Page 10 of A Brother's Secret
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Data…
“Was wondering when you was gonna get around to callin’ in,” Dragon’s gravelly smoker’s voice came heavy over the airwaves.
“Yeah, well, we needed to sleep.”
“Hm.” I pictured him taking a long, slow, drag off of one of his cancer sticks. His slow sigh all but confirmed it and he sucked in a breath and said, “Boys and I been talkin’ it over. It ain’t our usual hospitality but we can’t be havin’ her anywhere near the clubhouse. Not with all the women and children. If this had been a couple a years ago it wouldn’t be no thing, butnow?”
“No, I feel you D. I just… shit. I just don’t know where togo.”
“Well that’s easy, you go nowhere.” I paused, brow furrowing and then I got it. The lightbulb went off and I nodded slowly.
“Right, off to points unknown,” I said. It was a careful ploy, one that I knew Dragon would know. Going nowhere and responding with the word point just confirmed that we were on the same page. He wanted me to head straight for Point Nowhere. The club’s back-up and last-resort safe house and bodydump.
“Safe travels, brother,” he ground into the phone and I pictured him stubbing out his cigarette at his favorite table in the club’s commonroom.
“Thanks, P.”
“Keep the dirty sidedown.”
“You knowit.”
The line went dead, my phone giving the disconnect tone in my ear. I lowered it and wondered what the boys were going to put together out at Point Nowhere for us. The place wasn’t exactly made for habitation for any kind of extended period oftime.
I let out a pent-up breath and racked my neck back and forth. I was going to need to go back in there with Mali and throw on some real clothes. She needed more than what she had and there was a Ross down the road. I was planning on picking her up a few things but it would be better if I went myself. She needed to stay out of sight.
I went back in and she straightened up, staring at me plaintively from where she sat on the foot of thebed.
“What’d your buddies say?” she asked, but her voice was neutral, tone careful. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to hide how she was feeling or what. Her eyes weren’t exactly giving anything away, either.
“They’re on it, setting up a place for us to crash-land,” I answered.
“When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow. I need to go out and get you some things. You’re going to need more than what you’ve goton.”
“I hate shopping,” shesaid.
“Yeah, well, you’re off the hook on that score. Write down your sizes forme.”
“You’re going shopping forme?”
I hung my head and let out a harsh breath, “The less you’re seen the better off we are until a time we can figure a few things out. Just write down your sizes, some of the shit you like to wear, and I’ll do mybest.”
Her shoulders dropped and she put on a wry grin, “I was always a pain in your ass, why should now be any different?” she asked and I put my hands on my hips and shook myhead.
“You were a lot of things, Amalia… a pain in my ass isn’t even close to the top of mylist.”
Her self-deprecating smile dissolved into an expression of surprise and she dragged her messenger bag from the floor to the bed. She rifled through it, pulled out the newest looking sketchbook and opened it to theback.
“Need something to write with?” I asked gently and she shook her head and pulled out a roll of light purple paisley-printed material secured with darker purple ribbons. She untied it and rolled it out just enough to slip a drawing pencil out from the pocket sewn intoit.
“It is so weird you buying me bras and underwear,” she muttered and started writing.
“Better than tampons, but I’ll buy you those too if you need ‘em.”
She snorted a laugh and it made me smile. She scratched out her sizes and measurements haphazardly across the thick white page and then started whipping out some quick sketches underneath. I didn’t say anything, patiently waiting her out, and truthfully, actually pretty appreciative of the visual aids she was rendering. I didn’t want to get her shit she wouldn’tlike.
