Page 90 of The Hangman's Rope

A book sat on the table between them, and if you got close enough you could read that poet girl’s name. Lorelai had said the painting was her idea. That she took it from the poem that startedBecause I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me… the carriage held but just ourselves and immortality…

There were several others in the series. Inspired by poetry mostly, little descriptor podiums in front explaining the process and what poem inspired… in some cases when the poem wasn’t as famous or well known, there was a transcription of it there.

I looked around, thinking to myself that the trap was set, now we just needed the rats to come for the bait – and there wasn’t any bait better for the rich and powerful in and around Savannah than an invitation-only art showing in Savannah’sown King Arthur’s Court – all his Knights in attendance, his Queen on display.

Madisyn indeed looked her best, stunning, body on display in a dress that had to have been chosen by Syn as there wasn’t a hint of modesty in the plunging neckline. He loved to drive a motherfucker crazy with envy, and one look at Madisyn tonight would have struck a chord of jealousy in me were this a year and a day ago, or even six or seven months ago – but that was then and this was now, and as my Sweetpea leaned into my side, I felt nothing but a burning, yearning, ache to be inside ofher.

I knew about then I was in too deep, and there was no going back whatsoever. That like it as not, Lorelai was stuck with me. I was just one lucky son of a bitch that she seemed desperate to stay with me.

“Doors!” Synister called and I felt Lorelai take a deep breath at my side.

She knew, as we all did, that this was our last-ditch effort. Our hail Mary pass at catching the son of a bitch – because we’d come up empty on every other angle we’d pursued.

Her daddyhadbeen involved, but we didn’t tell her that. Her mom knew. It had been the final straw. The thing that’d made her pack up and walk away – but she’d practically begged us to keep Lorelai in the dark.

It had barely taken any threat at all from Grim and Reaper to get the sloppy SOB to spill his guts. He’d owed some motherfuckers some big money – was facing ruin from cutting corners on a project or two. Projects that’d belonged to some very dangerous people.

I kept my girl in the dark on as much of it as I possibly could – not because I thought she was weak, but to honor her mother’s request and hers… she had told me that while part of her wanted to know everything, the rest of her knew just how that might be a bad idea and honestly? I could respect that.

We’d had a lot of talks like that, me and her. About club business being club business and how it wasn’t any of hers – not because I didn’t trust her. I did. Implicitly. No, the main reason we kept our women out of it was plausible deniability. She couldn’t be forced to talk about what she didn’t know by law enforcement or anyone else. It was a safety measure, a security blanket if you will…

Still, I felt like I knew too much about this whole situation and before this was all over, I worried that my Lorelai would too. I worried she would be heartbroken. Angry with me or her mother for keeping her in the dark… it was certainly anxiety inducing, but not as anxiety inducing as the “what if” ofwhat if we never caught him?

We knew certain key players in the charade – we knew who daddy had pissed off, and how. We knew why Lorelai had been targeted, and the why on that – and it made me sick. Sick and fucking angry…

Partially because it was precisely the kind of fucked-up shit that we got up to when we were all in boarding school together. When we were a bunch of dumbass teens with cruel intentions pissed off at our parents and the fucking world with no place to direct that energy other than downhill where the shit always tended to roll.

Some of us felt guilty about some of the shit we did. I was one of them, secretly, deep down inside… and some of us would take the secret of that guilt to the fucking grave. Some of us still didn’t give a fuck what kind of havoc we’d wreaked back then.

Hell, Tor still engaged in fucked-up head games. Heenjoyedfucking with people and psychological warfare. Lived for mind fucking people just for the pure hell of it.

I felt like I’d outgrown a lot of that shit, and while I couldn’t make up for a lot of the shit I’d done and had no desire to makeup for other shit I’d gotten up to… there were a few things that I felt I should probably in some way atone for.

…and here was Lorelai. With the fucked-up situation surrounding her, drowning in lies and reaching for a truth, or at the very least justice.

It was like the universe had handed me an opportunity in atoning for some of my past shit by helping her. Not only handed it to me, but gift wrapped in shiny paper with a big red fucking bow.

Guests started to arrive and Lorelai stayed close to me, except for the odd occasion she needed to use the restroom, or that I did. In the event that I needed to leave her side for any reason, I left her in the care of one of my brothers.

Lainey stayed close by, and as I’d advised, Lorelai kept a drink in hand though I don’t think she ever actually sipped or drank any of the liquid in her glass at all. I couldn’t blame her. It was something we would have to work on – but not right now. Right now, we had bigger fish to fry…

“I have to piss,” I muttered unhappily as I scanned the crowd for a brother to leave Lorelai with.

“I’m here,” Reaper said from behind us and Lorelai startled vaguely.

“You alright with that?” I asked her.

She nodded, a bit pale and I raised my eyebrows to check with her one more time. She met my eyes and gave me a single nod, her face etched with lines of bravery and determination.

I gave Reaper a silent warning look and he nodded, standing beside Lore, and saying, “Try to smile and act like we’re having enough of a conversation that I don’t actually have to talk to anyone else?”

She smiled and nodded and said back, “That’s very interesting, please tell me more.”

“Fuck,” Reaper muttered. “I was hoping you would do most of the talking,” he said dismayed and Lorelai laughed like he’d told her a funny joke as I strode away and made my way to the bathroom off the hall. There was a line forming which was annoying.

I was standing next to a guy in a nice, tailored suit. I didn’t know him. Had never seen him before. He was a clean-cut yuppie-looking son of a bitch, but the watch on his wrist was expensive as he checked it, waiting for his turn to step into the bathroom and do his thing.

“Only problem with holding one of these types of functions in a home – never enough bathrooms,” I griped.

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