Page 60 of Last Mile

With a shake of my head, I said, “You guys like to give some strange gifts around here. I’m not sure he’s going to enjoy the book I got him.”

“Trust me, Rev’s a major history nerd.”

“That makes me feel a little better.”

Annabel smiled. “You want to hear why I’m giving my husband eggs for his birthday?”

Although I knew a lot about Annabel, this was certainly something that hadn’t been recorded. Teasingly, I said, “I’m not sure I want to, but I really need to get the whole story.”

After drawing in a deep breath, Annabel proceeded to tell me things that brought tears to my eyes. While I had known from the file that she had been kidnapped and sold into human trafficking, I had no idea the full extent of what had happened to her. The miscarriage that led to an emergency hysterectomy had been left out of thefile, as well as the emotional toll it had taken on her.

When she finally finished, all I could say was “Wow.” Although I wasn’t a crier, especially when I was around others, I found moisture blurring my vision.

“Annabel is the strongest woman I know,” Alex said as tears sparkled in her eyes.

“All my strength goes to Rev. If it wasn’t for him . . .” She forced a tight smile to her face. “Well, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here in more ways than one.”

“That’s really sweet,” I murmured. It was hard imagining how the version of Rev that Annabel painted could also serve as the president of an MC. He seemed more like a college professor than a gun- toting vigilante. Once again, I realized that my preconceived notions were far from the mark.

“He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever known. That’s why I didn’t want to wait anymore. Rev thinks we’re waiting two more years for me to finish vet school and start a practice before I have my eggs harvested. But since I’m not carrying the baby and we have tons of helpers around, I see no reason to keep him waiting any longer.”

“Well, I have to say that my gift certainly pales in comparison to that,” I teased.

Annabel laughed. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t get to know about the eggs until later tonight when we’re alone. He has a simple gift from me in the pile.”

“That’s good to know.”

Willow returned with her arms laden down with ketchup bottles. “Is this enough?” she asked as she started setting them down on the table.

“Yep. I think we’re good,” Annie said.

Once she was free of the ketchup, Willow turned her attention to Annabel. “Has Poe come by today?”

Annabel grimaced. “Shoot. I totally forgot to feed him today.” Willow’s face lit up. “I’ll go feed him.”

“Thanks, sweetie.”

The next thing I knew, Willow had grabbed my hand. “Come on, Sam. I want you to meet Poe.”

“Okay,” I replied. Considering all the stories that Bishop had told me about Poe, I was pretty anxious to meet him. “See you guys later,” I called over my shoulder.

“We’ll let Bishop know where you are,” Alex said.

“Thanks.”

Willow dragged me down the hill at almost warp speed. I barely got a chance to take in the compound that I had read so much about.

Of course, I had seen pictures in the files, but it wasn’t the same as seeing it for myself. It made everything so much more real to see it in person. It once again reiterated the fact that the Raiders were people.

When we reached the cul-de-sac, we veered off to a house on the left. Instead of going up the stairs to the front porch, Willow took me around the side of the house. The backyard ended where the woods began.

In a singsong voice, Willow called, “Poe! Come out, come out, wherever you are, Poe!”

I watched in amazement as some of the bushes at the edge of the woods began to rustle. Within a few seconds, the large rack of a deer became visible through the foliage. Willow clapped her hands. “Come on, Poe. Come and get your corn.”

She then abandoned my side to go up on the back porch. When she reappeared, she had a cupful of dried corn in her hand. “He loves this stuff.”

“He does?”