Page 80 of Stitch
“So there isn’t a single one of them you’d be happy to see Elise with?”
Stitch let out a curse and dropped his phone again just as he found it.
“Crap, will you stop distracting me, woman?Got it.Bastard slipped under the seat.”
Ten minutes later we were on the slip road, leaving the motorway and heading into town. Another five minutes and we’d be at the clubhouse. Our future, whatever it might be, was waiting just past a set of heavy steel gates, and as I reached them, and we waited for the prospects to pull them open, Stitch grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it tightly in his.
“This is it, babe. Whatever happens now, I’m so thankful for the time we’ve had together.”
“Don’t try saying goodbye to me yet, asshole. You’re not getting rid of me that quickly.”
Thirty-Six
Arriving home was botha pleasure, because we were welcomed back by my brothers like we’d been gone for months, and a terrifying moment, because I was about to find out just how seriously ill I was. Assuming those damn letters weren’t some kind of minor bullshit, like I’m due for some fucking test or vaccinations, they held the answers I’d been hiding from for so long.
Elise wasn’t in the bar or anywhere in sight, but her car was definitely parked outside. We made our way up to the floor I lived on, bumping into Has on the stairs.
“Brother, welcome home.” He dragged me into a hug, but he looked preoccupied, probably having found his naked ass on porn sites again, poor guy.
I threw open my door and found Elise inside, staring out of the window. She brushed a hand over her eyes before she turned to face us, and ran into my arms, hugging me tight.
“Elise, you okay?” She nodded, holding on tight and hugging me a few moments longer.
Camille had hovered in the doorway, and as we broke apart, Elise shoved past me to hug her too.
“Welcome back, sister-in-law!”
“You’ve been crying, are you okay?”
I grabbed Elise again, turning her to face me. Yeah, her fucking face was red, her eyes swollen and teary. Fury surged inside me, and I gripped her arm firmly, staringher down. She didn’t deserve my anger, but I was hanging on by a fucking thread right now.
“What happened? Did someone hurt you? Has one of these fuckers upset you?”
She shook me off, letting out a growl of frustration.
“It’s nothing okay? Can you just check your letters, so we know what’s happening? I’ve been going out of my mind here!”
I took them from her, noting the way my hand trembled as I closed my fingers around them. They were thin. Was that a good sign? They were all sealed, so Elise’s tears weren’t from anything she’d snooped at, but I’d get to the bottom of whatever or whoever had upset her. Mark my fucking words.
“Dammit, Stitch!” Camille slapped my arm, and I nearly dropped the letters.
“Fuck.”
“Sit down, and we’ll sit with you while you read them. Come on, babe. You know you have to open them now.”
I stared at the three envelopes in my hand, and I felt ice running down my spine as I read the details on the outside of them.
“Which one do I start with? Jesus… this one saysoncologyon it.”
“Start with that one.” Camille took the other two from me, and rested her hand on my knee. “Time to get answers, remember?”
Fuck. I tried to ignore the way my hands shook, as I tucked a finger under the flap, and tore the envelope open. I pulled out the paper inside and unfolded the letter. The top part was my information, personal details, and then the first paragraph.What the…
I handed it to Camille, feeling numb inside, like I wasn’t even inside my body right now.
“Does that say what I think it does?”
She blanched as she took the paper and unfolded it again.
