Page 80 of Lulu

“The floor needed washing anyway,” I joked as I reached for the drink. “Here. Between this and the bath, you should sleep good tonight.”

“I hope somewhere in there is dinner.” She took a long drink and set the glass back on the shelf.

I’d already planned to make something easy and light. It grew quiet between us. I knew that she was thinking about everything that had happened. I grabbed the sponge and lathered it up with the bar of soap in the dish. It wasn’t girlie or flowery, but it also wasn’t overpowering, as some masculine soaps were. While Lulu sat there, lost in her own thoughts, I began to run the soapy sponge over her shoulders and down her arms, and then brought it up to the front of her throat. I kept my movements gentle as I made my way down her chest and over her tits, then down her belly and between her thighs. The water had rinsed the soap out of the sponge, so I grabbed the bar to soap it up again.

“Lean forward, babe.” I ran the sponge over her backside and then rinsed her off before drawing her back against me. “Just relax for a little while.” I rested my chin on top of her head.

She sighed. “I killed him.”

“I know, baby.”

“No. I don’t mean the man who was after you.”

I frowned in confusion and waited for her to explain.

“I mean Eddie Roth.” She took a breath. “When I pulled the trigger today, it was Eddie Roth I was killing.”

I understood now. During the second she’d pulled that trigger, her mind had replaced Crazy with the man who’d taken her family away from her. Though she’d never said so, it must have been bothering her more than she knew that he was alive and living out his years in prison. The thought crossed my mind that I could do something about that. I could give her that peace of mind, and the closure she was unknowingly seeking. I remained silent and reached for the whiskey, offering her the glass. She took another drink.

I’d get with Demon and see what we could do about Roth. He probably knew someone on the inside that could help.

If not, I’d find my own way of dealing with it.

Chapter 31

Lulu

It felt good being home again. Buttercup was happy to be back, too, even though she’d received a lot of attention at the clubhouse. Things were quieter here, and less disruptive. It was funny how you didn’t know what you were missing until you had it and then lost it. All those active, chaotic years with the Desert Rebels had been the norm for so long, but now I could appreciate being on my own and running my own life.

Well, I wasn’t exactly on my own. Brody had infiltrated my life in the best of ways. Our relationship had changed after the incident at the clinic. It was as if it had opened up our eyes and made us realize just how bad things could have turned out. We’d made some significant changes in our lives and in the relationship that we no longer denied. No more wasting time, for one.

Brody had quit “the life”, and was considering joining the Desert Rebels to feed his inner, voracious need for danger. He’d participated in club business a few times, but I knew that he’d done work for them in the past as well. As far as I knew he hadn’t been included in church, and he wouldn’t get the coveted cut until he made his final decision. Not that I believed that he coveted the cut in the way that the prospects did, but as someone who’d worked solo for so long, he was discovering the benefits of being part of a club whose members worked together and considered each other family.

Of course, I knew the workings of the MC like the back of my hand. The Desert Rebels would always be my family, and that meant that if Brody accepted Demon’s offer, I would become an old lady. That is, if he asked me. Sometimes I let doubt creep in, especially when he turned all quiet and moody and I felt that he was distancing himself from me. I knew that it was usually because something was going on in the club, but when my questions were answered with a lift of one brow and the standard “club business,” I didn’t press him.

He was on club business right now, somewhere in New Mexico, with some of the other men. I’d managed to garner information from the old ladies two nights ago during a girls’ night out. Apparently they were down there trying to work out some kind of truce with the Soul Reapers. That little tidbit of information surprised me. The Soul Reapers were the kind of MC who shot first and asked questions later. They had a violent, nasty reputation, and if you slighted them in any way, they would be out for blood.

They were the same club that had tried to kidnap Millie because of some beef they’d had with Loco.

A high-pitched whine broke into my musings, and I could see Buttercup’s shadowy outline through the frosted glass of the shower. I slid the door open a little and peered down at her. “You have to go out?”

The excitement that followed, the way she spun around and wagged her tail, was a clear “yes.” I was done with my shower anyway, and I turned off the water. “Just a minute, baby.” I reached for a towel and wrapped it around my body. I wrapped another, smaller towel around my wet hair. “Okay, come on.” I realized that she must need to go really badly because she ran ahead to the back door.

“Calm down,” I said when I reached the door to find her jumping up and down and scratching at the glass. The minute I opened the door she dashed outside. With a smile I turned to go back into the bedroom to get dressed. Some of the girls--Millie, Lissa, and Holly--were coming over. Their men had all gone to New Mexico with Brody, so we’d decided to have a pity party. The men had been gone a week, and we were all feeling lonely.

I dried off and slipped into old cutoffs and a faded tee for comfort. There was no need to get all dolled up since we were just staying here. I left my hair down to dry on its own and padded barefoot back out to the kitchen, stopping along the way to let Buttercup back in. “You happy now?” She barely glanced at me before taking off in the direction to her favorite spot on top of the padded cedar chest in front of the window. She liked lying there in the sun and looking outside, even though nothing much ever happened out there. No more prospects guarding the place, thank goodness.

I stood there for a moment and stared out the window at the clear, sunny day, hoping to see Brody coming down the road on his bike. I missed him like crazy and hoped that he returned soon. Too much time on my hands caused me to worry and overthink stuff that I had no control over. It was a good thing that I’d decided to go back to college to acquire that diploma Elizabeth had wanted me to get. I was going parttime. Her health scare had been exactly that--a scare--thank God, but she’d still insisted that I continue my education, and I hadn’t fought her on it. Someday she would retire, she said, and until then it wouldn’t hurt to have two vets in the clinic.

I turned to go to the cupboard, deciding to take out the dishes and utensils we’d need for lunch, and set everything up on the counter. Just as I finished digging out some napkins, Buttercup perked up and began barking to let me know that someone had pulled into the drive. Smiling, I went to the front door and opened it as all the girls were getting out of Holly’s huge SUV. I’d figured they’d come together.

“Hey!” I called out enthusiastically as I stepped outside. “’Bout time you bitches got here. I’m hungry!” It had been decided that I would provide the drinks, while each of them made a dish.

“It’s barely lunch time!” Holly responded, carrying a large, clear bowl with salad in it.

I pulled a Millie and rolled my eyes dramatically. “God, please tell me someone brought some real food.”

Holly stuck out her tongue.