by Debra Kayn
A short time for him.
Almost a lifetime for Faye.
And for Walker—Hell had no time.
Shown to the partition, blocking them from the other visitors, he let Faye sit in the chair at the counter in front of the Plexiglas. He stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. Underneath his palms, he picked up on the slight tremor in her body.
Or maybe that was him.
He hadn't looked forward to the visit. It was hard to face his MC brother, who'd given up his freedom to save him. Over the years, he'd gone from pissed off and full of rage toward Walker for having taken the hit for him to not wanting to face him because the guilt crippled him.
It should be him behind the glass.
He squeezed Faye's shoulders.
If he lived two lifetimes, there was never any way he could pay back Walker for what he'd done. There would be no Faye in his life if he was serving time.
Faye stiffened. Curley gazed toward the left as far as he could see and spotted Walker. The guard led him toward the table. Their slow procession dictated by the chain-linked from the handcuffs to the ankle shackles.
A perpetual frown marred Walker's hard-lined face. The pit of Curley's stomach hardened. Knowing Walker had already received the news of what happened with Cal Williams, he understood his MC brother's concern. Though Walker's hands were literally tied in prison.
Walker sat in the chair, waited for the guard to secure the chain to the counter, and then picked up the phone receiver.
Faye grabbed the phone on her side and immediately said, "Stop frowning, Uncle. I'm okay."
Because he could only hear one side of the conversation, Curley watched Walker's lips, trying to decipher his reply. Once Walker had walked in, his gaze had stayed on Faye.
"I'm okay, really." Faye glanced over her shoulder at Curley, smiled, and turned back to her uncle. "Better than okay."
Walker's chin lifted, and he spoke into the receiver. Faye reached up and covered Curley's hand with her own.
"He's taking care of me and treating me right." Faye's shoulders relaxed. "I have news."
Over the last two weeks, Faye had taken a lot of time to do what she called 'soul searching' when she wasn't working at Promise. He'd given her time, which she'd spent walking the back property at his house. It wasn't until she'd sought him out and asked him to take a stroll with her, she shared her ideas with him.
"Now that I'm living with Cur—Carl and received notice that I can expect the payoff from the insurance company in two weeks, I'm going to rent out Grandma June's house. That way, when you're released, I can sign the deed over to you. It really belonged to you, anyway."
Walker glanced at Curley, nodded, and spoke over the phone. Curley stroked his thumb against the back of Faye's neck. He'd talked her out of selling the place.
Grandma June had already paid off the mortgage. Walker had made his wishes known that he wanted her to sell and put the money into the nursery, but there was no reason to go that route anymore. Faye lived with him. That was her home now.
"I don't know. I think it makes more sense to build the greenhouses next spring. I don't think anyone can construct them fast enough to have them up before the snow flies. That'll give me this year to help get Promise running to full capacity and extra time at home." She sat up straighter. "Before I forget, Tracy says hi."
While they talked and got caught up, Curley stayed tuned to Faye's body. Any sign of tension building within her, he'd get her out of here.
From his position, he could hear low voices in the room of other visitors talking to their chosen inmate.
Soon, there were only fifteen minutes left. As if Faye knew what he was thinking, she turned in the chair and set the phone on the table. At her sign to trade spots with her, he sat in the chair and picked up the receiver.
Right off the bat, Walker asked, "Does she know?"
"All's good there." He leaned on his elbow, changing the subject. "We're going to the courthouse and getting married next month. I want the paper, saying she's mine."
Walker nodded. "About time."
Throughout the years, Walker never broke his vow to cover Curley's crime when he had every reason to tell anyone who listened, especially Faye. He would never forget Walker's loyalty.
"Damn, brother. You're looking a little rough around the edges." Walker studied Curley's face. "I thought by now you'd be growing your hair out."
And just like that, he had his brother back.
Emotions choking him, Curley rubbed his head. He owed Walker more than he'd ever be able to repay him.
"Fuck you," he mumbled, swallowing hard.
Walker's eyes narrowed, and he held Curley's gaze before dipping his chin and chuckling quietly over the phone. "I'm not that desperate yet, but if you have a couple tits hidden away and some meat on your ass, I'd probably take you up on the offer, you son of a bitch."
Curley raised his free hand and placed it on the Plexiglass. Walker leaned closer, working around the cuffs locking his wrists together, and put his palm on the other side.
"Tarkio, for life," he whispered.
"Even after I’m dead," whispered Walker.
Curley cleared his throat. Walker sniffed, his expression hardening.
"You realize she's going to have you surrounded with plants in a year or two. The girl can make anything grow." Walker winked at Faye, who couldn't hear the conversation.
"Yeah, I suspect you're right." He shrugged. "The place could use a little sprucing up."
"Yeah, probably not a bad thing." Walker cocked his head. "Never pictured you a bar owner."
"Me, neither." He huffed. "Best damn decision I ever made at the time, but I'm happy to go back to wearing the V.P. patch full-time."
"I hear you."
"Hammer has a knack for pouring drinks. It'll be good for the club." Curley continued talking—though he couldn't remember exactly what was said.
Today's visit was a long time coming. Breaching the barrier that he'd put up so long ago was taken down for Faye's sake. For his sake. For Walker.
Walker leaned back as far as his chain would allow and looked to his left. "Time is almost up, brother. Don't be a stranger."
"I won't." He reached for Faye's hand. "Watch your back."
Walker's gaze intensified. "Always."
Curley handed the phone to Faye to say her goodbyes. When she finished, he stood, and a guard appeared at his side. Putting her in front of him, he pressed his hand against her lower back. Before he could step away from the partition, he looked back at Walker, standing with the chain dangling in front of him.
Their eyes met and locked. Understanding passed between them.
That was the last time they'd hedge the topic of what put Walker in prison, and he could let it go. Brotherhood withstood resentment and guilt. They were Tarkio to the core.
Epilogue
Curley
Winter 1991
Inside the Tarkio Clubhouse, Eddie Money sang Shakin' on the stereo. Curley leaned against the back of the sofa and tipped a bottle of beer to his lips while watching Faye gab with Tracy and Nicole. In the dead of winter, everyone found an excuse to get together any chance they could.
They were all sick of being snowbound, and now that the roads stayed clear for more than a couple of days, it wasn't unusual to find a hundred or more members packed in the room.
Faye looked at him, dropping her gaze down his body. Deep in conversation, her mouth kept moving, but her eyes stayed fixed on him. His chest rumbled in amusement. Either she wasn't aware of checking him out, or his old lady had something on her mind—something that involved him, which he would be one-hundred percent behind.
He nudged Paco with his elbow. "Let me bum a cig."
Paco handed him the pack. He lit the cigarette and exhaled the smoke, letting it roll out of his nostrils.
"Good crowd tonight," said Paco.
"That's because Promise is closed." He hooked his thumb in his pocket, ogling hi
s old lady who not only stared at him but turned her body toward him while talking to the others.
"Right." Paco pushed off the back of the couch. "I got an itch to scratch."
"Don't forget about the meeting in the morning," he said, reminding him.
Paco's mouth hardened, and he leaned closer. "I still think it's a good idea for me to ride over there and not wait another day."
The rumors that the missing girls were seen at the Blackfoot Casino and Resort bothered them all. Going inside the reservation was always risky. That's why they had to take their time and be careful. It wasn't only their lives at stake, but the girls.
"Don't go over there tonight." Curley put the cigarette between his lips. "It's a good way to disappear."
Paco's eye twitched, and he nodded before wandering toward the group of women dancing on the other side of the room.
He looked back at Faye. She raised her gaze, her eyes warming. He cocked his brow. Paco wasn't the only one in the room getting horny.
Faye leaned in toward Tracy and talked close to her ear. Those girls and their secrets. Usually, it involved him and Rick. Together, they could get into trouble.
He'd arrived home many times to Faye decked out in some sexy lingerie, greeting him before he could even get his boots off—not that he was complaining. Later, he'd find out Tracy was doing the same thing with Rick because the girls had gone shopping together earlier in the day. It was a friendship he'd never step between because he seemed to be the one that benefitted from Faye spending time with Tracy.
Tracy walked away, leaving Faye alone with the others. Instead of joining into the conversation going around her, Faye looked his way and rubbed her hand down her arm.
He finished his beer, ready to take her home.
The music switched over. Jon Bon Jovi's Let's Make It, Baby rocked the room.
Tracy returned to Faye, holding a bottle of Tequila. He tossed his cigarette on the concrete floor and ground the toe of his boot to extinguish it. For as long as he knew her, Faye had never consumed anything stronger than a beer, and even that was on a rare occasion when she sat down with Angela, Stephanie, and Jenna after work and caught up with her friends.
Tracy handed over two full shot glasses. Faye turned her back to Curley. Thirty seconds later, both girls knocked back their drink.
His lips quivered, trying not to laugh. The girls leaned against each other, whacking each other's back as they coughed.
Rick walked in front of Curley and then leaned against the back of the sofa beside him. "Are you watching them?"
"Yep." He moved his hand to straighten his necklaces and found them missing.
After visiting with Walker, he'd taken every necklace off, not needing reminded of each crime he'd committed. But once in a while, the habit of touching them showed up, reminding him of his past, anyway.
"Tracy hasn't drank since she got pregnant with the first kid," mumbled Rick over the music blaring.
Faye poured two more shots and handed one to Tracy. Curley realized the other ladies had noticed their activity, and the conversations around them had stopped.
"What the hell are they doing?" Rick shook his head. "They're going to be cooked."
"Yep." He had all the time in the world to watch how this played out.
For how hard Faye worked and how hard she cared and how hard she loved, she deserved to reach for her dreams. And, because she had an adorable way of telling him every thought that popped into her head, he already suspected what was on her mind for tonight.
Nobody could pay him to leave right now. He wanted to see how Faye was going to play this out.
"That's their third shot." Rick ran his hand down his face, pulling on his beard. "I've got a bad feeling."
Nothing was warning him that something could go wrong. The worst that could happen was Faye hovered over the toilet before she passed out in bed later. But before she reached that point, things were going to get interesting.
Faye's gaze rounded on him. He counted the seconds it took for her eyes to focus and see him. Three.
She raised her brows, and her eyelids half-blinked in that sexy way only she could do. His gut tightened, and he inhaled deeply.
"Ah, fuck," mumbled Rick beside him. "I'm taking Tracy home."
Curley backhanded Rick on the chest, stopping him. "Let the girls have their fun."
"Asshole." Rick stayed put.
Curley chuckled, having pulled his V.P. order to have some fun. Rick could fight him later if things turned south.
Faye turned her back to him. Curley's gaze dropped to her ass. Damn.
He'd never get tired of looking at her.
Tracy waved her arms in front of her, gaining Curley's attention. Rick's woman seemed to lecture Faye. Or, encouraging her.
Before he could figure out what was happening, Faye's ass wiggled, and the back of her shirt pulled up and out of her jeans, showing smooth skin and a curve of her hips above the waist of her pants.
His cock pulsed. Yeah, she got his attention.
Paco flipped over the back of the couch, coming to his feet beside Curley. "Brother, your old lady is stripping, and members are starting to notice."
He grunted. Old ladies were off-limits. He wasn't worried.
Faye's hands went behind her back, and she unlatched the black bra. Afraid to blink, he stared straight ahead, ready to rescue her if she chickened out.
He knew exactly what she was doing. No amount of talking would convince her that what she planned wasn't necessary. Every brother in the room knew Faye belonged to him.
But if she wanted to show the others her position in his life, show the others how much he loved her, he'd enjoy the show.
She turned around. Those beautiful breasts, full and perky, were his.
Faye stared at him. Yeah, she was feeling good. The tequila had done its job. His old lady was going to fulfill her fantasy.
She slowly walked forward. One sexy leg at a time, setting the weight of her breasts into motion. It took everything in him to keep his gaze on her eyes, lending the confidence for her to go through with what she'd planned.
Whistles filled the room, shutting out the music. Faye never heard them, or if she had, she ignored them. She trailed her hands over her hips and across her stomach. Sweet as a picture.
He adjusted his cock, running out of any spare room in his jeans.
She stopped in front of him. Her nipples brushed his vest, and her eyelids fluttered before she allowed herself to go with the feelings. She placed her hands on his chest, leaned closer, and kissed him.
He gave her his tongue and let her do her thing. His lower half grew uncomfortable with each suck and caress. He'd like nothing more than to flip her around, bend her over the couch, and stick his cock up her until she screamed his name, but this was her dream.
He was going to let her ride him until the wheels fell off.
Cheers went up around him. She pulled away from the kiss, rosy-cheeked, and swollen lipped. Sexier than hell.
In a brave move, she lowered her hand and palmed the front of his jeans, squeezing his cock through the denim. His chest vibrated. One of them was going to chicken out, and it wasn't going to be him.
Having called the Tarkio clubhouse his second home for most of his life, he'd done everything imaginable in view of his MC brothers. There wasn't anything Faye could do that would stop him.
Faye's breasts heaved, and her jaw had slackened. He hooked his hand around the back of her neck, no longer hearing the chants and encouragement coming from those witnessing Faye's seduction. The heated skin against his palm drew him to her. He brought her mouth back to his as she fingered his belt, looking for a way to get to his dick.
He swallowed her moan, giving one of his own when those talented fingers of hers released his cock, and relief came with the added room.
The room hushed. The lack of music told him the CD had ended and nobody thought to put another one in. Faye's leg lifted, hugging his outer thigh as if she
could climb his body and get to the part of him that beat for her.
Nothing would stop her from taking what belonged to her. She stayed loyal when most women would've run.
She belonged to him.
In a possessive flash, he hauled her off her feet and marched across the room, down the hall, and into the closest empty bedroom.
She'd found her bravery and claimed him in front of everyone, proving her status in his life for all to see. But, hell if he was going to let everyone see the rest of his old lady.
That part of her was his. Forever.
A promise he would always keep.
Dear readers —
How many of you are ready to flip back to the cover and take another look? Am I right? Oh, Curley. I hope you enjoyed the book as much as I did writing it.
Sidenote: If you're a new reader and started with this series and enjoyed the first 2 books, you can meet and see more Tarkio members in the completed series titled "Choices: Tarkio MC series", available at all retailers.
If you'd like to keep up on my book releases, chat with me, and see pictures of my life in the Bitterroot Mountains, I would love to have you follow me on social media. I'm on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and have a website with links to a huge backlist of books.
Ready to join other DK readers and have fun? Make sure you join my Facebook Group, too!
Love,
Debra
Author Bio
Debra Kayn is published by Grand Central Publishing, Simon & Schuster Publishing, Carina Press - Harlequin Enterprises Limited, and repped by agent, Stephany Evans of FinePrint Literary Management.
Believing everyone deserves to love and be loved, she takes the most unlikely characters and turns them into heroes and heroines.
She lives with her family in the Bitterroot Mountains of beautiful North Idaho where she enjoys the outdoors, the four seasons, and the wild animals that gather in her yard.
Website: www.debrakayn.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DebraKayn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DebraKaynFanPage