Page 128 of The Souls We Claim

King leans forward in his chair. “It’s been a tough year. Now, the Righteous Brotherhood have been annihilated, and we benefited from all the cash we took from them. We need some fucking rest. I’m proposing a cessation of anything other than essential business for a month.”

“I’ll second that,” Bates says.

“Proposed by King, seconded by Bates,” Niro says. “I’ll third it. Cat wants to ride to see her family in Mexico. It’s forty hoursof riding each way. If you don’t need us, we’d like permission to go.”

“That’s a long ride,” I say.

Niro grins. “Yeah, but I’m hoping Cat will marry me when we get there.”

Men cheer, slap the table, and shake Niro’s hand.

“You want to do it as a ride out?” King asks.

“Tempting, but there’s going to be a few places we ride through where it’s better we don’t announce who we are.”

“Watch it if you go down through Tamaulipas,” I say. “There are a couple of cartels you don’t want to mess with.”

Niro nods. “A six-hour ride if we just ride straight through that state without stopping unless we need gas. It’ll mean I need to be taken off the rotation to see Switch.”

He gets three visits, at least an hour long each, every day. They say sometimes people in comas can still hear or that a familiar voice may lead them back to the surface. We mix it up. Sometimes we read; sometimes we share club business. Sometimes we reminisce about runs we’ve done.

Vex nods. “I’ll take care of it. If we’re easing back on the hustle and using the Righteous Brotherhood’s funds, I’ll have time on my hands.”

“I’ll need off it for a few days for me, Vi, and Avery to fly down to Mexico to be there when it happens,” Bates says. “Avery offered to pay for the flight with the money she’s been saving for a dog.”

“You know my mini-bestie has about a thousand bucks,” Niro says. “She’s saved enough money for a pack of dogs.”

Bates chuckles. “Vi’s dreading the day Avery can do the math.”

“What about you, Prez?” Spark asks.

“I’m taking Rae to the UK. Bought tickets as a gift for Valentine’s Day.”

“Do you even have a passport?” Saint asks. “Thought you couldn’t get one with a criminal record.”

He glances over at Vex, then laughs. “Don’t have that record anymore. Passport arrived two weeks ago. What about you, Halo?”

“I’m gonna ask Ari what she wants to do,” I say. “She’s looked after me and the house and Lola and everything else while I was healing up. Figure she should get to pick how we enjoy it now I’m healthy again.”

I’m going to ask, tell her we can go anywhere, even though I know her idea of a good time will be sitting out in the yard, hanging with Lola, cooking us some good food, and hanging laundry out to dry on the new lines I hung for her.

Simple things. Small pleasures.

And I don’t mind. I’ve seen the fucking world. Done some hair-raising shit. But I’ve found happiness with Ari and Lola in our home.

“Speaking of which,” King says, reaching behind him. He slides a package wrapped in plastic in front of me. I know what it is before I open it, and so does everyone else.

There’s more cheering as I slide out the contents. On the front of it is her name.

Kitten.

When I turn it over, I take a deep breath.

Property of Halo.

The sight of those words turns me inside out. I can’t believe they now exist in the world.

“You needed time to heal up before you put it on her back. Needed some distance from what happened,” King says.