Page 19 of My Dream

“So?” I asked when he finally swallowed.

He leaned back with a satisfied sigh escaping him. “That is the best cake I have ever had, babe. You and Adalee made that?”

“Well, Adalee has all the knowledge,” I admitted and took a bite of my own slice. “I just put the stuff in the bowl when she told me to.” The moment the cake hit my tongue, I let out a smallmoan. “Yeah, that is all Adalee. I just suggested putting espresso in the frosting.”

“Whatever you and she did made a damn fantastic cake.”

The warmth of his praise made me smile. I glanced at him and noted how his eyes crinkled slightly at the corners when he smiled back.

We ate in silence, the soft sounds of forks scraping against plates and the occasional creak of the swing filled the air. When we were both finished, Compass leaned forward to grab my empty plate and set it down on the porch floor by his boots. He stretched back and rested one arm lazily along the top of the swing.

“Yeah,” he said and gave a small nod. “If you girls sell cake like that, you’re going to be rolling in the money.”

I chuckled. “Well, the first thing we need to do is find a place to sell it.”

“Fade said he knows of a few places that might work,” Compass replied and absently pushed off with his foot to set the swing in motion again. “I figure once the cameras start rolling again, we can go see them.”

I nodded and felt the cool night air brush against my skin. It was peaceful out here. “Do you guys happen to know when exactly that will be?”

“Yarder’s gonna call Don tomorrow. See what the deal is.”

I suppressed a grimace at the mention of Don. While I hadn’t had to deal with him personally, I’d been around for the fallout between him and Adalee. It was a mess I was glad to have stayed on the edges of.

For a while, we swung in silence, with the night surrounding us in a quiet stillness. I let out a content sigh. “It’s nice out here. Quiet.”

Compass nodded but didn’t say anything.

“How come you didn’t come into the clubhouse after we got back from the store?” I asked, breaking the silence. “You’ve been out here for hours.”

“Thinking.”

“About?” I pressed and turned to face him.

“The quiet.”

I furrowed my brow. “Um, what?”

“The quiet isn’t good, Fallon.” His tone had shifted and lost its earlier lightness. “When it’s quiet, it means something’s brewing. Something not good.”

“That’s... pretty ominous,” I said.

He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it, and the glow of the flame briefly illuminated his face. “It may be, but it’s the truth,” he said. “The longer we go without anything from Boone and Gibbs, the worse it is.”

He took a slow drag, and I let his words settle. “Maybe Boone and Gibbs have moved on?” I suggested, though I didn’t believe it myself.

Compass took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke into the cool night air. “That’d be nice, babe, but there isn’t a chance in hell that’s what’s happening.”

“Have you guys gotten any idea where Russ is?” I asked cautiously.

Compass shook his head. “Not yet, though I know we’ll find him.”

I nodded and stared out into the darkness beyond the porch. Russ’s sudden appearance earlier today had left me torn. Part of me wanted to tell Compass about the number Russ had slipped me, but his stern warning not to involve the club echoed in my mind.

“I’m sure he’ll pop up eventually,” I said instead.

“I’m sure he will, too,” Compass agreed.

The silence stretched again, this time heavier with my own unspoken thoughts.

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