Page 87 of Scar

Scar stiffened, knowing that wasn’t an option for him. Tally put a hand on his thigh. “Is there an alternative?” Tally asked Tessa. “I think, for obvious reasons, that’s out.”

Tessa nodded, though Tally couldn’t see that. “Yes, of course. I was going to say ‘butI know you won’t be comfortable with that’, which is why I printed up these exercises for you. I’d like you to do them daily, to work on getting your range of motion and strength back.”

Tally held out her hand and Tessa placed the packet of papers on her palm. “Thank you. I’ll make sure he does these.”

Tessa hesitated and then said, “I have to say it really is fascinating watching the two of you together. And I’m sorry if that’s inappropriate, but it comes from a place of love. Truly, Tally, you are a remarkable person and I’m so grateful the two of you found each other. Scar’s been…” She gave him a sweet smile before continuing to speak to Tally. “Well, Scar saved my life twice. I was pregnant at the time with my first daughter, Maggie, so he saved her too. It gives me such hope, finally seeing him happy.”

Scar felt Tally shift uncomfortably and moved on the bed to place himself between Tally and Tessa.

But Tally put her hand on the side of his head and pushed him back to his seat next to her. “You silly man! Tessa isn’t a danger to me. I wasembarrassed, not threatened. Geez, learn to read the room. And don’t scowl at me,” she pointed a finger at his frown. To Tessa, she said, “That’s really sweet of you to say. But you guys really need to stop acting like I performed some sort of miracle. If you tasted my cooking, you’d be all over me too.” She smiled wickedly, and fuck if Scar’s heart didn’t nearly explode in his chest at the sight. “I’m just that good.”

* * *

On the wayout of the hospital, Scar pulled Tally away from where the club’s SUV was parked. José kept walking, not realizing that they’d changed direction. Scar put a little extra speed in his steps, but she kept up easily.

Her giggling, though, caught Bear’s and Tessa’s attention as they came up behind them. As Bear turned, Scar plucked his brother’s keys from his large hand. “Hey!” Bear exclaimed.

Scar kept moving. Tally clicked her tongue and gasped as soon as she registered they were coming up on Bear’s motorcycle.

“Scar, you rat bastard, don’t you dare!”

Scar leapt onto the seat, pulling Tally on behind him. Her arms circled his waist without needing instruction. He started the bike just as Bear caught up with them. Flipping his brother the bird, Scar fishtailed the Fat Boy, making Bear have to leap out of the way or risk being hit.

Tally threw her head back and laughed with glee. As Scar shot them forward, she pressed herself as tight against his back as she could.

“This is awesome!” she shouted.

“Asshole!” Bear roared as they exited the hospital parking lot.

Elation filled Scar. He felt lighter than he had in a long, long time. A little way up, he pulled over. In Bear’s saddlebags were his and Tessa’s helmets. Scar placed Tessa’s on Tally’s head but left Bear’s untouched. Bear might forgive him for stealing his hog and would certainly forgive him for protecting Tally while riding, but he’d never forgive Scar for putting on his helmet. It would be like Scar borrowing the man’s underwear.

Tally grinned widely up at him. He loved how expressive her face was. “So when do I get to drive?”

A huff of air escaped him, the closest thing to a laugh that he’d made in over a decade. Putting her hand on his cheek, he shook his head.

She pouted. “Party pooper.”

He kissed her palm, basking in the heat of her. Then, before José, Bear, and Tessa caught up to them in the SUV, Scar got back onto Bear’s hog and headed up the side street to the main road.

But he made a left, turning away from town.

Tally held on tight. She didn’t even ask where they were going, trusting him entirely. They rode aimlessly for hours, well into the night. At one point, Tally held out her arms to the side and exclaimed that she was flying.

When Bear’s gas tank got low, Scar headed back towards Mount Grove and the club’s property. He pulled into a gas station. Taking the wallet he’d snagged at the hospital from a doctor Tessa had called a ‘pompous douche canoe’, he pulled out a twenty.

Tally got off the bike, stretching her back. “Here,” she held out her hand. “What pump number are we at?”

Scar tapped her three times, but did not allow her to enter the store alone.

She walked right up to the register and put the money on the counter. “Pump three, please.”

The kid behind the counter rang her up, not even noticing that the woman ordering gas for a motorcycle was blind. He was too wide-eyed, staring at Scar like the devil himself had just walked into his place of business, to really notice anything about Tally.

After filling up Bear’s tank, Scar drove them to the club’s property. He went past the clubhouse and down the drive to Bear’s house. Taking Tessa’s helmet off Tally, he placed both the helmet and Bear’s keys inside the saddlebag.

Scar put a finger to Tally’s lips, signaling for silence. She nodded, holding her hand out to him. He led her around the back of Bear’s house and through the shadows. The moon was only a light crescent in the sky, aiding in hiding them. The path he took was unusual, but she never said a word. Without the use of her cane or echolocation, she may not have noticed, and yet she trusted him to lead her.

Scar waited for the blind spot as the security cameras swept the communal backyard of the five houses the club called The Pentagon. As soon as it was clear, Scar brought her up onto José’s back porch. Normally, he’d access the house from the roof, but he didn’t want Tally’s first time scaling the house to be when she couldn’t use her echolocation to guide herself.

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