She was more animated around the clubhouse now. Communicating in her own way with all the brothers. They never pushed her for words, all taking the time to learn her tells.
Sitting in the main room, I looked around at the women here.
My girlfriends. The best girlfriends I had ever had, other than Jessie. Three of us, all old ladies, having babies we would raise together. I even considered the club girls friends.
I never thought I would find happiness like this. But then to have Danny and Dante show up out of the blue… I sighed, thinking about everything.I didn’t realize how much I missed them until I saw them here. It was almost like time evaporated and everything was perfect in my world.
I just wished they could stay.
The brothers were all in church tonight. The officers had church weekly, but the patched brothers attended only once a month. So, the women sat out here in the main room with the prospects.
And Bane.
Dr. August Lansing.
He was a bit intimidating. King invited him into church, but he declined. He explained he was taking a sabbatical from all club bullshit, not just his own.
I couldn’t help but feel guilty.
I was the reason he was here. My parents had forged his name on some medical forms in hopes of having me found mentally ill.
“Excuse me, ladies, I need to change the channel,” Bane said, switching the cartoons the girls were watching to the news.
“Live in New York City, this is Maya Saunders, reporting from where the Harbor Security Building on fifth just exploded. Details are still coming in, but preliminary reports tell us there was one victim. We are unsure if the victim is still alive or if they are deceased. Stay with us for minute-by-minute reporting at WNYC-10. Back to you, Jeff.”
The scene on the television was one I wasn’t unfamiliar with, growing up in Manhattan. I just prayed whoever was injured wasn’t someone I knew.
“Who was it?”
I looked up and saw Bane with his phone to his ear. His club, the Soulless Sinners, was based in New York City. I was sure he was worried about his friends.
“What the fuck was he doing there?”
We could only hear one side of the conversation but all of us were on the edge of our seats waiting for information.
“They’re in church. They should be out soon. Has anyone found Pippen?”
That had me shooting up out of my seat and rushing to Bane.
“Who was it?” I asked, pulling on his arm, no longer intimidated by the grouchy older man. “What about Dante?”
Holding his hand over the phone, he scowled down at me. “Pippen is fine. He wasn’t even in New York. No one knows where he is.”
Except I knew.
“What about Danny?” When he gave me a confused look, I remembered to use his club name. “Sypher. What about Sypher?”
Bane frowned and stated in an unemotional tone, “Sypher was the victim that was injured. He’s in the hospital.”
“Oh God. No.”
I couldn’t stop the tears that immediately spilled from my eyes. My nose burned with the realization that my best friend was in a building when it exploded.
His words to me before he left rushed forward in my mind.
“If anything should happen to me. I need you to give this to King and tell him I said, time’s up. He will know what that means.”
Running over to my bag, I dug for my wallet and pulled out the small Microdrive Danny gave me. Fisting my hand around the drive, I looked at the church doors.
