Page 42 of Property of Baffle
“What happens if they don’t listen?”I turned to see Angel standing just behind me.“They weren’t supposed to contact you before but they did.”
Rick nodded.“That’s true.Lila wasn’t banned at that point, she was just told to go cool off.Punchy had only disowned his daughter and him disowning her is different than being exiled.Now, they can’t even contact Punchy unless he leaves the club for them.”
Angel sucked in a breath, obviously shocked by that.I was still somewhat numb and working through everything so it would take a bit to process how I felt.Not that it mattered to me in the big picture.I wondered how Punchy was able to live with making the decision between keeping his family or staying with his club, though.Granted, it was his family who forced that choice because of their actions.I didn’t get to think on it too long because Rick wasn’t done filling me in on everything that had happened since I was injured.
“Johnny Culver’s death was officially ruled a vehicular accident.The report says it appears he lost control of his motorcycle, crashed, and during the fall, hit his head several times on road debris.”Rick chuckled.“You got him good, sweetheart.He escaped a far worse fate because of it, but at least you got your own justice for what he tried to do to you and the fucker won’t be able to do it to anyone else.”
Rick stood and looked down at me, but I couldn’t bring myself to face him, so I kept my head down.I wasn’t done thinking everything over and figuring out what it all meant.I also wasn’t done healing and didn’t want him to see my body all banged up the way it was.That just added to my turmoil.I could see his movements from my peripheral vision, though.
“I’m here when you decide what you want, Nell.Not going anywhere.Didn’t choose anyone else over you, either.I was doing my duty to the club that day, nothing more.”
He walked away as I told myself that I knew that he was right.It didn’t stop my heart from hurting.I wanted to wrap myself in his arms and never let go, but what if next time I was in trouble another woman was too.Would he choose her?Would he choose someone else because the club needed him to?My fears might not have been fair but after what I went through, they were valid.
“Wait!”Angel called out.
“Yeah?”Rick called back and I could tell he was already at the bay door.
“What about whoever was supposed to be here that day with Nell?What happened to them?”
“He was a prospect who didn’t show up or call until later that evening.He had some excuse about his grandma being sick, but that wasn’t good enough.The asshole never let us know that he wasn’t coming so we could replace him, and since Nell didn’t say anything, we all assumed he was here all day with her.”
That made my stomach sour knowing that I should have reported that, but honestly, it wasn’t something that I thought of until I was too mad to do anything about it.
“He’s no longer able to be a member of the club and is also exiled from affiliating with anyone in the KOAMC.”
“Good.He deserves the ban,” Angel called back to her brother.We both remained quiet as we listened to Rick get on his motorcycle and leave.Then, my sweet sister-in-law wrapped me up in a hug and let me break down in her arms.“I know you need time, and I’m not rushing you, but he looks wrecked and I think you need to know that, too.You’re both suffering and I hate it even though I understand.”
BAFFLE: I’m giving you space, not giving up.Eventually, I’m coming for you, but I hope you come to me first.
Rick sentthat text the day after he came to tell me what happened to Roxy and Lila.I stared at it again this morning.It had been two days since he sent it and I was so tired of not being with my husband.If I let this go on much longer, Roxy might as well have gotten her way because the longer we spent apart the bigger a divide that slipped between us.We were already at a disadvantage with our relationship because it was so new and this felt almost insurmountable for some reason.I just felt irrationally frozen every time I got ready to reach out.
I was just about to put my welding helmet on when a small truck rolled up.It was Sammy and Tilly.They came in and Tilly immediately pulled up the second rolling chair in the bay and brought it next to mine.I glanced over at Sammy who seemed preoccupied with her thoughts.
“Angel was supposed to come with you,” I mentioned.Sammy nodded but didn’t say anything.
“My boy, your husband, needs his wife right now.They went to the prison yesterday to see their father.Neither Patrick or Angel will talk with anyone about it, but they both had a lot to unpack from that conversation.Please, if you even for one minute considered setting things to rights, now is the time to stop being stubborn.”
Rick hadn’t even told me he was going.Then again, neither did Angel.I had to assume it was something they got approval for at the last minute and took off as soon as it came through.I knew it was wrong to feel like I’d once again been left out, but that was ridiculous.I couldn’t expect my husband to keep me updated on everything in his life when I refused to even speak to him since the morning before we parted ways on the day Johnny came after me.
“Can you give me a ride?”I asked.Tilly patted my hand, nodded, and then stood up to help me out of my chair.Sammy brought my crutches over to me, and then we were off with my watchdog for the day, Squeak, following behind.No matter how jumbled my head was, I could be there for Rick.I already knew that had to be a hard visit because it was his first time seeing his father since the man had been locked away after killing his mother.
23Prison
Baffle
“Areyou sure you want to do this?”Angel asked as we buckled into the truck I borrowed from Sammy.
“Yeah, I think we both need it.Plus, he needs to hear this shit and know how senseless it all was.I need to look him in the eye and fucking…” I groaned and rubbed both my eyes with the heels of my hands.“I don’t know.I just need to look him in the eye and ask why the fuck he was even with another woman when he had my mother.He used to gloat about how she was his one, the only, the love his life.How the fuck do you have a whole other hidden family if that’s the case?”
“What about Nell?”
“She’s covered.Sammy’s going to hang with her.Grease or Dime will be at the shop or outside the cabin to keep watch while we’re away.”
“I meant don’t you think she’d want to know where you’re going or how long you’ll be away?”
I shrugged my shoulders and started the truck.“She hasn’t said a word to me since I sent that text telling her I was going to fucking deal with Roxy’s bullshit.We weren’t married that long, Angel.I’m beginning to think she doesn’t care.Fuck, she already killed the man she was hiding from.Maybe she’s just biding her time until she gets her Classic Sin piece finished and then she’s going to cut and run.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”My sister asked.
