Make It Right (7 page)

She lowered the gun at the sight of him. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Danny holstered his own gun and moved towards her.

“I was just looking for the jewelry that Fiona had of my mother's. Some of it was really nice.”

“You want to bury her wearing it?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I need to sell it to pay for the funeral, well funerals. Nothing fancy, Fiona wouldn't have wanted a big thing, but something for the people she worked with, her friends and of course Nightshade. Mahone's can do a memorial on Tuesday and they'll handle the cremation as well.”

“Tuesday's not going to work for Nightshade. We've got a thing.”

“A thing?” Understanding dawned over her face. “Oh, club business.”

“Yes.” Danny stepped closer. “I'll call Mahone, get them to reschedule it for Thursday.”

“They're booked for the rest of the week. It's Tuesday or it's no service.”

“Baby...”

“Don't.” She shook her head. “They're going to have a service. They deserve a service. I'm going to get back to looking.”

“You want a hand?” Danny asked, almost sure that she was going to refuse him. It pissed him off that she was shutting him out. It pissed him off that he was giving her reasons to. Missing the memorial, having her there by herself was only going to make her feel more alone and push him away harder.

“Thanks. I'd appreciate that.”

“Looks like you've been boxing things up too.”

“The church that Fiona went to is having a clothing drive. They sent a notice in the mail. I thought that... well, they're not my style and I can't see myself wearing them, so I might as well box them up. Someone should get some use out of them. She'd like that.”

“I think that she would, too,” Danny agreed. “Alright, Baby, put me to work.”

They packed up the entire room that night and then moved on to Taylor's. Amelia was a woman with a mission. Danny was along for the ride. She didn't say much of anything. He didn't push. When she was ready, she'd talk.

“Fuck.” Amelia turned away from the dresser. “I need a break.”

“Are you hungry? I could run out for something.”

“I want a drink. And there should be a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer.”

“A couple? You really are hungry.”

“Please, you know that you can eat a whole pizza with no effort.” A smile spread across her face. Danny realized that it was the first time he'd seen her smile, really smile, since they found the bodies.

“So can you if you really put your mind to it.” He smiled back at her, held out his hand. “Come on, let's see what there is in the liquor cabinet.”

“I really hope there's tequila. I need all the tequila in the world to get through this.” She took his hand and he felt himself relax some.

“I'll make sure you have it. Whatever you need.” He brought her hand to his mouth, pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “You know that, right?” Danny didn't wait for an answer. “I know that everything is all fucked up right now, but it's going to get better. We're going to figure everything out.”

“Will we?” She didn't release his hand, but the look in her eyes told him that she didn't believe him, which pissed him off more than he liked to admit, even to himself. “Let's just not do this right now. I can't.”

“Let's go and get that drink. Make some pizza.” Danny kept his grip on her hand. She needed space. He'd give her space. He'd let her do her quiet thing, work through whatever was on her mind and when she was ready, she'd talk to him. It wasn't the easiest thing to do but he'd do it.

<#<#<#

“I know what you're going to say.” Royal looked weary. “But I need you on the run. I need everyone on the run.”

Danny hadn't expected any different, but still hearing it pissed him off. He'd spent the night before at the Mason house with Amelia after she'd gotten so drunk she couldn't stand and certainly couldn't ride. “She can't do the memorial on her own.”

“Jackie's going to be there with her.” Royal paused. “And Missy.”

“For fuck's sake, tell me that you're not serious. You're sending your wife to help out at your second families memorial?” Danny saw anger flash over Royal's face but he just couldn't bring himself to give a fuck.

“I didn't tell her to go. She offered. What was I supposed to say?”

“Anything but yes. Jesus.” Danny felt the beginning of a headache starting or maybe it was a stroke. “Look, I'm trying not to be disrespectful, but you need to tell Missy to stay away. How much do you think Amelia can take?”

“And when she asks why, what am I supposed to tell her? Certainly can't go with the truth. This is a fucked up situation but your old lady is strong, stronger than you're giving her credit for.”

“Yeah, she's strong but this is fucking impossible.” Asking Amelia to stand next to Missy at the memorial just seemed wrong on every level. “She's having a hard time.” And that was an understatement. They'd never found the box of jewelry she was looking for, and Danny had watched her cry until he thought that his heart would break. Even when he'd offered her the money she needed, she'd just cried harder and refused. It would have been an argument but she was really drunk and ended up passing out. He'd gotten a hold of Mahone and told him in no uncertain terms the memorial would happen and he would pay but even his influence over the man could not make a different time slot for the memorial happen.

“I know that, Brother, I do.” Royal sighed. “I'll tell Missy to work on setting up something here for after the event, it's the best I can do. And I'll leave a prospect with Amelia.”

“Make it Rock,” Danny told him. “You talk to Missy and I'll talk to Amelia.”

“I think we're both going to need better luck than we've had lately for those conversations.”

“Yeah, I'd say you're right.”

Chapter Six

Amelia couldn't name most of the people who'd come up to her, all offering condolences. Some had truly sad expressions while others were clearly just there to gawk as if this was a train wreck and not a memorial service. She hadn't wanted the tone to be somber. Fiona and Taylor should be celebrated. There were six poster boards full of pictures of them at their happiest. Music played softly in the background, taken from the most played lists on both of their iPods.

“Why don't you come and sit for a little bit?” Jackie suggested.

“I think I need a cigarette or something.” Amelia looked over at her friend, glad that she was there and even gladder that Missy wasn't.

“I've got a flask in my purse. I believe in always being prepared even when I can't drink.” Jackie looped her arm through Amelia's. “Come on, there's a private bathroom downstairs. We shouldn't be disturbed there.”

“Wait, I'd better tell Rock where we're going.” Though it was hard to think of him as Rock, not William, which was the name he'd gone by back when she'd been his babysitter. “Danny told him not to let me out of his sight. He's taking that quite seriously.”

“As he should,” Jackie replied. “There's still some lunatic out there who did this terrible thing.” Her eyes welled with tears. “Sorry. Sorry. This is not about me and my raging, out-of-control hormones. I'll tell Rock where we're going. You just wait here.”

Amelia stood where she was and looked around the room. There was a decent turnout, mostly adults but there were a few children. She'd made a point to meet them all and recognized the names from her frequent conversations with Taylor. All of the girls were going to come over to the house one day soon to pick a keepsake out of the things that she'd kept of Taylor's.

It had been so hard to pack up Fiona's things, and packing up Taylor's had proved impossible. Amelia didn't want to leave a shrine behind for her niece, but she'd found that she just couldn't box her things away. Giving something to each of her friends made sense, and she hoped that it would help the children deal with their grief a little bit better.

“Amelia.” She turned when she heard James' voice. “Hey.”

“Thank you for coming.” Amelia hadn't thought that he would. Since the day he'd sat in on the Nightshade meeting, no one had heard anything from him. “How are you?”

“I'm supposed to be asking you that,” he pointed out. “But thanks for asking. I'm alright, all things considered. How are you?”

“Terrible,” Amelia replied. “I can't imagine I could be anything else.”

“I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for breaking my promise to you and for not finding out who did this already.”

Amelia knew the promise that he was talking about; it was the reason she'd pulled her gun on him the first night she'd been back. “I understand why you had to go to Nightshade. There's nothing to apologize for, it's all water under the bridge now. And I should apologize to you, getting involved with this got you suspended.”

“I love Taylor and Fiona. There's nothing that I wouldn't do for them.”

“I know.” Amelia moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. “We'll find who did this. They'll pay.” She realized that she was paraphrasing Danny; these were the things that he told her when she was upset to comfort her. She hoped that James found more comfort in them than she did. Amelia knew that nothing was ever going to erase the empty feeling inside of her.

Jackie returned and threw her arms around both of them. She'd always been the touchy-feely sort. “Both of you come on, a break will do you good.”

And the break did do them good. The flask didn't hurt, especially since it was full of whiskey.
By the time that they went back upstairs, Amelia was feeling nearly human—until she realized that she needed to get up and give the eulogy. The idea of speaking in public on any occasion gave her anxiety. “Shit. I cannot do this.”

“Yes, you can.” Jackie told her. “You're going to take this and you're going to do great.” She pressed a pill into Amelia's hand. “It's a very mild sedative.”

Amelia swallowed it dry and nearly retched at the chalky taste. “If this makes me pass out up there, I'm going to kick your ass. I don't care if you're pregnant.”

“You can handle it. Don't worry, once you say your part I'll come up, say mine and take over.” Jackie squeezed her hand. “James and I are going to be right here.”

“Thank you.” Amelia was grateful for them being there, really she was, but she couldn't help but think of who wasn't there. Danny had left early in the morning to take care of the club business. She knew that they were taking something over the border. Even though they'd been apart for years, she could tell it wasn't just a normal run. If something happened to him.... well, she couldn't even think about that.

Instead of thinking, she stepped forward. One of the employees handed her a cordless microphone while another lowered the music. The sudden silence settled over the room and all eyes were on her.

Fuck.

Amelia smiled nervously. “First, I'd like to thank you all for coming here today to remember Fiona and Taylor.” Her voice cracked, but she pressed on. “I don't even know what to say about them being gone. It doesn't feel real. They were both wonderful. Fiona was...” She inhaled deeply. “Fiona wasn't just my sister. She was my best friend. And Taylor was just full of life and light. She had so much ahead of her. They both did, and it was taken from them. They were taken from us, and I don't know what I'm going to do without them.”

She handed over the microphone when Jackie approached her and exited the room from the closest door. It was a deceptively sunny day outside but the temperature had dropped low. Amelia's first thought when she stepped out into the brisk air was that soon Danny wouldn't be able to ride until spring.

Amelia saw Detective Harris get out of sedan parked at the edge of the lot. The woman was literally the last person that she wanted to see. She'd welcome a sit-down with Missy over one word with the blonde walking towards her. “This is a private service.”

“So private that your husband isn't even here?”

“What do you want?” Amelia knew that she had to be civil, so she didn't add the word bitch to the end of the question.

“Do you want to find whoever killed Fiona and Taylor?”

“Of course I do. What kind of question is that?”

“Do you recognize this knife?” The detective held up her phone again.

Amelia stared at the image for a moment. “No. I can't say that I do.”

“Amelia, you're contradicting yourself. Here you are telling me that you want to find who killed your family, and you're lying to me. I can't imagine what you're going through. I can respect that you want to be loyal to Danny but at what cost?”

“I told you, I don't recognize the knife. And I should be heading back in. This is a memorial service. You do realize that, right?”

“I'm sorry to intrude, but I wanted us to talk one on one, woman to woman and sister to sister. I've got a sister. She's pregnant with her first, and I can't even imagine losing either of them. I can help you, Amelia. I can get you away from him. Get you safe.”

“I am safe.” Amelia was surprised to find that she meant the words.

“I'm sure that Fiona thought the same thing.” Detective Harris took a step back. “Think about that, Amelia. That's all I ask.”

Amelia thought about what she'd said long after the woman went back to her car and pulled away. She remained outside, despite the cold and wind, because the idea of going back held no appeal.

<#<#<#

Danny hadn't called. In fact, there had been no word from anyone in Nightshade, and Amelia wondered why she seemed to be the only one worried about it. All around her the party continued to rage. Somehow what was supposed to be part of a joyful remembrance for her family had become a party, a wild, loud party complete with blaring music, drugs and several women taking turns embarrassing themselves on the stripper pole.

Amelia wasn't even sure why she was still there. It was close to midnight, Danny should have been back and they should be home, but there she was, once again alone. James was still around; the last time she'd seen him he'd been well on his way to piss drunk. Jackie had taken off, with regret, because her mother had something she needed to do.

She'd managed to find a place to sit which was mostly out of the way, and by some miracle Missy hadn't come near her in hours. Amelia wanted to get drunk, but she was still nursing the same beer because she couldn't let herself relax here, not around all these people.

Amelia decided it was time to find Rock, tell him that she was leaving so he could follow her home. She wasn't quite sure where home was, though. Going to the house she'd grown up in, tonight of all nights, probably wasn't the best idea ever but it felt strange to go back to Danny's when he wasn't there.

“I've been looking all over for you.” Missy approached. “I've got a room ready for you upstairs.”

“Actually, I was just about to head home. I'm tired and I need some peace and quiet. Thanks for thinking of me, though.”

“You always were a stubborn little bitch.”

“Excuse me?” Amelia was unable to keep the edge out of her voice. Fuck her sideways, this was going to end badly.

“It's easier for everyone if you just stay here. Here is where the guys are going to come when they get back, and here is where that prospect needs to stay to keep an eye on things. He doesn't need to follow you all around Detroit like a lost puppy.”

“He's not following me around like a lost puppy. He's doing what Danny told him to do.” Amelia took a breath. “I don't want to argue with you, Missy. I've had a really long day and I just want my bed.”

“Your bed? Don't you mean Danny's bed? Or are the rumors true and you're staying in Detroit?” Missy had her arms crossed over her chest, a clearly defensive stance.

Amelia wasn't slow. She knew that Missy would like nothing more than a fight, verbal or physical. She wasn't going to give it to her. “We're figuring it out.”

“Are you now? Way I see it, if you wanted to stay, you wouldn't be sitting over here like your shit doesn't stink, looking down on the rest of us. Too good to drink. Too good to dance.”

“Are you kidding me? I just cremated my family and you expect that I'm going to be drinking and dancing like it's a regular old Friday night. Are you high?”

“Are you? Heard Jackie slipped you a little something back at Mahone's. You back to old habits?”

“I'm not a junkie. I was never a junkie. That was all you projecting your shit on me, and we both know it.” Amelia's head snapped to the side. She hadn't expected Missy to slap her. It stung and she felt a dull throb starting in her jaw.

Before she could retaliate, there were hands around her waist. She was dragged back, out the door and into the cold. “Put me the fuck down. Now. What the hell are you doing?”

“Keeping you off of Royal's shit list. Missy's got pretty much a free reign of terror here when it comes to the pass-around women and the old ladies. Anyone who lays a hand on her answers to her old man. Come on, let me take you back to Danny's place.” Rock released his grip from around her waist. “Don't make me drag you.”

“I'd like to see you try.” Amelia replied but she realized that he would drag her if necessary, because he'd promised Danny that he'd look out for her. Rock really wanted to earn his patch and it was coming up on a year that he'd been wearing the prospect patch, from what Danny had told her. They'd vote on his patch once the year was up, or before, if he did something to show his worth, so Amelia knew that Rock would likely be extra vigilant about doing what Danny had asked.

“Come on, I had my brother drop my truck off here. Figured I'd need to drive because you were drunk, but you didn't really drink.”

“No. I didn't. Hey, have you heard anything from anyone?”

“No. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Cell reception can be a little spotty in certain places. You want to find somewhere to eat? I noticed you didn't really eat, either. Can't say I blame you. Makes me feel sick just to think about them being gone. I used to have one hell of a crush on Fiona when we were younger.”

“You're like five years younger than her.” Amelia realized that he was trying to distract her from the radio silence they were experiencing, and she decided to play along.

“My father always told me to aim high. She never even looked at me twice as more than a pain in her ass.” He let out a laugh. “She was always nice, though, even when I see her... saw her recently. Every time we did the lawn, she'd bring us out something to drink. Make us lunch or let us sit inside and cool down awhile when it was hot.”

“Why were you doing Fiona's lawn?”

“Because Danny said to. He didn't want her doing it. Said she had enough to worry about raising a kid on her own. We'd help her in the garden, too, grunt work mostly. I can't believe that she didn't tell you.”

It didn't surprise Amelia too much. Fiona had known that she didn't want to hear anything to do with Danny. “I'm sure it just never came up.”

“Yeah, that's probably it.” Rock took a keyring out of his pocket, used the fob to unlock a black pickup truck. It was an older model but very well kept. “It's a little high. You need a boost?”