Page 25 of Broken

Dirty nodded. “Fine. Fine. I get it. Okay, I getit.” He held his hands up.

“Are you coming on the run?” Colt asked.

“Yeah, Warden told me this morning that he wantsme by your side.”

Colt sighed and leaned up against the car. “Ourfirst gun run since it all went down. Seems like a fucking lifetime ago.”

“You think they’re gone?” Dirty asked.

“Fuck, no. Dad doesn’t either, but we can’t keepputting shit off. If they’re going to hit, it’s time we brought them out.”

“You’re going to be a dad soon,” Dirty said.

Colt shrugged. “Doesn’t change the fact I’ve gotshit that needs to be done. Nothing is going to change the fact I’m going to bea dad. Are we done?” Colt asked.

“Does it scare you?” Dirty asked.

“Being a dad?” Colt nodded. “Fucking terrifies me.Especially with the shit I put Rosalie through. I mean, what am I going to sayto him or her? That we were forced together and everything I thought I knewabout their mother was wrong, and that is on me.” Colt snorted.

“Or, you don’t tell them what happened?”

“Rosalie said if we could handle our arrangedmarriage, we could handle anything. We made it work. Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious.”

“You thinking of being a dad one day.”

I was a dad, for whatseemed the merest bleep of a second, and then it was gone.

“Nah, probably not.”

Colt laughed. “I’ve got to finish this. I’ll talkto Rosalie later, okay?”

Dirty nodded and headed toward his bike. There wasonly one place he wanted to be today, and that was near Petal. He’d not seenher for most of the morning.

Pulling out his cell phone, he located the trackerhe had on her cell phone and saw she was at the local florist shop. He checkedthe time and saw it was her break, and he frowned, seeing her move. He’d putthe tracker in her phone before shit hit the fan. This was his way of makingsure she was all right, and to always know where she was.

He saw where she went and climbed onto his bike,riding toward the local cemetery. It didn’t take him long to get there. Petal’sshitty car was parked outside. She refused to let him take it to Colt to workon. She was very stubborn, and her hatred of Colt and what he’d done to herfriend was absolute.

Parking his bike behind her car, he climbed offand headed inside the cemetery. It was fucking cold, and he saw it hadn’tstopped a few people from visiting loved ones. He knew exactly where Petal was,and why she was here. This was Gabrielle Barlowe’s final resting place.Rosalie’s mother—the woman Petal had loved like a mother. He believed she lovedher more than her own mother.

She was sitting on the bench conveniently placedjust in front of Gabrielle’s gravestone. He moved toward her and didn’t make asound as he sat beside her. She didn’t tell him to get lost or to leave heralone.

Dirty was silent. He barely knew Gabrielle. Thelife the woman led had been filled with fear, anxiety, and pain. There wereonly moments when Daemon had left her alone long enough to enjoy them with herdaughter.

Dirty knew the story, as did most of theclubhouse. Gabrielle had visited the Evil Fuckers MC clubhouse when she wasvery young, barely legal age, with her best friend. One look at Gabrielle,Daemon had wanted her. She didn’t want him, but that hadn’t stopped him. Daemonraped her, and in doing so, she had become pregnant with Rosalie. She’d triedto go to the police, but they were in Daemon’s pocket. Her family turned onher. No one would help her. Daemon was the only one who did. He provided thehouse and paid for everything.

Over the years, Daemon didn’t stop taking,although Gabrielle wanted nothing to do with him. She couldn’t fight. She wasn’teven able to protect her daughter, as Daemon used her as a pawn with Colt andthe club. It had ended with Gabrielle being shot. The men responsible were butchered,and Daemon was dead, as Colt killed him.

Petal losing their child and losing the mother shealways wanted.

“You didn’t have to come here,” she said.

“I know I didn’t have to come but I wanted to.”

He looked at Petal and watched as she swiped ather cheeks. She visited Gabrielle regularly. More so than even Rosalie did. Hehad a feeling he knew why. This was her mourning the loss of their child aswell. She lost them both that day.

“Don’t,” Petal said.

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