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our parents funeral, Akela asks, hope shining in her eyes.
Winter answers, Yes, I know the one. I ll get it for you, and takes off down the hall and out of the
clubhouse.
Akela stands. I wish to say a prayer.
Why didn t we think to do this? Our faces read the same thing. We knew Lana was Hawaiian and her
culture was significant to her. I think it was one of those things that attracted Pyro to her in the first
place.
It s more of a Hawaiian goodbye, she whispers in a quiet voice.
A few moments later, Winter returns with the bag that holds the lei. Akela takes it from her, opens it,
and gently spreads the garland of dried flowers. After sliding the wreath of plumerias and orchids
over her head, she picks up Lana s urn and turns to Winter. Please, don t throw away that bag.
I take a closer look at the bag and see dried flowers and greenery inside of it.
Storm walks over to Akela and laces their arms together. I ll take you to the roof of one of the
buildings. You ll have your privacy.
Akela looks at her, smiles, and then thanks everyone for their kindness before they trail out of the
building.
Braxx, can you take me to our room so I can process all of this, Winter says quietly.
Prez says nothing as he guides her towards the exit, and as they walk out, I follow. My lungs lust for
fresh air. Sadness has suffocated the inside of that room.
***
Chapter Ten
Shadow
Berry and Mace return while I m outside smoking and watching Akela as she prepares for Lana s
ceremony on top of the live-in building. They are walking towards me when Pyro comes out of the
clubhouse and immediately hones in on Akela. As Berry gets closer, she looks to see what has caught
Pyro s attention. Her loud gasp echoes around the courtyard when she sees Lana s look alike.
Unbelievable, she whispers.
Mace must sense the importance of what is happening, because he says nothing, and the four of us
appreciate the beauty of the entire ceremony. We can t hear the words she sings, but the melody rings
clear in our ears. Akela continues her mournful song for a little while longer, and when she is
finished, she opens the urn, tilts it, and lets the wind carry the ashes. Moments pass, but no one speaks
as we watch Lana s remains floating free on the breeze. I look back towards my brother to see him lift
his shades and swipe at his eyes before allowing them to once again cover his anguish and grief.
That was beautiful. I assume she s a relative?
With Berry s question, my attention snaps back to Lana s grieving sister. Her body slumped in a
defeated stance, and her shoulders hiccupping with each breath in and out, is one of the saddest things
I have ever witnessed. People assume pain like this isn t visible, but it is. One look at Akela and her
pain is clearly written all over her.
I force my sight off Akela to look at Berry. Her sister.
Oh, dear, Berry whispers as her shaky hands grip the purse at her side. When she looks at me, her
broken expression reveals the pain the club has felt and the pain Akela is experiencing. So much of
our misery is stacked in her gaze that my chest burns.
I only came by to drop Mace off& she trails off as if she needs to offer an excuse.
When I don t say anything in return, her gaze seeks out Akela once again, a hiccup escaping her throat
as she finds her.
Of all the things that have happened today, this one occasion has shocked us all to the core. Lana may
have only been here for a short time, but she made an impact on the lives of everyone she touched.
Even though I didn t know her well, the times we did talk let me know she was a genuine person with
a kind heart. It was a tragic event, and most won t ever heal from it.
As Akela leaves the roof of the live-in, everything stops while we wait for her to enter the courtyard.
Moments later, she comes out the door, looks around, and once her eyes land on him, she heads
straight for Pyro. Her movements are delicate and beautiful for someone feeling so much pain. When
she stops in front of him, she places one hand on his cheek and hands him the urn while speaking to
him in a gentle, soothing voice. Even though her words are too quiet for us to hear, we can see their
faces, and his expression contorts into the purest agony I have ever seen in my life. She brings her
hand down, and he gestures for her to follow him. He must be showing her the slam room, or they
might be going somewhere to talk. I hope that everyone leaves them alone. Pyro needs this time with
someone from Lana s family in order to gain some sort of peace from losing her.
Without getting into their business, can someone please tell me a little of what just happened?
Shit. Poor Mace. I completely forgot he wasn t even here when all this went down. The look on his
face is one of pure confusion, so I dig out a smoke, light it, and explain. You ve heard us talk about
the run-in with the Russians, and the people who were murdered, right? And the woman that Pyro
was, or rather, still is in love with, was one of them. I tug my hair as the image of Akela releasing
Lana s ashes plays through my mind. Well, that s Lana s sister, Akela. We had no fucking clue there
was a sister, so when she came to the gate with this fucking letter that Lana wrote, it fucking rocked
the club. She didn t even know Lana was dead. Man, this shit is fucked up, I convey with lungs full
of smoke.
Mace nods his head, understanding the awkwardness a little better.
I think I will grill a big dinner for the family tonight. Mace, will you help me? Berry interrupts us,
and Mace smiles at his grandmother, wraps his arm around her shoulder, and tells her to lead the
way.
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