Page 75 of Petty's Crime

When Red exits and leaves the door open, RoseLyn’s face appears. Tentatively, she hovers in the doorway as if not sure of her welcome. I lift my hand and beckon her to come in.

She grimaces when she sees me, then bites her lip. Her hands twist together. “I’m sorry. I betrayed your confidence.”

“Sit.” I motion again with my hand to the chair Red just vacated. She seems reluctant, her steps dragging as she crosses the room.

She turns the chair around to face the right way, but instead of sitting, she places her hand on the back and hesitates. “I’m sorry,” she repeats.

She knows full well she’s abused my trust. But it’s because she’d spoken up that I, apparently, still have my place in the club. Whether it’s tenable remains to be seen. I’d say there were extenuating circumstances for her betraying me.

I like her hesitancy, like the lack of confidence she has. It’s a pleasant change from Brit who’d always been brash and brave in any situation. And aching balls be damned, but I also note her angular, graceful looks, and her lithe athletic body, are really starting to appeal to me. Soft and luscious, it seems, no longer do it for me.

I’ve no doubt in Red’s promise that Britney will have no option other than to give me that divorce, so soon I’ll be legally, as well as morally, free. Seeing RoseLyn so unsure of herself makes me want to take her in my arms and show her just how much her caring means. That I’m not currently capable of doing anything physical is maybe a blessing. She’d responded to my kiss, but I have no idea what she really thinks of me. Or, whether she’d want to pursue a relationship.

But she came for me.

Dragging my mind away from thoughts of a future that’s wrapped in unknowns, I focus on something concrete.

My eyes narrow in confusion. “Why are you here?” And, more puzzling, “How did you know?”

Finally, she drops her ass into the seat. “I overheard Owl and Meat talking. I couldn’tnotcome, Petty. I knew you wouldn’t have hurt Britney and suspected she’d been up to her old tricks again. And,” she puffs out her cheeks, “I knew you’d have taken the fall for her.”

“Maybe that was what I wanted.” It had been. I’m still undecided whether it would have been better that way. I might still have my patch. But have I lost the respect of my brothers?

“That would have been wrong,” she cries. “You don’t deserve anything that bitch did to you.”

I turn my head away from her. I’m still trying to process the words Red had said, the reason Britney had given for returning to me and making my life hell. It’s as though she can’t take any responsibility for herself, always blaming someone else for her actions. I may not have stood up for her in court, but I wasn’t the one who took out my frustrations on the poor innocent soul that she hurt.

There’s no saying whether a husband’s words would have counted for much anyway, and a robust prosecutor might have managed to get a hold of my hospital records. Like Keys, it probably wouldn’t have taken long for them to put the pieces together.

Britney was fucked from the start and all because of her own actions.

As if she can read my mind, RoseLyn asks, “What’s going to happen to Britney now?”

Grimacing, I move my head from side to side. “I just want her out of my life, but I suppose I’ve got to wait to find out whether she’s adding anything to it.”

I notice her chewing her lip, then watch as she tentatively leans forward. “It would be bad freaking luck if she fell pregnant after just one time. She’s taunting you with the possibility.”

“Of course she is.” A blind man could see that, but that doesn’t have any bearing on the sorry fact that there might be some truth in it.

“What if you let her parole officer know she attacked you?”

My brow creases as I think about it, then remember she’s the one who went to the hospital with a clearly visible injury. “She’d say I was the abuser, and would probably get away with it.”

She taps her fingers against her lips. “I know you don’t want to physically hurt her, Petty, but there must be some way to set her up. If she breaks her parole, she’d be back inside and not able to bother you anymore.”

“I need to know the situation before any decisions are made.” RoseLyn’s expression knows what I’m alluding to. Anything done to her might harm the theoretical baby.

My head starts hurting again as the painkillers begin wearing off. RoseLyn notices when I rub my temples.

“I’ll leave you alone.”

I don’t want her to go. Even with the topics we’re discussing, her presence is somehow soothing. I’d like nothing more than for her to slide next to me in this bed, not for sex, but just for comfort.

But while I owe my life to her, she owes me nothing. And how could she, a strong woman like her, want a weakling like me?

So I just raise my chin as she gets up to go, seeing her hesitate at the door to offer a small finger wave, and then she’s gone.

Not for the first time. I admire her. If only I’d met her before Britney. RoseLyn’s brave enough to face up to a club of bikers, and to take my wife—hopefully soon-to-be ex—head on.

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