Page 19 of Brick's Redemption

The future? I didn’t have a clue.

Would he want to know if I took the test as soon as I left the bathroom? Just when I thought the worst was over, I grew dizzy. Fatigue pressed in, draining me completely.

I needed a nap. Everything else could wait.

I FELT MUCH BETTERafter a nap. No more sickness for the rest of the day. In fact, the next couple of days went by without incident. The dizziness went away, even if the fatigue persisted.

Dagger left us alone often, probably because he could feel the tension in the room whenever he was around us. He probably got sick of Dominoes, movies, and card games. There was only so much to do to occupy ourselves.

It was clear my mom hadn’t come here more than a few times since my father’s death. My room still had toys strewn throughout. Dolls, Barbies, and art supplies filled an entire wall. While it was nostalgic and sweet, I didn’t want to leave it cluttering the space.

I found a few extra totes for storage in the garage and proceeded to pack them, stuffing most of my old treasures into the empty interiors. Once I had the lids on, I went to search for Dagger or Brick. Since learning of my pregnancy, I tried to be careful with my body, making choices for the healthiest diet and avoiding caffeine. While the totes weren’t heavy, I wanted to avoid lugging them across the house.

I found the two men in the garage, tinkering on an old motorcycle my father had left behind. Both men were covered in grease, repairing the brake lines, or so I heard Dagger say.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Brick greeted me as I leaned against the open doorway. “You need anything?”

Yeah.To talk. Hear your secrets. For you to spill your guts about the club.

“I packed up a bunch of my old stuff. There’re some totes that need to go into the attic. Toys and such. They’re a little awkward to handle.”

“I’ll take care of it as soon as we finish up here.”

“Okay.” I lingered, not quite wanting to be alone.

“Hey,” Brick ticked his chin my way. “You got something on your mind?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded as Dagger glanced my way.

“We’re nearly done. Go with Ginny.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Gives me something to do.”

Brick stood, reaching for a rag. He wiped as much of the grease from his fingers as possible before tucking the rag into his back pocket. “I need to get cleaned up. Is this the type of conversation that can wait until I shower?”

“Uh, sure.”

“You don’t sound convincing,” he chuckled.

“Well, it’s just that.” I began and hesitated. “Go ahead. I’ve got a lot to say.”

Dagger snorted but wisely remained quiet.

“Give me ten minutes.” Brick walked my way, kissed my cheek, and then strode inside, disappearing as I heard his boots pound the stairs. Half a minute later, I heard water running.

“He’s worried, ya know. Knowing there’s a hit on your life has him all twisted up.”

“I know. He should worry about the hit on his head, too.”

“Eh. We know what this life is when we join up.”

I figured.

“It’s the part about our women that tests us.”

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