Page 9 of Marked By Myth

This was for Camo.

Afterward, well that was a free for all, wasn’t it?

Rox

I could feel his eyes on me.

Harsh. Visceral. Carnal.

There had always been an intensity when it came to Myth, or as I knew him, Adrian. I’d always hated his road name, putting him under more pressure to be as tough as his dad. It was what caused us to have problems.

Every instinct in my heart told me to turn around, to seek him out, but my head was screaming to ignore it. I was here for Cam, not Adrian.

My eyes remained on the photo in front of me. Cam was smiling in it, that shit-eating grin that always made you smile. It showed how cheeky he was, how he was always that one you could pick up the phone and call because he would always be there, no matter the time, no matter the problem.

I held my head back, looking up at the ceiling, keeping the tears in my eyes. Guilt flooded through me as I heard Grace sniffle from the front pew, in front of me. She had her two eldest kids on either side of her, holding her hands, while the youngest two were being babysat by one of the girls from the clubhouse. Even her two kids with her were too young to be here. I could see the way Cam’s son, CJ, was trying to keep it together for his mum and sister, how his bottom lip wobbled a bit before he corrected himself. His eyes were red, and puffy, but he sat up straight.

God, what a champ. Cam would be so proud right now.

The solid tear escaped from my eye and slid down my cheek. I swept at it quickly and focused on what the chaplain was saying. Graves was his road name. He joined the club around the same time as Adrian joined as a prospect. I heard he’d joined the army and been ordained during the time I’d been gone, rejoining the club once he retired.

As he recounted Cam’s life, I found myself smiling at some of the memories brought forth, followed by an overwhelming sadness that we’d never laugh about those memories together again.

A montage of his life showed up on the screen behind Graves as he stepped down to watch it himself. Photos flashed of his childhood, him and his brother Lucas, in happier times, then photos of him and Adrian as they grew up, and there, a photo of me, Adrian and Cam, thick as thieves. I felt the sob before I heard it, and I bit down on my bottom lip to stop myself from making a sound. Looking down at my hands in my lap, I waited for the montage to end, blocking out the sad song blaring throughout the chapel.

Fuck.

I zoned out for the rest of the funeral, unable to process the anxiety at seeing memories of better times flash across the screen.

“Rox?”

I looked up to see Grace looking down at me, with a soft smile. CJ was smiling at me too. There’d been so many times he would sneak into his dad’s mancave to say hi to me on video call. He looked so much like Cam now, a junior version of the man, and it made my heart ache.

“I’m sorry,” I offered, my voice cracking with emotion.

“Don’t be sorry, I wish I could have zoned out like that too,” Grace said, pulling me into a tight hug when I stood up. I had to admit, it felt great to be held as tightly as she did. CJ wrapped his arms around my waist, and I held onto him as well. Somehow, I kept my sobs at bay, and disconnected from them.

“Thank you for coming all this way,” she said. “Cam would have been so happy you came home.”

I nodded. “I couldn’t not be here. I’m just sad I couldn’t see him one more time before–”

Grace smiled. “But you’re here now. How long are you here for?”

“I don’t know. I only really had one thing on my mind.”

Grace nodded. “Make sure you come say goodbye properly when you do decide to leave.”

“Of course.”

Grace moved off with her kids in tow to speak to other mourners. I glanced around at the emptying chapel. Pallbearers were helping with the casket, taking it out of a side entrance. I knew what would happen now.

It was a MC tradition.

The boys would ride out with the casket, and take it to Cam’s last resting place, protecting him on the ride for the last time. It was a tradition I liked. It was respect for their fallen brother.

My eyes travelled to the few people still in the chapel, and that’s when my heart thudded hard in my chest when I locked eyes with him. Adrian.

Myth.