Charity For Nothing: The Virtues Book III (33 page)

“Shut up, I’m pretty sure it being a
catholic
uni, it did just the opposite,” I said taking a sip. Ah, perfect temp, screw sipping, I gulped.

“Still doesn’t answer my question,” Hope said, flopping down on the edge of the bed, “What’d you do?”

Faith sat cross legged in the middle of the floor and looked like she was, for once, glad she wasn’t the one being grilled. I shot her a dirty look and she looked well pleased. She was becoming more like the sister I remembered every day, and I was grateful for that. More of her fire was showing.

“I may have applied to the ambulance company Nothing used to work for and I
may
have gone for an interview yesterday.”

“Annnd?” Dammit, Hope was like a dog with a bone.

“And I may have told them I could get Dom to go back to work for them in exchange for securing me my own job.” I wrinkled my nose and Hope busted up laughing.

“Oh! Oh, that’s good!” she cried.

“Shut up! I’m trying to figure out how to convince him, any ideas?”

“Oh no, oh hell no! All those times lecturing me about letting Faithy here make her own decisions and then you go and pull this? I’m going to
enjoy
watching you squirm, you are so on your own for this one.” Hope cackled and got up, “Good luck!” She called over her shoulder and went back downstairs, just howling with laughter.

Faith just sat on the floor and smiled while I probably looked like I’d sucked on a lemon. I looked to my middle sister and raised an eyebrow; she raised both in return and said, “Don’t look at me! But if it’s one thing I know, if you want something bad enough, you’ll figure out the words. I think it’s a great idea personally.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Oh yeah,” she said nodding, “Nothing was great when he took care of me, you know, when I was sick. He’s wasted painting houses. I bet you all of the guys would agree with you, too.”

“Agree with her about what?” Marlin asked from the doorway and I felt my eyes roll.
Was there no fucking privacy at all in this house?
I wondered, and honestly I chastised myself right on the heels of that thought for it having been a rhetorical question. Of course there wasn’t. It seemed to be a way of life when it came to these guys, one big happy family, and by family I meant everyone all up in each other’s business. I was beginning to miss the autonomy of my college years where the only person I had to worry about was my dorm room roomy.

“That Nothing needs to go back to being a paramedic,” Faith said.

“Hell yeah, he does. He’s wasted on painting houses, being a medic is that man’s calling.”

“Yeah, well, I have a little less than a week to figure it out,” I groused and Marlin raised an eyebrow over the battered side of his face. “Don’t ask,” I told him and he nodded.

“Say no more, I was just coming to collect my girl, see if you wanted to go out on the boat with me and Johnny.

“Can Charity come?” Faith asked.

“Sure can,” he said.

“Thanks, I actually think I would like that,” I said.

“You got around ten minutes to get ready and meet us at the marina.”

“I’ll ride with Charity; show her which boat it is, we’ll be right there.” Faith jumped up and gave her man a kiss and he ducked back out into the hall. I swallowed the rest of my coffee at light speed and got up.

Faith handed me a swim suit and wrap and said; “Bring something to work on or read, you’re going to
love
this.”

We piled downstairs, me with my laptop bag over my shoulder, loaded with stuff for me to do, and went out to the Jeep. Hope was already gone, probably with Cutter. My butthurt was still strong enough I didn’t care but I’d be over it soon enough. We drove out to the Marina and I don’t think I remember Faith ever being so excited.

“Hey!” she called out to a man on a rather expensive looking fishing boat.

“Hey you! Who you got with you? That Charity?”

“I’m Charity,” I confirmed. He pulled Faith up onto the boat and reached down for me, I let him haul me up.

“I’m Johnny, Jimmy, er, Marlin’s brother.”

“Nice to meet you, Johnny.”

Marlin appeared on deck and said without preamble, “Don’t get your hopes up, Johnny, she belongs to Nothing.”

I raised an eyebrow about to smart off on a feminist rant, but Faith caught my eye and shook her head. Curious, I let it go for now.

“Come on, Charity, let’s get situated and let the guys work.”

I followed my sister to a couple of lounge chairs at the front of the boat and once we were well clear, I asked her, “What was
that
all about? I ‘
belong
to Nothing,’ like some piece of cattle?”

“It’s not like that,” Faith said and I gave her a look.

“You got some explainin’ to do, Bubbles.”

“Okay, it’s like this…”

Faith had
a lot
to say and by the time she was through, I was a little misty eyed and honored that Marlin would think I belonged to Dom, and I found myself wondering if Dom felt the same way, because, I’ve got to tell you, the thought was really nice.

“So you and Hope seriously wear vests like theirs that read ‘Property of Marlin’ and ‘Property of Cutter?’” I asked.

“Want me to go get mine?” she asked.

“Yes, yes I do.”

She got up and went below decks, and I waited for her. She came back with a fitted, black leather riding vest, the front reading ‘Firefly’ on the nametag. She turned it around and sure enough, it read ‘Property of’ at the top, and down below, where the guys’ vests read ‘Ft. Royal,’ hers read ‘Marlin.’

“Wow, it’s beautiful.” And it was, a blue and silver marlin fish, leaping out of the water was embroidered where The Kraken men wore their club patch.

“Hope is sort of an honorary member, so hers is the club colors in the middle. Most Ol’ Ladies from other clubs don’t have anything in the middle, just the ‘property of’ and their Ol’ Man’s name.”

“I kind of like this better,” I confided.

“Me, too.” She got up and went and put it back, returning to the lounge chair next to mine.

It was a great day spent on the water, bonding with my sister after that. I loved every minute of it.

Chapter 44

Nothing

“Am I late?” I asked, pulling my phone out of my cut and checking the time. I frowned, I was on time, but the guys were already gathered around the table, Hope leaning against the Captain’s throne and it looked like they’d all been here a minute.

“No man, you’re not late,” Cutter said, “We just had to put something to a vote.”

I started to sweat a little, “Yeah, what’s that?” I asked.

“C’mere,” Cutter said, standing and I swallowed hard, and did what I was told.

“What’s up, Captain?” I asked nervously.

He put an arm around my shoulders and flicked open one of his knives. In fact, the one he opened up was that fancy switchblade Reaver, the guy from up north, had given him.

“We’ve decided, this has got to go,” he said and he started to slice one of the flash patches off the front of my cut. I held still, my heart dropping that he was taking my treasurer’s flash but when I looked he’d taken my name flash. Relief flooded my system.

“Pyro, do your thing, Man.” Cutter tossed the flash that read ‘Nothing’ to our Road Captain who pulled a bottle of lighter fluid from somewhere and his zippo out of his cut. He dropped the flash into an ashtray and soaked it, flicked his zippo and torched it. I watched it burn.

“Get this on your cut before we conclude this meeting,” he said, handing me a name flash slightly less worn than the one burning. I took it, and looked down at it, ‘Galahad’ emblazoned across it.

“Why?” I asked and it was Hope that answered.

“Because my sister is gonna look dumb as hell wearing this if you don’t make the change,” she said tossing a shopping bag at me. I caught it against my chest and opened it up, pulling out a leather vest, fitted for Charity’s slim form.

‘Property of Galahad’ was emblazoned on the back, and where there was supposed to be nothing, a white knight on a white horse, lance and all was embroidered. It was what was on the shield that caught my attention though. The caduceus, the widely known symbol of medical knowledge, the staff wrapped with snakes, bold and in red on the shield’s gray background.

“Holy shit,” I uttered.

“Yeah, that was me,” Radar said, grinning.

“You designed this?” I asked.

“Yup, and you better get busy,” he said sliding a sewing kit down the table at me. I took my seat, setting my rag for Charity aside and slipped out of my cut, making good on my Captain’s order.

“I don’t know what to say, guys, except thank you,” I said, choking up with emotion.

“It’s cool, bro,” Cutter said, retaking his seat, “Next order of business,” he said and it was business as usual while I hand sewed my name flash onto my cut. I glanced down into the bag, and had to smile. On the front of Charity’s vest, the name flash read ‘Trouble’ and I wasn’t sure the Captain was ready to fully reap the benefits of that name, although I was feeling pretty blessed that I had.

I tuned back into the conversation, “I say we all just go for a fuckin’ ride tomorrow man, I mean fuck, when was the last time we went anywhere for the sake of the ride, versus having a destination in mind?” Stoker was saying.

“I say that’s a fine, idea. I second that motion,” Beast said.

“Not that it needs it, but I third,” I put in. A ride with my brothers just for the sake of it sounded fantastic.

“What say you? A ride down to Roy’s Crab Shack, lunch and ride back?” Cutter said.

“Sounds good to me,” Pyro put in.

“All in favor?”

A round of rowdy yeah’s went up and it passed, good thing, too. I think we all could use some wind therapy.

“You’re riding with me tomorrow,” Cutter told Hope.

“No argument here,” she murmured.

“Good deal, anything else?”

“Yeah, what’re we doing tonight?”

“Barbecue at my place?”

“Shit, yeah!” Radar said, there were more noises of agreement.

Cutter looked over at me, “How you doing over there? Looks like this is wrapping up sooner than expected.”

“Man will you stop busting my balls like I’m some kind of fuckin’ prospect?” I demanded.

“Depends, you gonna stop
actin’
like a fuckin’ prospect?” Marlin shot back, teasing.

I paused in my work long enough to give him the finger, “Keep it up I’m gonna rush and sew this thing on crooked, plus when was the last time any of you fuckers sewed anything on to one of your cuts by hand?” Silence. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Guys started laughing, and Pyro called me a pussy. He got the finger next and Hope called out, “Girls, girls, girls! I think you’re both pretty, now let the man do his thing so I can get out of this sweatbox? The beach is callin’ my name.”

A round of cheers went up at that, and I think all of us were ready to relax and party. I know I was looking forward to seeing Char. I missed her. I’d woken up to a text back from her that afternoon and it’d changed my whole outlook for the day. Energized me in a way I couldn’t really begin to describe and allowed me to get those towel racks up and the rest of the bathroom odds and ends wrapped up. It’d felt good to have it finished and looking solid, and it was ready to use as early as tonight if need be.

I finished sewing on my name flash and shrugged back into my cut to a round of cheers. Cutter called the meeting and everyone started to filter out. I pulled the property cut meant for Charity out of the bag and looked it over again.

“You don’t have to give it to her unless you’re sure, but we all see the way she’s changed you, and I guess it’s just our way of telling you that not only do we approve, that you’d be stupid to let her go.” Cutter said. I looked up and over at him and Hope.

“I’m not letting her go,” I said and looked to Hope, “I’m going to work on being the best thing that’s ever happened to her, same as she’s been for me. I really do regret how I treated her at first.”

“I know,” Hope said and sighed.

“Now if you don’t mind, I gotta run home and make myself presentable before tonight’s shindig,” Hope and Cutter mock groaned and laughed and I took my leave. I really did need to run home, but not to shine myself up any. I wanted to swing by the store and grab a couple bottles of wine, a white and a red, because I didn’t know what Charity liked. I also wanted to stash the cut my brothers had given me for her. I honestly didn’t know if I was ready to ask for such a monumental commitment, but I had to admit, it was nice having the option at the ready. I mean, I was going to have one made, had every intention of asking her at some point, but my brothers’ had saved me the trouble of figuring out sizes and what to put in the middle so she’d look as rockin’ as her other two sisters. It was nice to have my brothers’ know me almost better than I knew myself sometimes, and this was definitely one of those times.

I left The Plank and did my thing; stopping at the store and heading home. I put the wine in the fridge, taking a quick second to stash Charity’s property cut. When I went to leave the house, I paused in front of the refinished bathroom. I stared into it for a long time and sighed, scrubbing my face with my hands. Who was I fucking kidding? I loved this woman enough to completely rip out and redo a bathroom just so she could be more comfortable being in my house. How could I then hesitate to make her my Ol’ Lady? What did I want her to do? Find someone else?
Fuck no.
I thought. The real question was,
how
was I going to ask her?

I shut the door to the bathroom and left the house, riding over to Cutter’s and thought about it the whole way there. I wanted it to be just me and Charity tonight, so that meant bringing her to my place. I figured a fire out back in the fire pit, a cold glass of wine and then if things went right, I could ask her.

When I got to the Captain’s place, I backed my bike into line, I was a little nervous, my palms sweating. I wiped them off on my jeans and took a deep breath to steady myself. I went into the house and found Charity in the kitchen, making salad.

“Hey, Baby,” I said going up to her. The smile she turned on me liked to have my heart doing somersaults in my chest. She lit up, from the inside out, and immediately raised her lips to mine, standing on tiptoe to kiss me enthusiastically.