“After the shit these two have done, nothing’s too much.”
Grim gave a final nod, then continued out of the office. Once the door closed behind him, Preacher glanced back over to me, and an unspoken understanding passed between us. We didn’t do this shit because we liked it. We did it because someone fucking had to.
And if it kept the people we cared about safe, then it was worth every dark piece of our souls it cost us.
I wasn’t quite ready to start my day, so I leaned back in my chair and asked, “How are things working out with Misty and the sister?”
“Not too bad,” he said after a beat, voice low, scratching like gravel. “I think they got more than they bargained for.”
“You think they’ll stick with it?”
“Hope so.” Preacher’s mouth twitched, but it didn’t quite make it to a smile. “The sister’s tough. Smarter than she lets on, too. Misty’s a spitfire. She’s been trying to keep up with it all, but dealing with thousand-pound horses and their shitty stalls is a lot different than frying up eggs for the brothers.”
“I think I’d rather shovel shit.”
“Same, and that’s saying something.”
“She still carrying around that pink taser?”
Preacher’s eyebrow shot up, and a ghost of amusement flickered in his tired eyes as he answered, “She’s got it clipped toher damn shorts, like she’s the last line of defense for the whole club.”
“She might be, at that.” I glanced over at the clock, and when I saw the time, I stood and told him, “I’m heading over to the Vault. Gonna check on things there before going by the casino.”
He gave me a nod, then said, “Tabitha and I will look forward to meetin’ her.”
“Take it easy on her.”
“Not a chance.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
I shook my head and started for the door. I had no idea what the day had in store for me, and I didn’t care. After my night, I felt good. Damn good. And nothing was going to change that. Besides, I welcomed a busy day. It would help distract me from thinking about Devin every damn second, and a busy day was exactly what I got.
I pulled up to The Vault a little after one, and it was a hot one. The sun was blazing, and sweat was beading across my brow. The lot was half full, but it wouldn’t be that way for long. The place was always buzzing on Saturday night, and even with the steamy weather, I had no doubt that tonight would be no different.
When I walked in, I found Seven behind the bar. He was sorting bottles and going over inventory. He looked up when I sat down on one of the stools and gave me a chin lift. “Hey, brother. How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain. You?”
“Hanging in.” He shook his head. “We’re low on Patron, and the girls have been running through Tito’s like water. And Keeley finally took leave. Otherwise, we’re good.”
“She had the baby?”
“Not yet, but her blood pressure was up. Doc told her to take it easy, so she’s done for now.” I could hear the frustration in hisvoice as he added, “She plans to be back in a couple of months, but you know how that goes.”
“She’ll be back.”
“I hope so. Either way, we’re down a bartender.”
“We’ll find someone to cover. Maybe more than one, depending on how things shake out.”
Seven nodded, then turned his attention back to his list. I could see the pressure of it all was weighing on him. We had a good thing here, but it only worked if everyone pulled their weight. Losing Keeley, even for a while, was gonna leave a gap.
I stayed for another couple of hours, making sure everything was looking good for the night before heading over to the Black Crown. I didn’t plan to stay long. I just wanted to make sure the boys didn’t need anything, so I slipped in through the back, avoiding the early afternoon crowd.
I spent an hour or so walking the floor and checked in with Goose and Memphis. As soon as I felt like everything was under control, I headed home to get ready for my night with Devin. As usual, it didn’t take me long to shower and get dressed. I decided to keep it simple and went with a clean pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, and my cut. It wasn’t anything fancy, but neither was I.
I paused at the door as I thought back to how Devin used to love to ride the Harley, but I didn’t think it was a good idea tonight. There was a strong possibility that we’d have at least a beer or two, and I wasn’t taking chances. So, I opted for the pickup.
