Page 101 of Dirty Eoin

Family is all that matters.

And today, he’s lost his life because he put his family ahead of his brothers and his patch.

Abel’s life may be over, but for Jaine, his death marks only the beginning. She’ll forever have to wear his invisible blood on her hands. She’ll also have to carry the heavy burden of associated guilt. Ending his life will have brought her no satisfaction nor a sense of justice. It will just have brought her more pain.

She’s done what she had to do. She had no choice, and I now realize that in every way, she’s my equal.

My Ma Duster and my fucking queen.

The Hudson Dusters’ HQ, Manhattan, New York

It’s been a week since Jaine took the life of the young biker. She’s kept to herself during that time. She’s been coming to terms with it. Dealing with it in her own way.

The mood is morose as we sit around the circular table.

I glance at Jessie. She’s been quiet of late, which is unlike her, and the Newton’s Cradle has also been deathly silent. Normally, I would rejoice, but it would be a shallow victory. Her eyes are red-rimmed because a young boy from her hometown has had to lose his life for protecting what he loved most.

His family.

Her sister, Bailey, is beside herself. He was her school friend. A lad she’d known her whole life.

But the boy almost cost them their own father. Would they rather he lived and their da died because the grim reaper wanted a soul? It was one or the other.

In my opinion, Jaine did the right thing. In our life, if we don’t abide by the rules, then where will it all end? We can’t choose when to apply them or who to apply them to. They must be applied consistently, no matter how difficult that may be at times. Had it been a forty-year-old man that had surrendered his life to Jaine’s blade, would they have been feeling such guilt? Probably not.

The boy protected his family the way he thought best. It was his choice to make.

Unfortunately for him, a biker died as a result, and another was gravely injured. Abel knew what would happen if the truth ever came out. He was simply living on borrowed time.

Who are we to judge if it was the correct decision that he made? None of us will ever know what the outcome would have been had he chosen the alternative path. There was no guarantee the threats made against his family wouldn’t have been carried out had he not done the Colombians’ bidding. It’s not like they could have been protected twenty-four-seven.

In the end, he sacrificed his life for theirs. It was his to do with as he wished.

The unfortunate reality is now his parents will have to spend the rest of their lives without their son. His brothers and sisters without their sibling.

But that’s a daily occurrence in our world. When you join our ranks, while you’re handsomely paid, you’re signing yourself up to live the remainder of your life day by day. We make a lot of widows and create a lot of orphans in this game. Only the individual can decide if the rewards outweigh the risks.

There’s a knock on the door.

Candice walks in. She’s dropped the sour look. She’s admitted defeat. She knows I belong to Jaine.

“Your wife’s here.”

I nod.

Seconds later, Jaine enters the room. Another pantsuit. This time dark grey. She looks good. It’s not really an appropriate time, but my dick twitches at the sight of her. It’s been a while, and I’ve fucking missed her.

Jessie immediately gets up to hug her. Jaine hugs her back. They’re united in their biker grief, both families having been betrayed by the same brother.

“How are you, Jaine?” My da poses the question.

I frown as I look at him. He’s aging in front of my eyes. This life is starting to take its toll on him. He needs to step down.

And now I have Jaine by my side, I’m more than equipped to take on the role of Da Duster.

She smiles at him. “I’m doing okay, thank you, Fergal. I just needed a moment to gather my thoughts and clear my head.”

She’s been appreciative of my ma and da’s help with both children this week, when her grief blew up and she needed some space and time out.

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