Page 18 of The Souls We Claim

“Did she sleep with Halo?” I ask. The question pops into my head before I have time to process it.

“Not that I know of. He has a thing about not sharing girls with his dad.”

I screw up my nose. “This all sounds a little…” I don’t say the word I’m thinking because I don’t want to appear judgmental.

“I’ll say what we’re avoiding saying,” Briar says. “Old ladies don’t usually hang around with club girls because there’s a real chance that, at some point, your man has slept with one of them, and no one wants to be reminded of that.”

“That’s why there were no old ladies at Mercy’s funeral?”

Iris nods. “Thinking of who was getting buried stood in the way of being there to support you. I’m sorry. Truly. For your loss and for not being there today. But we’re here to help you if we can. It looks like you might need it.”

I touch my fingers to my face. I guess my own life choices don’t make any more sense than my sister’s.

“I was kidnapped by a sex trafficking organization, and Saint rescued me,” Briar says. “And Iris was kidnapped by them in revenge for something that happened with the club. We’ve been scared, abused, and at a loss for how to recover. It’s why Iris has Mac and why the two of us are friends. Halo thought we might be the kind of company you needed tonight.”

Tears sting my eyes at Halo’s thoughtfulness. I’m safe in his home. I’m fed because he asked someone to get food. And Haloasked these two specifically because they know what it feels like to have a man’s hands on you in violence.

“Does the feeling of being worthless ever pass?” I ask. Tears choke out the words.

Two hands grip my wrists as both women reach out to me in unison.

“You aren’t worthless. You’re fucking precious,” Briar says.

“You’re safe now. It’s okay, Mac,” she says when he whines quietly beneath her feet. She strokes the top of his head. “I’m okay. He gets upset if I get upset.”

It dawns on me that I have two new friends. Patrick didn’t like me having friends over to the house. Said they’d be a bad influence. Said it cost money to host them. Money we never had. “Oh,” I say suddenly. “I should pay you for the food.”

Briar waves my offer away. “Don’t sweat it. Saint gave me his credit card.”

“Thank you,” I say. “Does either of you know what happened to my sister? Halo hasn’t told me much beyond that she was murdered. Is there a police investigation or anything? Do you know if there are any leads?”

Iris looks to Briar, and they both shake their heads.

“I have a feeling they’ll call it a cold case and just leave it lingering,” Briar says.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because Wrinkle was an Iron Outlaw, and law enforcement doesn’t give a shit about bikers,” Iris says.

“I’m going to go and talk to the police. My sister was a civilian, right? She isn’t a member of the Outlaws.”

“It’s worth a try, though I’m pretty sure you’ll come up against a dead end,” Iris says. “But rest assured Halo and his brothers are trying to figure it out.”

“Wrinkle had more sons?”

Briar takes a sip of water. “Within the club, all the members call each other brothers. They’ll try and figure it out together.”

Iris nods. “And in the meantime, we’ll be here for you. Guess Halo will be too. It was sweet of him to make sure Mercy had a funeral service.”

“Halo covered Mercy’s funeral costs?” He told me he’d ask around to find out who paid.

“That’s what Saint told me,” Briar adds. “Kind of him given he didn’t have to.”

There’s a snuffling sound from the monitor, and I get up to check on Lola. It gives me a moment’s breathing room to process everything I just learned. She’s still asleep when I reach her, and a run my fingertips gently over her hair.

I have a niece.

Who is part of a world that is as intimidating as it has been friendly and welcoming to me.