Beth
By the time Beth had finished telling Bib everything, she'd gone through almost an entire box of tissues and he looked like he'd had his heart ripped out. He sat in the chair, utterly deflated, his eyes full of shame and remorse.
“Holy fucking shit,” he breathed. “I can't believe it. I must be the dumbest fuck on the planet, letting you go in there as a guard without knowing what the real score was.”
Beth shook her head. “It's not your fault. You had no way of knowing.”
“Well, it damn sure feels like my fault. I did a couple of short stretches in county jails here and there, but I never did time in a real prison like Bluebonnet. I guess I just figured it wouldn't be much different, y'know? And now I find out Speed Bump's been lying to me about it all this time...I mean, Jesus, after everything he and I went through together over the years...”
“I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I wanted to, but even if you knew, I figured there was nothing you could do about it. And if you tried, you might even make it worse.”
With a dazed expression, Bib rubbed his temples. “Like I said, every problem's got a solution. But I dunno what it'll be for this one. Just thinking about it makes me feel like there's a six-car pile-up in my skull.”
“I was thinking maybe I could...I don't know, go to the cops.” Beth's voice was barely above a whisper.
“I know that seems like the best idea, hon, and I wish I could tell you it'd work, but it wouldn't. You'd be confessing to a crime with the application form thing, and the cops won't be willing to do fuck-all to protect you and keep you out of prison unless you agree to give them something big in return.”
“Like what?”
“Like testifying against me. Feeding them info on all the bad shit I've been involved in as the leader of the Warriors. Which would be fine with me, if putting me in prison would be the end of it. It wouldn't, though. It'd mean giving evidence that'd bring down everyone else in the MC too, and I just can't do that. Not when I swore an oath to protect them. Besides, it's not like the cops would just snatch you out of Bluebonnet and put you under protection. They'd want you to help them collect evidence to build their case against Butler and the rest, which would mean sending you back in there with a wire. That's too goddamn dangerous.”
Beth sighed. She'd never felt so tired in her life. “So what should we do?”
Bib considered this for a moment. “I don't know what to do about Hank or the other Warriors in Bluebonnet, but at least we can get you out of this mess. I'll have the guys whip up some fake ID papers for you. It should only take a day or two, and then you can just disappear. Maybe we can get you set up a couple of states away for a few months or a year, until the heat dies down and it's safe for you to come back.”
She thought about it. It seemed like a solid plan, and it was a relief to think that she might not be trapped and helpless after all.
But...
“If I don't show up for my shift, they might figure out that I told you what's going on. They could take it out on Hank and the rest of the Warriors.”
“Hon, you need to let me worry about what happens with the club,” Bib insisted. “I know how much you care about Hank. You know I care about him too. But he's one tough son of a bitch, and so are the rest of them. They can stand the heat, at least until I figure out a way to solve this shit. You ain't no outlaw. You're my niece, I love you, and I need to get you as far away from those fucking animals in Bluebonnet right now, before something bad happens to you.”
Beth was so tempted to just say yes and let Bib fix everything for her. When she thought of working one more shift in that hellhole, her stomach lurched and she felt like she might faint. She could just walk away from all of it—start over someplace new, work some low-profile job at a fast food joint or a gas station, make new friends, and erase all memories of Bluebonnet from her mind.
But there was something about what Bib said—that he didn't have any ideas about how to fix things for Hank and the other MC members inside, but he'd figure out a way. It reminded her of Hank in the stairwell, telling her he'd think of a solution to their predicament sooner or later. Oh sure, both men were extremely confident that they'd come up with something.
Somehow.
Eventually.
But how long would it take them? Would it work, or would men like Bull and Butler have contingencies in place that Hank and Bib hadn't thought of? And even if it did work, how much damage would be inflicted upon them in the meantime?
Seeing Hank almost every day as she worked at Bluebonnet had been difficult. Even though he tried to remain stoic, she could see how much being there was sapping his strength, his vitality, his identity. It was in the slope of his shoulders, the hardness in his eyes, the way his arms always seemed tense and prepared to lash out. It nearly broke her heart, especially since she knew she couldn't show him how much she cared about him without endangering both of them.
But how much harder would it be for her to be away from him? To imagine him in that terrible place without her? Running away would keep her safe, but it would also feel like she was abandoning him to his fate.
Beth felt these conflicting desires pulling at her, threatening to tear her in half.
“I can see the wheels in your head turning,” Bib said. “But there ain't nothing for you to think about. We're gonna get you some new papers in a day or two and get you the fuck out of there, end of story. If I have to tie you up, toss you in the trunk of a car, and drive you across the state line myself, that's what I'm gonna do.”
She nodded. “Okay. But please, please, you have to figure out a way to save Hank from all this. You should see what that place is doing to him, Bib. He doesn't deserve this.”
“I promise I'll do everything I can to help him,” Bib assured her. “Now I'm gonna go out the back and make sure no one sees me, just in case these fuckers are watching you. Remember, tomorrow you need to go in there like nothing's changed. If they see or sense anything different about you, there's no telling what they'll assume or how they'll react.”
But hours after Bib had left, Beth was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. All she could picture was Hank, surrounded by pitiless stone walls and thousands of vicious men who wanted to murder him, with no one to comfort him or look out for him.
No one to love him.