Page 168 of Dagger

My oldest boy straightened his spine, placed his palms on the table, and slowly stood up. “Thanks, Pop. I hope I can do it justice.”

My heart squeezed painfully, but I disguised it with a reassuring smile. “You’ll fuckin’ smash it, Prez,” I told him, no hesitation in my tone. “I hope this brings you as much beauty as it brought me.”

Cash stretched out an arm and accepted the gavel from me.

My heart twisted painfully, but underneath the ache, it still felt right.

Turning toward my boys, I grinned, giving them a loose salute. “It’s been an honor, brothers. This is the beginning of a new era, and I can’t wait to see the good shit you do.” With one last chin lift, I turned for the door and walked out of Church for the last time with Abe at my back, the same way he had been for the last thirty years.

The instant the door clicked shut, my back hit the wall, and my hand rubbed at the ache in my chest. “Fuck!”

“You did good, John,” Abe murmured. “They’re ready, and you’re not alone.”

My breath came hard and fast, my chest sawing in and out.

“You’re not alone, John,” Abe repeated. “Look.”

I lifted my head, directing my gaze down the corridor, and the ton of weight lifted from my chest when I saw Elise leaning her shoulder against the wall.

She wore black jeans, a tee, spiky heeled boots, and a leather jacket. Her long hair was curled, her green eyes made up dark, and her puffy lips red.

“Jesus,” I croaked. “I think I just shot my load. You look like bad Sandy from Grease.”

Abe chuckled at the same time as Leesy’s tinkling giggle floated toward me. “Exactly the look I was going for,” she said proudly. “Now, go get your shit together, we’re going for a ride. You look like you need to clear the cobwebs, Stone.”

One side of my mouth hitched, and slowly, I began to walk toward my beautiful woman.

“How did it go?” she asked, her tone full of concern.

“Second hardest thing I’ve done after having to live without you.”

Tears filled her eyes.

“You ready to take your place back, baby?” I asked as I drew close.

She swiped at her cheeks, straightening her spine. “I’ve been waiting thirty-five years to take my place with you, Johnny. Of course I am.”

Warmth slid through my gut. “I haven’t had a backpack for a lotta years, Duchess. I hope I remember how to do it.”

Her eyebrows pulled together. “But what about…?”

“Never on the back of my bike,” I murmured, intertwining my fingers with hers. “She knew.”

A lone tear tracked down her cheek.

I cupped her jaw and swiped it away with my thumb. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” she whispered. “If we’re serious about moving on, we can’t keep living in the past. I want to look forward, not back.”

I lifted her hand and kissed her palm. “Noted.”

“So, you gonna put me on the back of your bike or not?” she sassed, popping a hip.

“Yep.” Pulling her toward the bar, I saw Abe standing there watching us with a smile on his face and his arm slung across Iris’s shoulders. She wore much the same as Leesy, except she wore her ‘Property of Abe’ cut in place of a leather jacket.

“Let’s go,” Rissy called out.

An idea began to form, and I pulled Elise down the corridor. The instant we hit the bar, I heard the conversations quieten, and somebody turned the music down.

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