Page 151 of Stone

The big C got him in the end, which was crazy to me. I always imagined the old coot would go out in a blaze of glory like Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid. He was a gun-toting, chain-smoking, ass-ripping bastard.

In a nutshell, Don ‘Bandit’ Stone was a legend.

We’d grown closer in his last months, even struck up a tentative friendship. He spent a lot of time over at Baines Memorial getting treatment. However, it was more palliative, seeing as he told the doctors not to waste the chemo on him. What nobody knew was that he took the chemo and all the drugs, paid for everything, and gave it to a seven-year-old boy from Rock Springs whose parents had no medical insurance.

The boy got the all-clear the day before Bandit passed.

I still volunteered at the hospital and sat talking with Bandit while he received treatment. Later, when he was admitted, I sat by his bedside, usually bossing him around.

Balls of steel, he used to mutter.My boy had a lucky escape,except he’d send me a wink as he spoke, along with a sad smile.

He got sicker, and on his last day on Earth, when he was unconscious, waiting for the Reaper to take him, I sat, softly stroking his hair, whispering in his ear, and I told himeverything.

I purged my soul, told him about Constance, Robert, Scalp, Dave, Tucker… Everything. I begged him to send me help, to guide our girl to us, and to bring her into the fold. Lastly, I pleaded with him for one last act of vengeance and to ensure Robert fucking Henderson died screaming in agony.

Although he was filled with pain-relieving drugs and probably wasn’t even aware I was there, his finger twitched three times, and for the first time in a long time, it gave me back a little hope.

The Stone family turned up at the hospital, and I left them to say goodbye to their patriarch.

Four hours later, Bandit went to his Queenie.

And in its own way, it was beautiful.

I was pulled away from my thoughts by a sweet, husky voice asking, “Are you okay?”

My gaze slid to meet dancing, blue eyes, and I nodded.

Hambleton’s rumor mill had been hard at work recently. I’d heard John and Adele were having problems in their marriage. The affection was still there—their connection was plain for all to see—but I also recognized a sadness in Adele that hadn’t been there before. She never confided in me, and I hardly saw John, so he didn’t either. It was a relief. Their marriage was their business, and I didn’t want a bar of it. The fact was, I knew I’d always been a complication for them, and I wanted to give them the respect and the space to work out their next steps together.

Things were changing, the world turned, and we had to let the chips fall where they needed to.

Picking up my glass, I drained it, placing it back on the table.

“You leaving already?” Iris asked.

“Yes.” I picked up my purse, rose to my feet, and smoothed my tight, black skirt over my thighs. “I’m volunteering at the hospital tonight. I just wanted to pay my respects.”

“I’ll get John,” Adele said, getting to her feet.

“No,” I replied, leaning over and giving her a hug goodbye. “Leave him be.” Sending them both a smile, I turned and walked through the clubhouse. As I glided through the vast room, a memory hit me.

‘What do you think, baby?’

‘I think you should do whatever makes you happy, John. I’ll stand by you, whatever you decide.’

‘If I go ahead, I’ll have to sink every cent I have into the place. It may all go to damned hell, Leesy. I could lose everything.’

‘I don’t believe that. I know you, John Stone. You’ll work your fingers to the bone to make this a success. I believe in you.’

‘I’ll be dirt poor for a few years, baby. Are you sure you’re ready for what that entails? We’ll have to live with my folks when we first get married. I won’t be able to build your dream house for at least a few years.’

‘I don’t care. I’d live in a cardboard box as long as you lived in it with me.’

My heart wrenched because I would’ve done it, I would’ve lived in a cardboard box with John Stone if God had seen fit to make it that way, and I would’ve been the happiest girl in the world.

But it wasn’t meant to be for us.

Pulling my shoulders back, I jutted my chin and caught a golden-eyed gaze on me.

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