Page 35 of My Veteran Biker

"Tell her before Tuesday. She deserves to know what she's signed up for."

He goes back inside and I stand on the porch alone, looking at the dark fields beyond the security lights. Somewhere out there Victor Crane is planning his next move. Somewhere out there is a property where he thinks he's safe.

Tuesday night he'll learn he's not.

Inside the clubhouse I find Francis sitting with the women, listening to Sienna tell a story about Diesel trying to cook dinner last week and nearly burning down their kitchen.

Francis is laughing, genuine and relaxed, and seeing her fit into this space makes something settle in me that's been restless for years.

I catch her eye across the room. She smiles, small and private, just for me.

Yeah. I'm different now.

And I'm not sorry about it.

Later, after we've eaten and talked and Francis has met every brother and their woman, after she's exchanged numbers with Sydney and promised to have coffee with Anna next week, after Ava has shown her the picture she drew of a fairy princess and Francis has told her it's beautiful, we drive home in comfortable silence.

"That wasn't what I expected," Francis says.

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know. Something harder. More hostile. But they were... nice. Normal."

"They are normal. Just normal people who live outside conventional boundaries."

"Sydney told me you've been alone the whole time you've been in the club. Seventeen years and no one."

"That's true."

"She said the brothers used to worry about you. That you were too closed off."

"They probably still worry."

"She said you look different now. Lighter."

I glance at her. "You make me lighter."

"I don't know how. I'm terrified half the time and confused the other half."

"That's not a bad thing. Means you're paying attention."

We pull into the driveway. Her house is dark but mine has the porch light on from the timer I set years ago. We sit in the truck for a moment, neither of us moving to get out.

"Tuesday night," I say. "We're going after Crane."

She goes still. "You're telling me now?"

"Clint said you deserved to know before it happens."

"What if you don't come back?"

"Then Tate will come tell you. And Sydney will make sure you're taken care of."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant. But I can't promise I'll come back. I can only promise I'll do everything I can to make sure I do."

She's quiet for a long time. Then she says, "I'm going to be awake all night waiting to hear from you."