Page 27 of Lawless
“What’s it mean?”
“It’s an old Biblical term for the grave, or Hell. Gunner thought of it. Fitting, huh?”
“Yeah…” My enthusiasm was nowhere near the same level as hers.
I smelled the food cooking before we saw it, and my stomach rippled with a growl of hunger. Voices began floating up in the warm, early evening air, accompanied by what sounded like water splashing.
We came to a flat-roofed single-story building a few minutes later, clearly the HOA clubhouse for this ritzy community before the SDMC moved in. Noelle led me around to the back side of the building. Sure enough, there was a glittering blue pool, illuminated by lights both inside and outside of the water. People were swimming, splashing, talking, and drinking.
Noelle opened the wrought-iron gate of the surrounding fence and led me inside. Only then did I get a true sense of how many people lived here.
Two men laughing over beers tended to thick, juicy steaks sizzling on a grate over a rectangular fire pit. More people, men and women, checked over the four smaller barbecue pits near the perimeter of the patio area. A large awning from the main building hung over the grills and patio furniture scattered around, while still a safe distance from the pool. Long tables stretched in front of the couches and smaller, bistro tables were placed by lounge chairs.
At least thirty people gathered here, drinking and eating together like family. What shocked me the most was seeing that there wereactualfamilies. I recognized one of Reaper's men holding a toddler against his waist, his arm around a woman's shoulders as he talked to another guy. I stared openly as he kissed the woman's temple, and she beamed at him with pure love in her eyes.
I felt like my brain was broken. I found it impossible to reconcile that these men—road pirates, thieves, and murderers—had children and loved ones waiting for them at home.
"Let's sit with Tessa." Noelle broke into my thoughts and pulled me toward a heavily pregnant woman sitting on one of the couches.
"Nellie!" The woman squealed and began pushing herself but Noelle put a stop to that immediately.
"Nope! None of that, old lady! You stay right where you are."
Tessa relented, relaxing back as she held her arms out to hug Noelle. "Oh, I miss you, hun," she cooed against Noelle's bright red hair. "These kids don't give me a free minute, I tell you."
"Honey, I told you I can help with them," Noelle chastised gently before looking over at me. "Tessie, this is Mariposa. Reaper brought her from a service center on the last ride."
"Ohh welcome, sweetie! Nice to meet you!" Tessa smiled glowingly up at me. "It's so nice to see Reaper's found someone—"
"Oh no, there's nothing between us," I interrupted her. "No offense, but I didn't exactly come here willingly."
Tessa's smile didn't falter. "Well, he must've seen something special in you, to have rescued you from your situation."
I couldn't believe my ears. Was she brainwashed by these people?
"He didnotrescue me. He kinda—"
"Hey, let's grab a drink!" Noelle cut me off with a tense smile before pulling me over to a large tub of ice with various cans and bottles stuck inside. "Can you just cool it for a damn minute?" she hissed under her breath. "I get why you're upset, but don't take it out on my pregnant, hormonal friend."
Shit, I definitely should've known better. Picking my battles was not my strong suit.
"Sorry," I sighed, leaning over the ice tub. "What's good to drink?" Maybe a few alcoholic beverages would take the edge off.Although another massage from Reaper wouldn't hurt.
I shook the thought from my head just as Noelle began pointing out drinks. "The hard lemonade's pretty good. The dark bottles are malt liquor some of the guys made. Drink that at your own risk."
"Hard lemonade it is." I pulled a bottle out and twisted off the cap as we made our way back to Tessa.
"Sorry about that earlier," I forced a smile at her as I sank down next to her on the couch. "I just...didn't expect to end up here and I don't know anything about MC life."
"Aww, that's all right, sweetie," she clasped one of my hands and returned my smile. "It's a different way of life, for sure. Takes some getting used to. Life after the Collapse either swallowed men up whole, or it made them stronger. These men," she nodded out toward the barbecue pits and the pool, "they're the strong ones. But carrying all that weight on their shoulders has its consequences, too. That's why they need good women around," she added with a pat to my hand.
I drank from my bottle as I listened to her. "So, I take it you're someone's old lady?"
"Mm-hmm. That one's mine right there, with the two rugrats," she pointed to the other side of the pool, where a large, burly man held the hands of two children. "You can't have him," she added with a playful smack to my thigh.
I forced a chuckle, then swallowed my response with another pull of my lemonade. That was the guy getting his dick sucked by Kitty out in the lobby. With how dreamily Tessa looked at him with their children, I couldn't imagine she had any idea.
"What about you, Noelle?" I looked down the couch to her. "Are you with anyone?"
