Chapter Thirty-One
The sunlight began to crawl back along the sheets, retreating for the day. Finn looked at the clock as he drew long, lazy circles on Skye’s bare back, wondering at the pure, white skin under his fingers.
There was no rush to speak, no need to say anything right now.
The shadows crept in through the blinds.
Skye stirred in his arms. “I need to get up, start packing.”
“What?”
She lifted her head to look at him. “At the end of the hospital interview, Mac said they want to move me to a safe house, until Smith goes to trial. They’ll keep a guard on Robby until he’s stable enough to be transferred to another hospital, probably in a day or so, but they need me in a secure location.”
Finn frowned. “The agent outside…”
Her cheeks pinked. “I explained I wanted to say good-bye to you. Mac agreed, said he’d keep a man here until you left.”
“Mac’s a good friend. I’ll send him a case of whiskey for this one.”
“When do you have to leave?”
He paused. “Soon.”
“As soon as possible. I can see it in your face.” She laid her cheek down again, pressing it to his heart. “I know you’ve got to. This isn’t where your home is, where your friends are.”
“My home is where I want it to be. And I have plenty of friends.”
“Your home is with the Brotherhood.” She let out a sigh, her arms going around him.
Finn ran his hand through her dark locks, marveling at the softness. “I wish I’d been here earlier. I wish I could have stopped all of this from happening.”
“Like your mother,” Sky whispered.
Finn sighed. “Like my mother.” She understood what had been haunting him for years.
“Listen to me.” She held him tight. “What your mother did wasn’t your fault. Just like Robby, she made a bad choice. I love my brother, and you loved your mother, but they chose poorly. The important thing is that you were in the right place at the right time. You saved him, and you saved this town.” Skye moved up to kiss him. “And that’s all that matters to me.”
“Mac’s going to offer you witness protection.” He drew a deep breath. “I think you should consider taking it.”
She pulled back. “Why?”
“Because you and Robby could be still be hurt by Smith.” He shook his head. “The man’s got connections, even if he’s behind bars.”
“He could go after you,” she retorted. “I don’t see you moving and hiding under a fake name.”
“That’s different.” Finn cupped her cheek. “First, he’ll have a hard time finding out who I am. Second, once he does, I doubt he’ll find too many people willing to take us on.”
“I’ll never see you again.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Is that what you want?”
“Hell, no.” He drew his thumb over her soft skin. “I want you to be alive and safe.”
“I could be. With you.”
He forced himself to shake his head. “I couldn’t guarantee both of you would be protected. And Robby’s not going to want to stay in Vegas for his entire life, stay chained to your side. He’ll want to move, and when he does, he’ll be out from under any protection we can give him. The Brotherhood has a pretty far reach except this…” He shook his head. “We could give him a fake name and identity, but Mac’s going to be upset—it’s different when you’re just in hiding versus in the system for testifying against someone like Smith.”
“I need Robby to be safe.” She looked down. “I can’t walk away from him. Not after this, not after all we’ve gone through together.”
“I’m not asking you to. And I won’t. He’s your family.” He pulled her into his arms. “Family has to come first.”
…
She laid out the suitcases and started packing them—one for Robby and one for herself. She didn’t know if or when they’d ever be able to return to the apartment, not with the threat of retaliation from the gang hanging over their heads.
As she worked, her mind kept wandering off onto different tracks, searching for a way to be with Finn.
She could ask him to leave Vegas and come to be with them, move in. Be their personal protection, their wall against any repercussions down the line from running the gang out of town.
But it’d be wrong.
He’d been there for her, and he needed to be there for others like her, others who needed help. He couldn’t do it long-distance from a small town where they rolled up the sidewalks at night and the biggest excitement before the bike gang came to town was the discussion about how large the new highway sign advertising Whistling Willows would be.
He couldn’t do it hiding with them in another state, in another life with a falsified past and an unknown future.
It was for the best. Maybe not for her, but for Finn and the Brotherhood.
Witness protection.
She rolled the word around in her mouth, hating the bitter taste.
She’d promised she’d talk to Robby about it, and she would.
Finn walked into the living room, his bag resting on his shoulder. He’d pulled on a light-blue T-shirt and tucked it into his jeans.
She forced herself to look cheerful. “I called the hospital. Robby’s fine and already giving the doctors hell.” It was hard to keep the tears from breaking free, her heart aching at seeing him ready to go.
“Good. He’s a tough one. He’ll come through this stronger and better for it.” Finn’s smile was forced, and she knew it. “Are you packed yet?”
She waved an arm over the open bags. “Getting there. The agent outside said they’ll be taking me to the safe house right after you leave. I’ll get visits to the hospital if I want, but it’s best if I stay out of sight until they finish drawing up the paperwork. So…” She sighed. “I guess this is it.”
He was across the room in a flash, sweeping her up in his arms for one final, long kiss that seemed to last for hours.
“I love you,” Finn said.
She nodded, reaching up to touch the scar. “I love you, too. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I’ll always love you.”
“Me, too.”
She rose on her toes and kissed him. “Until later, Finn Storm.”
She held back her tears until the door closed.
…
The safe house turned out to be in Las Vegas. When they’d taken the exit into the city, Skye hadn’t been able to hold back a surprised gasp.
Mac turned around in the front seat. “I know. Believe it or not, it’s the closest one. It goes without saying you can’t contact Finn or anyone at the club.” He gave her a friendly smile. “We’re also transferring Robby to one of the local hospitals here, keeping everyone close. He’ll be there by nightfall.”
She nodded, still in a state of shock.
Mac nodded at the driver. “Let’s get inside and set up.”
The next two weeks went by in a flurry of interviews. Matt Cooper had been on hand each time, helping in any way he could. From what he told her, things had gotten interesting when it came to Mick Smith.
The gang leader hadn’t opened his mouth since Finn had punched it shut, claiming he’d been framed by Finn Trotter, who was nowhere to be found. The case against the various gang members had been enough to convince many of them to turn state’s evidence, including Jake, who had no problem detailing every little bit of the operation.
Skye had allowed herself a private smile at that.
There was enough evidence to put many of the members away for years, along with a good chance of nabbing some of the cartel responsible for the high-grade heroin coming into the town—the garage south of the border had already been raided by the Mexican authorities, and that line of smuggling was closed for good. Whispering Willows was safe again—but not for her and Robby.
…
Finally the day came for Robby to be officially discharged from the hospital, his recovery complete. Skye approached the door of his room, nodding at the plainclothes officer sitting nearby. She recognized him from her handful visits, and as she held up the bag of clothing she’d brought for Robby, he smiled and waved her in.
Skye entered the room to see her brother pacing back and forth, the hospital gown dangerously close to falling off. He grinned and held up both hands.
“They took the IV out an hour ago. I’m cleared to go. all I need is to sign off on the release.”
“Good.” She passed him the bag before going to the window. “Brought you your favorite T-shirt and jeans. Shoes are in the bottom.”
“Thanks.” She heard the plastic rustling as she watched the horizon. It was easy to imagine the Devil’s Playground just out of sight, the nightclub preparing for another busy night of entertaining the masses, the Brotherhood readying themselves to push back the darkness with another dangerous mission.
With Finn on the front lines.
She cleared her throat. “Mac called. Said the trial’s set for three months from now. We’ll have to stay in the safe house until then, and afterward we’ll be offered enrollment in the witness protection program.” Her stomach twisted into knots at the idea of leaving the area forever.
“Yeah.” His tone was a mixture of relief and curiosity. “Wonder what our new names will be.”
She pressed her lips into a tight line, juggling her feelings.
…
“Get your head in the game before I knock it off,” Dylan growled as he stepped back.
Finn gave himself a shake, recovering from the sharp jab he’d just received. They were in the boxing ring in the basement of the Devil’s Playground, and he was supposed to be training.
Training today seemed to consist mostly of getting beat up by his boss.
Finn ducked under a sweeping right hook and landed a pair of punches to Dylan’s sides, pushing him back along the canvas floor.
“Good,” his boss grunted. “Now show me how you put down Mick Smith.” He laughed through the mouthpiece. “If you want, I can go buy a riding crop to get you in the mood.”
Finn chuckled and went at him, not holding back.
A few minutes later, Jessie, the unofficial referee, rang the bell and ended the match.
She stepped inside the ring and tossed each man a towel as they wrestled off their boxing gloves.
“Nice to see you in action again.” She pulled her lips into a tight line. “Even if you smell like dirty socks.”
“Love you, too,” Dylan said with a wink.
“Trey called in while you two were working on your waltzing.” Jessie chuckled. “He says Mac came through with an update. Trial’s scheduled for three months from now. He thinks it’ll be an easy conviction, putting Smith away for decades.”
Finn grunted.
Jessie exchanged glances with Dylan and stepped away.
Dylan went to his own corner, disposing of his gloves before picking up his water bottle and dumping part of the contents over his head. He wiped his face and approached Finn.
“You spoken to her since you came back?” Dylan didn’t need to clarify the question. “It’s been two weeks.”
“No. No reason to.” Finn took a swig of water and swished it around in his mouth before spitting it into the nearby pail. “Especially if she’s going to go underground. Make it a clean break, keep both of us from hurting too much.”
Dylan eyed him. “Trey can find her, you know. Underground doesn’t mean dead. And they might not take the offer. Smith’s still dangerous, but it’s a big decision to go into witness protection. A hell of a step—she could decide to stay put and risk it.” He moved under the ropes and hopped down to the floor. “I saw the way you looked at her. Don’t tell me you don’t care about her.”
Finn shook his head. “Hell, yeah.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Men like us, Dylan—we don’t get lucky like that. We just don’t.”
“I’ve got a woman over there who would disagree with you.” Dylan smiled. “It can happen.”
“Maybe. But what can I offer her?” He waved a hand, taking in the gym. “I got nothing other than my cover job here, and the Brotherhood. I can’t ask her to drop everything, drag Robby here to an uncertain future. Mac’s willing to offer her witness protection, make sure her and Robby are forever safe from Mick Smith and his connections. I can’t compete with that.”
“Are you sure?” Dylan eyed him. “You can offer her the same thing I offered Jessie. My heart.” He thumped his chest. “Men like us, we don’t get too many chances at happiness. Don’t pass this one up because you think you’re not good enough for her.”
“It’s her decision,” Finn said. “I can’t make this one for her.”
“No. No, you can’t. But whatever she decides, you can make sure it’s not because she doesn’t know what you feel for her.”
Finn winced as his boss exited the training room, angry at himself.
He wasn’t going to force Skye to choose between him and her brother.
Maybe he was an asshole, one who loved her more than he thought possible, but he wouldn’t do that to her.