Page 63 of Brother In Arms

“To do what?”

“So you can fuckin’ apologize.”

I nodded. As much as I didn’t want to do it because, god, so many reasons… embarrassment being chief among them. I nodded and said, “Let me grab a pair of boots and tell my lead that I’ll be gone for a bit so that he can keep an eye on the house.”

“Make it quick, I ain’t got all fuckin’ day. I’d like to get back to the club and my girl.” He picked up Rush’s gun and put the safety on, swearing. “You’re lucky you didn’t shoot your fuckin’ self.”

I tipped my head and said, “I’m not completely stupid, Dray-Dray.”

“No, just naïve as fuck.”

I nodded, I couldn’t argue that when it came to his world. I went and did the aforementioned errands as quickly as I could. When I came back, Dray was already astride his bike which was running. He shoved his helmet at me and I put it on and got on the back of his motorcycle. It was a little weird riding with my cousin, not knowing where to hold on and such. I mean, he was my cousin… I don’t know. I guess I was just being dumb.

It was both the longest and shortest ride of my life. I spent the entire thing trying to get my exhausted, stressed out mind to work. Trying to come up with an apology big enough to suit the situation.

I’d never been to my uncle or cousin’s motorcycle club, and I craned my neck as we pulled up into the lot, trying to get a good look. Dray stopped and I got off, taking his helmet off as I looked over the low slung cinderblock building. He backed his motorcycle into the line of them out front and shut it off, leaning it onto its kickstand. He took the helmet from my hands and led the way to the door.

He opened it for me and I went through, a girl straightening up from the front of the bar, giving me a flat, unfriendly look.

“Who the fuck are you?” she asked, but her thick Irish accent made it come out more like “Who th’ feck are ye?”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Aye,” she said addressing Dray, “Club business, ye say? Who the fuck is she, Dray? Huh?”

“Jesus, chill out, Em.”

“Oh? Gettin’ up this early an’ leavin’ without so much as a kiss? Ye come ridin’ up at a half past eight in th’ mornin’ with this lassie on yer bike and I’m supposed t’ stay calm? Club business my arse!”

Fire sparked out of her steely blue eyes and I just kept my mouth shut. I didn’t know what was worse, that she was accusing my cousin of sleeping with me or the fact she was doing it in front of an audience, a mostly grinning audience.

Dray went to her and grabbed her by the upper arm, “It is club business, Em, now get over here,” he said and started dragging her towards the darkened back of the club.

She raised her voice and dug in her heels and said, “Not until ye tell me who she is!” She turned her attention back to me and said, “Ay, ay! Who are ye? Can’t ye talk?”

I blinked and remained silent, just watching the mess start to unfold, Dray hauled on her a little harder and said, “Em, Em, EM! Get over here, alright!?”

“No! It’s not alright! Who the feck is she, Dray?”

It blew up into a full scale quarrel at that point. I looked over and saw my Uncle Dragon, Ghost and a few other men and women sitting around scattered tables laughing and watching the show Dray, and his girl, Em, was putting on. They were shouting at each other and I watched him thrust her through an empty doorway into a room beyond.

He followed her in and bellowed, “Jesus Christ, Em! What is your fuckin’ problem?”

“Ye want to know what my problem is, I’ll tell you what my problem is!” she shouted, then raised her voice even louder and screamed, “I’m pregnant!” right before the door slammed shut on a ringing silence. My jaw dropped and several of the men were laughing beside me. I looked and my uncle Dragon was beaming.

“Congratulations, grandpa!” a man crowed. He had bright, twinkling blue eyes and his hair was smoothed down to a point between his eyes, an almost Mohawk without actually being one. Dragon laughed for real then, a lot of them did, laughing almost until they cried. The first thing that was evident was that Rush was not among them. I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a pent up breath… I so don’t get these people…

“How you doin’, Bailey?” Ghost asked and I dropped my shaking hand, my nerves shot from the stress and gave him a weak smile.

“Seen Rush?” I asked softly, dodging the question.

“Out in his woodshop, sweetheart. Straight ahead, zag left at the media room and go down the hall next to it and out the back door. Big fuckin’ building on the left, last bay. You can’t miss it,” my uncle said, dark eyes roving over me. Silent disapproval radiating from them but I couldn’t say I hadn’t earned it.

I pressed my lips together and nodded, my chest tight with fear and anxiety. I put my hands in my back pockets and followed my uncle’s directions. I heard the first man that’d spoken, congratulating Dragon on him impending grandparenthood ask, “He do that to her face?”

“Nope, that’s been handled already.”

“And you didn’t tag me in? Awww!”

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