Page 29 of Filthy Savage

Instead, he clears his throat and starts to talk about what’s happening with him and his case. “I need you to talk to Atomic and let him know that they accepted the deal. They’re going to let me stay in Texarkana. Judge signed off on it about an hour ago. At least that’s what my attorney says.”

“Thank God. For how long?”

He’s quiet for a moment. I can hear men’s voices in the background, and it serves as another reminder that he isn’t here, that he’s in jail. Closing my eyes, I try to keep from crying, but I fail.

The moment I open my eyes again, the tears slip out and slide down my cheeks. One after the other. I suck in a breath and hold it for a moment, then release it slowly as he tells me how long he’s going to be in prison, not jail, federal prison.

“Three years,” he says, and it’s like a punch to my gut.

“Humble,” I exhale.

I try not to full-on burst into tears. I don’t want him to feel worse. He can’t do anything about it.

He chuckles, although I can tell he doesn’t find any of this funny in the slightest. “It’s the way it is, Spence.”

“I’m moving to Pineville,” I announce, my decision suddenly solid.

My decision made at this moment.

This is where I need to be, for Humble but also for myself. I want to explore life with Brew. I want to know if my infatuation with him was just a fantasy my teenage self created or if there could be something real between us.

Not so secretly. I want there to be something between us. I want him to fall madly in love with me. Marry me and make half a dozen babies while living in our cabin in the woods, completely isolated from the world in our love nest, until we want to go see our friends.

Is that too much to ask?

“Spencer,” my brother murmurs, breaking me out of my thoughts. “You don’t have to stay there for me. Go back home, live your life. Be happy.”

I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, although it’s also shakily. “You’re my life, Humble. And there’s Brew.”

“Fuck,” he hisses. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“It’s nothing yet, but…” My words trail off, and I know this isn’t something he wants to talk about, especially while sitting in jail, but I don’t want him to feel guilty about me staying here either.

“I should be pissed,” he grunts. He doesn’t say anything for a moment. Then he lets out a sigh. “I don’t have a right to be, though, not with where I am. Just promise me something, Spencer?”

“Yeah?” I say, whispering the word.

“If he makes you happy, hold on with both hands and enjoy the fucking ride. I want you to be happy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, for my little sister to find her happiness.”

Wiping the new waves of tears away, I choke out anokay. But I can’t get anything else out.

“And I’ll beat his ass for touching my sister when I get out.”

I burst out laughing. He joins me, then he gets really quiet as the seriousness of his situation takes over again. “I have to get going, but tell Atomic. Hopefully, I’ll be taken there soon and we can get visitation set up.”

“I will do that. Humble?” I call out into the phone. He hums, waiting for me to continue. “I love you, and I’m sorry it took you going to prison for me to come and visit you.”

“As long as you’re home, healthy, and happy, I couldn’t give a fuck less.”

He ends the call, and I pull the phone away from my ear, staring at it for longer than I should. Eventually, I hang it up and make my way back to the table. The girls are chatting among themselves but aren’t overly loud.

I tell them what just happened, and they all give me sad looks. I would give myself a sad look, too. There is a damper put on the rest of the evening, but in the end, it doesn’t matter much because the men arrive shortly after… covered in blood.

BREW

There doesn’t needto be a debriefing tonight. We’ll probably do that tomorrow, but for now, we are all going to shower, fuck, and rest. At least, that’s what I’m going to be doing.

Walking straight toward the table full of old ladies, I ignore the clubwhores, who are all perched at the bar. The otherbrothers can enjoy them. I have a purpose tonight, and I walk with that purpose straight for her—Spencer.

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