Page 79 of Queen of Blades

The man devoted his life to them, and they didn’t have the decency to pay their respects. A bunch of spineless derelicts.

Paul shook his head and wrapped an arm around Harper’s shoulders as he surveyed the turnout at the cemetery.

A priest stood over the grave. Harper’s mother, held up by her oldest son and Remi, sobbed. Beside them, the young Colt stared at the casket with a haunted expression. A few other relatives had shown up, but not one asshole clad in leather.

Such a disgrace.

He squeezed his woman as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue and listened to the words of the holy man.

It turned out, Snoopy suspected his brothers had turned against him and sent his sons out of town on purpose. Unbeknownst to Harper, Remi had gone with them. They were supposed to be talking to someone about a bike or something, and Harper’s sister was supposed to check it out. Harper’s mother had also been out of town, caring for Harper’s feeble grandmother.

Snoopy had actually taken care of his family before he died. Paul couldn’t believe it. The man wasn’t a total piece of shit. It’d been the reason it took so long for the funeral—they needed to get everyone back to Oklahoma.

He pressed a kiss to Harper’s temple before she stepped away. Sticking his hands in the pockets of his suit, he glanced around while she placed a flower on her father’s coffin, allowing a small smile to spread on his lips.

A few graves away stood his parents, brother, aunt, uncle, and cousins. They didn’t intrude on Harper’s family’s mourning. However, they’d showed up to provide her with support. This gesture, subtle as it was, proved they accepted her.

At the conclusion of the funeral, they turned without saying a word to anyone. Harper joined him with a tissue to her nose and red-rimmed eyes. Fresh tears wet her cheeks.

Paul wrapped an arm around her and gave her a soft squeeze. It’d been a few weeks since everything went down, so she wasn’t entirely healed yet, though her face had improved from the swollen, mottled mess it had been. She’d covered the traces of yellow-and-green bruises with makeup.

As the small group dispersed, and before Paul could lead his woman away, Harper’s siblings approached. Lifting his chin, he stepped back, allowing her space to speak with them.

“Paul,” Little Junior said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Intrigued, he resettled himself at Harper’s side. Both of the men had left their cuts at home and were dressed in button-downs and slacks. They looked truly uncomfortable.

Little Junior glanced at his younger brother and Remi before turning his gaze to Paul and Harper. They stood on two different sides of an imaginary line. The divide between the siblings was palpable, and it hurt Paul’s heart.

There shouldn’t be distance between them. They cared about one another. None of the people at this funeral were responsible for how things went down, but it wasn’t on Paul to make anything right.

Little Junior scrubbed a hand along the stubble of his chin as though searching for words.

“Thank you,” he said with all sincerity as he met Paul’s gaze.

Paul dipped his chin. He knew it took a lot for the young biker to say that. He appreciated the acknowledgment.

Sighing, he glanced over his shoulder at the coffin. “Things spiraled so fast. I don’t know how everything got so bad.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Weston,” Harper said as she reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Dad made his choices.”

He nodded.

Baby Boy shuffled from foot to foot. “It’s crazy to think it’s all gone.”

“Not all of it,” Paul offered.

The three siblings looked at him. “Dad kept the body shop out of the club’s name. It was his and his alone. So, as his kids, we get it,” Remi explained.

“Which means, if you want it, my family will ensure no one fucks with it,” Paul asserted.

Relief washed over all three of their faces.

“But that doesn’t mean Oklahoma is safe for you,” he admitted.

The men bristled, and Remi sighed. She wrapped her arms around herself and glanced over her shoulder as though watching their mother chat with the priest and the lingering family.

“That’s nothing new,” she said, returning her focus to the group before her. “No one is chasing me out of town. I’m taking the house, but I’m kicking Mom out.”

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