The grumbles that stirred were heartfelt. No one wanted to be picking shit up every week like we were doing today.
“Okay, thoughts. I’m throwing this to all of you because it’s for everyone to decide. This ain’t just on me, ya hear?”
“Sounds like entrapment to me,” Bear grumbled. “I mean, fuck, it’s too good to be true. Why ain’t he asking for more than five percent?”
“Because we’d tell him where to shove it?” BB hollered back. “He’s got us over a barrel, but we could always disband if he pushed us too far.”
“Disbanding? The fuck?” Red growled. “Why you talking about disbanding?”
And the argument carried on for a good five minutes. I watched the council, saw each of them were blank-faced as they let the brothers wear themselves out, but Lucie? She was the one who looked the most pissed.
I wasn’t surprised when she wolf-whistled loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.
“Shut the fuck up,” she snarled, slamming to her feet, her hands on the table as she leaned over it to glower at everyone. “Arguing like fools isn’t going to get us anywhere, assholes. We need to think about this with our big brains, not our little ones.”
Though most grumbled, as could be expected where she was concerned, everyone kept their mouth shut and their heads low.
“His terms aren’t that bad. What concerns me is that he could be setting us up. We need to figure out a way to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
I raised a hand. When she saw me, she cocked a brow and motioned for me to stand.
“We need to blackmail him back.”
Lucie tilted her head to the side. “I’m listening.”
“See his ring? He’s married.” I smirked. “See how he was eying up the sweetbutts when they were herded into the outhouse?”
Wolfe grinned. “I like me some honey traps.”
Lucie folded her arms over her chest. “Take pictures, use them… What if he doesn’t like his wife? What if he’s ready for a divorce?”
“Did you see what he wore on his wrist? Next to his watch?”
“Enlighten me,” Lucie retorted.
“He had a friendship bracelet. You know, one of those bracelets made out of cotton thread? Unless he’s pals on the regular with little kids, I’d imagine he has a daughter.” I shrugged. “Whether he likes the wife or not, usually, they don’t want to break up a marriage if they have kids.”
She drummed her nails against her forearm. “Okay, we need to set a few guys on his tail. See what his situation is. Then we can approach this a little more fairly.” Her nod of approval had me grinning a little as I took a seat again.
My suggestion wasn’t rocket science, but hell, if it worked and helped us out? It was all for the good.
❖
Ama
When I yawned, my whole body vibrated because, Jesus, I was tired. With all my men out somewhere, I stared at the bed with discomfort.
In the short while I’d been sleeping with them, I’d grown used to sleeping in a bed and I didn’t like the alternative. But without them here, it didn’t matter how exhausted I was, sleep wasn’t going to visit me if I felt vulnerable.
With a grunt, I grabbed a pillow and dropped to my knees. Lifting the bed skirt that went around the base, I sighed with relief when I saw it wasn’t a baseboard and shimmied underneath. It said a lot about how secure I’d been feeling that I hadn’t checked that out earlier—the thought alone took me aback as I settled under the bed, horizontally, so that one side of me was protected by the wall.
Placing the pillow at my back, I dug out the two possessions I carried with me at all times, the small pistol my dad had given me, and my cell. Settling them within my line of sight, I curled onto my side, rested my hands under my head, and allowed myself to rest.
It wasn’t the same without the three of them here. I was slowly getting used to their furnace-like warmth, even in this heat, and I liked the fact I was safely tucked between them. They’d never let anything happen to me. I was literally in bed with my saviors…
Except now.
The first time without any of them in over three weeks.
Funny how you could get used to something so swiftly, especially when you needed it desperately to feel safe when you were at your most vulnerable.
Still, I managed to rest, and when Aaron visited me that afternoon, after a full night and morning of being stuck at the hospital with a sweetbutt who hated me, I was too tired to do much more than let him stand over me. Dripping blood and brain matter everywhere. Covering me in it like paint.
My breathing grew shallow as the panic set in. I could feel my senses overtaking me, making me incredibly sensitive to everything he was doing. When blood splashed on my leg, it felt like a bomb was dropped onto my flesh. The sound made my ears ache, and it was loud enough to wake me up with a bang.
Hip hurting from sleeping on the carpet, I rolled onto my back and tried to fall asleep again.
Somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, I heard him.
It was so faint, if Aaron’s presence hadn’t made me hyperaware, I might not have heard him, but when I did, tears wet my eyes.
“Daddy,” I breathed.
It’s me, baby.
“Where have you been?” I whispered, easily remembering his promise to never stop watching over me.
Couldn’t get through to you. His voice sounded weak, like it was weaving in and out as if we had a bad connection. Made sure you were safe w— Silence. I could. Three protectors. They’ll—
When he broke off again, I wanted to scream. What kind of hell was this? Hearing from my daddy after all these years, and then missing half of the conversation thanks to a faulty fucking connection?
“Daddy? Where are you? Are you safe? Are you happy?” I breathed.
I’m safe. Waiting on my family, but none of you will be here for a long—Want you—happy, baby. Be happy for me. They love you. They’ll—safe. No one can touch you with—
Silence.
My eyes burned with tears.
Was that the last time I’d hear from Daddy Ryan?
I stared up at the board that propped the mattress up. All around me were dust motes from where I needed to vacuum under here—oops—but my eyes were itching for a whole different reason.
I wasn’t sure where my momma was, but I needed to hear from her. Needed her voice to settle me.
Grabbing my cell, I dialed her number, then waited for her to answer. Putting the phone beside me on speaker, I sighed when she answered, “Hey, baby, you okay?” Then, when I didn’t reply fast enough, she peppered, “Ama?”
“Momma, I love you.”
“I know you do, baby. I love you, too. What’s wrong? Did one of those SOB’s hurt you? You just tell me which and I’ll knee them in the—”
“Momma!” I chided. “No! They’ve done nothing. I’m just… they’re all busy.”
“So?”
“Well, I wanted to sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“It has,” she said with a sigh. “How’s Bubbles?”
“She’s okay, but she lost the baby,” I told her sadly. “Jinx was devastated when he made it to the clinic after church. I think—” Wincing, I whispered, “I think he was sadder than she was.”