Page 50 of Pike

“What does that mean?”

“We have cops, baby. Nothin’ to worry about there.” This is all new to her. She doesn’t know about any of this, and I’d like to keep it that way. She nods her head before laying her head on my shoulder.

“I’m worried about you.”

“I’ll be fine. I’m not done yet, Feather. I’ll get my hands on Blake soon enough.”

“I know.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Should it?” she asks, looking up at me.

“You were with him for a while. I would think you still feel somethin’ for him.”

“I don’t. I feel nothing after what he did to me. Looking back, I see all the mistakes I made. I should have left him sooner. I should have lived on the streets,” she says.

“You’re good now, baby. Never have to go back to that shit again.”

“And all because of you.”

“No, it was us. I couldn’t force you to stick around. You did that.”

“And I’m glad I did,” she tells me. I’m damn glad she did too. I don’t know where I’d be without her right now. I lean down and press a kiss to her lips before I sit back, ready to explain things. I tell her what’s going to happen, what to expect. I can’t give her too many details, but I can prepare her a little.

“That sounds dangerous,” she says when I finish talking.

“It is dangerous, but it’s also somethin’ we have to do.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, baby. We need to finish this so we can lay Rooster to rest.” We haven’t had a funeral yet. It’s planned for a few days from now. Just the thought of having to put him into the ground sends a chill over my body. He didn’t deserve that.

Feather squeezes my hand in hers, letting me know I’m not alone, and I appreciate that. I squeeze back so she knows the same.

“Okay. What do you need me to do to get you ready?” she asks. I laugh this time, pull her down on the bed with me and then on top of me.

“You’re already doin’ it, darlin’. Just be here,” I tell her. She nods her head and kisses my cheek.

“I can do that.”

“You miss work, don’t you?”

“I do, but I know I’m needed here.”

“You are needed here. But I don’t want to hold you back either. If you wanna go back to work, you can.”

“They’ll live without me for another week,” she tells me with a smile plastered to her face. “Besides, I like being here with you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. The girls have been really nice to me. The guys are great. I kinda like it here,” she says, and my heart swells. Not many girls would say the same. It takes a special kind of woman to know where she belongs in the grand scheme of things, and Feather knows exactly where that is: by my side.

“Glad you like it, darlin’. I don’t plan on lettin’ you leave any time soon.”

“I think I might like that.” Now, I kiss her once more, savoring every second of her.

Chapter 24

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