Page 7 of Dusty and Dented
“Where do you think you’re going?”Andy asked as they reached the door.Dagger right behind her.
“With you.”
She shook her head.“I’m going inside, getting out of these clothes, and going to bed.I don’t need you for that.”
Dagger shrugged.“I said I’ve got you covered.You do what you need to do.I’ll be around just in case.”
“I don’t need anyone slinking around inside my house while I sleep.I’m perfectly fine to sleep for a while on my own.”
“I have no doubt you are.But it’s either inside or out.I’m staying either way.Out here, your neighbors will wonder why you have some guy hanging around all the time.”He glanced around at the other trailers so close that he wondered if they couldn’t see in each other’s windows and why anyone would want to live that close to anyone else.
Andy glared at him.“Fine.But I’m not waiting on you.You’re on your own for food and entertainment.Like I said.I’m going to bed.”She unlocked the door and pushed inside.He followed her, closing the door and turning the lock, not that it would do much good on a door that flimsy.Still, it might slow someone down long enough for him to pull his weapon.
“Kitchen’s in there, bathroom and extra bedroom are down that way.Remote for the TV is beside the sofa.Make yourself at home,” Andy said as she turned and headed through the doorway near the front door in the opposite direction of where she’d indicated the bathroom and spare bedroom were.He’d been in enough trailers like this to know that was the primary bedroom and that it likely had its own bathroom.
She closed the door and he heard rustling through the thin walls as he went to the sofa, sat and pulled out his phone.If he was going to be here for a while, he would need some things.For now, he’d put together a list, then after the party for Panther had a chance to die down some, he’d get one of the prospects to gather up his shit and bring it to him.
Dagger kept himself occupied scrolling on his phone, as well as dealing with some of the business that had gone unattended over the last few days as the Angels had dealt with the details of Panther’s funeral and the events that had led up to it.They still weren’t sure who had been responsible for the shooting that killed him.Since Panther had been their Sergeant at Arms, he had to be replaced, and they hadn’t done that either.Shotgun was acting as SAA for now, but they’d have to name someone officially soon.
He was limited in what he could do right now, because most of the club was busy with Panther’s farewell party and he didn’t have his laptop, but he had enough to keep himself busy.As the treasurer for the Angels, a lot of the business of the club, at least the parts having to do with the finances, fell to him.
He’d been sitting there at least an hour and was beginning to wonder if Andy had any food in the house.He had been too busy keeping an eye on her and making sure she ate, to eat much himself.He was considering going into the kitchen and looking for something to eat when the sound of heartbroken sobs came through the wall.
He couldn’t help the ache in his chest at how much pain she must be in.Her last family member was gone.Andy and Panther had been tight, they’d all known that, even if Panther hadn’t brought her around the clubhouse much.
It had been nearly an hour of her crying nonstop when Dagger got up and went into the kitchen.He was hoping to distract himself, because she wouldn’t want him to say anything, and he didn’t want to make her feel worse by saying anything.
He’d learned long ago that many women used tears as a weapon.A tool to manipulate people, and not just men, into doing what they wanted.He’d learned to ignore them, to not let them bother him.But something about Andy’s tears tore at him.
Dagger opened the refrigerator and stared inside, not registering what was inside for several seconds because his brain wasn’t on what he was doing but instead was on the sounds coming from the bedroom.After a moment, he realized there wasn’t much there.A full quart of milk that had expired a week and a half before, a few condiments and three-quarters of a case of water.He sighed and pulled two bottles free from the package.Breaking the seal on one, he tipped it back and drank until it was empty before crumpling it and tossing the bottle in the trash a few feet away.
He glanced toward the closed bedroom door and knew what he had to do.She was going to end up dehydrated if she didn’t drink something and the sobs didn’t sound any closer to stopping than they had when she started.He went to the door and knocked.Several minutes passed and nothing changed.She didn’t answer and her crying didn’t even slow.This wasn’t going to be simple or easy.He knocked again.
“Go away.”Her voice was nasal from crying but the spark of attitude that he was becoming fond of was there.That was good.At least she wasn’t totally withdrawing again.
Dagger shook his head.He went to the couch, sat and took off his boots before going back to the door.He knocked again but this time he didn’t wait for her to answer.Instead he tried the knob and was pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked.He eased the door open, hoping she wasn’t naked, and found that he couldn’t see her at all.She was wrapped up in the blanket and looked like a large lump in the middle of the bed.A lump that shook as she continued to cry.
Not knowing what else to do, he moved into the room and stood for a moment beside the bed watching, waiting for her to look up and see him.
“Andy?You need to drink something, Andy.You’re going to make yourself sick.’
“I don’t want anything.Go away.”
“Not going to happen.”
“I don’t want anything.”
He sighed.She was going to be stubborn.Not that he’d expected anything else.Being more than a little bullheaded was part of how Panther had made it to be the Angels’ Sargeant at Arms.Stands to reason that his sister would have at least a little of the quality as well.
Dagger set the water bottle on the table beside the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress, waiting for a moment to see if she would react.When she didn’t even acknowledge his presence, he stretched out and rolled over, so he lay on his side, facing her.
“Come here,” he said, tugging her, blanket and all, so she lay in his arms.He could tell from where the sounds of her tears were coming from that he had the end with her head, and he just held on.He let her cry but held her wrapped in his arms so she would at least know she wasn’t entirely alone.
