Resurrection (Wesson Rebel MC Series Book 3) (16 page)

“And you’re still living because…?” Sampson snickers.

“Because we came to an understanding, and believe it or not, Vita is a freaking fire cracker. She’d rip him a new asshole.”

“The quiet girl who looked like a ghost the last time I saw her? The one who can’t speak?”

“Trust me, dude, she don’t need her voice to get her point across.” I smile, proud of how far she’d come.

“Look at you all lit up, it’s fucking adorable.”

“Fuck you, man,” I say, nudging him with my elbow.

“Seriously, I can tell you’re into her. Whatever happened on that assignment, it’s obvious the emotional exchange was real. Oh— or was it one-sided?”

“No, that’d make it easy. I’d drown myself in women and booze, preferably at the same time.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“She’s like an heiress, man. I needed to let her make up her mind. If I brought her back here, really got attached to the idea of us, and she bailed?” I shake my head.

“I see your conundrum.”

The word made me smile. Kid was far too smart to be wasting away in this club. I guess that’s why he’s in college to help us with the
legal
side of things.

“Let me ask you something, though. How did she feel about it?”

“She said she saw the wisdom in it. This wasn’t for her, it was for Houdini. Part of the deal we made.”

“I’m guessing she didn’t know this?”

“Naw.” I shake my head.

“You gave me some good advice once, so I’m going to return the favor. Go get your girl. If she’s even half as miserable as you, it’ll be clear you belong together.”

“You think?” I ask, still uncertain. It was easier when we were alone in the cabin with no outside distractions.

“I
know
, man. What you’re looking for, you’re not going to find in a bottle. Been there, done that and got the graduation certificate from the program.”

My jaw drops.

“What? I can’t joke about it?” Sampson asks.

I laugh. “You can do whatever you want, brother.”

“Damn straight, and so can you. You gave her the time Houdini requested, out of respect for her. That’s admirable. You did right by your brother. Now, you need to do right by your woman. They need to know they’re the most important thing and that they’re your girl. She must be skittish and gun-shy. I mean, she was locked away like a freaking fairytale princess, right? Least, that’s how I heard Cora explain it.”

“Pretty accurate description.”

“If you want to keep her, you have to step up and let her know that. She’s like…that first girl you fell in love with when you were young and she was young, and neither of you quite knew what you were doing. You remember that time.”

All too well.
The thought of Jewel turns my stomach. “Yeah, that doesn’t work for me, brother. My first old lady was murder on my heart.”

“Oh, shit. Then she’s your first chance at doing this right! Listen to me, I’ve learned a lot from Irish. When you been together as long as we have, it is impossible not to. The longer you wait, the more damage you’ll cause. She’s waiting for you to fight for her. Are you willing to do that?”

“Fuck yes, I am.”

“Then sober up, clean up, and show up…my man.” He pats me on the shoulder. “I want an invitation to the wedding.”

I smirk. It should scare me that the idea doesn’t repulse me. Instead, I feel truly happy. I stumble off my barstool and head to the kitchen to brew pot of coffee.

I’m roused by a knock on the door. Rubbing my eyes, I sit up on the twin-size bed.

The knock comes again.

“Yeah, I’m up. What do you want?”

No answer. Disgusted, I toss the blanket off my body and stumble to the door. “This better be good.” I yank it open and freeze. “Vita,” I whisper.

“You wouldn’t come to me, so I came to you.”

“I was giving you time.”

“I never wanted time. I wanted you with me while I tied up my loose ends.”

“Why didn’t you say that?”

“Because you seemed so eager to leave. I thought it was best I allowed you to.” She lowers her head.

“No, don’t do that.” I lift her chin up. “Don’t disconnect. I was trying to be fair. Give you what you might need. You’d been through a lot.”

She moves away from me. “And it has nothing to do with my brother?”

I run a hand through my hair. “Come inside. We don’t need everyone knowing our business.”

She steps inside and I close the door.

“So, we do have business, because the way you’ve been recently, I wasn’t sure.”

“You know I have no control over what Dallas has me doing.”

“Then you were on the road?”

“Yes, this is the first real downtime I’ve had in weeks. Your brother asked me to give you space. It was a deal between the two of us. You’d get time to make your own choice, free of any outside interference from the both of us.”

“I’m not a child.” Her eyes flash with anger and her full lips turn down.

“I know.” I hold my hands up. “I told him that, but he was insistent and agitated. After everything that went on that day, it was just easier to go along with him and I didn’t want you to have regrets.”

“You still think I’m like her, don’t you? Even after all we been through.” Her eyes glimmer with unshed tears.

“It’s not about you…it’s about me and my baggage.”

“
How
can you say that?”

“Because the fear doesn’t come from a rational place. You understand that.”

She looks away.

I take her face in my hands. “Don’t let my issues ruin this.” I rest my forehead against hers. “I can’t make you stay. I won’t beg. We both know that’s not how I do things. I only ask for the same time you were given.” I kiss her lips gently.

She relaxes against me.

Now, I know I have her. It’s a patch, not a fix. Still, for now, it’s enough. She faced down her demons and it brought her peace. I know what I have to do now. “I’m going to make this right. I’m not going to let her control me anymore.” I kiss her crown and inhale her sweet scent. For her, I’ll slay a dragon. To truly be free of the past, you have to leave it behind you. That’s something I can’t do when I’m carrying it around on my back like a cross. If she could face down her killer, how could I do anything less? “You’re here now and I don’t want to linger on this bump, all right?” I pull away.

“Okay.”

“How long do I have you?”

“As long as you want me.” She turns bashful. Her cheeks turn pink and she looks at me from beneath her lowered lashes.

“Don’t tempt me, V.”

“I’m not. I’m here to see this out.”

“Well, you sure as hell aren’t staying at the clubhouse. This is no place for a lady.”

She smiles. “I want a place of my own…a loft apartment. I’ve been looking online.”

“Of course you have. Let me get dressed. We’ll get something to eat and see if we can see some places.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you, Vita.” This woman pulled me from the darkness I was barely keeping at bay. The happy-go-lucky personality was a front I managed with gratuitous amounts of alcohol and women. Wesson gave me a home, but they couldn’t heal what was broken. She’d shown me her scars. In return, I’d revealed my own and found the courage to admit I was far from being okay.

But I will be.

Chapter Eleven

Prophet/Charles.

My palms sweat as I sit in on my bike, staring up at the off-white building that seems to tower over me. The barbed wire feels more like it’s to keep me from escaping, than to keep inmates in. My heart is racing and my hands have a tremor I can’t stop. I take a deep breath and step off the bike before I lose my nerve. It took a lot of balls coming here. I’d thought about chickening out twice. Then, I’d imagine the woman waiting back at home for me in our new loft apartment.

Our apartment.

I put my game face on and leave the bike. I’ve never been a coward. I’m not about to start now, when I have everything to lose. I walk across the parking lot and enter the belly of the beast. Breathing becomes more difficult as I walk up to the counter. I didn’t think she’d agree to see me; part of me hoped she wouldn’t. Deep down, I knew every man had to face down their demon. Mine just happens to be in an incredibly feminine form.

I wonder if she looks the same.

I walk up to the desk where an African American woman with long black hair, kind almond-shaped brown eyes, and an easy smile sits.

“How can I help you, sir?” she asks.

“I’m Charles Rowe, here to see Jewel Rowe.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s for one o’clock.”

“Nice and early. I like that, it makes my job easier.”

I return her smile.

“I’ll need to see some identification.”

I pull out the I.D. from my pocket. I read the rules. They were many and detailed. Nothing is allowed inside, other than keys and identification. She tells me to walk around, I pass through the metal detectors and the rest of the trip blurs.

I sit in an uncomfortable chair, waiting for them to bring her. The woman I’ve thought about every day since she’d been sentenced. The only thing that’ll separate us is the width of the table. Because of the severity of her crime, she’ll be shackled at the ankles and her wrists. The door opens and I watch as she comes into view.

Clad in a bright orange suit her hair seems even more golden. She’s too thin. Her face is gaunt and her eyes are anime huge. Her skin doesn’t shine the way it used to, and there are bags under her eyes. I rejoice slightly. Prison has aged her some. She studies me with a cold gaze that makes me shiver.

The guard leads her to the chair across from me. “Sit.”

She obeys immediately.

This is what her life has become. A series of commands she has to follow, unless she wants to be punished.
It’s exactly what I wanted for her.

“You have thirty minutes with the prisoner. Remain seated the entire time with your hands in your lap, Prisoner Number 38765940.”

“Yes, sir.” Her voice is still melodic, but it lacks the spark it once held.

Maybe that was all an act, too. Perhaps what I’m seeing now is who she’s always been, a soulless shell, nicely packaged.

The guard walks back over to the corner.

“Never thought I’d see you again,
lover
.”

The nickname makes me want to gag. “I can say the same about you,” I answer honestly. I feel like I’ve entered an alternate universe.

“So, why are you here?” she asks. There’s no emotion in her voice or behind her eyes. It’s terrifying.

“Answers.”

“What more do you need to know?”

“Why?”

She laughs. “I thought it was clear. Because I wanted to be rich.”

I wince. “No, why me?”

“You’ve been wondering that all this time, haven’t you? I don’t have a clear cut answer, other than because you were kind, attractive, loaded, and welcoming. My pickings were slim, and you were the one I could live with for however long it’d take. I watched you for a long time. You were always open and kind to everyone. Such a do gooder.” She sneers. “It almost made me sick. Anyone that weak is asking to be taken advantage of.”

“Kindness isn’t a weakness.”

“You still think that?”

“I know that,” I say firmly, thinking of the brothers back home who’d lay down their lives for me.
We
don’t start fights, we finish them, and if you show us respect, we’ll do the same. There’s no reason to walk around exploiting and bullying. Real power doesn’t have to be flaunted.

“Huh, looks like you finally got some backbone. It’s nice to see. Maybe if you’d gotten it sooner, I wouldn’t have tried to off you.”

Her flippant attitude grates on me. I ball my hands in to fists.

What the hell was I expecting from this? Some enlightenment from a psychopath? She probably doesn’t know why she did it, not really. I doubt she even recognizes that what she did was wrong.

I don’t pity her, but I feel pity.
I watch her like a person watches someone in a mental institute. There’s something horribly wrong with her mind. She’s not the big, bad boogie woman I made her out to be. She was an excellent actress. She had to be, to model normal behavior. I was taken by her looks, her charm, and the way she made me feel. I feel no shame now, as I admit it to myself. I made a mistake. I fell in love with a woman who was bad for me. I wasn’t the first to make this error and I won’t be the last. The difference is…unlike most people, my experience ended up being deadly.

It’s time to let go.

The realization hits me like a roundhouse kick. I’ve let this burden weigh me down and block my growth for far too long. I continue to gaze on her.

“You still love me, don’t you?” Her cracked lips curve upward.

“I don’t think I ever did. I loved the idea of you, but we both know that was nothing more than a carefully constructed lie.”

“You fell for it,” she snarls. She’s like a feral beast.

“I did. I was young, naïve, and so ripe for the picking. I wanted love from someone who could understand me. I thought that person was you, but I was wrong.” I study her.

She begins to squirm in her chair. “What?”

“Huh, it’s just amazing how completely unremarkable you and this moment is. I thought it would be more.” I shrug. “Guard, I’m done here.”

Her chest heaves.

“Know this, while you spend the rest of your life rotting away inside these walls, I won’t ever spare you another thought. I’m happy, healthy, and not broken by the evil you’ve done on this Earth.”

Her mouth drops open.

I laugh. It feels good to get one over on her.

“Prisoner Number 38765940, stand and step away from the table,” the guard orders.

She does as she’s told.

I watch as he guides her from the room. The door closes behind them and… I’m free. I stand and the guard on the opposite side of the room leads me out of the visitation room. I’ll never set foot in this place again, and my heart is free. I can offer Vita what she deserves— a man who’s whole.