by Jamie Begley
“Since when is that his decision to make?”
“Since we got in an argument about Taylor.”
“Oh.”
The one word said it all.
“You have a problem with me marrying her, too?”
“No. I might not like her, but that’s your call to make.”
“I’m getting pretty fucking sick of everyone sharing their opinions that I don’t want or ask for.”
“We’re just trying to watch out for you—”
“I don’t need you watching out for me, Loker. You served an extra year because you didn’t want to leave me overseas without you. I don’t need you fathering me every five seconds. Ton doesn’t even keep track of me the way you do.
“I don’t understand why you don’t like her. She has a good job, she keeps her own roof over her head, and she has more money in her checking account than I do.”
“You want to know why Taylor went for you when she had every brother in the club wanting to fuck her?”
“Careful, Viper. Some things can’t be taken back once they’re said.”
“If you want to hold hearing the truth over me, go ahead. But I’m never not going to tell you what I think because I’m afraid you’re going to cut me out of your life. Taylor wants you because the only other man in the club right now who has more medals than you is Shade, and he shut her down when she made her move on him.”
“If I was a jealous man, I wouldn’t belong to The Last Riders. Taylor wouldn’t be the first woman to try to hook up with Shade.”
“No, but she was the first one who grilled Evie about which brother came home with the most medals pinned to his chest. You know Evie; she couldn’t help but brag about Shade. When Shade wasn’t interested, she kept asking when she was going to be able to meet Lucky. And when Evie finally wised up and quit talking to her about Lucky, she suddenly decided to let you catch her.
“Damn, Gavin, I thought you were smart enough not to be taken in by a bunny magnet. You were smart enough to see through Delara, brother. I raised you to recognize a spade is a spade—”
“That’s enough! We’re done.” Gavin furiously tore his jacket off, throwing it at Viper. “I’m so fucking done with you trying to run my life. I’m fucking done! Hear me?” he yelled. “I fucking love her! You get me? I’m not asking you or anyone else in the club to like her; all I ask of you is to respect my decision.
“Taylor was right! She’s been telling me the club has been trying to drive a wedge between us! But no, I didn’t believe her. I took up for every one of you fuckers!
“You’re right, Viper. Taylor isn’t the one trying to fool me. I’ve been fooling myself that you’d ever see me as an adult able to live up to your standards. I’m never going to do it, am I?”
Gavin went to the door, his hand on the knob. “I’m going to fulfill my commitment to The Last Riders because all the loans and paperwork are in my name. When it’s finished, I’ll leave with a clear conscience that I didn’t leave you or the brothers with a job half-done. I’m riding alone.”
“You’re not going alone!” Viper yelled so loud the jug of water in the water cooler swirled.
Unlike the argument he had with Rider, Gavin didn’t feel guilty. This fight had been brewing for a while. He just couldn’t believe that it was a woman who made him realize that he was never going to measure up to Viper’s standards. The only way he would earn the respect he deserved was to break away from The Last Riders. Show them that he didn’t need the club as a shield. No one worried about the other members when they left for missions, only asked when they would be back. No, it was only him they made a big fucking deal out of it. And that is going to stop now! he thought furiously to himself.
Viper lowered his voice, but said just as commanding, “If Rider doesn’t want to go, take Train.”
“Train’s not going. I want him to stay here. He’s going to be responsible for Taylor while I’m gone.”
“You asked me to be the one to watch her.”
“Things change. I want Train.”
“It’s your choice.”
Gavin turned around to face his brother and said in a chilling voice, “Yes, it is. If you’re determined to send someone, send Memphis. At least he’s honest, and he won’t be breathing down my neck.”
“Fine. Take him.”
“Thanks. At least you can agree with one thing I’ve said,” Gavin mocked. Opening the door, he felt a moment of regret that he had let the argument get out of hand.
“Gavin ….”
Gavin started to turn, thinking Viper was going to apologize. He was going to offer his own apology when Viper’s next words stopped him cold.
“… you can send Evie back. Tell her we’re done.”
With a finality that he never believed he would say, as long as he had breath in his body, he let the opportunity to apologize slip away and instead said, “Yes, we are.”
Chapter Eleven
“Go to bed and get some sleep. I’ll hold Fynn for a while.”
Ginny lifted sleepy eyes at Silas’s low voice. Then, shrugging away from the hand that Silas laid on her shoulder, she held the small baby closer to her chest. “I’m not tired.”
“You’re exhausted.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You’re as hardheaded as he was.”
Her lips trembled at being compared to the man who had taken her in and made her his. She had never felt the difference between her and the children who he actually fathered.
“I loved him so much.”
Ginny stared down at the baby she was holding, seeing the resemblance to Silas and his older brothers.
“I know you did. He also loved you.”
She hadn’t been aware she had spoken out loud until Silas confirmed her father’s feelings for her.
“What are we going to do without him? I’m scared.”
“I am, too.”
Silas’s admission had her glancing up from the baby. She grew even more frightened that her big, tough brother was revealing his fear. “We only have what money you make. No one will hire the other boys. I don’t understand why everyone hates us. What are we going to do?”
“We’ll have to do what we have to do.”
Her fear built when his expression hardened.
“None of us expected Dad and Leah to get killed on that ATV.”
“Everyone was saying he was drunk.” Sick from the rumors that she heard at their father’s graveside, she still regretted not screaming at those few who had attended just because they wanted more gossip to spread.
“It’s just rumors. Don’t let it bother you. Dad made enemies in town. I’ve made more than a few myself. Other than letting you go to church once a week, Dad kept us away from there. He had no friends, and the kids’ mothers hated him for not marrying them. Half the reason people in town hate us is because of them bad-mouthing him.”
Ginny couldn’t understand how anyone couldn’t love their father. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body.
“It was a horrible accident. He didn’t mean to kill Leah.”
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. Their father had just bought the new ATV and was giving all the kids a ride. He’d just returned from taking Moses out.
“Who’s next?”
He laughed when he all the kids yelled out. “Me! Me!”
Grinning happily, he motioned for her. “Come on, Ginny.”
Practically skipping at the thrill of going next, she was about to get on the machine when she saw Leah’s disappointment.
“It’s okay, Dad. Leah can have my turn.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Her sister pulled her into a hug. “You’re the best sister in the world. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Seeing her sister’s excited face as she jumped on the back, Ginny knew she had made the right choice. She could take the next turn.
As long as she lived, Ginny would never
forget the way her dad and Leah looked as they rode away.
“I shouldn’t have let her take my turn. She’s dead because of me.”
“I told you I didn’t want to hear that come out of your mouth again. It was an accident. Dad was going too fast and neither of them were wearing helmets. I told him to wait to ride until I got back from the dealership. Do you blame me for forgetting to put the helmets in the truck when we bought the ATV?”
“No, you were busy putting Fynn in the car seat.”
“He should have waited.” Sitting down on the couch next to her, Silas buried his face in his hands.
Ginny used the corner of Fynn’s blanket to wipe away a tear that had fallen down her cheek.
When Silas raised his face, a tight knot of fear inexplicably rose in her chest. She had never seen the look on his face before. He looked defeated.
“Isaac, take the baby. Ginny, we need to talk.”
“Why can’t we talk here?”
All of her brothers, who were sitting around the room, looked at Silas with the same question in their eyes.
“Give the baby to Isaac. Let’s go to your room.”
Standing, she gave Isaac the baby. Her legs felt like jelly as she walked toward the steps. Holding on to the banister to keep herself from falling, she heard Silas coming up behind her. Passing the bathroom at the top, she went into the small room that she had shared with Leah. She hadn’t slept there since Leah died, unable to bear seeing the bed that her sister wouldn’t sleep in again.
Ginny sat down on her twin bed as Silas followed her inside and shut the door behind him. Crossing the room to sit down on Leah’s bed, he faced her.
“You know I love you, right?”
Ginny nodded.
“That I will always love you, right?”
“Yes,” she croaked out. “What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.”
Silas leaned forward, placing his forearms on his thighs. “You have to leave.”
Licking dry lips, she shook her head at him. “I don’t want to.”
“I don’t want you to, either. But it has to be this way. I have to increase my hours at work. The only reason my boss at the lumber yard hired me was because my mom talked him into it. That was before he found out Mom was sneaking around to meet up with Dad when he was at work. After he found out, he divorced her, but I was able to keep my job. None of the boys are going to be hired, since they think we’re all drug dealers because of the crazy signs Dad posted to keep trespassers out.”
“Because of me.”
Silas gave a crooked smile. “He might have grown a few pot plants for himself. Dad was no saint, despite what you think.”
“He was a good man—”
“Ginny ….”
“He was.” Ginny stubbornly refused to think poorly about her dad. “Dad posted those signs to protect me.”
“Yes and no. He got a kick out of competing with the Hayes and Porters about who could make the best no trespassing signs. Dad took it as a challenge.”
Ginny couldn’t argue with that. Some of her best memories were when their dad sat all the kids at the table with posters and paints to make the signs. “Yes, he did.”
Silas’s face twisted in grief before he looked at the clock on her bedside table. “You need to pick out what you want to take with you. The sheriff will be here in an hour to take you to your new home.”
“Please ….” Her heart hurt so badly. It was as if her dad and Leah were dying all over again. “I don’t want to go. Let me stay … Please don’t make me leave.” Unable to stop herself, she started crying.
“Don’t make this harder for me than it already is.”
Ginny didn’t care that Silas was also trying hard not to cry. She didn’t want to leave her family.
“I won’t eat much, I swear. I’ll do all the chores. I can babysit.”
“Stop it! I don’t have a choice. Dad’s dead, and he’s not coming back. Someone in town reported to social services that the younger kids aren’t in school. I have to apply for guardianship for them.”
“You can apply for me, too—”
“I can’t. You know I can’t. Listen, Ginny, this isn’t a bad thing. You’ll be able to go to school now. You won’t have to be homeschooled anymore.”
“Will the boys be going to school with me?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Will I be able to see them at school and come visit like Ezra and Fynn mothers let them do?”
“No, I think it will be better for us to make a clean break.”
“But, why? I can see them at school,” she sobbed out.
“Jesus, I’m doing this to protect you. No one in this town likes us, so the farther you stay away from us, the better. They’ll figure out that you hate us like the rest of the town.
“I burned a lot of bridges when I was younger. We weren’t always homeschooled. Me, Isaac, and Jacob used to go to school. We were made fun of because we all had different mothers. It’s Bible country—you’re supposed to marry when you have babies here. Dad didn’t. He couldn’t care less what those hypocrites thought. I cared, and so did the other boys. I wasn’t going to let the little ones be treated the same way. I did things I’m not proud of to get myself thrown out of school. I can’t change the way the others in town are going to act toward the other kids, but I can you.”
“I don’t care how they treat me if I stay here!”
“You do care, Ginny. You’re not thick-skinned like we are, and you’re smarter than any of us hope to be. You were the one that taught both Leah and Ezra to read. You’re too smart to make this mountain your life.
“Dad never told me why the sheriff wanted to hide you away from everyone, and I don’t want to know. Dad was paranoid about leaving you alone at the house, making sure he or I was always with you. He’s gone now, and I can’t be home all the time. To keep the younger ones fed, the older ones can’t be here with you constantly. Matt’s fourteen; he’ll be able to watch the smaller ones while we’re gone, but he’s not strong enough to protect them if whoever the sheriff is hiding you away from comes looking for you.”
“So I’m ex-penable.” She was crying so hard she could barely get the word out.
“It’s expendable.” His lips tightened in a firm line. “And no, you’re not expendable. I just can’t lose another sister.”
“If you make me leave, I’ll hate you forever. Please, Silas, I can talk to Papa Will. He’ll let me stay—”
“He agrees with me.” He stood up. “I’ll go get you a bag for your things. Hurry up; the sheriff will be coming, and you’ll say good-bye to the boys.”
When Silas left her room, Ginny jumped on the bed and walked across the made bed to reach the shelf. Taking the brown kangaroo down, she plopped back down to her butt and reached into the pocket, coming out with the cell phone that Will had given her. Every year, he switched it out with a newer model. She then frantically dialed the number that Hammer had made her memorize years ago, praying he would answer before Silas came back.
“Hello?”
“It’s … me,” she hiccupped the words out.
“Ginny … quit crying. I can barely hear you.”
Taking a deep breath, she held the phone in a death grip. “Make Papa Will let me stay.”
She could only hear silence on the other end.
“Please, Hammer, I swear I won’t call you anymore to bug you about Trudy. Don’t make me leave my family.” Tears slipped from her eyes, but she managed to hold the cries back so he could hear her.
“We’re only doing what’s best for you. Will found a place where you can live and he can keep a better eye on you.”
“I don’t need Will. Dad taught me how to shoot. I can protect myself.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I can—”
“No, Ginny, you can’t. Do you remember the man who was on the boat with us after I got you out of plane? He came to the cabin the night before I took you to Will?”
&n
bsp; “Yes.” Ginny had never forgot the mean’s man face.
“He’s dead. Both he and his wife are dead. He was able to take care of himself a lot better than you will ever be. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
“Are you saying they’re dead because of me?”
Bewildered by what Hammer was telling her, she waited breathlessly for his reply.
“Maybe, maybe not. We can’t be sure. There’s no need to be frightened. It happened a few years ago, and if he had given up any information about you, someone would have showed up long before now.”
“Then why can’t I stay?”
“Because Will said that the man who was protecting you is dead. If they find you, do you want your family hurt?”
“No,” she mumbled, laying her head on her knees.
“Sorry, kid. I wish you could stay. I really do.”
“I hate you. I’m not going to call you anymore.” Raising her head to disconnect the call, she saw Silas standing in the doorway with a black trash bag in his hand.
“Where did you get the phone?”
Silently crying, she climbed off the bed to walk toward him. Jerking the bag away from him, she starting tossing her things inside as Silas watched. Going to her closet, she pulled her clothes off the hangers and shoved them into the bag. “Go away. I’ll be down in minute,” she snapped, unable to handle him watching her.
Waiting for him to leave, she turned back to the closet, tears blurring her vision as she stared at the remaining clothes. They were Leah’s.
Sliding the pink jacket off the hanger and leaving the exact same jacket that her dad had bought her for Christmas, she put on Leah’s. She wanted to sink to the floor and close the door when she smelled Leah’s scent still clinging to it.
With her bedroom door open, she could hear someone knocking on the front door downstairs.
“Evening, Sheriff.”
“Evening, Silas. How are you boys doing?”
Not paying attention to what Silas was saying, she went back to the bed. Tying the trash bag closed, she lifted it up and, without looking back, went downstairs to see the sheriff and Silas standing by the door.
“I’m ready,” she told the sheriff, not looking at Silas.