Page 8 of Pike
Falcon snickered. “Like you want to be alone tonight.”
Dammit he was right about that. When I was alone thoughts of Ash invaded and I tried to drown them out with booze, but that shit didn’t work, no matter how much I drank. I ended up drunk and miserable with even more thoughts of my baby sister invading my mind. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t have to be.” T-Bone’s voice was filled with concern that both grated and relieved me. “You gonna be able to do this?”
I shrugged but I gave his question serious thought, accepting a cold beer from Falcon. I didn’t know how I would do it, but I knew I had to. “Yeah. I mean even if she’s not my favorite person, I hate the Ghost Riders more. That kind of makes us allies.” That was the lie I was telling myself anyway.
Falcon finished putting some beers in the fridge and laughed. “That’s some impressive twisting you’re doing. Maybe you ought to be a gymnast.”
I flipped him off and took another long pull of beer. I smiled, one of the first genuine smiles in months.
T-Bone didn’t smile back. “You didn’t see her when we found her in the cabin, Pike. I know this is complicated as fuck for you, but she’s been through hell twice and whatever you feel about Ash, she feels it times ten. She blames herself and she won’t stop beating herself up over it.”
I snorted. “On that we agree.”
He stared at me as if he didn’t know me. “She wants me and Faith to take Gemma, to keep her safe while the Ghost Riders hunt her.”
“Whoa,” Falcon added, draining his beer. “That’s intense.”
He nodded. “She doesn’t want you to have to protect her and she doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“I’m doing this, man, I don’t know what the fuck else you want from me. I’ll keep her and the girl safe. I give you my word.” She wasn’t the only person who’d been through shit in her life and hers was no worse than anybody else’s. “She’s safe.”
T-Bone sighed, nodding slowly. “I know you wouldn’t physically hurt her, Pike, fuck man, Iknowthat.”
I snorted. “Gee, thanks.”
“You don’t know fuck.” He shook his head. “He beat the fuck out of her for years. Broken bones, miscarriages, torture, and humiliation. He broke her and she scares easily so if you could just… take it easy on her. For me.”
“Fine,” I growled and stood to get another beer. “I’ll be nice. I’ll treat the girl who got my sister killed like the spun glass she is.”
T-Bone stared at me for so long I was sure he was debating beating my ass or just putting a bullet in my thigh. Then he spoke, just two words that stopped my shitty behavior. “Lyle Hernandez.”
My jaw clenched tight at the name of the man who almost assaulted my sister, would have if not for T-Bone. “Fine. Fucker.”
We drank and laughed while rock music played, doing its best to make some of this aching fucking pain go away. It was almost enough to make me forget everything. Almost but notquite. I’d never forget that a piece of me was gone and would never return.
And just like that the pain was back, pulsing through me with the force of a hurricane. I drank two more beers, enough to knock me out without a hangover in the morning and then I hit the sack.
Where I sure as fuck didn’t dream about a woman with haunting green eyes and a perpetual sadness that made me feel shit I didn’t want to feel.
Chapter Seven
Chloe
“You look like crap. Did you get any sleep at all?” Faith stood in front of me with her hands on her hips while a scowl darkened her face. “Well?”
I shrugged and dropped the three duffel bags and two backpacks that held mine and Gemma’s worldly belongings. “I slept,” I replied. It wasn’t exactly a lie because Ihadslept, about two hours total between nightmares, panic attacks, and an endless list of items I needed to pack. By the time the sun rose, our bags were packed and triple checked, and I went back to holding Gemma’s sleeping body.
Patience and sympathy flashed in my sister’s green eyes. “That’s not enough, Chloe. You’ll start hallucinating if you don’t get more sleep.”
I snorted. “Hallucinations can’t be worse than what I’m already experiencing.” I froze, wishing I could recall the words when I caught sight of the worry that etched Faith’s face.
“Nightmares, still?”
I nodded. “I assume they’re just part of my life now.”
“Maybe some mountain air will help. I hear it’s really peaceful there.” She gripped one hand with hers and shoved an envelope into my free hand. “This is just in case you need anything.” She wrapped me in her arms with a grunt. “I’m sorrythis shit happened to you, Chloe. You didn’t deserve it, and I hope you know that. Take this time to heal.”
