Make It Right (16 page)

“I know, but I didn't want to wear your jacket. I wanted to be pissed at you,” she admitted with a sigh. “Can't be pissed at you wrapped up in your jacket.”

“That's good to know.” And by her saying it Danny knew that she was still at least just a little pissed at him. It wasn't the time to give her the ring again, no matter how badly he wanted to and not only because she was pissed but because at some point he was going to have to leave to go to the bar.

“I'll stop and get the food. You and him get home. Be careful.”

“I've got a gun.” Amelia patted her purse. “And a knife. Can't be too safe, right?”

“No, you really can't be.” It was on the tip of Danny's tongue to tell her about Train's arrest, Harris and everything else but he didn't. He couldn't. Not when she looked so damn happy because they'd found the dog—or more accurately the dog had found them.

Chapter Twelve

The bar was loud with the sound of music and the voices of the people trying to talk over it. The result was a sound that grated deeply on Amelia's nerves, so she drank down the rest of her Jack Daniels and set the empty glass down. “Another one, already?” Allison questioned with a smile that would have seemed friendly to someone looking at them. Except it wasn't friendly, and the woman was becoming increasingly hostile as it became obvious she had no intention of leaving Detroit or Danny.

“We're celebrating, aren't we?” Amelia replied. The Detroit Police and Harris had been forced to release Train when the woman he'd been with that night had come forward with recorded proof of his whereabouts. He'd be brought back to the bar by his Brothers and then the real merriment would begin. She wasn't sure that a huge welcome home party was in order, but the man had been away for nearly a month. Time was flying by. Sometimes it was a surprise to Amelia that she'd been back in Detroit for months and not weeks.

Allison placed the glass down on the bar. Missy sauntered over; she'd been walking around overseeing everything with her customary iron fist. “Wine?” Allison questioned.

“No, not tonight. I'll have a bottle of water with some lemon. You do have lemons back there, don't you?”

“Of course I do. I know how much you like them.” The back and forth continued, Allison kissing Missy's ass and Missy enjoying it, until Amelia couldn't take it any longer. She drained her glass, set it back down and got to her feet. If there was one good thing about Royal and Fiona's relationship being in the open, it was that Missy wouldn't talk to her, not even one word.

Amelia drifted through the bar. She stopped to chat with several people who called out to her and finally settled down at a table next to James. “So, what's up with you?”

“Trying to get drunk,” he replied. “You?”

“Just waiting.”

“How's Chopper?” He spun his beer around on the table. “I've been meaning to stop by and see him.”

“He's coming along. Gained a few pounds. The vet said that he'll always limp now. There was a wound on his leg that didn't heal right. No clue what happened to him out there on the streets.” Wondering what had happened kept Amelia up some nights, as well as the guilt she felt because she hadn't looked harder for the dog.

“You know what's been bothering me?” James finished his beer. “If Chopper was in the house and someone hurt Fiona or Taylor, he'd have torn their throat out. So obviously he wasn't in the house, but Fiona didn't keep him outside at night. The only reason that she'd have put him out was if someone was there who he didn't like or who didn't like him.”

Amelia sat up straighter in the chair. She'd had similar thoughts. “And there was no way she'd put him outside for a stranger, so she knew whoever it was that killed her. I've been over this again and again in my mind, James, talked it to death with Danny.” And she remembered that he'd thought she was crazy so she'd dropped the subject pretty quickly.

“You don't think we'll ever figure it out, do you?” James sighed and pressed his fingers to his temples.

“No,” Amelia admitted and it was harder than she could have imagined to say. “I don't, and I've got to make my peace with that.” She was pretty certain that peace would never come to her, but doing nothing but thinking about it was going to drive her insane. She'd already changed and she knew it. She knew that the change in her had caused the changes between her and Danny. They loved each other, they were trying to make it work and in the process had started to walk on eggshells around one another. He was spending more time at the bar, and honestly she couldn't blame him.

“It isn't right.” James slammed his hand down on the table.

“Whoa. Calm down.” Amelia pushed her chair back, rose and walked around to where he sat. “I know that it still hurts because she's gone. It's something that is always going to be there. We've got to learn to live with it.” She laid her hands on his shoulders, squeezed and felt her heart break for him.

If there was anyone who understood how she felt, it was James. Amelia wished that she could understand the way he felt. He'd lost more than she had, even if Fiona hadn't known the way he felt. “Or maybe we don't learn to live with it.” James shrugged off the hand that she'd placed on his shoulder. “I need some fucking air.”

“I'll go with you,” Amelia offered.

“No,” he said abruptly. “I'm not in the mood for company.” James got to his feet so quickly that Amelia nearly stumbled to get out of his way. His arm brushed against her, knocked her off balance. She hit the floor with a solid thump, hard enough that her jaws smashed together.

“Nice one.” She glared up at him, gritted her teeth. He extended a hand to help her. Amelia wanted to ignore it but was suddenly aware that they were causing quite a scene. It seemed everyone was staring at them.

“I didn't mean to...” James trailed off. “I just...”

“I know.” Amelia smiled at him. “It was an accident. No harm. No foul.” But there would be a bruise on her ass before morning. “I'm good. We're good.”

“They're pulling up out front,” someone shouted.

Amelia was relieved as the attention was diverted from her and James. “You should stay.”

“I'm not going far. I just need some air.” This time he was careful to give her a wide berth. He headed towards the back door as the front door opened. Royal walked in, followed by Train and the rest of the guys.

Amelia watched as Danny scanned the crowd when he came in. Just knowing that he was looking for her made warmth spread through her body. He caught her eye, motioned to the bar and she started over, but getting there was a battle with the now rowdy crowd. She caught a glimpse of Danny; he'd gotten there first and Allison was busy talking his ear off as usual. The woman leaned over the bar, nearly popping her surgically enhanced tits out of her top. Normally Allison stayed just shy of actually being disrespectful, but tonight she'd jumped right over the line when she reached out and stroked her fingers down Danny's arm.

Amelia saw Allison jerk her arm back as she approached but it was too little too late. Her intention must have been written on her face because Danny turned to her. “Take it easy, Amelia. Allison was just telling me how James pushed you. What the fuck was that about?”

“He didn't push me. He bumped into me. It was an accident. She's being a shit stirrer.” Amelia moved forward but Danny stepped in front of her. The idea that he was actively trying to stop her from getting to Allison sent something she didn't recognize through her. If she had to call it something, she'd say that it was what going mad felt like.

“Did you fall?” He demanded.

“I fall all the time. It's irrelevant. I'd rather talk about why you don't seem to want to let me go to the bar? Scared that I'll knock out a few of her teeth and make for more painful blow jobs for you?” Amelia hissed the words out. “Is that why you've been spending so much time here?”

“Couldn't blame him if he was,” Missy's voice broke in. “You haven't exactly been a good wife or old lady lately, have you? You're never here anymore. You think he wants to stay cooped up in the house watching you mope?”

“Keep out of this,” Danny told her. “Mind your own business.”

“I'm just trying to help.” Missy's voice shook. She tried to muffle a small sob and tears welled in her eyes. “There's no call to be nasty.” Amelia watched the blonde as if she'd grown two heads. What the hell was with the crocodile tears?  Whatever it was, one thing was for certain, it wasn't good. “I'm just saying that if Amelia were really there for you then maybe you wouldn't seek sanctuary here so often.” Missy blinked, her eyes continued to swim with tears.

“And I'm repeating, mind your own business.” Danny's voice was a little less forceful this time.

“What's the problem here?” Royal walked up with Train at his side. Buster was just behind them and his expression could only be described as grim. “I asked, what's the problem here?”

“There's no problem.” Missy sniffled loudly. “Danny's just telling me how I should mind my own business when I'm just trying to help.” She began to sob again. “I'm just trying to help.”

“It isn't any of her business what goes on between me and Amelia. It's our business.” Danny stated. “All that I told her was to mind her own business.”

“Then perhaps you should take your personal shit to a private place instead of airing it in public.” Royal reached out and took Missy's hand. “I'm going to suggest that you do that, but first, there's something you need to know.”

“Oh, let me tell them.” Missy's tears were gone and her expression was back to the sinister smirk that Amelia knew and hated. “We weren't going to say anything but figured that everyone could use some good news. Royal already told the other guys, we're going to have a baby. I'm pregnant.”

Nothing, not even Missy saying she'd been born a man, could have surprised her more, because the problems the two of them had conceiving were common knowledge. Missy being pregnant didn't make any sense. When Royal glared over at them, Amelia realized that they hadn't said anything. “Congratulations. Wow. What a surprise.” She hoped that her smile was bright enough to be convincing.

“It's definitely a surprise,” Missy gushed. “We're so excited to finally have a family. For both of us to be parents for the first time.”

Except it wasn't the first time for Royal. Missy continued to talk but Amelia no longer heard a word that she said. Royal's first child was and would always be Taylor. Taylor, the sweet little girl who slept on princess sheets, loved thunderstorms and had her life taken way too early. Amelia focused on Royal. He was smiling a sappy smile at his wife, not even seeming to realize that she was dismissing everything to do with Taylor like she'd never existed.

“Excuse me,” Amelia said during a lull in conversation. “I need to get some air.” She intended to walk away but Danny came with her.

“You alright?” He asked as they stepped out the front door into the frigid air outside.

The air smelled like snow. Amelia was wearing only a long sleeve shirt, jeans and a pair of boots that were more about the weather than being cute. She was going to freeze her tits off. “No. I don't think that I am. Are you fucking her?”

“Jesus Christ, no. No, I am not fucking her. I fucked her once, the time you already know about.” Danny growled the words, obviously frustrated. “What happened with Monroe? The truth.”

“I told you the truth. He bumped into me. It was an accident. Nothing more. Don't change the subject. Why would you stop me from going over to the bar?”

“Because I had plans for tonight other than watching you beat the shit out of Allison.” He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. “But if you really want to beat the shit out of her, go ahead. I'm not fucking her. I'm not fucking anyone. Not even you lately.”

Amelia whirled around to face him, completely shocked at what he'd said. “Oh, that's low.”

“Why is it low? It's the truth.” Danny was nearly shouting. She could see that his hand were clenched into tight fists. Apparently they were done walking on eggshells around one another. Amelia knew that they were running headlong into an argument.

“Maybe if you didn't spend most of your waking hours here, we'd have more time to fuck.” She narrowed her eyes at him and wanted to shrug his jacket off her shoulders but it was so warm, and fat flakes of snow had started to fall.

“Maybe if you did more than sit on the couch and binge watch Netflix, I would.” He countered.

“What do you want me to do? I can't find a job. Should I sit at the bar all day like some desperate pass-around hoping to be noticed? That's not me. That was never me.” Amelia was shouting now, too. If the weather was nicer they'd have been putting on a really good show for a lot of people.

“I don't want you to sit around here. I want you to do something. You used to read. You used to take classes.” Danny let out a frustrated sound. “You used to smile. Laugh. You don't anymore. It's all sadness, all the time. And I try to understand that. I try to get you to talk to me but you don't.”

“I got out of the habit of talking to you when we got divorced.” Amelia hadn't known she was going to say that until it was out in the open. She hadn't realized how much she was still holding on to that and suddenly the haunting thought that she might never be able to let it go.

“And there it is. I fucked up, Amelia. How many times do you need to hear me say it? Every week? Every day? Every hour? Tell me and I'll do it, but you've got to tell me. I'm not fucking psychic.”

“I don't know how many times I need to hear you say it. I just don't understand why you did it in the first place. Can you explain that?” Amelia stood her ground as he closed the distance between them. His touch was light as he brought his fingers up to stroke her face.

“You were so special, Amelia. You could have done anything. I didn't want to be the reason you threw the rest of your life away waiting for me.”

“Five years was never the rest of my life, Danny. It was five years, less time than we were apart between then and now.” Amelia felt tears welling in her eyes but she wouldn't cry. If she cried she wouldn't stop, and she needed to be able to speak and get this out. It had been inside too long, for both of them.

“At the time it wasn't going to be just five years, Amelia. Things were tense for Nightshade back then, do you remember?”