Outlaw (35 page)

“Sure.”

He nodded, and took Angel by the hand, and led her
out to the patio. He pushed her down in a chair, and pulled up another, turning
it towards hers. He sat down, and grabbed the arms of her chair, and pulled it
around to face his, the metal scrapping across the concrete. Leaning forward,
his arms resting on his knees, he looked at Angel. She looked like she was in
some kind of shock. He knew she’d been through worse than this before. He
guessed this was just a little too close to home. “You need a shot of whiskey,
babe?”

She looked at him blankly, and shook her head.

“Do you see now what I’ve been telling you? You and
your aunt need to move.”

She looked away. “We’ll be fine.”

“And what if I’m not around next time?” he asked.

She looked at him, and shrugged.

He took a deep breath, looking down at his hands. “I
want you and the kids to come back to California with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” He met her eyes.

“We can’t do that. Melissa won’t be able to leave
the hospital for weeks.”

“When she’s ready to travel, then.”

“Her doctors are all here.”

“California has doctors, too. She’ll be okay.”

She shook her head. “There’s Natalie, and-”

“She comes, too.”

Angel looked at him blankly.

“Damn it, Angel! I cant’ keep you and my kids safe
from seven hundred miles away.” His voice was raised.

She shook her head. “This is crazy. We’ll be fine.”

He leaned back, and ran his hands through his hair.
“Why do you have to be so Goddamn stubborn, woman?”

“You’re overreacting.”

“Overreacting? What, because I don’t want my kids
growing up in this fucking neighborhood?” he practically yelled at her.

She tried to stand up, but he pushed her back in the
chair. He stood over her, taking a deep breath to calm down. He hated to fight
dirty, but she wasn’t giving him any choice. He was going to have to pull the
only card he had, and he knew it wasn’t going to be fair to her. Not after everything
she’d done for TJ and Melissa. All the sacrifices she’d made for them, and him
having done very little.

She looked up at him.

He leaned down over her, resting his hands on the
arms of her chair. “You’re going to listen to me whether you like it or not.
These are my kids, too. And I’ve got some rights about how and where they get
raised.”

“Don’t you dare lecture me on raising these kids.
I’ve done just fine without you.”

“Just fine? Did you really just say that? In the
last few weeks, we’ve been victims of attempted armed robbery and burglary.
What’s it gonna take for you to wake the fuck up? Does someone have to get
hurt?”

“I don’t have to listen to this.” She tried to get
up.

He pushed her back down. “Yeah. You do.”

The backdoor opened, and Natalie stepped out. “You
two are going to wake TJ, if not the entire neighborhood.”

Cole straightened, and ran his hand through his
hair. “Sorry. Just trying to talk some sense into this hardheaded niece of
yours.”

“Hardheaded? Because I think you’re making a big
deal out of nothing?”

“Nothing? I can’t believe what I’m hearing.” He
turned to Natalie. “You agree with me, don’t you? You know this neighborhood’s
not safe anymore.”

Angel turned to her. “He wants us all to move to
California. Can you believe it?”

Natalie looked from Angel to Cole, and then asked
him quietly. “Did you tell her?”

Cole closed his eyes, cursing her silently.

“Tell me what?” Angel asked.

He opened his eyes, and glared at Natalie.

If looks could kill, she thought. “It’s time, son.
You tell her, or I will.”

Angel looked at him. “What is it?”

Natalie went back inside.

He took a deep breath. “I love you. I wish we’d
never been separated. I wish I’d been with you through my children’s births,
through the bad times, all of it.”

She looked at him, knowing there had to be more.
“Yes?”

“But things happened, and you were gone from my
life. And I never thought I’d see you again.”

Angel nodded.

“About a year ago…” he stopped, knowing after he
said these next words, everything would change.

“Yes?”

“I met a girl. We got married. I’m married, Angel.”

She stared at him. “Married?” She felt like the air
was just sucked out of her lungs.

“Yes. I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you before, but
Melissa was so sick, and-”

“Tell me before? Before what, Cole? Before you slept
with me?”

He hung his head. He knew what he’d done was
unforgivable. “I’m going to get a divorce. I swear. I saw an attorney before I
left California. You’re the one I want to be with.”

Angel started laughing. “Oh, right. If I only had a
nickel for every woman who’s ever heard that line.”

“Angel, listen to me. It’s true. I swear.’

“Oh, you swear? Like you swore you’d love her until
death do you part? You loved her enough to marry her.”

He nodded. “I did. I thought I did. But, Angel, it’s
not like this feeling I have for you. You and I, we were always meant to be
together.”

“Oh, that’s rich.” She stood up.

Cole grabbed her upper arms. “Just listen to me.”

She pushed him away. “Don’t touch me.”

He let her go. “Angel, please.”

“Get your things, and get out. I want you out of
here.” She stormed into the house, slamming the door.

Cole picked up the glass ashtray off the table, and
slammed it against the side of the house. It shattered into a million pieces
with a loud crash.

*****

Cole was in his room, shoving his few belongings
into his pack when the door opened. He turned, and looked over his shoulder.
Natalie.

“Cole, I’m so sorry.”

“We both knew this was how it was going to end,
right?”

Natalie shook her head. “She’ll calm down. Don’t
leave, please. She’s just hurting. Don’t let her push you away. She needs you.
The kids need you.”

Cole shook his head. “No, she’s right. I don’t
belong here.”

“Yes. You do.”

He grabbed the pack up, and headed toward the door.
Stopping in front of her, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a wad of
cash. He pushed it into Natalie’s hand. “I’ll send more. Every month. You don’t
have to tell her. I’m sure she’d be stubborn, and refuse to take it, and we
both know her and the kids need it.”

“Cole. Please. Don’t leave. Not like this.”

He pushed past her, and walked down the hall to TJ’s
room. He opened the door, and quietly slipped inside. He stood by the bed,
looking down at his son, wondering how long it would be before he saw him
again. Wondering if TJ would miss him, or how long it would take before he
forgot all about Cole.

Natalie stood in the doorway, watching as he leaned
down, and kissed TJ on the forehead.

He straightened back up, and adjusted the pack on
his shoulder. “Goodbye, son,” he whispered. He turned to leave, and saw Natalie
standing there. “Maybe you could have him call me now and then.”

“Of course,” she whispered, tearing up.

He walked past her, and down the hall, and out the
front door.

Angel lay on her bed, sobbing. She heard the front
door close, and a moment later she heard his bike roar to life. She wanted to
run to him, and tell him not to go, but she couldn’t. Her pride wouldn’t let
her. She heard the bike pull out, and then the engine sound fading down the
street.

Chapter Sixteen

Cole pulled in the clubhouse parking lot at sunset.
He had ridden all through the night, stopping only once he was back across the
California state line. He’d pulled into a rest area, and slept on a picnic
table for an hour or two. When he’d woken up, he’d rolled to a sitting position
on top of the table, his feet on the bench. He’d lit a cigarette, and stared at
the horizon. Then he’d walked back to his bike, pulled his cut out of his
saddlebag, and put it back on, where it belonged, thinking what a fool he’d
been to think he could be anything but what he was. The club was all he knew,
and he was good at it.

Now, being back on home turf felt right. He
dismounted.

Green and Cajun came over, and slapped him on the
back, welcoming him home. It had been almost two months since he’d left.

He walked inside.

Crash was at the bar with Mack. They both rose off
their barstools, and gave him bear hugs.

“Glad to have you back, son,” Mack said.

“Glad to be back,” Cole replied.

“How’s your little girl?” Crash asked.

“Doing well. She should be released to go home
soon.”

“Hey, if there’s anything we can do? Anything you
need or…” Crash offered.

“Thanks, man.” Cole nodded.

“Thought you were staying until she got out?” Mack
asked.

Cole shook his head. “I needed to get back.”

Mack could tell something had happened. He let it
go, sensing that Cole wasn’t ready to talk about it. “Well, we’ll catch up
later, okay?”

Cole nodded. “Yeah. Okay.” He watched Mack walk out
the door. He turned back to Crash, who was holding out a beer to him. “Thanks,”
he said, taking it.

“Your wife’s been driving us all crazy.”

Cole shook his head, and blew out a breath. “Yeah,
me, too. Been callin’ me night and day with her bitchin’.” He lit a cigarette,
inhaling deeply.

Crash took a hit off his beer. “Well, she’s been a
real pain in my ass.”

Cole exhaled, squinting at him through the smoke.
“What do ya mean?”

“Constantly around. Asking me questions. Guess she
thinks I know something she doesn’t.”

“Questions?”

“Yeah. You might as well know she’s been hittin’
everybody in the club up for info on Angel.”

“Christ.”

“How’s she doin’, by the way?”

Cole shrugged. “Things were goin’ real good.”

“Yeah?”

“Until she found out I was married.”

Crash nodded, and smiled. “Yeah, that’s a mood
killer, alright.”

Cole shook his head, and smiled back at him. “Smart
ass.”

“You been by your house yet? Seen her?”

Cole took a sip of his beer. “Nope.”

Crash drank his beer, studying Cole.

Cole looked over at him. “I need to talk to you.
Come on.”

Crash followed Cole up to his room.

They walked in, and Cole closed the door. He moved
into the room, and leaned back against the desk, and stared at Crash a moment,
and then asked, “Did you know Mack sent Angel away?”

“What are you talking about?” Crash asked, confused.

“Three years ago.”

“Hell, no. I thought she left.”

Cole shook his head. “He ran her off.”

Crash stared at him. “No shit?”

Cole took a hit off his cigarette. “Yeah.”

“And now that you’ve seen her again?”

Cole shook his head. “I don’t know. She still has me
tied in knots, just like she did before.”

“I couldn’t believe my eyes, when she showed up
here,” Crash admitted.

“Yeah, me, too.”

“She sure was gorgeous. I didn’t even recognize
her.”

“Me, either. Until she pulled off those sunglasses.”

Mandy walked into the clubhouse. She’d seen Cole’s
bike out front, and knew he was back. He could have at least called her, and
let her know. Just wait ‘till she got her hands on him.

She looked around, not seeing him in the main room,
so she headed upstairs to his room. She smiled, thinking maybe they could have
a little private reunion. When she got to the door, and was reaching for the
knob, she heard voices coming from inside. She hesitated, listening.

“So, now what? Are you going to see her again?”
Crash asked.

Cole nodded. “Yeah. I just have to divorce Mandy
first. I talked to an attorney before I left.”

Crash laughed. “What attorney are you using? Not the
one I used, I hope. I got screwed. Royally.”

They both laughed.

“Yeah. That you did, brother,” Cole agreed.

Mandy froze. A divorce? He was going to divorce her?
So he could go be with that bitch with the two kids? Oh, hell no. That wasn’t
going to happen. But how was she going to stop him? Make him stay? Her mind
darted from one idea to another. There was only one way she could think of. She
smiled. After all, it had worked for women since the dawn of civilization.