“I brought Rico into everyone’s life thinking that he was a good guy. I thought he cared about me and that he was different none of that bullshit dating me because of who my father is. I really thought he was the one guy who saw something other than my last name. I brought him around my family I encouraged my father to hire him for tonight’s gig. I have no idea what his involvement is in any of this, but the one thing I do know is that whatever his part was in this he was able to execute because I allowed him to. I allowed him into my life and the lives of everyone around me.” She threw the cigarette out the window and leaned back in the seat.
I rubbed my face tiredly feeling like shit for making her tell me what she was feeling. I understood I lived with the guilt of my own actions every day. If I had been a better son or stepped up to be the man of the house, when my father died instead of acting like an entitled selfish prick maybe my mother would be alive. It was a shitty feeling, thinking that I had a part in the abolishment of another person’s life, especially someone you loved living with the regret knowing that if you maybe had done things just a little differently none of the destruction would’ve happened.
I placed my hand on Nikki’s knee an act of comfort. “I think we’re jumping the gun here. Let’s just wait and see what happens.” I said softly, wishing I could turn the thoughts inside her head off just at least until we got to our destination.
She looked out the window. “I know what I heard.” She said softly before closing her eyes. Her fingers slowly laced with mine and she leaned her head against the glass of the window her eyes still closed. I brought her hand to my lips, placing a delicate kiss to her knuckles before I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and brought her head to rest in the crook of my arm.
I glanced at Jack he turned the radio up slightly as he pulled onto the open highway. I settled back into my seat my fingers got lost in Nikki’s hair. I probably should’ve been asking Jack some questions trying to figure out what all of this meant and what the hell lied ahead of us but I was exhausted mentally and physically. I surrendered my trust and prayed that he’d take us to safety hoping that when we arrived, we’d have a better understanding of the battle we lived through tonight so that we would be prepared for the war to come.
I glanced down at Nikki she was sleeping so I closed my eyes and let the sounds of the guitar coming from the speakers soothe me.
When the sins of my father weigh down in my soul
And the pain of my mother will not let me go…
Make it rain… make it rain down low.
Thunder crackled forcing my eyes to shoot open and glance out the window as it began to downpour.
Chapter Fifteen
My eyes fluttered open to the sound of pellets of rain beating against the window. I laid there for a moment listening to the tranquil sound before I realized I had no idea where I was. I bolted upright from the bed I was laying on and glanced around the tiny bedroom. The walls were covered in wood paneling giving it an older look, but there was no clutter and the room was kept clean. I threw my legs over the bed, glancing back towards the window taking in the gray sky and how heavy the rain was coming down.
Looking down at myself, I noticed I was in the same clothes from the night before reminding me of the shootout. Then it dawned on me that this was probably the safe house Jack had brought us to or at least I hoped so. I didn’t remember falling asleep much less how I made my way to bed. I ran my hands down my hair, hoping to tame the horrid case of bed head I was sure I had as I made my way to the door following the sounds of the muffled voices.
The door opened with a squeak and the voices grew hushed as I entered what I guessed was the living room of this tiny cabin. It ran straight into the kitchen that was small to begin with but with the two broad bikers fighting over the coffee pot it managed to look incredibly tiny. I looked back towards the couch and Jack lifted his head from the newspaper he was reading.
“Morning sweetness.” He said, nodding towards one of his brothers. “Make the girl a cup of coffee will you.”
My eyes did another quick scan of the small space before nervously meeting Jack’s again. “Where’s Mikey?”
As if on cue, the door next to the one I had emerged from opened and Mikey stepped out holding a towel around his waist with one hand and towel drying his hair with the other. I looked him over my gaze pausing at his chest appreciating the slight sheen of water that made his skin glisten. My eyes slowly found his and he gave me a crooked smile.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were up.” He said bringing the towel he was using to dry his hair down to rest at his side.
“How would you if you were taking an hour long shower?” Said one of the bikers, the nice one that handed me a cup of coffee.
“Thank you...” I said looking down at the patch on his leather cut. “… Bones.” Was that his name?
Mikey rolled his eyes before taking a step towards me. “I’m going to throw my clothes on.”
I responded with a nod and watched as he studied me for a moment. I didn’t know why he was looking at me as if I was about to have a break down did he really think I was that unstable? He murmured something I couldn’t hear and stepped around me to enter the bedroom, closing the door behind him.