Page 65 of Sugar and Skulls

“I know it wasn’t. It was one of them,” she spits the word as if it were poison on her tongue. She closes her eyes. “Jimmie went to Katie’s mom to dig up information on who had stolen a case full of his meth. They were in Katie’s home because of me. I did this.”

“We’ll put pressure on the Devils. Crow may be an asshole, but he won’t want a pedophile in his club.” I grab her hands as I say this.

“Wait, who?” She tries to pull her hands out of mine, but I tighten my grip.

“Crow. He’s the Devil’s president.” I watch her closely. She is about to answer an important question without me having to ask.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Jesse

???

Crow.

Crow.

Black Shirt, black pants, black soul.

Silver chain with a silver crow bouncing off black cotton.

Pain.

Hushed dirty words.

Jimmy’s laugh.

The silver crow bouncing over my face.

“Hey, Crow, is she as good as her mom?”

“Yeah, and she’s better than yours too.”

More laughter.

“Jesse. Jesse,” Dirk shakes my shoulders.

I blink as the memory evaporates.Oh god.No. No, no, no.

“I’m going to be sick,” I say, pushing myself off my chair.

Dirk grabs me around the waist, hurrying me to the sink.

He holds my hair out of my face. My hands shake as I brace myself against the porcelain sink. Breathing in through my nose and out my mouth holds off the wave of nausea. After several minutes it passes but the tightness in my throat remains.

“I’m okay.”

He drops my hair, running his fingers through the strands to smooth it over my back. Dirk corrals me between his arms. His hands come into view, bracing against the counter. His hot breath nears my ear. “Do you know Crow?”

I don’t answer. “Do you want to know why I haven’t asked where Bill was?”

“I want to know the answer to both questions.”

I trace over the skull on his hand with my finger.Surrender.I’m so tired of carrying everything by myself. Why not give him what he wants. He’s strong enough to take it. He will absorb it and spit it out. “I know where he was, that he was in prison. I haven’t asked about it because I’m scared to find out what put him there.”

“And Crow?” he asks.

“Did he know my mom?” I ask, placing my palm over his.

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