LILY

“You okay to work tomorrow and Saturday?” Loni asks me.

“Absolutely,” I tell her.

“We don’t open 'til six on Sunday and shut up around eleven. It’s usually dead in here and we’re closed on Monday. So, would Wednesday through Saturday be alright for you?”

I smile. “Absolutely, Loni, whenever you need me.”

She smiles back. “Get out of here. See you tomorrow night.”

“G’night,” I tell her before I go out the back door to my car. I look around, seeing no one. Loki left a couple hours ago. I don’t imagine he’s hanging around out here hoping for another chance.

I’m leaning down to unlock my car when a hand covers my mouth and I’m pressed against my car. I breathe through my nose and smell stale cigarettes and alcohol, maybe even some chick’s pussy. I shudder. “Loki,” I growl. Then again, Loki doesn’t smoke.

“Guess again.” Pyro’s gravelly voice of Pyro meets my ears. “You gonna scream?”

I shake my head and he releases my mouth. “You don’t have to assault me to get laid, you know,” I tell him without turning around.

“I don’t want you,” he growls at me.

I try and turn around but he stops me. “Then what’s the point?” I snap.

He whips me around and leans down so he’s inches from my face. “You were told never to come back here.”

My heart freezes in my chest as Pyro’s voice no longer sounds gravelly and vaguely familiar. “How’d you?” I narrow my eyes at him, but the darkness back here makes it impossible to really look at him.

“Why are you here?” he asks.

“That’s none of your fucking business. Now, if you’ll…”

“It is my business,” he murmurs close to my lips. There’s absolutely no sexual tension between us and I find that rather odd. Again, I try and look into those familiar eyes and I can’t seem to focus on anything. “Tryke made it my business.” His voice has turned arctic on me and I shiver at the mention of my brother’s name.

“I have shit I need to take care of,” I mumble.

“It’s being handled, go home.”

With that, he pushes away from me and disappears into the darkness surrounding the bar.

I let out a rush of breath that I didn’t know was stuck in my lungs.

He’s seriously scary as fuck.

Why in the hell would Tryke bring anyone else into his little secret besides Loki? Big Daddy and Sticks know because I brought it to their attention and I never had to ask for them to keep it a secret. It’s what they do and no one, outside of them, needed to know. The guys that were with Big Daddy that day were just collateral. None of them seemed to even have any recognition about who Kiwi was, so I let it go.

I shake my head. It’s been six years. Who the fuck cares anymore?

Wicked Angels think Lily Beaumont died ten years ago. Anyone who looks into my property agreement for my house will see that it’s registered to Reggie Beaumont, also known as Uncle Sticks. Worse case, they’d assume I was his kid or some shit like that. That was the one concession I’d let Sticks have about us moving back here.

My mind wanders over all the different reasons why Pyro is so pissed off at me as I drive home. It’s just before one in the morning and I’m exhausted when I pull in my driveway and stumble my way to my front door.

Emily and Piper are asleep when I get in the house so I try to be quiet as I go into the kitchen looking for something to munch on.

I hear the roar of a motorcycle coming down the street. From back here I can’t tell what direction its going so I hurry to the window and peel back the curtain a little bit to see. It’s coming from Loki’s house and it stops in front of mine. I watch intently, waiting to see who it is, or for them to decide what they’re doing. The bike shuts off. The rider kicks his leg over and then stands. I know immediately it’s Loki, even before he passes under the light of the street lamp.

“Fuck,” I sputter.

I go to the door and open it, stepping outside before he reaches it. “What are you doing here?” I ask, my tone sharp and pissed off.

“I came to see you,” he says clearly, not drunk.

“You do realize I have a daughter asleep in the house right now and it’s the middle of the night?” I make sure my little southern twang is in my voice. If I let my normal voice, sans accent, come out, he just might put two and two together.

“Yeah,” he says as he runs his hand through his hair. It’s not tied back tonight, just loose flowing down his back. Little kinks in it from it being pulled up earlier. Jesus, he’s fucking gorgeous. Black jeans, boots, white t-shirt under his cut. I lick my lips. “About that?”

“What about it, Loki?” My defenses rise immediately and I try not to let it come out through in my voice.

“She’s a gorgeous little girl.”

My eyes flutter closed. Hearing those words from his lips melts every hardened part of my soul. “Thank you,” I manage to say through gritted teeth.

He doesn’t seem to notice. “What’s her name?”

“Loki, come on, it’s the middle of the night.”

He gets a little flustered before his eyes bore into mine. “I’m leaving in the morning. Club business. I just wanted to see you before I left.” He turns to leave.

“Wait,” I say as I move down the three little steps from my door and into the grass. He stops and turns back toward me. My heart is overruling my brain right now and as much as I want to be pissed off at him for all the shit he’s put me through, he looks so sad and broken that it hurts my heart.

I stop, just a few feet in front of him, and he closes the distance between us. He presses his forehead to mine. “I’m gonna be back next week.”

I put my hands on his biceps, holding myself to him. “Okay?” I can’t withhold the skepticism from my voice. “Are you afraid I’m not gonna be here or something?” I ask.

“I’d deserve that,” he mutters, his voice so low I’m not sure it was intended for me to hear. Unfortunately, I can’t argue with that statement.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” I breathe.

His eyes come to mine, searching, asking, begging. I don’t know, but they’re desperate for something. Answers maybe. My heart freezes, then kicks up in double time as I feel like spilling everything to him. Explaining it all.

He gently kisses the tip of my nose, something he always did to me when I was a kid. I don’t know if he’s ever done it to anyone else, or if he’s figured out who I am. I let my eyes flutter closed briefly and then he’s pulling back from me. “Wait for me,” he whispers as he steps out of my hold and turns back to his bike.

My heart is pounding so hard and so loud in my chest that it’s halfway to China before I catch up to it. He kicks over the engine on his bike and takes off. He goes a little ways before turning around and roaring back down the street toward his house.

It takes until I hear the roar of another bike, this time from the right, to I get my feet moving. The last thing I need is Pyro coming down the street and seeing me standing here like an idiot.

I race for my door and manage to make it inside before the bike goes roaring past. Though he doesn’t stop, I see his head turn in the direction of my house as he flies past.

Somehow, I made it from the front door to my room and a shower before wrapping myself in Loki’s old t-shirt and climbing into bed.

That night the dreams come at me in rapid, vivid detail.

Changing from Sticks, my friends and Boulder, to Loki, Roswell, then finally landing on Pyro. But it’s not Pyro I’m looking at when the dream ends abruptly and I bolt upright on the bed.

I couldn’t get back to sleep after that. Just before six in the morning and I pad quietly through the house to the kitchen where I make coffee. My mind bounces from six years ago, to now, and back again.

If you didn’t know better, Big Daddy or Sticks could be my father. The three of them, despite the large age gaps between them, all look the same. They have the same eyes, Kellen’s eyes, and I keep trying to figure out if either one, Big Daddy or Sticks, had any sons who would be old enough. I know Sticks doesn’t. He and his wife never had kids. But Devon – Big Daddy D – on the other hand… I debate picking up the phone and calling Sticks to ask, but it’s too early for that.

I pour myself a cup of coffee and return to standing in the patio window in the dining room looking out at the open field behind my house. I’m so zoned out that I didn’t even hear Emily come into the kitchen, she makes me jump and I spill coffee on the floor.

“I’m sorry, Lily,” she murmurs as she grabs a towel from the counter. “I didn’t think you were up.”

“No, it’s fine, it’s my fault,” I tell her as I take the towel from her. “I’ll get it.” I kneel and wipe the floor. “You’re up early,” I remark.

She shakes her head. “I’m usually up this early, gives me a chance to shower and get ready before Piper wakes up.”

I give her a sad smile. “You should have told me no,” I mutter.

She cocks her head. “No to what?”

“Moving down here. You’re so young, Emily. You shouldn’t have to be tied to my daughter like this.” Thinking of my brother has me in a melancholy mood.

She smiles at me. “I love your daughter, Lily. She’s a joy to be around and I like having a steady job. Most people I know my age can’t say the same thing.”

I nod in understanding. “I just don’t want you to feel like I’m holding you back from something.”

She shakes her head. “You’re not.”

“If I ever start to, will you tell me?” I ask her.

She nods and smiles. “Besides, you said I could go to school if I wanted to.”

I smile at her and ask, “Have you found something?”

She nods again. “I’d like to check out Roswell Community.”

“Get me the information, we’ll make it happen,” I tell her.

“Thank you, Lily.” She smiles wider, her whole face lighting up with excitement. She’s a great kid. Shit, she’s only a few years younger than I am, but I feel so much older than I am, so she’ll stay a kid in my eyes. “I’m gonna hit the shower,” she tells me as she pours herself some coffee.

“What’s your plan today?” I ask.

“I need to go to the store while Piper’s at school, or I could wait and go after and bring her with me. If you’d like?”

I nod. “I’m gonna end up passing out again soon.” I can feel the weight of sleeplessness already. “I’m working tonight. I’m gonna be working Wednesday through Saturday, six to close,” I tell her.

“Okay, that will work.” She smiles before heading down the hallway to the bathroom and her shower.

My mind wanders away from my brother to Emily and going to school. If she goes Monday through Thursday, I can make that work, as long as she has a morning class on Thursday. I can get up and take care of Pipes on those days. Having Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays off will really help. I hate being away from Piper so much.

The roar of bikes catches my attention. My eyes land on the clock. Its seven fifteen in the morning and I move to the front window to see who’s coming down the street. The sound draws closer from my left, its two bikes. Then I see Loki in the lead followed by Pyro. They’re both wearing road vests that have Wicked Angels written on the back, but no colors, no patches. I take a deep breath. Both of them are riding together. A few days without drama will be really nice around here.

“Mommy.” I turn to see Pipes still rubbing her eyes.

“Hi, baby, you’re up really early,” I say as I go over to her after setting my coffee cup on the table. She yawns. “Come on,” I tell her and I lead her down the hallway. “Em, I’m gonna snuggle with Piper,” I tell her as we pass.

“Okay,” she says and I take Piper into my room. She climbs up on my bed and I follow behind her, wrapping my arms around her. She’s laying on her back under me. She grabs a chunk of my hair and she starts playing with it. Something she’s done since she was a baby and breastfeeding. It brings me as much comfort as it does her and she dozes off. I nuzzle my face closer to hers, breathing in her fresh Piper scent and fall asleep shortly after.

This time, I don’t dream.