“Dillon,” he called my name as I walked to the doorway where Thor and Ranger were standing.
I turned back and Stone nodded to me.
“Can’t thank you enough.”
“It ain’t nothing you wouldn’t have done for me.”
“You saved my life,” he replied, his words rough from his burnt-out throat. “I owe you one.”
“This club saved mine. Debt’s paid.”
“Still, I’m grateful. Come back later, please?” he asked, sounding nothing like the man I had met only weeks before, and sounding more like the kid he really was.
“I will. But right now I gotta go find Hope.”
“Hope?” He lay back on the mattress. “Find some hope for me too.”
He didn’t understand, or maybe he did. Either way, neither of us got the hope we were looking for.
I left the room and Ranger closed the door behind me. Thor shook my hand and so did Ranger.
“You did good in there,” Ranger said around a cigarette. “Looks like you’ve had experience.”
“Another lifetime,” I said. “I gotta go.”
I walked out of that outbuilding fully expecting to go back and see Stone later that day. But I didn’t know at that point that my life was about to get even more twisted up than I ever thought possible.
~ 15~
Bull was in his office, the door closed and the curtains drawn. I sat at the bar, ordering myself a whiskey while I waited for him to be done. Crystal came and sat on the stool next to me, her long legs crossed at the ankles.
“Hey, baby. How’s Stone doing?”
For once there was no playful lilt to her voice, just honest-to-God concern for Stone. I was grateful for that, at least. Right then, with my head full of worry for Hope and Stone, and anger and guilt for fucking Hammer’s crazy bitch of an old lady, all I wanted was to be done with the bullshit and drown everything out for a while.
“He’s getting there,” I replied, my hands clasped around the glass of whiskey.
“That’s good. He’s a good man, good heart and all that. He’ll make a great old man one day.” She reached over and plucked the glass of whiskey from my hands and downed it in one go. “You want me to help you out with anything?” she asked, running her hand up my thigh.
“Nah, I’m good.” I grabbed the bottle of whiskey and slid off my stool.
Crystal smiled and went to sit with another brother and I started toward Sketch’s room.
There was arguing coming from inside—a female voice and his. I knocked twice and footsteps sounded out shortly before the door was thrown open and a pissed-off-looking Sketch stood there.
He turned and looked over his shoulder automatically. “Get the fuck out.”
The blonde I’d seen in his room previously stormed past him with angry tears in her eyes. “Will I see you later at least?” she snapped, but there was misery in her tone too.
“Fuck no, bitch,” he replied with equal misery.
She shook her head and walked away, and he turned and walked back into his room. I followed him in, shutting the door behind me. Sketch was already in his white room of pain by the time I turned back around.
“Everything okay?” I asked, striding across his filthy bedroom and moving to sit in my usual chair.
“No,” he replied shortly.
“She not old lady material now?” I asked, half joking, but given the glare he gave me I was guessing that was a no.
