TWENTY-SEVEN
Dog
We burned through the night to get back to the Lincoln compound in record time. As soon as Hooch caught wind of Digits messing with his girl, it stoked a fire in him that seems to have been lacking these past weeks on the run. The guy’s one twitch short of literally falling apart.
Which is why I snuck a text to Crackers back at the motel to let him know the good news, let him know where we were headed. Seems the southern VP is just as concerned, considering he got the whole table to haul ass and meet us up here.
I toss back the last of my whiskey and slide the empty glass over to the old lady manning the bar. The common room is quiet, the weight of recent events seeming to still weigh heavy on everyone’s mind. Mel gave up and went to bed an hour ago after she couldn’t get ten minutes alone with Hooch; the guy’s so wrapped up in his new woman I don’t even think a nuclear bomb would snap him back to the real world.
Then again, I know how that feels, don’t I?
Ever since I saw the unchecked side of Mel at that rest stop, taking our relationship to the next level is all I can think about. But the pussy in me is too worried about scaring her off if I make my intentions clear.
When I’m known for my habit of fucking without any strings attached, I’ve got my damn work cut out for me to make sure Mel doesn’t feel that I’m treating her the same way.
“Catch you fuckheads in the morning.” I give the boys a quick raise of the hand, getting nods of acknowledgment in return.
My head pounds, but for once it’s not alcohol induced. It’s the sheer panic that no matter how hard I try, or what I do, I’m going to fuck this up with Mel. That it’s just a matter of when not if.
I edge the door to my room open and slip in quietly. She doesn’t stir as I inch the door shut again, and then carefully and slowly slide my boots off. She doesn’t even budge when I forget about my phone in the pocket of my cut and send it clattering to the floor.
She doesn’t wake because she’s not even there.
I stride over to make sure my adjusting eyes aren’t playing fucking games on me and pat the bed down.
Nada.
Fuck. If I was worried before, then shit, I’m ten times worse now. Where would she be? And why?
Sticking with my T-shirt and jeans only, I hotfoot it downstairs barefoot and do a sweep of the common room. The same tired faces stare back at me.
“Lost something?” Mighty asks from his position on the sofa.
“Yeah. It’s about five foot eight and has dark hair.”
Callum shakes his head as I pass by where he’s seated at the bar. “Damn, Dog. How many times I have to tell you to look after your things?”
“Ha ha,” I drawl. “Have you seen her at all?”
Jo-Jo jerks his head toward the back deck. “Saw her go out there while you were out front earlier.”
I slam a hand to my face and groan. The whole time I was in here having a final drink, she was holed up outside. But why?
Guess we’ll find out. I storm out the back and do a sweep of the deck. Only a couple of the hangarounds with their feet kicked up on the plastic seats as they share a joint.
The grass is damp underfoot already as I drop off the deck and head toward my last guess. Sure enough, Mel’s got herself tucked up in the same spot I found her a few weeks back.
“Damn it, babe. What are you doin’?”
She huddles her knees closer to her body and rests her chin on them. “Thinking.”
“Could you do it inside, where it’s warmer?” I drop down beside her and pull her to me, although I’m pretty damn sure right at this moment, she’s probably warmer than I am.
“Being outside gives me clarity,” she says simply. “Although it doesn’t seem to be working all that great tonight.”
I place a kiss on the top of her head. “What are you thinkin’ about?”
“How quickly everything can change.” She shrugs. “When we found Hooch, I felt so good, you know. Like, I felt that everything had finally sorted itself out.”
“But …?”
“But then we get back here, and I mean, I like Dagne, but we get here and he’s all about her.”
I smile, even though she can’t see it. “And you feel like he doesn’t need you anymore.”
“It’s stupid right?”
“No.”
I get what she’s saying. She invested time and care into finding that sad son of a bitch, and now that he’s all wrapped up in his girl he seems to have forgotten about the sister who he took the heat for. She’s suddenly tossed back to being that thing everyone forgot about out in the woods, the ghost.
“I guess you gotta look at the positives, babe.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“Like, he’s happy with her. You saw how much he livened up the minute we got here.”
“I know.” Mel nestles her head closer, leaning against me. “I guess I was jealous because I wasn’t good enough to make him happy, you know? Like, he’s my brother, and we should be able to get what we need from each other when we’re down.”
“You ain’t kids anymore, Mel.”
“Nope. We ain’t.”
“You can’t fix him by playin’ games and watching movies anymore. He needs more.” Like I need more. From her.
“Guess there’s no reason to stick around now, huh?”
My next breath doesn’t come all that well. “What you sayin’?” Is she fixing to run away again? I thought she was past all that shit.
“I mean,” she says with a taunting tone, “perhaps now is a good time to do that spot of hunting you’re keen on.”
“You mean that?” If she thinks sitting under the stars out here is calming, just wait until I get her to my usual spot.
Mel twists against me, her cheek still pressed against my arm, but those warm eyes staring up at me as she smiles softly. “I mean it, Dog. I want to spend more time with you.” She pushes up slightly, offering her lips.
I take what she gives, soft and slow, honest and raw.
She pulls back and bumps her nose to mine. “You make me feel more at home than I ever will at the club.”
“You don’t mean that.”
She nods, turning her face away again as she sighs. “I do. I belong here, sure, but nothing calms me, makes me feel at peace, like you do.”
I don’t know what to say, so I just kiss her temple and let the content silence speak for itself. She does the same to me, calms the need to act out. When I’m with her, the shit with my old man and brother is so damn far from my mind that when it does pop up again it takes me by surprise. I’m no longer here simply to prove a point—I’m here because there is a point.
“You still want to come with me when I go get my gear?” I ask.
“Of course.” She runs a lazy hand up my leg. “Why?”
“Things aren’t all that great at home,” I explain. “I can’t say how me turnin’ up will go.”
“Can’t be any worse than the stuff we deal with here, Dog.”
She’s right, although it puts the issues with my family into perspective. I was so damn sure that I didn’t care anymore, that I didn’t have an ounce of empathy left within me for my father. But if a petty argument can get to me on this level, and yet hearing that the Fort Worth brothers took the life of an agent who overstepped his boundaries doesn’t, then shit, I must still feel something for the asshole.
I slide out from underneath Mel and stand, offering my hand. “Come to bed, woman. We’ve got a big day ahead of us and you’ll need your sleep. “
“I’m not that tired, to be honest.” She slips her hand in mine and stands before I yank her against me.
“Not yet, maybe.” I search her eyes for any sign of hesitation, any clue she doesn’t want things to head that way. Yet all I find is the desperate plea that I’m not playing her. “Promise me one thing,” I murmur, tipping her face up to mine. “You feel upset about anything again, you don’t hide away on your own. You find me.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” I lean down and place a kiss to her lips, relishing the warmth that comes from her mouth as she tugs on mine. “I don’t like seein’ you sad, Mel. Not when I can do somethin’ to fix that.”
Mel lets out a surprised laugh as I scoop her up and bundle her toasty little butt against myself. Her hips roll with mine as I walk us toward the clubhouse, and I can’t help but wonder how this position would feel naked; her legs wrapped around my waist.
“Dog …”
“Yes, babe?”
“Is that …?”
“The boner you gave me pokin’ you in the ass?”
She giggles, lifting a sleeve-covered hand to her mouth.
“Yes, babe. Yes, it is.”