Deedra set a sack of fries on the blanket. “But in Zephyr’s defense, Dyno was not in a good mood with anyone. Point told me Dyno had chucked a hammer at Core’s head right before we got there.”
“Oh, God,” I gasped. “Is Core all right?”
Queenie scoffed. “Please. Core could probably use a good knock to the side of his head most days, and Dyno couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn when he’s pissed off.”
“True that,” Deedra laughed.
Queenie plopped onto the floor next to me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. This was not how I had expected my day to go. A floor picnic with Queenie, Deedra, and Gunner was exactly what I needed.
I was halfway through my burger when Gunner let out a squeal and clapped his hands together.
“Ugh,” Queenie groaned. “He’s gonna poop.”
“What?” I laughed. “How could you know that? He’s just wiggling around like a happy little baby.”
Queenie held her hand out to me. “I bet you fifty bucks that kid is going to fill his pants within five minutes.”
I didn’t really know too much about babies, but that seemed like a bet that was in my favor. Five minutes wasn’t that long.
I shook her hand. “Bet.”
Deedra shook her head. “Girl, you shouldn’t have bet against her. She creepily knows and can tell you when Gunner is going to poop. It’s like she has mom brain.”
“Well, seeing as I spend pretty much every second with the little dude, I think it’s safe to say that I do know the kid like the back of my hand.” Queenie winked and pulled her phone from her pocket. “I’m gonna set a timer.”
This was some serious business. And maybe some stinky business.
“So, how are you and Zephyr doing?” Deedra asked.
I shrugged and dunked a fry in ketchup. “Good. He’s great.”
“That doesn’t sound so convincing,” Queenie laughed. She laid her phone on the blanket and took a bite of her burger. “Don’t tell me there is trouble in paradise already.”
I shook my head. “There isn’t. None at all.”
“So, I don’t see the problem,” Deedra laughed.
“It’s just that things are really great. Like, really great, and it’s just worrying me.” Yeah, that sounded pretty lame. Things were great so I was worried. Face palm.
“They’re so great that you’re waiting for the shit to hit the fan and blow everything to smithereens?” she guessed.
I dropped my chin to my chest. “Oh, my God, yes. How dumb is that?” I groaned.
“Sounds pretty human to me,” Deedra chuckled. “The thing of it is, when you have one of the Kings of Vengeance by your side, things won’t get bad, at least not that bad. They’ll be there to pick you up and brush you off.”
“Zephyr has been helping so much with my dad, and I just feel like he’s doing so much for me but I’m not really doing anything for him.” I knew I needed to deal with my sister, but I had basically brushed that under the rug because I couldn’t handle it right. If I mentioned it to Zephyr, he would take care of that for me, too. And again, what would I do for him?
“If Zephyr is anything like Point, then he doesn’t want anything from you other than your time.” Deedra popped the last bite of her burger in her mouth. “All these guys want is our time. Took me four years of separation to figure that out. Thank God Point didn’t move on before I could figure it out.”
I knew she was right, but it just felt like I should be giving Zephyr more. “I just...” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just don’t know,” I laughed.
Queenie patted me on the shoulder. “Girl, we all get it. Honestly. Just enjoy the ride. You guys are still pretty new. Stay in that honeymoon stage for as long as you can because God knows it’s over before you even know it.” She picked up Gunner from the floor and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Because things change in the blink of an eye and you realize things are even better than they were before.”
“Not like you’ll get a baby in the blink of an eye like Queenie, but something like that could happen,” Deedra laughed.
“You’re a putz, Dee,” Queenie laughed. “All I’m saying is hold on tight, doll. Life is good now, and it’s going to get better.”
I smiled and nodded. “You’re right.”
At least, I hoped she was.
*
Chapter Sixteen
So she likes you...
Zephyr
“You ready to go?”
Walter nodded and pulled the door shut behind him. “I was up late last night, but I’m ready.”
“Oh yeah?” I chuckled.
He led the way down the hallway to the stairwell. “Marg invited me over for dinner and then we watched a movie.”
“That mean things are going well between the two of you?” I asked.
“I think so. She asked me to bring over the wig next time.”
My step faltered on the stairs. “Uh, come again?”
“I don’t know what the hell she wants that thing for either, but if she wants it, I’ll bring it over.”
“Maybe she wants to do a little role playing with you,” I chuckled. Or maybe burn the damn thing.
“You know, I was thinking the same thing. During the party, she did try to run her fingers through it.”
I tried not to gag. I didn’t think anyone would want to even touch that thing. “Well, you gonna bring it over?”
We made it to the bottom of the stairs and walked out the front door. Over at the strip club, we were going to start hanging drywall, and Walter was going to help. Well, as much as he could, but it was just good for him to get out. Almost every other day, he had been coming over to help, and all of the guys appreciated it.
“I mean, hell, why the hell not, right?” Walter shrugged. “I mean, if the damn thing will get me into Marg’s bedroom, then I’ll wear the thing for the rest of my life.”
I slapped him on the back and couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s the fucking spirit, Walt.”
We made it over to the strip club and got to work right away. Things were really starting to take shape. Ninety percent of the old walls had been torn down, and new walls were all constructed. The stage had been framed, and Dyno was working on laying the new floor.
Upstairs, the walls of the dressing room were going to be the first to get drywall. Dyno had told us we were going to start at the top and work our way down. Most of us had been indifferent to the actual work on the strip club, but the further along we got, the more pride we took in what we were doing.
Core, of all people, was the one who was right by Dyno’s side doing everything he could to help. A complete one eighty from the guy he was when the club started.
We were all changing, though.
We were building the foundation for the rest of our lives.
“Yo,” Core shouted from the basement.
“Yeah?” Dyno answered.
“What the hell is this down here?” he hollered.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dyno demanded. So, maybe Dyno was a little testy with us, but for the most part, things were going great.
I moved to the basement stairs and saw Core halfway up them. “What?” I asked him.
He pointed down the stairs. “The fucking casket is still down here. I thought Rhino and Sledge were getting rid of it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, brother. Maybe they got sidetracked with something else.”
“Well, I’m not fucking doing work down here if it’s down here,” Core called.
Dyno moved next to me. “Are you fucking kidding me? I thought we were done with this pussy-ass bullshit?” he demanded. “If you don’t want the fucking thing down there, then pull on your big girl panties and haul it out.”
“I can’t lift that thing by myself, and your cheap ass hasn’t fixed the elevator yet,” he protested.
Dyno nudged me. “Go down there and help him.”
I wrinkled my brow. “What? How about you get Rhino
and Sledge to do it?”
“Because they’re upstairs working on the drywall. Since you decided to get here half an hour after we did, you can go down there and help Core.” Dyno nodded down the stairs. “Get a move on it. I want to get into the basement later today and work on shit.”
This was some true bullshit. Rhino and Sledge didn’t do what they were told to and now I had to pick up their slack. Bull. Shit.
“You better pull your fucking weight, Core,” I grunted. I walked down the stairs and over to the casket that was sitting on the floor in the corner.
“I don’t understand why the fucking thing was left here.” Core stood over it and propped his hands on his hips. “Who just leaves a casket somewhere?”
I didn’t know the answer, but I didn’t want to stand around all day trying to figure it out. “I’ll take this end. You take that end.” I nodded to the end by the wall. “We should be able to just carry it up the stairs.” It was empty after all. It shouldn’t be that heavy.
Core moved to the other end of the casket and took a deep breath. “This is some bullshit right here,” he growled. “I’m doing every damn thing I can, and I still get stuck doing shit.”
He crouched down and grabbed the handles on each side. I did the same, but I didn’t lift when he did. He hauled the casket up, and it tipped, the lid popping off.
“Ahhhhhhhh!!” Core staggered backward and dropped the casket with a thud.
Rhino rolled out, laughing his ass off.
“What the fuck!” Core shouted.
Laughter sounded from upstairs.
“You’re face,” Rhino wheezed. “You looked like you were going to shit your pants.”
Core collapsed to the floor with his hand clutched to his chest. “What the fuck,” he panted. “What the fuck?”
“Yeah, that was fucking hilarious,” Dyno chuckled. He jogged down the stairs with Sledge, Quinn, Point, and Brick behind him.
“Did you get a picture?” Brick asked Rhino.
Rhino looked down at the phone he had in his hand. “Oh, my God,” he laughed. “You really did look like you were shitting your pants.”
Core leaned his head back and rested it against the cement wall. “I’m gonna kill each and every one of you,” he growled. “You could have given me a heart attack with that shit.”
“Everything okay down there?” Walter hollered.
“We did it, Walt,” Sledge replied. “Scared the living shit out of Core.”
A loud laugh burst from Walter. “I told you! You guys had that casket sitting down there just taking up space. Needed to use it to our advantage.”
“You planned this?” Core roared. “You’re supposed to be the sweet old guy.”
“Wrong,” Walter yelled.
Core pointed his finger at me. “You brought him here.”
I shrugged. I had, but I didn’t know they had been planning this. I was going to have a talk with Walter on the way home, because I’m pretty sure I had looked like I was going to shit my pants, too. Thankfully, Core had been the target of the prank and not me. “I didn’t know Rhino was going to pop out of there either.” Something had just told me to not lift when Core had.
Rhino climbed off the ground and dusted off his pants. “I was in there for fifteen minutes before you came down. I thought I was going to suffocate in there.”
Quinn laughed. “That is on me. I knew I was supposed to tell Core to go down there, but I had to wait until Zephyr got here. I knew if I went down there to help him, I would have messed up the joke.”
Core cradled his head in his hands. “I hate all of you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dyno chuckled. “Just think of it as initiation. You’re really one of us now.”
Rhino nodded to Sledge. “Now we can take this thing to the dumpster.”
Sledge grabbed one end, and Rhino grabbed the other. “This was totally worth it. He screamed like a little girl,” Sledge laughed.
Point held up his phone and hit play. Core’s scream sounded and everyone burst into laughter again.
Core raised his middle finger in the air. “Fuck. You. All,” he thundered.
Sledge and Rhino carried the casket up the stairs with Quinn, Point, Dyno, and Brick following them.
I walked over to Core and held my hand out to him.
He put his hand in mine, and I helped him off the ground.
“You really did scream pretty loud,” I chuckled.
“You’re the only one I’m not pissed off at right now. Why don’t you save your jokes for later?” he growled. He brushed off his pants and stood up straight. “Since you didn’t know what was happening, now you’re going to be the one to help me get revenge on all of those fuckers.”
I held up my hands. “I’m not looking to start a war with the guys.”
God knew they would fight back with some other prank. After all, this one was pretty damn good so I knew if they did another prank, it was going to be epic.
“They scared the shit out of you, too,” Core grumbled.
They had, but I could take a fucking joke. That shit was funny as hell.
“You’re helping me, so start thinking of how we can get back at them. We’re gonna make each and every one of them shit their pants.”
I chuckled and agreed. If Core wanted a little revenge, I guess I could help him out. The trick was going to be actually figuring out something that would surprise or scare them.
This was going to be interesting.
*
Chapter Seventeen
Where the hell...
Lynn
He wasn’t answering his phone.
I dropped the receiver into the cradle and grabbed it again. I dialed Dad’s phone number, but again, it rang and rang until the answering machine picked up.
It was half past four on a Friday afternoon, and he wasn’t picking up the phone. My mind raced with all the possibilities of why he wouldn’t be able to answer, but the one that kept coming around that something bad had happened.
He fell.
He had a heart attack.
He was dead.
I hung up the phone and dropped my head to the desk. Shit.
I could call Zephyr and ask him to check on Dad, but I didn’t want to bother him. It could be that Dad had fallen asleep and wasn’t hearing the phone ring. He could be at Marg’s for an early dinner.
Or, he’s Dad.
Fuck.
I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. I had one more patient for the day, but this was an emergency. There was no way I was going to be able to sit through trying to talk through someone’s problems when I had one of my own.
“I gotta go, Jeanie.” I dug in my purse and pulled out my keys. “I can’t get in touch with my dad, and I’m afraid something happened to him.” Dad had basically abused his body for twelve years, and even though he made it through those twelve years, they might have caught up with him now.
“Oh, gosh,” Jeanie gasped. “You go ahead and get out of here. I’ll see if May or Tim can cover for you.”
My mind had already checked out of work, and I just waved my hand at her. “Do whatever.”
I ran out of the office and down the street where I had parked my car. I struggled to get the keys in the ignition and took a calming breath before I did anything.
Just breath, Lynn. Everything is okay.
I shifted into drive and pulled into traffic.
Traffic that was barely moving.
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel and willed the cars in front of me to get the hell out of my way.
By the time I made it to Dad’s, it was past five and my nerves were shot. I had tried to call him five more times, but he never answered. I hustled my ass up the two flights of stairs and was panting when I finally knocked on his door. Four times. I knocked, but the door never swung open. I shoved my key into the lock and threw open the door.
“Daddy!” I shouted. “Dad!” The apartment was empty, and there weren’t any signs that
he was here. I ran back down the stairs and searched the parking lot for his car. And there it was, two rows back and to the right where it usually sat.
What the hell was going on? Where was he?
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to think. As much as I didn’t want to ask Zephyr for help, I didn’t have a choice. Just as I pulled my phone from my pocket, I spotted the club’s creeper van pull up to the front door of the apartment building and watched Dad get out.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I whispered.
Dad leaned into the van and spoke to Zephyr.
“Hey,” I called. “Where in the hell were you?” I ran over to Dad and grabbed his arm.
“Lynn,” he sang. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” I asked. “I think the better question is why in the hell weren’t you here?” I demanded.
Dad motioned to Zephyr. “I was helping out at the strip club. We were hanging drywall all day.”
That would explain why Dad was covered in white dust and his hands were dirty. But that didn’t explain why he hadn’t told me he wasn’t going to be home. “I tried calling you and you didn’t answer the phone. I left work early because I was terrified something had happened to you.”
“Uh, I’m gonna go park,” Zephyr muttered.
I turned and glared at him. “You do that.”
I slammed the door to the van and watched him drive to the nearest parking spot.
“Lynn,” Dad chided. “Why are you so mad?”
I held up a finger and tried to calm myself. I was still riding on the high of fear and worry. Now that he was standing in front of me, nothing wrong with him, I was mad. Mad that I had worried so much while he was off running around with Zephyr.
“Darlin’,” Zephyr snapped. I spun on my heel and watched he walk the last few steps to me.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were taking my dad today?” I demanded.
Zephyr reared back a step. “Uh, I don’t know. Probably the same reason why I didn’t tell you the last few times he’s helped out at the clubhouse?”
“This isn’t the first time?” I demanded.
“Lynn,” Dad interjected. “I’ve been helping our Zephyr and the boys for the past two weeks.”
“Since when?” I snapped. For the past two weeks. “Why didn’t know about this?” We could skate over my dumb question before that.
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