Epilogue
One month later
Hugo walked into the Banderos clubhouse with Hound, the club’s new vice captain, who led him into Glass’s office. The place stank of cigarette smoke and alcohol. Already, the haze of smoke was staining the fresh paintwork.
“Pat him down,” Glass said, not bothering with a greeting. “He’s a dangerous bastard.”
“I came here to talk. If I wanted you dead, I would have left you to die at the swamp.” Hugo opened his arms and spread his legs so Hound could pat him down. When he was done, Glass motioned for him to take a seat.
The president sat stiffly at his desk, a black-eyed bastard, one arm in a sling and one leg in plaster. His fingers were splinted, and dark bruises still covered his face. A bottle of whiskey and a half full glass sat in front of him on the desk.
“You didn’t want me dead. You wanted to fucking bury me alive, watch me die slowly while you fucked my daughter and tattled on me to the Slayers.” He hooked his thumb under the drawer, wincing as he pulled it open. From his side of the desk, Hugo could see Glass’s semi-automatic. “If it weren’t for Alice, you’d be eating this,” Glass said. “I know that girl cares for you.”
“Settle down, Glass. You’re too slow to kill me, and Hound here will be dead if he touches me, which will upset Alice because she likes him.”
Hound grinned.
“Get out of here, Hound,” Glass snarled, and his VC left the room. “Alice told me your part in this. She made me give mah word not to take retribution on account that you saved mah life and found out who tried to kill my old lady.”
“Cain is in goal. Your missus is safe. You haven’t blown anything up or injured anyone in the process. That made Alice happy.”
“You set me up,” Glass said. “And I’m not the forgiving type. I’m itching ta kill you.”
“I get it. I understand revenge. But the truth is, the Slayers didn’t want to kill you. Your men Cain and Mad Dog planned to get you, one way or another, and then pick off your family.”
Despite his bravado, Glass slumped in his seat. “They’ve been dealt with. The rest are good men. Now why are you here?”
“This Slayer business is never going to end well for you. I want to offer my assistance to broker a deal.”
Glass picked up his whiskey glass and sculled the remaining portion down. “I’m not making peace with those assholes. If that’s the reason you wanted a meeting, you might as well leave now.”
“I want to ask your permission to marry Alice.” She had begged him to do things properly, and although dealing with this cantankerous asshole rankled, he wanted to please her.
The whisky glass slid out of Glass’s disabled hand and rolled across the desk, and the skin around his collar darkened. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing into slits. “You worked for the Slayers, and you want to marry mah daughter? I should shoot you right here and now. Right in the balls.”
Hugo shifted his weight forward onto his feet. Just in case. “Well, that’d be a shame. I happen to know a sweet girl like Alice wants babies and your wife’s keen on grandbabies.”
At the mention of Alice’s mother, Glass sat back in his chair. “On the first question, I don’t want peace with the Slayers. I put the money up to build this place, and I plan to sell it to a rival club that’ll give the Slayers hell.” He topped his whiskey glass up, victorious.
“And what about you? What are you going to do?” he asked, determined not to take Glass’s bait about the Slayers.
“Got an expensive house in New Orleans. I’m selling up. Retiring. Going to take the missus to live in Hawaii.”
He’d never been so relieved in his life, and he struggled to keep his face impassive. Glass gone. Hallelujah. “Never took you for the sun-seeker type.”
Glass’s face softened. “I ain’t. But I made my old lady a promise. She deserves to get whatever she wants.”
“Have you had an offer on this place?” he asked.
“Why you asking?” Glass asked, giving him his usual suspicious glare.
“This is a great building. I plan to start my own business, and I’ll need a place with good security.”
“Why the fuck would I sell to you? And if you think I’m going to give you mah best wishes to marry Alice, think again.”
There was a noise at the door. Alice and her mother, Maisy, barged into the office. “Knew I’d find you here drinking,” Maisy said to her husband. She snatched up Glass’s bottle of whisky and put it in a cupboard.
“I’m doing business here, honey,” Glass said.
Maisy raised her eyebrows. “I heard the bit about you giving me what I want, and I want this nice young man to marry my Alice, so I can retire and not worry about her.”
“Daddy? This is what I want,” Alice said.
Glass flashed him a nasty look but gave a short, sharp nod after glancing at his wife. “I’ll give you mah blessing, but don’t think that I like you.”
He leaned over the desk and shook Glass’s hand, gently. “Thank you, sir. Thank you, Maisy. I’ll come back and make you an offer for the building. It’s time this war stopped.”
“If it’s reasonable, he’ll be accepting,” Maisy said.
Glass scowled but kept his lips shut.
Alice leapt into Hugo’s arms, and he swung her around.
“Let’s go,” Hugo said.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
Half an hour later, Hugo knelt on the lush grass in front of Alice. Birds twitted in the trees around them, and dapples of sunshine spotted the ground. Just behind him was the LOVE sculpture. “I couldn’t tell you how much I loved you before, but I wanted to. I love you, Alice. You’re perfect for me. Because of you, I want to settle. Will you marry me?”
Alice took his hands. “I will. I know you’ll stand by me whatever happens. You’re not scared of anything or anyone. I love you. You’ve taught me so much about myself in such a short time. Whenever I’m with you I feel safe and secure and happy. Most of all happy. I love you, and I want to be your wife.”
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About the Author
Cathleen Ross is a quirky writer who lives on Sydney Harbor with her husband, daughter, and very loved dog, Denzel. As an English teacher and editor, she has always surrounded herself with books. When she’s not giving psychic predictions for her family and friends, she’s writing romances where her heroines always get their man. She’s a multi-award-winning author who regularly hits the Amazon best-seller lists. You can find her on https://www.facebook.com/cathleen.ross.3
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