Page 69 of Absinthe Dreams
“Can I ask you another favor?” I put forward.
“Of course,” she said.
“You still got that necklace that’ll call the cops for you?”
“Yeah, I’ve still been wearing it, too. I mean, it’s paid for, the next three months, and it’s pretty. Even though Luke’s…” she faltered and finally settled on, “…gone, I don’t know. I still have it, and it’s comforting. I’m sorry?—”
“For what?” I asked. “I was about to ask that you wear it on Friday. Just in case.”
“You got a bad feeling?” she asked.
“Yeah. I can’t put my finger on it, but I do. Are you cool with that?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said.
“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” I told her. “This is just a better-safe-than-sorry kind of thing.”
“No, I get it,” she said, sounding troubled. “You just promise me thatyou’llbe careful.”
“Oh, trust me, I will. I’ve gotta come home to my baby.” I reached out a hand, and her fingers found mine, twining between my thick digits and curling elegantly over my knuckles.
“I love you,” she said. “I don’t know how all of this is going to work, but I love you.”
I sat with that for a heartbeat or two and let it sink in.
“I love you, too,” I said without hesitation. “You complete me… and I promise, as soon as we can, we’re gonna put this shit to bed and do what I said we’re gonna do. This isn’t what any of us want anymore. Running protection rackets is one thing, but we want out of everything else and the protection thing? We aren’t into the ‘pay us or else’ model. They want us, we’re there, but beyond that – we really are trying to slow down.”
“Semi-retire?” she suggested with a chuckle.
“From the Life? Probably never, but from the fast pace and violence? For sure,” I said.
She sighed and said, “When it comes tothe life, I don’t know that you ever get to do that, but I see your vision and I’m all for getting there. I just don’t know how to help, you know?”
I shook my head and said, “Just be patient with me… with us… and let’s keep talking every step of the way. If you need to tap out and take some time away from me or the club, we can make that happen…” I liked the way her hand tightened on mine when I even suggested that we take a break, as though that wasn’t really an option.
“I’m doing my best,” she promised, and I knew that and appreciated it. I dragged her knuckles to my lips and kissed them lightly, and returned our hands to dangling between our hammocks, still interlocked.
“I know,” I said. “I see and appreciate it. I know none of this is easy, even if it is familiar, and I respect that there’s a part of you that’s always waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop. For me to end up back in your ER or in the grave, or worse, locked up away from you for years. I promise, I’m trying like hell to not let anything like that happen, and we’re treading carefully but?—”
“You can’t predict the unpredictable.” She stole the words right out of my mouth. “I know,” she said.
“Thank you for hanging in there with me,” I said.
“Thank you for answering my call and for taking care of my thing so swiftly,” she answered.
“We’re still not even, baby. I’ll spend the rest of my life taking care of you for what you did for me,” I told her.
She snorted and said, “That’s a bit much, love.”
I chuckled, but didn’t say anything, because no, no, it wasn’t.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Genesis…
I indulged in every bit of domesticated bliss I could from that night right up until Friday, when the proverbial shit became all too real. The ride to the club was a good one. We had dinner at home, and rode under a sky that was all sorts of pink and fiery oranges, fading into a soft lavender at the edges from a spectacular sunset.
It was so beautiful, I didn’t think it was something I would ever forget.
