Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125517 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 628(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Using his thumb, Doom smoothed the cord lying on his palm. The woven cord had a knot, which allowed the necklace to be adjusted. Gauging it was looped around three times, Doom estimated the necklace could extend to at least twenty-four inches.
He raised his eyes from the necklace to Deacon’s. “Why are you giving it to me?”
“The night I met you, Lizzie said she liked you. I told her you were a fucking prick. She said you reminded her of me. I took her stash away from her, told her she was high enough. The night Lizzie died…” Deacon’s voice choked up, “If you hadn’t reacted so fast, Lizzie would have seen the woman she considered a daughter killed right in front of her eyes. I will be forever grateful she didn’t, that I didn’t. It’s bad enough I lost Lizzie. If Arden had died…” Deacon broke off.
Doom could see from his shattered expression the warrior Deacon used to be couldn’t have taken two losses.
Using his forefinger, Deacon slid the necklace closer to Doom. “Six men have worn this necklace before me. I’m hoping by giving this necklace to you, I’m giving it to the wearer who it was meant for all along—a Last Rider.”
“Lucky is a Last Rider,” Doom told him.
“He wasn’t when he wore the necklace. I’ve known Lucky since when he was and wasn’t a pastor. He always put his faith in God first. I’m not sure since I wasn’t the one who gave it to him, but I’d say his faith in God was why the person gave it to him. I’m giving it to the man who I have faith in to always do what is right, despite the cost.”
Deacon folded his arms onto the table. “Go ahead and put it on. Wear it.” He shrugged. “The worst that could happen is it could end up around another person’s neck. The man I saw when I was fighting for everything I held dear wasn’t afraid of shit.”
Doom picked up the necklace and put it over his head. He adjusted the cord until the pendant rested just below the collar of his T-shirt.
“Looks better on you than it did on me.”
He took the beer Kat set down; the coldness of the glass reminded him of Tink. Respecting her wishes, he hadn’t gone to the club until the next day. He had texted her to make sure she hadn’t received any more texts from Haven or Margarita, but she hadn’t responded. Tink had left his life just as abruptly as she had entered it.
“When are you going to go see Arden?”
“We’re having lunch in an hour at Mama’s restaurant. You want to join us?”
“I don’t think she’d appreciate me showing up. We’re no longer together.” Doom pushed the beer toward Deacon, no longer wanting it.
Deacon nodded in understanding. “I had a few breakups in my life. They’re never easy.”
“You don’t want to give me a hard time about breaking it off with her?”
“No, I love Arden, but I can understand why it didn’t work out. There are two types of women: the forever kind that you can never get over and—”
“What’s the other type?”
“Catastrophes.”
Doom laughed. “Had several of those.”
Deacon gave him a twisted grin. “I had too many to count also. When I met Lizzie, if anyone had warned me I would lose my heart to an informer and I would throw my career away, I would have laughed in their face. Then she did one thing that stole my heart, and I was a fucking goner.”
“What did she do?”
“We had to meet at out-of-the-way places. Usually, our interactions would only last a couple of minutes. She would drop off the information in the front seat of my unlocked car while I would go inside a store. One day, I came back, and she had left an insulated cup.”
“You fell in love with her because she gave you a cup?”
“Yes…” Deacon shook his head as if he was still bemused. “It was just a fucking cup. I started using it when I was waiting for her to show, or when on a stake-out… Then I brought it inside my house and started using it there. I wanted to get to know the woman who was so worried about me drinking cold coffee that she bought me a fucking cup. Then I realized the cold, hard truth—the cup was just an excuse to do something I already wanted to do.”
Unconsciously, Doom’s hand went to the necklace. Their eyes met in silent communication. He was about to start a future that Deacon had already lived. Doom felt as if the engraved words were burning into his flesh.
TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE.
“I better be going if I’m going to meet Arden. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow when we leave. Train said they’re giving you a going away party tonight. Arden and I are going to visit Lizzie’s grave then catch a movie.”