My sister hurriedly ran into the club gates, disappearing behind them, leaving me alone to stew in my own thoughts.
I didn’t linger any longer. There wasn’t a point. Joey was in too deep with the Artillery to get out. But I wasn’t going to give up on her, not when she was the only thing I had left in this world.
I decided to walk back to the strip club, using the alleyways and shadows to conceal myself. I needed time to think, and I wasn’t going to get that on a short ride home.
When I reached the strip club doors, my heart sank. Sienna was sitting on the ground, holding her knees as she wept into them. That wasn’t like her. Sienna wasn’t the type of girl who let anyone see her cry.
“Sienna?”
Her head shot up, and she jumped to her feet, racing straight into my arms.
“Oh, Dillon. She’s gone!”
I was so confused. Who was gone, and why did Sienna come to me for comfort?
“Who?” I questioned, pulling her a bit back so I could wipe away her tears.
“Brooklyn. Th—they shot her, Dillon. Some bastards did a drive by and shot her right in front of Tess’s house.”
My heart sank. Brooklyn was the pregnant girl who usually ran the bar. She was super sweet and was the last person who deserved such a harrowing fate.
“What about the baby?”
Sienna’s fingers dug into my shirt, clutching it even tighter. “They saved the baby… but they couldn’t save Brooklyn. She’s gone, Dillon. Why did they have to kill her?”
I fished out the strip club’s keys and opened the back door, ushering Sienna inside. “Come on, it’s cold out here. Let’s go inside where it’s warmer.”
She stayed plastered to my side, refusing to let go as I led her into the small room the Sons had given me. I led her over to the bed, the springs screeching beneath her as she sat down. When I started to move away, she gripped my hand, pulling her down to her side.
“I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“Okay…”
This was new for me. I’d never had a woman other than Joey need me before. Her fingers intertwined with mine, and little, tiny shock waves raced through me.
“You’re a nice guy, Dillon.”
“Um thanks?”
She giggled. “Most guys would think I’m weird for showing up like this, but I feel connected to you, Dillon, and I’m not sure why.”
She nestled her head on my shoulder and it felt right, like her head was meant to be there. Instinctively, my arm wrapped around her shoulders, and I pulled her in.
“Are you okay?”
There was a long pause before she let out an emotional sigh. “I liked Brooklyn. She was a really nice girl. I think what’s hitting me so hard is the fact that she was pregnant.” There was a haunted look in her eyes, and the shimmering veil of water covering them said that she was leaving an even harder past than she let on.
“Why’s that?”
She wiped at her face. “It’s kind of hard to talk about.”
Words were never easy, especially ones linked to traumatic events that changed your life. She didn’t need to say anything else to me. I wasn’t about to push her past any comfort zone she may have.
“I’m twenty…” she started.
“You don’t have to tell me anything, Sienna.”
“I want to,” she whispered, squeezing my hand. “It helps with all the feelings I’m having right now.”
