughts.What happened to Fiona? Is she safe? Would she let us help her? And most importantly, why can’t I stop thinking about her?
Chapter 4
