Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“Is that what you did?” Rez asked.
“Maybe we need a little support group,” Fletch said on a laugh. “Former Bachelors Anonymous or some such shit.”
“Or we can call it: My Dick Used to be My Own Before She Came Along,” Finn suggested.
Decker grimaced. “That sounds like a damn country song.”
“Okay, I really got to fucking go, but before I do, I need to know… Where’s Nox now?”
“Upstairs in his apartment,” Decker answered Fletch.
“He good?”
Rez decided to answer that. “Don’t think so. Seeing Sadie like that flipped some kind of switch inside him and set him back to the same head space he was in right after Jackie died.”
“That’s because he found Jackie,” Fletch explained. “Then he was with you when Sadie was found. When you have PTSD, it doesn’t take much to trigger you.”
“From the Army?” Finn asked, scratching a thumb back and forth across his forehead.
“From his wife’s death, dumb shit,” Fletch clarified. “That hit him harder than anything that happened in the Army.”
“He needs therapy,” Decker murmured.
“Wasn’t he going to some sort of support group?” Rez asked. “Whatever happened to that?”
Decker answered, “He did a few times, but I don’t think that lasted very long.”
“Bet he just sat there and never said a fucking word,” Finn said. “Like a stone statue. Shut off and shut down.”
“Well, he needs to go back or get therapy before…” Fletch let the last hang. “Maybe someone needs to sit down with him and have a heart to heart.”
“You volunteering?” Rez asked.
“I volunteer Crew,” Finn said. “Man thinks he’s leader of the free world.”
“Or we do a group intervention,” Decker suggested.
“While I agree, I’m sure that’ll go over well,” Rez said dryly, before swallowing another mouthful of now warm beer. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled with us ganging up on him.”
“All right, well… We’re his support, so whatever he needs, we need to make sure it happens. Talk to Crew. Talk to Jamison. Keep me updated. If I have to get pulled from this assignment to help Nox, I will. He’s more important to us than anything else. Let’s not forget that.” Fletch finished with, “Okay, fuckers, catch you on the flip side.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Despite Nox still being in a funk, he showed up at the funeral, surprising them all. He actually enveloped Sloane in a bear hug and mumbled something in her ear.
What got everyone the most was when he held Val’s hand during the cold graveside ceremony so Decker and Sloane could do what adults did at funerals and not be interrupted.
After the urn of ashes was placed into the family vault—the use of that vault being one of the conflicts between Sloane and her parents—Nox picked Val up and carried her back to Decker’s vehicle. While he did so, Val hooked her little arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his cheek.
It was like Valee Girl knew what her Uncle Nox needed.
Despite that, his expression remained blank, if not grim.
After the services were over, the man retreated back into his protective shell and when they all arrived at The Plant for the post-funeral gathering, he didn’t stick around. Instead, he quietly disappeared upstairs to his apartment.
When he did so, Rez shared a few looks with his fellow brothers, ending with Jamison, who gave him a nod in acknowledgment.
They needed to deal with Nox carefully, but above all else, they needed to be there for him since he was family. They didn’t want to push him but they also couldn’t ignore the problem.
The atmosphere in the clubhouse was somber. Especially since they had all hoped for a better ending for Sadie than what she got.
Since Saint wouldn’t let her take the night off, Sapphire attended the memorial service with Rez and also stood at his side over at the cemetery. Once it was over, she immediately headed over to The Peach Pit to work her shift.
Saint could’ve given her the night off for a funeral if he was a decent human being, but once again, he proved he was a dick.
Decker’s mother, Ophelia, took Val home, and Rez’s mother went with her so they could spend time together. At the funeral home, Rez introduced Sapphire to his mother as a “friend” but he could see the wheels turning in her head.
That meant the next time he went over to her house, he’d have to don some armor because she’d be hitting him hard and fast with the whole guilt trip that consisted of: “You need to settle down soon and give me grandchildren. If I die before becoming an abuelita, I will haunt you for eternity.”
He had no doubt she would. The woman didn’t fuck around and she’d be a relentless ghost.
He swiped a deviled egg off the table set up with an extensive array of catered food and popped it into his mouth as he headed over to where Sloane and Decker stood talking with Axel and Bella Jamison.