Page 128 of Thug

“What are we doing tomorrow?” I asked.

“Time to return the favor,” Price responded. “We’re helping Brisco.”

“Helping him do what?”

“Miscellaneous,” Price said.

I looked at Brisco. “Helping you do what?”

“Miscellaneous.”

Even though it was poorly lit on the deck and they probably couldn’t see me, I rolled my eyes. “You guys and your secrets.”

“Club business is club business,” Brisco said.

“Bar business is bar business,” I said, mockingly. “I’m not telling either of you anything, ever again.”

“Something I want to know and you won’t tell me, I’ll just kidnap your little ass,” Brisco said with a laugh.

Price choked on a cough. “Jesus, Brisco.”

“It was a joke,” Brisco said.

“Pretty bad taste, Brother.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m over it.”

Brisco gave me a hug. “Love ya, Sis.”

“Love you, too,” I said in an uneven voice.

Being a little sister was something I was going to have to get used to.

“I’m out,” Brisco said with a wave. “In the mornin’.”

Price swept the table off with the edge of his hand. “See ya, Brother.”

We picked up everything, stumbled into the house, and got ready to go to sleep. As we each took our positions in the bed, I realized I wasn’t simply sleeping at Price’s home, once again.

Now, it was my home, too.

There would be no rush to have sex, hope for some cuddle time before I left, or feeling of necessity to cook Price one of my new creations before I tried it in the bar. I had the rest of my life to fit everything in.

Happier than I could ever remember being, I tilted my head to the side. “Goodnight.”

He kissed me. “Goodnight. Glad we’re one step closer to it all.”

“To what all?” I asked.

“I love you.”

I knew better than to ask. He would only piss me off. “I love you, too,” I said. “See you tomorrow.”

* * *

We followed Brisco’s truck north of town thirty miles. It seemed weird that we couldn’t ride with him, but Price had his rules about riding in cars and I respected them. I wondered if it had anything to do with his parents dying in a car, or if it was just a hardcore biker thing.

We exited the highway and drove down two miles of county roads, eating Brisco’s dust the entire way. All that I could see in the distance were cactuses, rocks, sand, and sagebrush.