Raine Falling (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) by Paula Marinaro Read Free Book Online

into his pocket.
    “Can you read this, Raine?” He handed me a small piece of paper.
    “Yes, I can.” And I could.
    “We’re going to read this every day until you memorize it.”
    “My job, Prosper?”
    “A very important part of your job, Little Darlin’, but not the whole of it. You and I, we’re going to read this so much that no matter what happens or where you are, you’ll be able to bring it to mind.”
    “What is it, Prosper?”
    “It’s the whereabouts of a place where you can always find me. Today, tomorrow, twenty years from now. You there, I’m there. And if I’m not there right then, there will always, always, be someone there who can find me. You’re gonna walk right into that place, and you’re going to go up to the bar and tell whoever is behind it that you’re Raine and you’re looking for Prosper.”
    “Prosper?”
    “Yes, Little Darlin’?”
    “What if there’s nobody behind the bar?”
    “Well, you see, honey, that’s a real good question. If you don’t see anybody behind the bar, you just use the lungs that the good Lord gave you. You belt out a yell asking who it is that’s supposed to be behind the bar. Then you tell that man what I just told you. If the day comes when I’m not around, I’ve made arrangements for that too. What that means is that you and Claire will have a safe place. Always.”
    “Like magic,” I whispered. “But better because it’s real.”
    “Just like that, Raine. The other part of your job is to know when you’re going to need to go to that place. That place is not because you miss ole Prosper, or your dad won’t let you eat ice cream for supper. That place is for a time when things are so dark that you cannot see the light coming through. That place is what we call a game changer, sweetheart. That means if there comes a time when you need that place, everything about your life will have to change because you know it just is not safe for you and Claire to be in it anymore. If and when that happens, you come find me.”
    “Like when you came and got me and Claire this time, Prosper? Because my daddy didn’t come home, and we didn’t have food. And it felt like it was dark all the time, even when it wasn’t?”
    “You got it, sweetheart.”
    And I did.

CHAPTER 11
    T he sweet obscure sounds of Eva Cassidy played out from my iPod, and I was singing along in perfect harmony. The subtle tones of my young voice had grown into something sweet, strong, and sultry. Music gave me such pleasure and transported me to a place far from the ties that bound me. I had taught myself to play the guitar and would often sing and play long into the night. It had helped to keep away the loneliness. In those formative years when lifelong friendships were being forged, neither Claire nor I had the kind of lives that invited other people in.
    I was feeling okay, and I was singing in the sunshine. Every so often, I would lift up my chin and let the healing light shine down on my battered face. I stayed out there most of the day. I let the wind take my hair and the grass tickle my toes. I drank lemonade. Then I had myself a couple of beers. I worked in the little garden until my back ached. Occasionally, I would find myself glancing at the back entry. In my mind it was no longer just a screen door but a dark threshold that would lead me out of my warm, sunny space and into a world of worry.
    I was glad that the drop was over and the MC had their money. Past experiences notwithstanding, I knew it was much better to be off their radar. The Diego thing. I decided to not even go there. I still worried about why he was in my house last night. But the Saints were all paid up now, and it was all good. Diego was a complication I couldn’t afford, period. So what if he smelled like clean soap, and when he held me in his arms I had felt safe and protected. He hadn’t stuck around for the light of day. My mom would have said that was him being a “Walk-away Joe.”
    “Real