Page 119 of Army
“He’s doing fine. I saw him yesterday. He had a shattered left femur and a concussion. The doctors fixed up his leg, but it’ll take time with the head injury.”
“Thank fuck he pulled through.” Army’s gaze swept over her face. “I didn’t mean to kill Shark. He hurt Taylor and it set me off.”
Mia nodded slightly. “Taylor said he saw Vic trying to kill you.”
“Yeah, but I only meant to keep him away from me and Taylor, not fuckin’ kill him. I didn’t think he’d die. Fuck, baby. I told you everything would be all right and it’s all fucked up. Taylor wanted to go pro.” He groaned.
Mia brushed her fingers across Army’s hand. “It was self-defense. That’s what Taylor told the detective. What the hell was your brother doing there anyway?”
Army shook his head. “I had no idea he’d do something so fuckin’ stupid. He was trying to talk to Shark about making peace with me and you. It was damn insane. I kept telling him to get the fuck outta there, but he just didn’tgetit.” He ran his hand through his hair.
“That’s the way Taylor is—always trying to be the peacemaker. He’s the same way at the club. It’s amazing he can turn it off during a fight.” Mia looked around. “Should we be talking about all this in here?”
“We’re cool. You’re in the lawyer room, so no wires or shit.” Army squeezed her hand again. “I’m sorry I let you down, babe.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Life just crashed that night.”
“I guess.” Army’s lips curled up. “Damn you look beautiful, woman. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I’ve been sleeping in one of your T-shirts pretending it’s you pressed close to my body.”
“That image will keep me going while I wait to get the fuck outta here.”
“Has bail been set?”
“Not yet. I go in front of the judge tomorrow morning. Cara—Hawk’s old lady—hooked me up with one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the county so I’m banking on him getting me out.”
“What time is the bail review? I want to be there.”
“In the morning at eight thirty. If I get bail, I’ll come over and show you what you mean to me.”
Mia licked her lips then smiled. “I can’t wait to hold you again. Don’t you think the charge against you will be dropped? You were just defending Taylor and yourself.”
“Yeah, but prosecutors don’t like dismissing cases, especially when an outlaw biker is involved. We’ll see what legal maneuverings my attorney can come up with to spring me.” Army leaned forward and entwined his fingers with hers, inhaling deeply. “I love the way you smell.” His gaze met hers, and she saw desire in his eyes as she stared at him.
“You need to come home,” Mia whispered.
“Yeah.” Army cocked his head to the side. “I know you must be going through hell—Shark was your brother,” he said in a low voice.
Mia nodded slightly as she took several deep breaths. “I’m sad that Vic’s life turned out the way it did, but I don’t blame you and I never will. Of course, I wish things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did, but I understand what happened that night and why you did what you did.” She brought a finger to her twitching eyelid and rubbed it gently. “Vic was always cruel and domineering, and he tried to make me want the things he wanted for me. I wish he would’ve understood how I felt about you.” The truth was that she was sad Vic had died but she couldn’t materialize the thoughts or feelings into words. When she was still living at home, her brother had run the house like a tyrant, and when he’d moved out at eighteen, they rarely heard from him. Then there were times when he had been incredibly supportive of Mia like when he’d given her the money to start her own business, but then he’d kept throwing it up in her face whenever they talked. Mia had made it her mission to pay him back, and had given him more than half of what he’d loaned her.Why can’t I cry? I feel terrible that Vic’s gone.
“You gotta let it out or it’ll eat you alive.” Army grasped the back of Mia’s neck and pulled her close to him then kissed her. “I’m sorry things turned out the way they did, baby. You’ll always have me to lean on. Don’t ever forget it.”
“Army,” Mia muttered as she ran her fingers over his forearm.
A rap on the window reminded Mia where she was, and she moved her hand away quickly and leaned back in the chair as the deputy walked in. Army stood up and winked as the guard put the handcuffs on him, and then he led Army away.
A long while passed until Mia stood up and slowly exited the room. The sun’s brightness hurt her eyes and she shielded them with her hand as she walked across the parking lot to her Chevy. She slid onto the seat and fumbled around in the car console, searching for her sunglasses. Mia put them on and leaned back, looking at the cars drive by on the busy street in front of the lot. Since everything had happened, she’d pushed down the emotions which threatened to take over, keeping herself tightly under control. But as the sun streamed into the car and the birds flew high in the sky, she broke down. Tears streamed down Mia’s face as she gasped and hiccupped until her sobs died away to sniffles.
After blowing her nose several times, Mia straightened her shoulders and, and with a heavy heart, she pulled into the street, each mile tearing her farther away from the man she loved.
