Needy frowns. “Shooting them in the foot would have been good. I want a gun, too.”
While Rooster explains the best guns for women's tiny hands, I watch Conor and hope he knows I’m watching him. He felt alone for too long. Does he know I’ll always keep his heart safe?
The moment he turns to walk to his motorcycle, our gazes meet. Right then, I know he knew I was watching. Conor’s big brain is always aware, and I’m not that subtle.
His slight grin feels so casual. Yet, the way his hands grip me when he plants a kiss on my lips reveals his earlier concern. Conor acts cocky and above it all, but I’m his safe space, and someone nearly stole me away.
CONOR
Though Monroe talks as if she isn’t afraid of her cousins, I catch her hands shaking a few times. Through it all, Needy stays quiet, and I suspect that’s how she survived in Minton. I imagine the women playing their roles within their family, much like I do in mine. So much remains unspoken, yet people instinctively know where they stand.
Right now, Monroe is stuck behind Lowell, who frowns at Needy as if she should have protected their kid better. The blonde acts as blank with him as she did with the rough cousins.
“I’m taking you home,” I tell Monroe and pull her away from her grumpy father. “Who can give Needy a ride?”
“Where are the fuckers staying?” Rooster asks.
“Where we usually put out-of-town people.”
“You mean with Amity at the Overlook?” Lowell asks, losing his temper. “They threatened to kill her.”
“I’ll be there, too,” Needy mentions and hugs Monroe. “Amity can share a beer with the two Clives and get over her fear.”
Lowell rolls his eyes. “That’s bullshit.”
“You’re bullshit,” Needy snaps back.
“Don’t start with me.”
“Don’t give me crap. I didn’t invite the dummies to stay.”
“Hey, now,” Monroe jumps in, thinking I’m being criticized for offering an olive branch to the chunks of North Dakota cheese. “You know Uncle Clive is likely to send more assholes here if he feels he’s been disrespected. Conor’s way keeps things friendly. That means an easier divorce with Francis and no more worrying about guys from North Dakota stirring up trouble in Elko.”
“If they come here, they’re getting buried here,” Bronco tells Monroe, who—God bless her—doesn’t roll her eyes despite clearly wanting to.
“Then, they come here and kill someone,” Monroe says calmly. “Then, you have to drive all the fuck up to North Dakota, which ain’t pleasant, trust me. Then, you kill some of his fuckers. Then, he sends more of his assholes to Elko. I think you might have more men than Uncle Clive, so you’ll win. Yet, isn’t Conor’s idea better than spending the holidays wondering if you’ll get shot by the moose-looking fellow at the grocery store?”
Bronco grunts at her response, but he’s accustomed to mouthy women. Lowell, though, shakes his head, clearly pissed in a way he can’t process. Monroe sets off something in him. He’s calmer when he thinks of her as a curvier version of Dunning. However, imagining her as a girl—fragile and needing protection—puts him on edge.
“I will supervise them,” Monroe offers as if wanting to irritate her father.
Sensing them ready to shut down her idea, I state, “I’ll stay over at the Overlook until they’re out of town.”
“No,” Lowell mutters.
“Why?”
“I don’t want those fuckers around Monroe.”
“What makes you think she’ll be there?”
“She’s currently fondling you,” he says, and Monroe’s right hand pauses under my T-shirt. “No way does she sleep alone at your house tonight.”
“Not alone,” Bronco says and snickers at Anders. “With Barbie.”
“She likes me now,” Monroe lies. “Barbie announced that I have giant birthing hips suitable for her future shitty grandchildren. Yep, she’s the head of my fan club.”
Needy shakes her head. “She wishes she had your curves. I bet they had to use the jaws of life to free Conor from Barbie’s scrawny hips. No offense, baby.”
I wave off her concern. “Fighting past my mother’s narrow hips was the first triumph of my life. Now that we’ve established how I’m awesome, and Monroe is fuckable, I need to get these ladies home and then go check up on our meat-pie guests.”
“Leaving them with Wyatt for too long might be dangerous,” Rooster points out.
Anders frowns as if he’s trying to figure out what would be a worse result—a dead Wyatt or two dead meatheads? Based on him and the other men’s expressions, they’re okay with either outcome. Well, maybe not Rooster.
“I’ll supervise the assholes,” I say over my shoulder as I guide Monroe to my Harley. “When it’s time to chat up Uncle Clive again, I’ll make sure Bronco and Lowell are in on the call. It’s all good, boys.”
Monroe glances back at her mom following us, still unsure who will give her a ride. Rooster races off after Wyatt and the SUV, just in case his boy gets stupid. The other men wait for Bronco to provide them with something to do. He must hand out orders because everyone returns to their hogs. The quiet afternoon gets loud from so many revving engines.
“Lowell’s got her,” I tell Monroe, who grips my hand.
Needy gives her baby daddy a dark frown when he tells her to get on. Then, he barks something at her that makes her cross her arms. Monroe tightens her grip on my hand. I don’t know how she would have dealt with her parents fighting if she had grown up in Elko. Lowell and Needy made an amazing daughter, but they share zero chemistry. If she says yes, he insists on no. If he says the sky is blue, she acts as if he’s making shit up.
“Needy, Lowell,” Monroe says over the engines’ roar. “Please don’t make me cry in front of all these big strong bikers.”
Both of them roll their eyes, but their stances soften, and Needy climbs on behind Lowell.
“Let’s go and check on Amity,” I tell my honey.
No longer worried about her fighting parents, Monroe nearly throws herself on the Harley, wanting to get to the Overlook and check on her friend. The feel of her arms around me erases some of my panic from when I saw the window shatter. Losing Monroe would have ruined me. I know what I need to live well, and she’s it.
MONROE
Arriving at the Overlook, I find Amity stoned and teary-eyed. She sits in our apartment with Jena and Roni. They just watch her shiver under a big blanket. Soon, Needy and I cuddle against her body and free her from her fearful thoughts.
Amity stares at my face for a few seconds and then strokes my cheek tenderly. She then does the same to Needy. Exhaling, she shakes her head.
“I thought they were going to kill you,” she says, seeming small as she relaxes into Needy’s embrace. “I just stood there and let them take you.”
“Baby, you couldn’t do anything against such men. You were smart to run.”
Amity’s suffering is my responsibility. I need to soothe her, yet I keep thinking of Conor.