Page 19 of Killing Me Softly

Ash

Cross ended up deciding that it’d be better for both Lily and Eagle to stay away from town to avoid the cops picking them up again.

“If we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way, it’s best we close ranks now,” were his exact words. And I figured “old-fashioned” meant hiding her away and giving her a new identity, possibly springing her from jail if that’s where they put her. But I didn’t ask.

The guy assigned to drive me back to town was none other than the man I had the uncomfortable stare-off when I entered Sanctuary. He introduced himself as Fuse and even up close and outside in full daylight I couldn’t get a good look at his eyes. He’s wearing dark jeans covered in a couple too many bleach stains, a long sleeved red flannel shirt and leather driving gloves with just the tips of his fingers and dirty nails sticking out.

“You don’t wanna tell her too much,” he says gruffly as we’re riding along the forest road that leads back into town. “She doesn’t know jack shit about her father, you don’t wanna just spring everything on her all at once.”

“I can handle it,” I tell him, annoyed that he’s talking about her like he knows her. Or maybe it’s because he’s talking down to me like I’m an idiot. Cross didn’t have any instructions regarding how much she can know, so why the fuck is this guy so full of advice.

“Trigger must be turning in his grave knowing we failed to protect his little girl,” he says. “But her mother, she never wanted to have much to do with any of us, and after he died, she wanted absolutely nothing from us.”

He pauses and clutches the steering wheel so hard his dirty nails turn white.

“That’s how it goes sometimes,” I say, since he seems to be waiting for me to say something. My mother wanted nothing to do with the MC and she sure as shit never mentioned that her best friend neighbor was once with one of my dad’s MC brothers. But it’s possible she didn’t know. The MC wives can hold on to secrets every bit as well as the brothers can.

He makes a right as we reaches the foot of the hill, and before I know it, we’re on the road leading out of town.

“The condo’s the other way,” I tell him. “My bike’s there. I can make the trip on my own from there.”

He shakes his head and accelerates. “I’m taking you to her mother’s house. The sooner you get there the better, am I right?”

He chuckles, or maybe that was him just clearing his throat. I suppose I can’t argue with his logic. Though I did see Bea and I taking a nice long ride into the sunset together while I reveled the story of her life to her. I’d also hoped to shower and change before going to see her, but I suppose I can do that at mom’s place.

It’s a good half an hour ride before here and I lean back in my seat and close my eyes. Partly because I haven’t slept in more than twenty-four hours now, but mostly because I don’t enjoy talking to Fuse at all. There’s an undercurrent to everything he says and I can’t figure out what that’s all about, but it’s unpleasant.

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