Page 32 of Saint's Sinner

A small bark of laughter burst out of Sinn after hearing that.

“Man, it would serve Gramps right to go out terrified and clutching his chest on the floor of his bedroom rather than biting it in a hail of bullets and glory.”

“Pretty sure we’d all prefer a bloody end.”

“Not me,” Sinn said.

“Yeah? And how do you wanna go?”

“Surprised,” Sinn said. “Which should be easy, since I won’t see it coming.”

At least he laughed at that and scooted a little closer, until he was using Night’s shoulder for a pillow.

“All I can see is dark,” Sinn said. “Not sure I even remember what the stars look like. Describe them for me?”

“Shit, I ain’t that good with words,” Night said as he studied them.

“Try.”

“I don’t know, they’re all sparkly and shit. They’re just stars. Silver stars. Some bigger, some brighter, some that are probably dead already, only we still see their light. Maybe they’re all dead. Maybe we’ll step outside one night to find the sky empty and a laughing face where the moon is supposed to be. Maybe we’re just trapped in a fishbowl and all those stars are just other fishbowls with creatures trapped inside, hoping for someone to come along and feed them.”

“And maybe the gods are all dead, and that’s why they haven’t sprinkled any fish food in the water.”

“And maybe you two should shut the fuck up before I come over there and drown you,” Wreck threatened. “Some of us are trying to get a little shuteye over here!”

“Don’t mind him,” Cody called out softly. “He always gets snarly when you wake him up, even if it’s for something fun. I wanna hear more about the fishbowl stars. Not gonna be able to think of them any other way now.”

“You’re not going to be able to stop thinking about my handprints on your ass when you’re bouncing over potholes tomorrow if you keep encouraging them,” Wreck warned. “Do not test me on that.”

It took every shred of willpower Night had not to snicker at Cody’s grumbledfineor Bellamy’s warning to Wreck not to threaten their boy just for wanting to hear a story.

Despite the exhausting week they’d had, Night wasn’t ready to fall asleep yet either, but he knew better than to press his luck with Wreck, as a fully patched member, he could make Night’slife hell in a way that would be far worse than a long ride with a stinging backside.

“When did you find out you were going blind?” Night whispered, hoping Wreck didn’t have supersonic hearing or Night was libel to find himself scrubbing every inch of the clubhouse and all the members’ bikes with a Q-tip and a bit of floss to polish the spokes.

“When I was twelve my sight started getting blurry. My old man used to yell about how much time I spent playing video games, so I figured no big deal, I’d lay off them for a bit. Only my vision never got any better. I wound up with glasses, which worked for a few years. Eventually the prescriptions got stronger while my eyes kept getting weaker. One day it dawned on me that the sun hadn’t been bright for months. People say shit like that changes what’s important to them, but to me, the same things have always mattered: My club, my family and my brothers and sisters in leather, only Gramps and my folks made sure I couldn’t have that either, not completely. I just want something that’s all mine. Something no one else can ever take away.”

“Why can’t you see that you already have it.”

“Huh?”

“You have the Jokers. You have Saint. You have those bikes you’ve been building. And you’ve got me for however long you think I’m worth your time,’ Night said. “Maybe that doesn’t make up for what you feel that your family took from you, but it’s more than some people can ever hope for. Respect that if you respect nothing else. Trust me when I say that you’re luckier than you think you are and pray none of us ever has to prove it to you.”

Chapter 12

(Sinn)

When home lacks a welcoming vibe

“Joy, you’re home and tracking mud and water all over the floor I just scrubbed!”

Rolling his eyes at the greeting, Sinn knelt to remove his boots only to have Night’s hand on his arm still his movements.

“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s pouring out there and we’re drenched,” Night snapped.

“Which is what we have a mudroom for,” Teddy snarked.

“Then maybe you should consider posting a sign outside the door directing people to it so they know it exists,” Night shot back.

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