Eagle
My cousin is the constable in Cameron, so getting a marriage license with no notice took all of fifteen minutes and a promise to have lunch with him soon. I ride back to Holly Beach with Tonsils and Cannon, wondering what my girl is doing. Does she remember the significance of being with an MC member? Marrying the president? Will she be able to handle a close relationship with the other old ladies? Their families? Being out of the life for too long makes people change.
Regardless of who she is now, I love her.
Tonsils takes the lead all of a sudden and gestures for me to follow him down Main Street. There’s a couple restaurants, souvenir shops, and a few apartment buildings. He pulls into the lot of a café. There’s thirty bikes parked nearby.
Cannon pulls up beside me and smiles.
“We need to get back to the clubhouse,” I say, pretty sure I know what’s going on.
“Not until we have a couple drinks in honor of your last afternoon of freedom,” Tonsils says.
“I’ve been single for six years, Tonsils. I don’t want a bachelor party. And what about security? No one is supposed to know about Angel.”
“The only people inside are ones who know the truth,” Cannon assures me as he takes me by the arm and starts dragging me toward the door. “There’s no strippers, either.”
There’s no point in refusing. Part of a brother’s responsibility is celebrating when one of our members gets married. As soon as we step inside, a waitress shoves a bottle of Jack Daniels in my hands and everyone screams my name.
I take a long swallow of whiskey, wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and then search the room for familiar faces. Aunt Birdie is seated at the bar and waves at me. All of my brothers gather around me with shots in their hands.
“To the bride and groom,” Snake says.
A dozen glasses tap together, drained of whatever substance made them glow nuclear-waste green, and are refilled by a shot girl wearing a sexy cowgirl outfit.
Tonsils hooks his arm around my neck. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to find the right ball and chain, bro?”
“Theonlyball and chain,” I correct him, knowing how fortunate I am to get a second chance with Angel. I swallow a large quantity of whiskey and then smile. “I need a best man.”
Tonsils places his hand over his heart. “I’m deeply touched.”
“Nothing to wet your jeans over.”
“Do you have a ring?” he asks.
I reach inside my vest and pull out a little black box. “The same one I bought six years ago.”
Tonsils opens the lid. “That’s a lot of ice.”
“She deserves it.” The generous diamond is set in eighteen-karat gold. “No one will miss that ring on her finger.”
“Want me to hold on to it?”
I nod. “Sure.” We shake hands. “Thanks for helping me get through the last six years with my head still attached.”
“Which one?”
I’d rather forget the dozens of faces of the women I fucked while in a drunken stupor. None of them meant anything. Except for Serafina. I shake my head, still reeling from the impact of the truth. Since the night I met her, I couldn’t figure out why I was so drawn to her. But now I do. It will just take some time to adjust. To understand why Angel did what she did and why I didn’t sense her desperation before she ran away.
“What’s up, bro?” Tonsils gives me a sideways look.
“Digesting it all.”
“Don’t question fate.” He offers me a Budweiser longneck.
I give a dark laugh. “This is just the beginning, Tonsils. The Dead Dogs will pay.”
He grips my arm, any trace of humor gone from his face. “Give the order. I’ll kill that sonofabitch myself.”
“I know.” Tonsils would do anything I ask, but Angel’s brother is mine. My rage is hard to contain. Bear robbed me of six years of happiness with the woman I love. Stripped his only sister of dignity, abused her, nearly sold her into marriage. “I’ll deal with Bear when the time is right. Trust me.”
