I didn’t interrupt. I could tell he was struggling.
“There between us. Anymore. Is there?”
“No, Eric. No, there isn’t.” I was fucking crying like a baby. This was not the way I wanted to be sure, not the way I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t have the heart to lie to him right now.
“Thought so.” He paused. “It’s just like a . . . like a familiar . . . song.” He said, “Your part’s over.”
“Eric, this can wait till you can speak.”
“No. I got to say this now. I’m letting you go.” He paused and swallowed. “I see what you could have with Tony. I want you to be happy. I think he’s the one. Who could make you. Happy.”
“What? That is ridiculous. You don’t know what you are talking about,” I protested. I wanted to scream and hit him right now, but he was doing it when he knew I couldn't. What an ass, making me cry over him like this.
“Tony is a good man. He clearly cares deeply about you. He can protect you, from your father.”
“Why are you saying goodbye? You’re not dying, you fucking fool. I won’t let you die.”
“Oh, stop it.” He closed his eyes for a moment.
“Eric!”
“He has feelings for you. He wouldn’t have punched me if he didn’t.”
“He’s stubborn and will never admit that.”
“He will. He will. In time.”
“That seems to be the verdict. I just don’t know if I want to sit around waiting for him to figure it out. To wait for him to admit it.”
“You’ll be sorry. If you don’t.”
“Okay, if I agree, will you stop talking now?”
He nodded.
“Then I agree to give Tony time, but don’t expect me to just sit around and wait for him.”
Eric went silent. The monitors were still working, so he must have just drifted off to sleep. I sat in the chair and watched him sleep as my mind mulled over what he had said. Why was it so obvious to everyone but the two people involved? Why was Tony fighting these feelings everyone saw?
I was still pondering this when my cell phone rang.
“Get it. I need to sleep,” Eric said.
“I’ll come back and check in on you, so don’t you die on me, you bastard.” I answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Kara, It’s Reagen.”
“Hey, are you okay? You sound upset.”
“I am upset. I’m terrified.”
“Talk to me.”
“Jacob just sent the Midnight Saints a threat. I’m so scared, Kara. He said he’s going to kill anyone who tries to get between us.”
“Wait, how did he send the message? He’s fucking dead!”
“I thought so. I don’t know how he did it. He fucking called Tony.” She was losing it, and I was confused as fuck. Was this what our little witch boy predicted? This fucker still alive? “He left a blow-up doll that looked like you at the bar. He even marked it up. He hung it from a tree and put a message on it to all who were protecting me.”
“Wow, that’s bold. What is Tony doing about it?”
“He’s sending a crew out now. He and Seth are gone. They left the sentries to protect me, but they wanted to go meet him. Kara, I have a bad feeling either they are going to die or that this is what he wanted, to leave me without Seth.”
“Well, don’t worry, the Midnight Saints and the Crypt Keepers won’t let him get near you. I’m at the hospital. I’ll be there as soon as I can be. I won’t fucking let anything happen either. Where are you?”
“At the clubhouse. In Seth’s room. Hiding in his closet.”
“Are you alone there?”
“No, there are Saints and Keepers around.”
“Good.”
“Kara, he said he’d kill anyone who got in his way. I won’t be the cause of these people’s deaths. And not yours either. He wants you too.”
“He’s not going to attack the clubhouse. He wouldn’t be that stupid. Reagen, listen to me, no one is dying today. Stay in the closet, I’m on my way.” I tried to reassure her, but she was so shaken up and crying hysterically.
I left Eric. I didn't fucking want to, but I needed to. She needed me.
I told the Prez what was up, and he and two guys rode with me. There was no sign of the Blue Diablos anywhere, so by the time we arrived and entered the building and I made my way to Seth’s room, I was convinced it was just a scare tactic. “If he was coming, he’d be here by now.”
“He said he’s going to be down one more member and this time they aren’t going to get it wrong. Seth is a dead man and that he’d be wise to give me up or there won’t be a single Saint or their bitch left alive.”
“Your man is one of the toughest guys I know. They won’t be able to take him down easily. As for killing the rest of the club, he can try, but aside from blowing up the clubhouse while we’re all gathered, he’ll never get the rest of us.”
“You don’t know him like I do. He’s capable of anything. Plus, he used to be a Saint, so he knows where the clubhouse is.”
“Then we move. We get everyone out and we go to the Crypt Keepers’ clubhouse. They don’t know where that one is. I’m one half of the Prezs, so I can order everyone out of the clubhouse if I need to. We can hit the road. We’re not as easy to pick off on the open road. That’s what we’ll do, if they actually come, we’ll hit the road. If they burn down the clubhouse, it’s just a building and replaceable things. But our members are dropping like flies, and we can’t afford to lose anyone else. I’ll call Tony and fill him in on the plan.”
I called Tony, but he didn’t answer.
