Page 122 of Shadow's Surrender
The thought of Scarlett not being a part of his life, of never seeing her again, ripped a hole in his chest. “You’re the only thing that’s grounding me. I’ve just needed some time by myself.”
“I understand that,” she said, her eyes shimmering. “I just want to know that we’re okay. I can’t stand the thought of you not being in my life.”
Shadow leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, then broke away. “Baby, you’ve changed my life in ways I never thought anything or anyone could, and I want you on the back of my bike.”
Scarlett flung her arms around him and pulled him closer. “I want that too.”
She swept her mouth against his, and he wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to hold her, to kiss her, to breathe in her scent. Grief and anger had made him lose his head and push her away. He pulled away slightly. “I should’ve reached out to you instead of trying to figure it all on my own,” he said before kissing her again.
“Just know I’m here for you no matter what,” she whispered across his lips.
They kissed, touched, and held each other through the constantwhirrof lawn mowers from neighboring houses, the screams of children riding bikes up and down the street, and the barks of dogs as their owners walked them on the sidewalks. And they would’ve stayed that way except for the incessant vibration of Shadow’s phone against the dashboard.
“Hey,” he said.
“The fuckers are back in town. Banger’s called an emergency church in one hour,” Smokey said. “Are you at the warehouse?”
“I’m not. I’ll see you in an hour. Thanks for letting me know.” He put the phone in the console.
“When will I see you again?” Scarlett smoothed the wrinkles from her dress.
“I may have something to do tonight. I’ll call you, though. How long are you staying with your dad?”
“I don’t know. He’s awfully shaken up about all of this.”
Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah … well.”
She looked at him quickly, then cut her gaze back to her dress. “Anyway, I could never go back to my condo. I’ve decided to sell it. I’ll stay with my dad for a while.” Scarlett leaned her head against the head-rest. “What a fucking mess this is. I hope my mom does the right thing and pleads guilty. I can’t even imagine how horrible it would be for you to go to the trial.”
“Yeah—the best would be a plea deal.”
“I still can’t believe this is all happening. I keep thinking I’m in a dream and that I’ll wake up soon. How the hell could my mom do something as horrible as that?”
Shadow drew her to him and wrapped his arm around her. “Jealousy and fear are a lethal combination.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll call you.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then moved away from her.
Scarlett climbed out of the car, and she was still standing on the sidewalk watching him when he turned the corner.
Instead of going to the clubhouse right away, Shadow stopped off at the grocery store, bought a bouquet of roses, and then proceeded through the business district as he headed to Mountain Crest Cemetery. It’d been a long time since he’d visited his mother’s grave, but Shadow had the strong urge to go.
Driving through the entrance, he saw the office and pulled into the lot; he didn’t remember where the location of the gravesite was. Several minutes later, he drove slowly past mausoleums and tombstones until he saw marker 157.
Shadow grabbed the bouquet and slid out of the car, then walked across the grass until he reached a small rose-colored granite gravestone set flush to the ground. It readCarmen Basson ~ Beloved Motheron top with the dates of her birth and death on the bottom. He knelt on one knee and pulled the weeds away from the border of the stone, then stood up and stared down at it.
A gentle breeze whistled through the pine trees that dotted the manicured grounds, and wildflowers perfumed the early afternoon air. The wind sounded like ghostly voices calling back and forth through the treetops.
“Hey, Ma,” he said, his voice low. “I brought you some flowers.”
Shadow ripped off the plastic wrapper and tissue paper, then stooped down and put the red roses on the grave.
“You got your justice now.” He brushed his fingers against the cool granite and closed his eyes, letting memories of him and his mother flood through his mind. Then he slowly straightened up. “Fuck … I miss you.” He tapped his hand against his chest. “You’re always in here,” he whispered before turning away and walking back to the car.
When Shadow arrived at the clubhouse, there was a tense excitement in the air, and he followed the members to the meeting room.
Banger was at the head of the table with Hawk by his side, and the gavel didn’t hit the wood block until the room grew quiet.
