Page 39 of Raven
I wasn’t sure, but I’d let them know, which was my obligation. I turned back to face the crowd as the music grew in volume and voices began to fill the air. I’d decided this morning, when Warhol told me about Rooster, that doing both things after the claiming would be the best idea. I didn’t want anything derailing my commitment to Sydney.
Sydney started looking around the crowd and when she saw me, her smile grew. I clapped Roughstock on the shoulderand stepped away, wanting a few minutes alone with my ol’ lady. Walking through the crowd, a few of the ladies saw me approaching and smirked as they returned to their table.
Phantom and Laura had already taken a seat at the table, and Laura was busy talking to Claire as Phantom looked on.
“Hey, beautiful,” I remarked to Sydney, and she pushed up, pressing her lips against mine.
“I can’t believe you planned all this,” she responded as I took her hand and guided her towards the back door of the Sin Den.
I needed a minute alone with Sydney and as we started walking down the hallway, Comet remarked, “Remember, there’s cameras back there. I don’t want to see your white ass.”
Giving him the middle finger, I kept Sydney moving until we were outside and the noise had settled down. Stepping down to the parking lot, I looked at her as I spun her into my arms. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her as close to me as I could get her before kissing her until we were fighting for breath.
Pulling back, I pressed my forehead to hers, and simply said, “I love you so damn much.”
She placed her arms around my shoulders and replied, “I love you too.”
“And you’re sure you want to marry me?” I asked, needing to hear her say yes again.
“There’s nothing in the world I want more than to be your wife and your ol’ lady.”
“Thank fuck,” I returned and kissed her against, letting her feel my cock pressing against my jeans.
I was lost in the embrace, imagining us doing this for the rest of our lives. A voice from behind us drew my attention. “I hate to break this up, but I wanted to see if we could talk before Phantom left.”
Turning, I saw it was Warhol. My gaze went to Sydney, and she looked unsure as I took her hand and led her back to the building. Warhol held the door for us, and we walked inside to the familiar smells and sounds that filled the air.
Sydney looked at me, and I offered her a reassuring smile as we followed Warhol. She tried to release my hand, and I squeezed hers slightly, indicating she needed to stay. Warhol knocked on the door, and a voice told us to come in.
Walking into the office, I saw Roughstock sitting behind his desk and Phantom in one of the seats in front. Warhol stepped to the side, and I nudged Sydney to take the seat beside Phantom. She looked intimidated, and I pressed beside the chair, not wanting her to feel like she was facing an inquiry.
Warhol, not one to beat around the bush, began to speak. “I’ve been looking into the situation with Rooster, and I have some good news and some not so good news.”
Sydney glanced up at me, and I placed my hand onto her upper back, hoping to instill calm as he explained.
“I called the sheriff of the town your mom was living in when she passed away, and it took him until this morning to get back with me. I wanted to know what the chances were that Rooster was telling you the truth, and if there would be any blowback on the club.” He gave her a rare smile as he spoke. “The sheriff let me know that a few days ago, Rooster and his two brothers were killed in a meth house explosion.”
Sydney sat back, her eyes locked onto the front of Roughstock’s desk. Her expression was hard to read, and I worried she was in shock. Finally, she lifted her eyes to Warhol and asked, “What does that mean for the cartel?”
In a move I’d never seen from him, he squatted in front of her and looked into her eyes. “Sydney, there was never any cartel. Rooster and his brothers took advantage of people’s grief andfear to steal from them. But you don’t ever have to worry about them again.”
“So, they just took my money and lied about it?” she asked, and I saw tears building in her eyes.
Warhol looked up at me, and I tilted my head to the side, letting him know I needed to get to his spot. He stood and stepped back as I took his place. Taking her hands into mine, I saw embarrassment on her face, and I wouldn’t have her feeling bad. Anyone could get taken advantage of, and she had nothing to be embarrassed about.
“Darlin’, you didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, you did the honorable thing, and I don’t want you to beat yourself up.” I lifted her hands and kissed them before adding. “And Comet’s working on getting your last transfer returned, since it wasn’t picked up.”
“I can’t believe I was so stupid,” she remarked.
Phantom spoke up, reassuring her. “Sydney, you can’t feel bad about trying to do the right thing. There was no way of knowing if what they said was true or not, and you did what you felt was right.”
“I . . . I just didn’t want Uncle Billy to have to pay another debt for my mother,” she said to him, and he gave a knowing nod.
Roughstock spoke next. “I know you’re beating yourself up, but look on the bright side. You don’t have to pay any more money to them, and they will never come looking for you.”
She lifted her eyes to him and almost relaxed at his statement. He had a way of making things seem better, and when she looked up at me, she gave me a questioning look. I reached into the inner pocket of my cut and pulled out the envelope she found yesterday and gave to me this morning before we left for the ride.
I handed it to her, and she looked at it before she spoke. “I found this inside your father’s saddle bags yesterday, along with a small bag of stuff at our house. I don’t know what’s inside, but I wanted to make sure it got to you.” She reached out to hand it to Roughstock before she looked up at me.
