She took a step back and Simon thought he was going to have to protect her as Amber lashed out, but Tabby saw it coming. As Amber went to claw at her, one punch to the face, and she was down, blood everywhere.
****
“What the fuck did I say?” Devil asked, slamming into the house. He couldn’t believe on her first day of school he had to go and pick her up.
“You told me to not start fights. I didn’t. She came at me. If you don’t want me to defend myself, give me the update.”
“Watch your lip, girl.”
“You’re not my dad. Seriously, if this was your daughter and she was about to get attacked, would you tell her to wait? What if this Amber had a good hit, or a disease, and she goes around scratching people? I don’t care what she said to the principal, she was going to hit me.”
“She was, Dad,” Simon said.
“Enough, the both of you. You are both more than capable of handling shit without getting into a fight.”
“Devil?” Lexie asked, coming out of the sitting room.
“It’s fine, honey.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I’m not having her here causing trouble.”
“I know of this Amber girl. She’s bad news. You and I both heard what she tried to threaten Simon with.”
Devil gritted his teeth. Simon had come to them straight away with the recording of her voice and threats. He’d taken the device, gone to the girl’s father, to make sure nothing came of it. It was a good thing he had. When he arrived at the house, Amber was acting like a victim, and the cops had already been there.
Nothing had come of it, not when he played the cell phone for Amber and her parents to hear.
What he didn’t want right now was trouble. Every other day he could handle it, but not right now. Not with chemo around the corner, the possible operation, and all the medication. Not when he held his wife and knew there was a chance he was holding a ticking time bomb.
“Get out of my sight,” he said.
Tabitha and Simon disappeared.
“You’re both grounded!”
“You can’t ground me.”
“I can. Your father gave me plenty of permission and while you’re under my roof, you will do as you’re told.”
He glared at both of them until they were out of his sight.
“That’s not like you,” Lexie said.
“They need to learn to do as they’re told.”
“I get that, I do, but come on, Devil, even you know that you’ve sometimes got to hit first. Tabitha is a Skull. I know from her mother that high school is not the easiest of places.”
“They can’t be starting shit. Not now.”
“You mean because of me?” she asked.
He went to his wife. “I love you, Lexie. I don’t want you to be under any more stress than you already are.”
“You need to learn to relax, Devil. This isn’t you. Don’t push this. I trust Tabitha and Simon.”
He pulled her close, breathing her in. Sinking his fingers into her hair, he allowed the silence to calm him.
“I’m here.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to keep fighting,” she said. “And we’re going to beat this thing.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
He looked up and saw the tears in Lexie’s eyes.
“When you asked me to trust you all these years, I have. You’ve been strong for me. Let me do this.”
“This isn’t some guy with a gun, Lexie. This is inside your body and I can’t, I can’t fucking kill it for you. I can’t do anything.” He gritted his teeth. Fuck! He wouldn’t cry. Not now, he wouldn’t allow himself to fucking cry. She needed him strong.
Lexie cupped his face.
He didn’t know if it was in his mind or if her strength was disappearing. She felt weaker to him.
“I’ve got this, Devil. You make me strong. Every single day, you give me a reason to fight.”
“It’s not supposed to end like this. Not for us.”
“It’s not over. It will never be over, not with us. If I end up going first, then I expect you to pick up the pieces. To bring our kids up.”
He shook his head.
“But that is the worst-case scenario. I know our kids need us both. Now stop, and hug me, and know you will help me every single day.”
Devil held her close. He’d never considered himself a praying man, but whenever it came to Lexie, he always begged for her to live.
Chapter Ten
Lexie had been sick.
Tabitha was used to the vomit but each time, she caught Simon looking terrified. Like always, he’d help, make some excuse, and disappear. She’d wait for Devil to arrive home and then she’d go looking for him.
This had happened every single day this past week. Now, she found him on the edge of Piston County, right at the welcome sign.
“Shit, is he going to be okay?” Eddie asked.
She’d called Eddie as Dean was going through his emancipation and could no longer afford a car. He had to prove in the next month that he was capable of holding down a job and also taking care of himself. Devil had to make sure his family didn’t interfere, and to guarantee it, Dean was working for Devil.
“Yeah, he’ll be okay.”
“I’ve never known him to be like this.” He sighed, running a hand over his head and down to grip his neck.
“I know. Something like this, it can change a person. It’s hard to explain.”
“You’ve gone through this before?”
“Not me, but I have a friend back home. She struggled as well, but she got through it.” Just thinking about Darcy always reminded her of home and how much she was missing it.
After climbing out of the car, she walked several steps. Simon was on the welcome side while she stood on the side that asked them to come back soon.
Gripping the cuffs of her jacket tightly, she stopped a foot away from him.
“Where are you going?”
Simon spun around, wiping at his face. “Tabby, what are you doing here?”
“You’re here.”
“I know. I’ll be home soon.” He turned his back on her.
“You know, I came here to help you. Not to do all of this for you.” Devil had warned her she’d need to practice tough love with him. She hated the very idea of it, but if it would help, she’d do it.
Simon chuckled. “You’re cute when you’re trying to play a role.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I know it’s not funny. You think I’m laughing?”
“Don’t fucking yell at me.”
“I don’t mean to.” He slammed his foot to the ground. A hand went to his mouth, and he shook his head. “I don’t … fuck, I don’t know what to do.”
“There’s nothing you can do, Simon. This isn’t something you can plan or rationalize. It happens. You move on. You get shit done.” She shook her head. “You think Lexie wants this?”
“I know she doesn’t.”
“She’s fighting every single day. For her kids, for you, for Devil. For the entire freaking club. I see it. What she doesn’t need right now is this. If you can’t handle this, then you need to come back to Fort Wills with me, and we will hang out, you’ll go to school, and when it’s all over, you come back, pick up the pieces.”