Page 37 of Devil Inside: Green

“Boundaries, Mist. Whatever Green and I do or don’t do in the bedroom is our business.”

“Youwereshagging. You’ve never been this touchy or closed off.”

Saved by a biker, Green pulls open the door behind us. “No, we weren’t shagging. Head out of the gutter. Your sister had some photos of your mom up around the room and she didn’t want you hurt by seeing them.”

Misty’s eyes begin to tear up and she throws her arms around me. “I love you, sissy.”

“I love you, too,” I reply, thinking of when I can tell Green the same thing.

“So,” Green starts, “we need boxes. But first, call the management company and tell them you’re moving. You also need to call your work. We’ll get the boxes and start packing what we can.”

On our way back down to the parking lot, I place my calls. The management company is fine with me leaving. They got my payment this month and there’s a waiting list for places to open up. My job is a little trickier because Dominique has it in her mind that I’m planning a lawsuit against the company.

“Is there anything we can do to persuade you against this?” she asks.

“I’ve just decided that I wouldn’t feel comfortable working there while you’re dealing withhim.”

She sighs. “I get that. I’m sorry that this is how things have worked out. You’ll be paid through the end of the month. Our attorneys will be in touch if you’re needed in regards to the pending litigation.” She means the action they’re taking against the Sasquatch. There must be people around she doesn’t want to hear.

That done, I thank her and hang up. Then Green, Misty, and I load into the car to head for the Home Depot for boxes.

We’re loading the truck when my sister blindsides me. “Have you visited Mom’s grave?”

I feel like I’ve been socked in the gut. “No.”

“I’d like to go. It’ll be a while before I get back here again with you moving.”

Shit.She’s right. “Okay.”

“We can go now, if you want,” Green offers. We. I appreciate that “we” more than he could ever know. After the trunk lid comes down, the three of us climb into the car and I head to the cemetery. It’s a thirty-minute drive from where I live.

My chest gets heavier the closer to her grave we get. She’s buried only three headstones away from the access road. Once I throw the car in park, it takes me a good minute or more of slow breathing with my eyes closed, tuning out the rest of the world, to work up the courage to actually force myself out. I hold Green’s hand the whole way while Misty has a death grip on my arm.

The mood quickly turns from apprehensive to solemn when we stop in front of her name. The three of us stand there awkwardly looking down at the granite marker and I feel like I need to say something.

“Mom,” I say and everything in me wishes she’d say my name in return, but we all know wishes don’t come true. Green squeezes my hand with gentle reassurance. “I’ve met someone and I want to introduce you. This is Green. At first glance, he’s everything you think you wouldn’t want for me, but once you get to know him, he surpasses every dream you could’ve had.”

Green’s arm wraps around me from behind, pulling me taut against his body, and, utterly surprising me, he speaks. “Ms. Romero, I’m so damn sorry about what happened to you. But in a strange turn of events, it brought Danni to me and I swear on my life to take care of her. I hope hearing that lets you rest easy.”

I turn in his arms with tears in my eyes right as my sister launches herself at him, hugging him tightly. So there we are in a small circle, holding a biker, two crying women. He holds us back, letting us cry it out.

“I love you,” I whisper, then I freeze.

What did I just say?

14

GREEN

It’s a sight to see my brothers rumbling into town with Vlad at the lead, a group of surly, stern-faced motherfuckers wearing dark shades to hide their eyes. Chrome shining. All the black leather cuts ripple in the wind.

Cars part like the Red Sea when the Horde rumble into town. The group of them, always starting with Vlad, click on their blinkers and turn into the complex where Danni, Misty, and I wait outside to greet them.

Danni sucks in a breath at the same time Misty whispers, “Whoa.”

Whoais right. They’re a sight to behold. The prospects end the caravan with the trucks, including a pickup and a mover, to pack Danni’s boxes into.

“Where are they going to sleep?” Danni asks. “I don’t think we can fit them all in the apartment.”

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