up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey Janice. I know Marty was supposed to call but she conked out the minute she got back to the room so I thought I’d let you know she’s ok.”
Janice let out a long breath. “I appreciate that Ace. I was beginning to worry.” She reached up and rubbed at the soreness at the base of her skull.
“Figured you might. You want to tell me a few things about her? She said she doesn’t have to pay for school and mentioned some trouble with the law, but didn’t get into it.”
“She is a whiz with computers. She’s on a full scholarship. Could have gone anywhere, but she’s still a kid. Started college at sixteen so she didn’t want to go anywhere. Her grandma was sick and she just couldn’t so she stayed here. She arranged for a wealthy old coot to give her grandma a really beautiful funeral. She has been looked at a few times, but nothing stuck. She’s not bad. Almost like Robin Hood in her own way. She doesn’t drink or smoke. The worst thing she has ever done to act out is chop off her hair. She will be like a lamb in a lion’s den up there Ace.”
“Fuck. I’ll put her up with Preach and his old lady until I can figure something out. I’ll make sure it’s known that she’s off limits too. Not sure what else I can do. The boys will be sniffing around her like a pack of hungry wolves.”
“She’s nineteen Ace. For heaven sake.”
“Like that shit matters her mama was about that age and I was too damn old for her too.”
“I remember. Don’t you dare let some ass wipe ruin her life the way…”
“The way I did Janie’s?”
Janice wanted to bite her tongue off. “No. That was her choice and Janie never regretted anything, except you leaving her. You have to know that Ace.”
“It wasn’t my choice. I wanted her to come with me.”
“I know. She wanted a normal life. The club scared her.”
“I know that too. I should have stayed.” His voice was low and filled with regret.
“She wouldn’t have let you Ace. You would have resented her and she wouldn’t have that. She loved you too much.”
Janice heard the sigh on the other end of the phone. She knew something weighed heavily on Ace.
“Ace, are you alright? Is something going on?”
“Not really, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“You got it Ace. You call me if you need anything or if she gets to be too much.”
“I will Janice and I appreciate this. You don’t know how much. I know you could have said something and she’d have stayed there.”
“I know what it’s like to be young and want to live.”
“I appreciate it.”
Tell me that in a month.” Janice laughed as she pictured the trouble Marty might cause Ace in a month.
Ace let out a laugh and disconnected the phone.
Janice felt like something monumental had just happened. Janie would have wanted this. She would want her daughter to know Ace and love him, but would she have wanted her only daughter to run off to be with the men who had taken Ace from her so long ago? Of that Janice was certain the answer was no.
She undressed and crawled into bed. Janie had always been terrified of the men that surrounded Ace. Janice had been intrigued. If Tank had asked Janice to run off and make a life with him she would have jumped at the opportunity, but Tank hadn’t asked. Janice had secretly resented Janie having it all. She had loved her like a sister, but there had been times when she wanted to lash out at the woman for keeping Marty from her father. Janie had been adamant about her decision to raise Marty to have a normal life, but she had never lied to the child.
Janice sighed. Was she only encouraging Marty to be with Ace as some kind of sick revenge toward her friend?
Tears leaked out of her closed
“Hello?”
“Hey Janice. I know Marty was supposed to call but she conked out the minute she got back to the room so I thought I’d let you know she’s ok.”
Janice let out a long breath. “I appreciate that Ace. I was beginning to worry.” She reached up and rubbed at the soreness at the base of her skull.
“Figured you might. You want to tell me a few things about her? She said she doesn’t have to pay for school and mentioned some trouble with the law, but didn’t get into it.”
“She is a whiz with computers. She’s on a full scholarship. Could have gone anywhere, but she’s still a kid. Started college at sixteen so she didn’t want to go anywhere. Her grandma was sick and she just couldn’t so she stayed here. She arranged for a wealthy old coot to give her grandma a really beautiful funeral. She has been looked at a few times, but nothing stuck. She’s not bad. Almost like Robin Hood in her own way. She doesn’t drink or smoke. The worst thing she has ever done to act out is chop off her hair. She will be like a lamb in a lion’s den up there Ace.”
“Fuck. I’ll put her up with Preach and his old lady until I can figure something out. I’ll make sure it’s known that she’s off limits too. Not sure what else I can do. The boys will be sniffing around her like a pack of hungry wolves.”
“She’s nineteen Ace. For heaven sake.”
“Like that shit matters her mama was about that age and I was too damn old for her too.”
“I remember. Don’t you dare let some ass wipe ruin her life the way…”
“The way I did Janie’s?”
Janice wanted to bite her tongue off. “No. That was her choice and Janie never regretted anything, except you leaving her. You have to know that Ace.”
“It wasn’t my choice. I wanted her to come with me.”
“I know. She wanted a normal life. The club scared her.”
“I know that too. I should have stayed.” His voice was low and filled with regret.
“She wouldn’t have let you Ace. You would have resented her and she wouldn’t have that. She loved you too much.”
Janice heard the sigh on the other end of the phone. She knew something weighed heavily on Ace.
“Ace, are you alright? Is something going on?”
“Not really, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“You got it Ace. You call me if you need anything or if she gets to be too much.”
“I will Janice and I appreciate this. You don’t know how much. I know you could have said something and she’d have stayed there.”
“I know what it’s like to be young and want to live.”
“I appreciate it.”
Tell me that in a month.” Janice laughed as she pictured the trouble Marty might cause Ace in a month.
Ace let out a laugh and disconnected the phone.
Janice felt like something monumental had just happened. Janie would have wanted this. She would want her daughter to know Ace and love him, but would she have wanted her only daughter to run off to be with the men who had taken Ace from her so long ago? Of that Janice was certain the answer was no.
She undressed and crawled into bed. Janie had always been terrified of the men that surrounded Ace. Janice had been intrigued. If Tank had asked Janice to run off and make a life with him she would have jumped at the opportunity, but Tank hadn’t asked. Janice had secretly resented Janie having it all. She had loved her like a sister, but there had been times when she wanted to lash out at the woman for keeping Marty from her father. Janie had been adamant about her decision to raise Marty to have a normal life, but she had never lied to the child.
Janice sighed. Was she only encouraging Marty to be with Ace as some kind of sick revenge toward her friend?
Tears leaked out of her closed
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