by Colbie Kay
He nods happily. “That’s right. I know you’re trying to get your sisters away from that house, but that can’t happen if you ain’t got money coming in.”
“I’ll do it, but why the Vice President and not the President?”
“I have other plans for the President. You just worry about Mikey. Two bullets, one to the chest and one to the head. Got it?”
“Got it.”
He reaches for a rifle that’s lying on his desk and hands it to me. “Here’s the gun to use. I want the job done as soon as possible.”
“You got it, Prez.”
It’s been a week since the night Demon told me he killed my father. I don’t know if I’m numb because I’m so angry I can’t feel or so hurt I don’t know what to do. I’m not going to use it against him, I promised I wouldn’t. The Sinners would for sure kill me if I did, but aside from that, he’s my baby’s father. I don’t want to be the reason my baby grows up without Demon. I just don’t know if I can face him after knowing what he did.
I have some loose ends to tie up before I start packing. I think maybe I’ll go visit my aunt and friends in Missouri since I haven’t seen any of them since I came to Kansas. It might do me some good to get away from here for a while and clear my head. And while I do consider Wichita home now, never leaving permanently, I think I deserve a much-needed vacation.
Parking my Hummer outside the sheriff’s department, I head inside.
Tyler storms toward me. “What the hell did you do?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I continue to walk past him, not stopping for a second.
“All of the evidence is gone! All charges have been dropped. I know you did it.” His voice raises with each accusation.
I spin on my heels. “You don’t know shit.”
Like a petulant child, he crosses his arms over his chest. Why did I never see how childish he really was? “I’m not going to stop until they are all taken down.”
“You can try, but you’ll fail. Give it up, Tyler. They won.” I continue moving but glance over my shoulder. “And stop acting like a child. You’re a grown man, Tyler.”
I knock on the sheriff’s office door, and once he tells me to enter, I lay my badge and gun on his desk. “If you could be sure to let my department know I have turned in my items, I would appreciate it.”
He taps his pen on the desk, and his eyes meet mine. “Thank you for your time with the force, Detective Kennedy. I’m sure your department will miss you.”
“Thank you, Sheriff Jenkins.”
“Detective Kennedy, or should I call you Dancer?”
I smile. “Dancer is fine.”
“Something I learned a long time ago, you gotta play with them not against them.”
“Are you…?” My mouth drops open. “It was you who always wrote the reports. You’ve been helping them for years.” I laugh, shaking my head. Why had I not realized it before?
He winks at me as I leave his office.
I close the door, and Tyler follows as he continues rambling about not losing. He isn’t giving up, and I roll my eyes as I climb into my Hummer, slamming the door in his face. Maybe he should have become a lawyer instead.
After driving to the courthouse, I find the office I’m looking for and tell the desk clerk I would like to legally change my name. She hands me the form to petition my name change and, on the line, where it says NEW NAME, I write in Dancer Holland. Once I’m finished filling out the form, she takes it from me and explains the next steps I will need to take for it to become legal, but overall, it seems easy enough.
My next stop is at the bank where I withdraw a large sum of money. Between what my father had set up for me, every bit of money I made bartending, and money I made from being a detective, I have plenty. I put all the cash in the bag I brought and leave feeling a little lighter because I’m doing the rest of what I can to make this right.
This could be a risky move, but I’m willing to take my chances. I drive out of town to the Sinners’ compound.
“I can’t let you through, Dancer,” the prospect standing guard states.
I sigh and inform him, “If you don’t let me through, I will drive through the gate. Do you want that?” I cock my brow. It’s not surprising that he won’t let me through, but I’m getting in there one way or another, even if I have to destroy some shit in the process.
“Shit!” He grabs his phone and makes a call. Within a few minutes, I’m let through. I give a knowing smile because I was certain they wouldn’t want the gate busted down.
I walk inside the door, and everyone is standing there with arms crossed and angry faces, except Demon, he doesn’t look angry. He seems more confused, but I try to ignore him.
“The fuck you doin’ here?” Hanger shouts.
“I came to try and make amends. Can we talk?”
Gunner butts in, “Ain’t nothin’ to talk about.”
I hold the bag up. “Fine. Let this do the talking.” I pull out fifteen grand and throw the bundles to Tink. “Give this to Jorga.” I toss the bag to Hanger’s feet. “I don’t know how much money you lost from the roadblock, but here’s 200,000. I hope that’s enough.”
Everyone’s eyes widen as Hanger’s narrow. “How do I know this isn’t a trap?”
I pull my withdraw slip from my pocket and hold it out to him. “Here’s all my information to verify. Call the bank if you want.”
He takes the bag and bank slip from me. “Thanks,” He grumbles.
“You’re welcome. I really am just trying to make amends and fix what I messed up.”
He holds the bag up. “This is a start.”
I walk out of the clubhouse and hear footsteps behind me. “Dancer.”
I turn at the sound of Hacker’s voice. “Don’t worry. This is the last you’ll see of me. I just wanted to give back some of what was taken due to my actions.”
“It was a good move.” His head rolls back for a moment. “Listen, I know Demon told you about your dad, and since he’s still here, I’m assuming you kept your word to not use it against him.”
“I kept my word.” I frown.
His boot kicks at the gravel while I continue staring. My stomach does little flips at the fact he’s even talking to me. “I’m not saying you’re ever going to be welcome here or in any of our lives, but Demon told us about the baby. That baby is a part of our family, so I hope you don’t intend on keeping it from him even with what he did.”
“I don’t. I just can’t be around him. I can’t look at him, Hacker, and I sure as hell don’t know how to forgive him for what he did.” Tears burn my eyes. My heart sinks once again realizing I have to face facts, the man I love killed my father.
Hacker looks at me. “You once told me that my anger was directed at the wrong person. You said the only way to truly move forward is for me to forgive. Maybe it’s your turn to forgive.”
I shake my head. “It’s two totally different situations, Hacker. Sierra didn’t kill your family. She tried to save them and couldn’t. My father was dead the minute that bullet went into his head. The bullet Demon put there. He pulled the trigger.”
“You know how club business works, Dancer. Demon may have pulled the trigger, but who ordered him to do it?”
I’ve been so focused on Demon being the killer, I never considered someone made him do it. “I…I don’t know.” I stammer, caught off-guard. Am I right to blame Demon even if someone else made him do it?
“Maybe you should talk to him.” Hacker laughs, and my lips begin to lift into a grin. “Oh, how the tables have turned.”
“I miss you, and I miss the club.” Tears trail down my cheeks.
“Ya’ know…since everything went down, I keep thinking what if you were Letti. What if it would have been her who betrayed me?” He steps closer. “I would be mad as hell, and I’d be disappointed, but would my love for my daughter evaporate? The answer is no. I wouldn’t stop loving my daughter no matter what. That love is unconditional
.” His arm wraps around my shoulders, and he pulls me into his chest as a father would. “I love you, girl, but I’m mad as hell and so fuckin’ disappointed. It’s Hanger’s decision if you’re allowed back in. As far as Stilettos, you’re pregnant now. Do better for that baby. It’s been hell trying to replace you though.”
I wipe the tears from my cheeks. “Sierra’s turned you soft.” I laugh still crying.
“Talk to Demon.” Hacker presses his lips to the crown of my head, and I swear I hear him sniffle before he releases me. Without looking back, he enters the clubhouse.
As I’m pulling into my driveway, I notice Jorga’s car parked there, and she’s sitting on my steps twirling her fingers together.
“Jorga?”
“Dancer.” She stands with a small smile. “I wasn’t sure if you weren’t home or just not answering. I thought maybe I would have to camp out like Tink did.” She laughs lightly. “I wouldn’t blame you for not answering.” Her smile falters.
“Why are you here?” I unlock the door and hold it open for her to come in.
We both sit on the couch. “Tink called and said you gave him some money. I wanted to say thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It was only right, and I want you to know I never spent your money. I just…” I sigh. “I had to make everything look real.”
She bites her lip and stares at me curiously. “Was it hard? You had a whole separate life none of us knew about.”
My eyes widen. “It was so hard, Jorga, especially keeping it from you. So many nights, when we’d be up watching movies or talking after work, I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t.”
Her head tilts to the side, and her features sober. “So, what happens now?”
I glance around the living room. “I have my Hummer filled with boxes. I have to pack up soon. I don’t know where I go from here, but I think maybe I’ll go see my aunt in Missouri. I haven’t seen her since I came to Kansas.”
She quickly sits up. “You’re coming back though, right? I mean with the baby and Demon…” Her words stop.
“I’m coming back, I just don’t know when. As for me and Demon, Jorga, he killed my father. How do you get past something like that?”
“I can’t answer that because I don’t know, but do you still love him?”
I nod. “I do, and I cry every night that he’s not here. My heart aches for him, but my head keeps reminding me of what he did.”
“Maybe you need to talk to him.”
I smile. “Hacker said the same thing.”
Her mouth drops open in shock. “Hacker talked to you?”
“Yeah, when I was leaving the club.”
“That’s a good thing.” She jumps from her seat. “I have to go before Tink gets home.” I follow her to the door. “Just think about this, as much as you’re trying to fix what you did, don’t you think Demon deserves the same?” She wraps her arms around me, and we hug. “I’ll miss you, Dancer.”
“I’ll miss you too, Jorga.”
“Brothers, we need to discuss Tyler Burris.” Hanger’s eyes drift around the men seated at the table.
Bam Bam runs his hands over his face. “He’s never going to stop.”
We all nod in agreement. Bear says, “He needs to be dealt with.”
“I want to do it,” I jump in. “I want to be the one to kill him.” I light up a smoke. “We may have Sheriff Jenkins on our side, and Judge White destroyed evidence, but how long until Tyler begins gathering new evidence? Jenkins and White won’t be there forever. Tyler’s young, what happens when a new sheriff takes over or another judge is appointed? What if Tyler gets a new partner, and we’re just as fuckin’ blind as we were with Dancer only this time, his plan works?”
Chayser pipes in, “I’m with you, brother. We’ll all go down.”
Hanger’s attention is directed at Bam. “Bam Bam, this will affect Rowan if the vote is to kill him.”
Bam taps his thumb on the table. “I’ll handle it with my Ol’ Lady.”
Hanger blows out a deep breath. “Let’s vote.” He starts with Gunner and works his way around the table. The unanimous vote is for Tyler to be taken out.
Hanger’s eyes drift to mine. “Are you sure you want to do this, Demon?”
Without hesitation, I reply, “Yes.”
“Alright, it’s settled. You and Chayser will take him out. Be fuckin’ careful and don’t rush to get the job done.”
“I won’t, Prez. We’ll take our time and learn his routine.”
Hanger changes the topic. “I’ve been in touch with Ranger. We need to play it safe for the time being, so instead of us going to pick up shipments, they’ll be brought to us.”
Hacker chimes in, “I think that’s smart, especially until Tyler’s dealt with. We don’t know what he’s thinking or if he already has something in the works.”
Hanger grunts. “I’ll make a call to Jenkins and see if he’s heard anything. Tyler was smart with the roadblock, he didn’t let anyone in the department know what was about to go down. That’s why he called it in to the police station. If Jenkins would have known, he would have at least given us a heads up.”
Bam adds, “And who knows what the fuck he does when he goes back to Missouri. He could be working on shit there. I hope Dancer was right and all of the evidence was destroyed.”
I run my hand down my beard and lean back in my seat. “As far as she knows, it was, but who’s to say he’s not hiding shit. Our best bet is to play it safe until he’s six feet under.”
Hanger asks, “All agree?”
“Aye’s” fill the room.
Hanger slams the gavel down. “Church dismissed.”
As I enter the bar, Jorga races over to me. “Demon, Dancer’s leaving.”
My brows pull down tight. “What?”
“She’s leaving.” She glances around to make sure no one is close and lowers her voice. “I went over to see her. I miss her, Demon, but I don’t want Tink to be mad. Anyway, when I was over there, she said she has boxes and is getting ready to pack and leave.”
My chest feels like someone punched inside and is squeezing with all their strength. “Where the fuck is she going?”
Jorga shakes her head frantically. “I don’t know. She said she doesn’t know.”
I run out of the clubhouse and jump on my Harley. It doesn’t take long for me to reach Dancer’s house with the way I was speeding through town. Sure enough, I pull into her driveway and the back of the Hummer is open and filled with boxes. As I’m storming up to her porch, she’s walking toward me with a box in hand. “Demon?” The box falls from her arms and lands with a hard thud on the porch.
“You’re leaving?”
“Jorga told you?” She throws back.
“You can’t fuckin’ leave!” I step closer. “We’re having a kid together. I was angry and so was everyone else, and I know you can’t fuckin’ look at me, but we can get through this shit at least for the baby.” I drop to my knees in front of her, peering up at her. “Please, don’t fuckin’ leave, Dancer. I want you. I want our baby. I fuckin’ love you.”
Dancer’s eyes widen. “Demon, get up! What did Jorga tell you?”
I stand back up. “That you’re leaving and don’t know where you’re going. She was acting all frantic like we’re never gonna see you again.”
She busts out laughing. “I told her I was going to go visit my aunt, and that I didn’t know what would happen now. I never told her I was leaving for good. I think Jorga played you.”
My brows furrow. “Played me?”
“Yeah, she thought we needed to talk.”
“Fuckin’ Christ.” I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “You aren’t leaving for good?”
“No, this city is my home now. I’m going to visit my aunt, and while I’m there, I’m going to be looking for a new place to live. I can’t stay here anymore, and it’ll work out better for me to stay there while I’m looking.”
Without thinking, I cup
her cheeks and caress them with my thumbs. I lean in and press my lips to hers.
She pushes against my chest. “Demon, we can’t.”
“I know.” I lean my forehead against hers. “I need to explain what happened with your father.”
“I’m not ready for that either. I don’t want to hear you tell me you love me because you think I’m leaving and never coming back, especially when I can’t say it back. I need time to figure out how I feel, and I need to clear my head. All this shit is stressful, and that’s bad for the baby.”
I pick up the box from the porch. I’m going to respect her wishes, but I swear to fuckin’ Christ, she better come back. “I’m going to call you. I wanna make sure you and my baby are safe.”
“Okay,” She states that one word, but it gives me some kind of hope that maybe we will work this shit out. She better fuckin’ answer when I call too.
We start moving toward her Hummer. “Do you need help getting more shit in the car?”
“Nope, this is the last of it.” She replies as I put the box in her vehicle and shut the back. Dancer goes back up to the house and walks through one last time before locking it up and leaving the keys in the mailbox.
My fuckin’ heart feels like it’s going to explode and not in a good way. I don’t fuckin’ cry, but goddamn it, I feel the sting coming. I pull her into my chest. “Be safe.” I press my lips to her forehead.
“We’ll talk soon,” She assures me.
Hearing her reassurance still doesn’t help the fact that I don’t wanna fuckin’ let her go, but reluctantly, I step away.
I stand back as she climbs into the driver’s side. “I love you.” I mouth and light up a smoke to keep my emotions in check. I see her wiping tears from her cheeks, and it takes everything inside of me to not yank that door open and beg her to stay. I won’t do it though. I know she needs time, and I can’t lie, I fuckin’ need it too. If we’re able to get past all this shit, it can’t be with any fuckin’ resentment on either side. She blows out a deep breath before pulling away, and I watch her drive away until I can no longer see the taillights.