Page 62 of Gypsy's Lady
She leaned back against Gypsy. He’d wedged himself behind her on the couch, seeming to need the contact as much as she did. Alan had been holding one of her hands in both ofhis for the past two hours as the siblings brought each other up to date on their lives. Most of her life, anyway, but she’d avoided the one topic which had made it so they could be reunited after everything.Baxter. Kelsey flinched at the thought and Gypsy’s palm smoothed across her stomach, gliding until he gave her waist a squeeze. Alan hadn’t missed the reaction either, and his grip tightenedgently around her hand.
“Kelsey…” Alan shook his head with a smile. “That’s gonna take a fair bit of getting used to, won’t it? My baby sister, Cheri, all grown up and making her mark in the world.” His gaze flicked over her shoulder towards Gypsy, then back to her face. “Right then.The elephant in the roomand all that. I know what happened, Kelsey. I know how you came to be Gypsy’s wife. Youdon’t have to ever say a word about it, unless it’s what you want. I can’t promise I will be calm if that happens, but I trust the man behind you to have dealt with whatever was needed. I don’t know everything, but I know enough. He saved you. That’s all that matters, in the end. You were saved, and you’re here living and breathing in front of me, when I’d given up all hope of finding you.”
“Y-you knew I was missing?” Kelsey swallowed hard, the knowledge he might have known and hadn’t caredclawingat her insides. “Y-you knew?”
“Not for months, Cher—Kelsey.” He shook his head. “You’d been missing for more than half a year before I got a call. I rang up all me mates back home and came up empty. You’d withdrawn from your work program, and then left Melbourne. From all appearances,you’d dropped off the edge of the earth, never making it home.” His fingers flexed, and she twisted her hand to curl around his hand, gripping tightly. “I called all the favors I knew. Mates from the service, blokes who’d gotten out to go back and do civvie service, anyone I could contact in an A&E…nothing. I looked at a hundred photos of young girls who fit the description I got from your friends.I went home twice, trying to stir the interest. I looked, love. I promise you.”
“Ba-Ba—” She stopped and swallowed hard. “Baxter said there was no one.”
“Jesus, you don’t believe that, do you?” Alan swore under his breath and stared at the floor for a moment. “I wouldn’t have let it happen, not like that.” He stopped and swore again. “For now, it’s enough to know you’re safe.” Alan smiled, thatsame beam he’d directed her way earlier. “Tell me what’s next. I heard you and Gypsywereheaded back to California. You reckon you’ll be back, or stay there for a time?”
Gypsy pressed a soft kiss against the side of her head, and she knew that was his answer. What happened next would be up to her, no matter what they’d already decided. For her, he’d give up moving to where he felt most at home.I can’t do that to him. Alan was found, that was the most important thing.He won’t be lost again. No matter what. “Planes go back and forth every day.” Alan snorted. “Could you come…?” She twisted to look up at Gypsy. “Can I invite…?” Alan placed her hand on Gypsy’s arm, patting it twice in a paternal manner.
“Darlin’, you can have whatever you want.” Gypsy ducked his head and kissed the tipof her nose. “You want to stay here for a while, we’ll make it work. You want him to come to visit, that’s entirely doable, too. You want him to move with us…” Kelsey giggled at the idea of making Alan do anything, and Gypsy smiled. “You’ll have to take that up with him.”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the ocean again.” Alan’s voice was soft, and when she turned to look at him, his expressionmatched the sound, sweet and affectionate, and entirely accepting of whatever she wanted. “That’s actually what I’d come to talk to Gypsy about tonight. I like the Rebels right enough, but it’s not quite what I want. I thought if he’d found a place in the Malcontents, there might be a place for me.”
She twisted her neck to gawk up at Gypsy when he laughed. “What?”
“Not every day a man findsout his friend is his brother-in-law and wants to move cross-country to live with him in the grand land of California.” Laughter slowing to a chuckle, he shook his head, strands of his hair escaping the man-bun he’d put it up in on the plane. Dipping his head, he took her lips in a hard kiss, driving all thoughts of anything other than Gypsy out of her head. Breathless with need, she relaxed in hisarms, cuddling close when he pulled back. “You want him to come with us, I’ll make it happen for you, honey. Whatever you want.”
“How did I get so lucky?” Suddenly tired, she closed her eyes. “You think the girls are still coming over?”
“Yeah, I do.” He moved underneath her, and Kelsey opened her eyes to see Alan staring at her, one corner of his mouth curled up.
“You staying, Alan?”
“Couldn’tbeat me away with a stick.” He pushed off the couch to pace the length of the room. “Do ya think you could introduce me to your friends, Kelsey?”
Gypsy relaxed his hold when Kelsey started struggling up, reaching for her bag to pull out her tablet. Kelsey didn’t say anything, just flicked her way to the video app, waiting until it connected. “This better be good, Kels.” Nary’s voice came througheven though the screen was dark. “It’s freakin’ early.”
“Nary, Nary. I found my brother.” The video on the tablet flashedandKelsey saw the bathroom in the background, heard the click as the door closed behind Nary. “I found Alan. Well, he found me, but whatever happened, he’s foundandI’m found,andhe’s here.”
Inarticulate screeching sounds came through the tablet’s speakers and the videojittered around, jumping up and down. “You did not! Tell me you did. You aren’t lying, are you? I’d be destroyed if you were being an arse and lying to me.”
“I’m not lying, and he’s right here.” Kelsey turned the tablet around,andAlan waved towards the screen. More screeching but it cut off abruptly,andKelseybroughtthe tablet back around. She saw Nary standing there, Saxon behind her, hishand across her mouth. She wavedandNary returned the wiggle of fingers. “Hi, Saxon.”
“Gypsy, brother. Wanna tell me what’s got your woman so excited she’s calling my woman at this time of night?” Saxon knuckled his eyes, carefully removing his palm from Nary’s mouth. “Don’t threaten the teeth, woman. I’ll swat your arse.”
“Kelsey’s brother is here. She wanted to tell Nary, I guess.” Gypsyreached out and gripped the tablet, turning it so Saxon could see Alan, who once again gave a little wave.
Kelsey leaned over so she could see the screen of the tablet in time to watch Saxon’s expression soften, and she smiled as his eyes sought hers through the screen. “Love you, little sister.”
Unable to bring herself to attempt speech, Kelsey kissed her fingertips and blew across them.
***
Gypsy
Standing in the clubhouse meeting room behind the bar, Gypsy scanned the faces of the men arranged around the table and along the wall. More than just officers, Mason and Fury had invited key members into church tonight. Those two men were seated along one side of the table, a practice Mason had started long ago. The president was never positioned at the head, but in the midst of things,just like they were expected to serve. He saw Bear, Jase, Gunny, Brute, and a host of other men he’d called brother for years now.
Gypsy forced his throat to work, swallowing through a sudden tight feeling.My time here mattered, he reminded himself. The club members had worked together to shut down dealers in an ever-widening radius from the club’s official territory, and had killed two differenttrafficking rings in the past two years alone. His time here had counted, and he knew it.
Movement pulled his attention to see Fury raise the gavel, bringing it down on the table with a sharp double rap.
“Shut up, assholes.” That was Gunny, and Gypsy smirked at the annoyed look on his face when Jase continued to talk to Bear. “Cap’n, I’m advising you right now toshut up.”
“Jesus, you’d thinksomeone gave the big guy authority or something.” Jase flashed a grin which earned him a glower from Gunny. “He’s my brother-in-law. I should get special treatment. A chat-all-you-want pass, maybe?” Gunny lowered his chin towards his throatandhis brows furrowed more. “Jesus. Get a grip, Gunny.I’m beingquiet now, eh? Holy shit you’re scary. Remind me why my sister loves you?” Gunny shook hishead and glared at the rest of the room.
