Saving Glory (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club Book 4) (23 page)

Glory put her hand out to him in a stop motion. Her mouth was dry as dust when she said, “Like I said, I don’t have the right to stop you, but I do have the right not to sit at home and wait for it to happen.”

“Come on Glory, don’t be like that—” Jules stared at her in disbelief.

“Let me make myself clear. You can do whatever you want, Jules” Glory’s voice broke with emotion. “But I am warning you right now, I won’t be here to watch and wait for that next bullet to find you. I won’t do it. I can’t do it.  Not anymore.”

“Glory, I know you’re upset but…” He shook his head at her.

“And one more thing.” She ranted on as if he hadn’t spoken. “I don’t know why my brother took off with Diego this morning but if you and your boys think you are going to drag him into your club you are crazy. Because I will not let that happen. I won’t watch my brother put his life on the line for a bunch of criminals who get shot at for a living!”

As Glory spat out those words she knew she had crossed a line, but she was just too far gone in fear and emotion to care. She wasn’t sure who she was angrier at—herself, or Jules, or the circumstances that brought them to this place.

Again.

“You done?” Jules asked in a voice filled with quiet menace.

When Glory responded with a small nod, Jules drew himself to his full height and loomed over her.

“So, you can’t stand by and watch that shit anymore, huh, Glory? Can’t stand by and watch me run off to—
God knows where
. Well, then the first piece of good news I have for you is that you can’t control that. I am a grown-ass man and nobody—
nobody
tells me how to live my life. I don’t fucking answer to you or anyone else. So you can let yourself off the hook with that hyper-vigilant crap. I am not a fucking kid, and maybe you think that hovering bull-shit shit works for you, but I am here to tell you that it’s no way to live.  It is unnecessary, unhealthy and basically fucked up!!!” Jules’s angry voice sent out vibrations strong enough to bounce off the walls. “I know you think you have your reasons for saying and feeling the shit that you do, and I get it. So for this one time I am going to give you a pass and forget—
forget
that we even had this conversation.”

Jules circled around her in loud angry stomps. Then, in another burst of anger, he pounded his closed fist against the wall before he turned backed to her.

“And let’s be clear on one more damn thing—the club you just thumbed your nose at? The
criminals
that you don’t want Hal to contaminate his life with? Those men are my brothers.
My brothers
. And not too fucking long ago they had their home—
their castle
—blown to hell because of the trouble that
you
brought to our door. And it’s not the first time. Or the second time. Or the third damn time that me and my boys have had to put our lives on the line to help you the fuck out.” The volume in Jules’s voice continued to gain in intensity. “So that next time you even think—
even think
—about looking down your nose at the club that you owe your life to, you wanna think again. And you consider yourself lucky that when your brother needed a place to land, he landed here. And that goes for you too. Now stop being an ungrateful brat, start counting your blessings and shut the hell up about everything else!”

And with that Jules slammed out the door.

*****

Jules had driven halfway to the compound before he got his breathing and then his anger under control. Glory had better get her head out of her ass fast. He knew she was confused, he knew she was worried, he knew she was scared out of her goddamn mind about what the future held.

But who the fuck wasn’t.

The ability of that woman to tie him up in knots should go down in history.

He knew that for too long now her first go-to response had been fear-driven impetuousness and she hadn’t meant her words to cut him like they had. She was always putting her foot in her mouth and saying shit to get herself in trouble.

Nothing new there.

And the fact of the matter was that Jules knew Glory better than she even knew herself. Because despite him spouting off to her about her ingratitude, Jules knew that Glory got it—
she got it
. She knew what she owed the club and what’s more, she
was
grateful. Grateful enough to put herself on the line with that Abiatti bastard instead of betraying the MC. So no matter what bullshit she had spouted about the brotherhood, Jules knew she loved the Hells Saints family. And the Hells Saints family loved her.

He loved her.

Enough of the bullshit and dicking around.

Jules loved Glory.

He couldn’t deny it any longer.

Not after the wave of full on terror that had coursed through him when the call had come in about her latest stunt. Jules had almost spun out on the road at full throttle more times than was safe or smart trying to get home to her. And the intimacy of the past few weeks that they had shared, both in and out of bed? He had never experienced anything like that before. And he never wanted to be without it again.

So yeah, he was absolutely positively certain that he was head over heels in damn love with Glory Thomas.

And what’s more?

She loved him back.

He was sure of it.

Jules was going to have to put an end to the doubt and the fear and the back and forth.

He was going to have tell her that he loved her and make her feel safe enough in that to see that she loved him too. It wouldn’t be easy and it might take some time, but Jules trusted that they would get there.

Together.

But first Jules needed to give himself some time to cool down.

And he needed to give Glory some time to cool down too.

It was probably a good thing then that he had at least 24 busy hours ahead of him. Club business had dictated that Jules spend the next few hours focusing his attentions on the complicated computer hack that Prosper had tasked him with. Later on Jules would attend a special executive board meeting. During this closed ceremony, Ghost would receive his three patch rockers, thus heralding him as a full member of the Hells Saints MC. Then as was expected of him, Jules would join the boys in the yard of the compound to raise a glass in the prospect’s honor. After that he planned to go back and get things settled between him and Glory once and for all.

But of course Jules should have known better.

Because in true MC form, one drink led to another—and to another—and as was typical of a Saints tribe gathering those few drinks of celebration turned into a couple of days of raising hell.

Being a prospect in the Hells Saints MC was a gigantic pain in the ass—a totally humiliating experience meant to weed out the weak and build loyalty in the strong. And even though each new member had to be personally recruited and sponsored by a full patch member, the boys didn’t make it easy. It was a long-ass process with ridiculous demands—like performing dangerous and illegal acts for any brother who asked. So when a man had the tenacity and balls to get through what amounted to MC boot-camp, that man’s dedication to the brotherhood deserved to be honored.

Besides, after the attack on the compound and the Saints victory over the Culebras, everyone felt entitled to party hard. Brothers poured in from all over the east coast and it was a good time with lots of booze, pot and pussy. Jules put the problems with Glory aside for a minute and took advantage of everything but the pussy. He got drunk, got high, played a few games of cards, competed in a few target shoots and just had a damn good time. In his more sober moments he tried to call Glory but her number went straight to voice mail.

Oh fucking well.

She’d been pissed at him before, and no doubt she’d be pissed at him again. Maybe he had been a little harsh with her, but for the good of everyone concerned that shit needed to be said. He decided to give her the time she needed to stew.

On the third day, Jules woke up to a mouth so dry it felt like he had swallowed a highway full of road dust. He dragged himself over to the shower and turned the dial on to cold. Then he stood under the hard, freezing, needles until his dick shriveled and his teeth chattered. After he rummaged around for a good ten minutes looking for something clean to wear, he went out to the kitchen. Fighting down the rising nausea from the monstrous hangover, Jules slapped some eggs and bacon on the stove for any brother sober enough to hold some food down and then he made himself a pot of coffee.

Because his thigh still throbbed like a motherfucker whenever he shifted gears on the Harley, Jules grabbed the keys to his truck. Then he set out to get matters straight with Glory. But when he got to the lake house, the shades were pulled and the house was dark. Jules had to use the spare key to unlock the door.

The house was eerily quiet and suspiciously tidy.

The kitchen counter was clear of the herbs and spices that usually littered it.

The pots on the cook stove had all been put away and the dishes were stacked clean on their shelves.

Jules took a quick look through the rest of the downstairs to find the carpets freshly vacuumed and the furniture dusted.

He took the stairs two at a time up to Glory’s room.

The sheets had been stripped off the bed.

And her closet was empty.

Glory was gone.

Glory reached through the small hole of the cloudy, scratched Plexiglas window and handed the cab driver the fare. Then with a deep breath she grabbed her suitcase and made her way through the newly painted gate and up the brick pathway. A soft glow shown out in welcome from behind the curtained windows. Under the light of the full moon, Glory noted with a small smile the plastic toys and muddied sets of little shoes that sat on the front porch.

Fearful to wake a houseful of sleeping children, Glory decided to forgo the doorbell and instead rapped softly on the frame of the screen door. Almost immediately, that door was opened wide and Glory found herself pulled into slim, strong arms. Annie’s hair had been highlighted and cropped in an adorable pixie cut and her pretty paisley sundress was a far cry from the drab brown uniform she wore back as a grocer at the Shop and Save. Glory was gratified to see that while her former neighbor’s eyes were still the same deep blue, they seemed free of the worry that had plagued her back when she and Glory were living in that awful apartment house in Maryland.

Glory squeezed her friend back with all her might. “It’s so good to see you, Annie! You look beautiful!”

“You too! Look at that gorgeous tan! I’m so happy you’re here! Come in!” Annie’s wide smile was filled with heartfelt enthusiasm and sincere welcome. She picked up Glory’s suitcase and ushered her into the center hall of the pretty colonial style home.

“The girls will be so excited to see you in the morning. You won’t believe how big Janie has gotten. She’s walking now.”

“Seriously? It seems like only yesterday that you were carrying her around on your hip going down those rickety old steps to the laundry room.” Glory shook her head and realized despite the dire conditions of their former circumstances, she and Annie shared some fond and sometimes hilarious memories together. She had come to the right place to lick her wounds.

“Oh my God. I thought I was going to break my neck a million times. The only good thing that came out of living in that horrible apartment building was meeting you!” Annie gave out a short laugh and with a wicked grin continued. “Remember that old bastard, Mr. Taylor? You know he never did fix that elevator? And every time he replaced that backdoor lock, I had Cole jimmy it open again. Drove that old, miserable cheapskate crazy!”

As Annie led Glory through the house to the kitchen, the two girls kept up the constant chatter of two friends who had not seen each other in a while. While Annie got busy putting out crackers, cheese and two wine glasses on the table, Glory looked around the pretty kitchen.

“It’s a beautiful house, Annie.”

Annie looked around and sighed. “The girls and I love it here. But sometimes I wonder why every bit of little happiness has to come with a price?”

“I was so sorry to hear about your mom,” Glory said with feeling.

“The flowers you sent for the service were beautiful.” Annie smiled her thanks. “I miss her every day.
Every day
. But this house has been a real blessing. I thought about selling it, but the kids love it here in Virginia and it was so good to get out of that horrible apartment building. My mom left a pretty good insurance policy, so that’s made life easier for me in about a zillion other ways. It gives me a minute to catch my breath and spend some time with the kids instead of working so much each week.” Annie poured the blood red merlot into the pretty cut-glass stemware. Then she handed a goblet to Glory. “How are things going out at the lake house? How’s your brother doing?”

Hal? He’s okay—I guess." Glory hesitated as she contemplated the wine in her glass.

“You guess?” Annie‘s eyebrows lifted into a question mark. “Has something happened? Has he had some sort of relapse?”

“Relapse? No. he didn’t have a relapse.” Glory tilted the glass back and felt the full-bodied elixir spread into her tired cramped limbs and warm her. Then she added with slight sarcasm “As a matter of fact, according to Jules, my brother is doing just fine.”

“Jules? He’s the guy you told me about. Right?” Annie prompted her. “Are you two together?”

“Yup, he’s the one. And I don’t know
what
we are.” Feeling the sudden urge to escape any thoughts of Jules, Glory lowered her eyes and rested her head against the back of the couch.

“Oh lord, Glory, I’m sorry. Here I am riddling you with questions and you must be exhausted,” Annie stammered in apology and got up to clear off the coffee table.” We can talk tomorrow if you want. Or we don’t have to talk about anything at all. You just let me know what you want to do while you’re here. We can go shopping and do dinner or just hang out.”

Glory sat up on the couch as contrition at her friend’s embarrassment filled her. “No, it’s okay. It’s just been a rough couple of days, that’s all. I’m not really ready for bed yet. Will you have another glass of wine with me?”

“If you’re sure?” Annie asked tentatively. At Glory’s insistent nod, Annie filled both their glasses then plopped herself back down on the couch. They drained the bottle and opened another while Annie entertained Glory with humorous tales of her recent foray into the world of internet dating and the trials of raising three growing girls.

It was during that second bottle of wine that Glory spilt to Annie the real reason for her visit. While she did not go into full detail, she was able to convey the confusion, fear and disappointment that had led to her need to get away.

“So you were all packed and ready to go and Jules just up and left with really no explanation?” Annie’s mouth formed a thin line after hearing Glory tell her story. “I’d be really mad too.”

“It’s not that I was mad so much as—” Glory’s voice trailed off.

“Worried? Disappointed? Scared?” Annie offered.

“All of those things,” Glory concurred.

“I totally get it.” Annie nodded.

“You do?” Glory looked up at her friend with hope. When she saw more than a measure of compassion and understanding in Annie’s eyes she let out a long sigh of relief. “Then maybe you could explain it to me?”

“Of course I can. I didn’t go through all those years of therapy for nothing.” Annie shot out a playful grin. Then after a slight pause she continued on in thought, “Actually I think this one is pretty easy to figure out. It sounds to me like you were looking forward to just getting away with Jules and doing something fun and normal for a change. God only knows you’ve earned it. I bet you were really looking forward to some R&R. Not just for yourself, but for Jules too.”

“I was. I really was,” Glory agreed with vehemence.

“And just like that.—” Annie paused, held her hand high and snapped her fingers in the air. “That chance was taken away from you. Not only was the trip cancelled, but you weren’t given any real reason. No explanation except that your guy was going off to do business that may be both dangerous and illegal. Considering what you had already been through I think it is safe to say that experience has taught you to expect the worst from the unexpected. And this whole thing just triggered some pretty powerful deep seated emotion.”

“Yes. Yes. And Yes!” Glory responded wholeheartedly at the concise summary of every confusing and overwhelming feeling she had had over the course of the last few days. But then she sighed in consternation. “Everything you just said is dead on, but unfortunately it’s not as simple as just being worried or upset, Annie.”

“Then what else is it, honey?” Annie asked.

“Jules and I had a horrible fight. He said terrible things to me,” Glory said in misery as each razor sharp word flashed quickly through her mind and cut a jagged path straight to her heart.

“Did you say terrible things back?” Annie asked gently.

“No. I said terrible things first. And after that he responded with equally terrible things. And then I left. I was just so angry. And hurt. Things between Jules and I are so simple and so complicated at the same time. I left without a word to anyone.” Glory grimaced with the sudden realization that she had taken off like a thief in the night. It was a ridiculously immature reaction to a very adult problem, but in her own defense she had needed to put some distance between herself and the situation.

Between herself and Jules.

“Well, that makes sense. I would probably have done the same,” Annie told her.

Glory felt another surge of gratitude at Annie’s seemingly unflappable determination to make her feel better about herself and the mess she had made of things.

“But having said that,” Annie continued on. “A little damage control might be in order. First of all you didn’t
run
anywhere. You took a trip out to see a friend—a
sick
friend who needed help with her kids. Yeah. That’s it. You should probably let Raine or Claire know where you are so no one worries or makes assumptions. Then you can just take some time to chill here and figure out your next step. Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Glory responded happily, glad at this chance to save face. “I’ll text them right now.”

As Glory reached into her purse for her phone, Annie moved to a closet at the far end of the hallway. She was back in a flash with a pile of soft cotton. “Here are some towels for you. The guest bedroom is the first door on the right and has its own bathroom. It’s a nice quiet space and you’ll be able to rest there. The girls have a birthday party to go to tomorrow, after the party I have to bring them to the doctors for their regular check-up. We won’t be around and the house will be quiet. Sleep in tomorrow morning, take a bubble bath, and eat ice cream. Oh and there’s one more thing,” Annie turned to the key holder on the wall and tossed a set to Glory. “Use my mom’s car—it has a navigation system. Look around the area. If you like what you see and decide you don’t want to go back, you can move in here with me and the kids. There’s more than enough room and it will be like old times. Only without the creepy landlord and the death-defying staircases.”

*****

That night Glory lay awake for a long time listening to the unfamiliar sounds of her surroundings—the quiet ticking of the clock, the gentle hum of the wind rustling through the trees, the cacophony of the crickets as they sang their midnight song. After the long trip she had had, Glory had hoped that sleep would find her easily. But the inner turmoil brought about from the events of the last few days would not be stilled and kept sleep at bay.

Glory was frightened.

She had no idea what the future held for her.

Even more terrifying than the uncertainty was the freedom that came with it. For the first time ever her fate was hers alone to decide—the decisions that she made from here on out, the mistakes, the path her life would take would be hers to determine. Her future no longer hinged on the fallout from a catastrophic event or anyone else’s need to survive. There were no desperate circumstances, or life and death matters hanging in the balance. There was no one’s needs for her to consider but her own.

Just her.

Instead of relief, Glory felt loneliness and uncertainty creep around her like a rising tide.

This was not how her life was supposed to go.

For the first time in a very long time, Glory let her mind wander back to her childhood. Back to the time before her father had gambled everything and lost much more than anyone could have imagined. Glory thought back wistfully to the lavish celebrations, the fancy premieres, the elegant tea parties that she and her beautiful mother had shared with a favorite doll and a ratty old bear on the manicured lawn of their small estate. Her mother had assured Glory that one day she would be an elegant lady with a beautiful home and happy children and a loving husband of her own.

Maybe it was an old fashioned wish for her child, and maybe some would have thought that Glory’s mother should have aimed higher—should have wanted more for her only daughter.

But Asta Thomas, the wife of a wealthy, West Coast movie mogul, had grown up as Asta Nordin, the daughter of a poor Swedish pig farmer. And if fate had not intervened, she most likely would have become a pig farmer’s wife. So the big house, the lifestyle that came with, and all the glamorous trappings had played out like a dream come true for the young woman—until of course it hadn’t.

But Asta’s earliest and most fervent wish for her pretty little girl was that she would grow up to live the life of a princess. When Asta bought Glory a small diamond tiara on her seventh birthday, Glory wore it like it was her birthright.

And Glory had gotten the fairy-tale, all right.

Only she got the poisoned apple, evil sorcerer, forbidden forest version of the tale.

But she had also gotten
the rescue from a handsome prince
in her story too.

Well sort of.

For the first time in two days, Glory felt her heart lighten and she let out a small giggle as she pictured the big, scarred, Hells Saints outlaw wearing tights on his muscular thighs, ermine fur on his broad shoulders, and a tarnished crown on top of his long blond hair.

Jules.

Prince Charming?

Certainly not.

Dragon slayer?

Most definitely.

And with that somewhat strange and comforting thought, Glory drifted off to sleep.