Wiping my hands of grease, I throw down my rag. I glance behind Savannah, through the window, and see some fucking tweaked out looking motherfucker standing at the counter. His shirt is dirty as shit, and his dark, greasy hair is sticking out everywhere.
“Who the fuck is this?” I ask in a low tone.
“Um…” Her eyes dart about, and her inability to look me in the eye pisses me off. I thought she and I were past this shit. “He says he’s the kids’ father.”
Her words stop me in my tracks.
No fucking way.
I watch him as he continues to pace back and forth. His hands move up and down his arms, fingers picking at non-existent bugs. This fucker is high as fuck. “I’ve got this. You need to stay the fuck back here. Got it?”
She nods as I push through the double doors. Once I’m in the store, almost directly in front of him, he finally realizes that I’m there. “Fuck,” he says. “You came outta nowhere, man.” Yeah, he’s a jumpy motherfucker.
“No, shit bag, I really didn’t.” He’s a short fuck, not even sure if he’s taller than Jenni. This tells me that Ryder definitely gets his height from my dad and me because his ‘father’ is a short shit. “Who the fuck are you?”
Shifty eyes are still bouncing around the room, waiting for something or someone to come out and jump him or some shit. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he suddenly stops and extends his hand out for me to shake, but there’s no way in hell that I’ll be touching this motherfucker in any other way than kicking his ass.
“I’m Rob. Rob Masters.” He’s rocking from side to side on the balls of his feet, still with his hand out.
“What the fuck do you want, Rob Masters? I’m fucking working.”
“Those kids are m-mine.”
“No clue what the fuck you’re talking about.” Leaning back on the counter, I try to get out of this guy’s personal space because he stinks like shit.
“I’m sorry about Betsy.” Sweat is beading on his forehead. “The kids know me. I–I mean that they know me, but don’t know me.” He slightly laughs. “If you know what I mean.”
“I really don’t.”
“Betsy, she–she didn’t want them to know me, and I really didn’t care, you know? I–I don’t need the man following me a–around so–so I keep my na–name off th–things. You–you see me and Bets, w–we go back. Got busy and shit, but th–there’s no way th–that I was ready to be a father back then. But those k–kids are mine. I know it.”
“You don’t know shit.”
“I can get ca–clean and the s–system will help me and I can ta–take those kids back. But f–for a price you’ll n–never see me a–again.”
Gripping this pussy by the neck, I lift his pathetic body off the ground. His eyes widen as I tighten my grip on his neck. His nails, that are dirty as fuck, dig into my skin, but I don’t give a shit.
“The fuck you say?” I spit. “You think you’re gonna threaten me? You think you can shake me down?” His legs continue to kick, hitting my shin, even my fucking balls, but the threat that just came from his mouth makes it so I feel nothing. “Do you even know who the fuck I am? What I am?”
“I-I’m their dad,” he rasps.
“I don’t give a fuck. I’m the only blood family they will ever know. Their piece of shit mother was smart enough to at least tell them about me, and because of that, I’m all they fucking have. You are nothing.”
Watching his lips turn blue from lack of oxygen has my adrenaline rushing. It’s been a long fucking time since I’ve gotten off on some douchebag’s pain, but it’s like riding a fucking bike. You never really forget how it feels. “You come near me or my family again and I will kill you. I’ll fucking slit your shit from throat to dick and not think twice. You hear me, yeah?”
He doesn’t respond.
I walk towards the door of the store with the now almost unconscious piece of shit, I kick open the glass and toss him out, not giving a shit if that fucker slams his head into the concrete below. I turn and leave through the back, making my way over to the clubhouse. Rob Masters made a big fucking mistake thinking he could hone in on what’s mine.
Those kids are mine and Jenni’s and no one else’s.
“I need you to run a Rob Masters through whatever shit you run names through.”
“Come again?” Cut says.
“I need you to find out information on a Rob Masters. Probably from around here. I don’t fucking know, but I want the information.”
“What’s this about?” Dyke, who’s sitting on the couch with his laptop, asks.
“This fucker came to the shop spouting shit about him being the kids’ father and how he’ll get clean and take the kids, or I can pay him off and I’ll never see him again.”
“You’re fucking joking,” Cut says.
“No, I’m not fucking joking.” I slam my hand on the wooden surface of Cut’s desk. “Ask fucking Savannah. She was there. He was all tweaked out, smelling like ass and saying that he’s their father, and now I need to get his information and find out where he fucking lives.”
“And then do what?”
“I’ll fucking kill him.” A feminine gasp comes from the doorway where I forgot to shut the door. Of course, I know who it is before I even turn around.
“Tylan?”
“Fuck me.” Dropping my head, I curse under my breath.
“What’s going on?” She walks into the office. “Savannah called me said that I needed to get over here. What happened?”
“It seems like bio-dad has made an appearance,” Dyke cuts in. “Lick wants me to find him.”
“Yeah, I heard that. And then what? Kill him? Is that what you said?”
“Yeah.”
“How is that helping the situation?”
When I finally turn to face her, I see that she’s shooting daggers at me and I know she’s pissed off. I really don’t need this shit, but I really don’t need her to be pissed at me even more. “I need to get him to understand that there’s no opportunity here. He’s not going to get what he wants. He’s not getting shit from me, and he’s not getting his hands on those kids.”
“We need to call Maggie.”
“The fuck we do. If she finds out their father is around, she’ll have to make it her mission to reunite him with the kids. It’s all about next of kin shit in the system, and father trumps uncle any day.”
“Not a drugged out father.”
“Over a biker uncle with a bad temper and foul mouth? Bullshit, baby. I’m not willing to take that chance. Do you wanna lose the kids?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then I’m gonna do what I need to do to protect my family.”
The phone’s ringing as I enter through the garage door. I hear little feet pounding down the hall towards me.
“I’ll get it!” Roxy yells at the top of her lungs. Little man is hanging from her arm as she screeches around the corner.
“No,” I tell her as I reach around to grab the phone, but the little girl’s too quick as she snatches the phone before I can take it. “Roxy,” I warn. She has no business answering the phone. Who knows who’s gonna be on the other end. What kind of bottom feeder who’s trying to sell shit a kid doesn’t need? With her back facing me, she stays silent, completely ignoring me. Years of being ignored are what I have in my future, I know it.
“Yes,” her little voice answers whoever else is on the other end.
“Give me the phone,” I tell her only to have her put one finger up in the air, signaling for me to be quiet. What the fuck?
“Hi, Papa.”
The tension in my shoulders slacks. She got lucky that this time.
“Do you wanna talk to Goobie? He’s right here. Here, Goobie, say hi to Papa.”
“Rox, he doesn’t want to talk to the dog. Give me the phone.”
Her eyes fill with tears, lips starting to quiver. Jesus…
“Why?”
“Baby, let me talk to P
apa, and if there’s time then he can have a chat with the dog, okay?” Nodding, she hands me the phone before trotting back down the hall to her room. “Hello.”
Chuckling floats from the receiver. “How you holding up, son?”
“Why ask a question when you already know the answer?”
“Fatherhood sounds good on you. That little girl has you wrapped around her pinky, and you fucking know it.”
“I know it. But the problem’s gonna be when she realizes it. She still has some fear with me, so as long as that sticks, I’m not playing a losing game.”
“It’ll happen soon enough,” he tells me, and I know he speaks the truth. “I wanted to make a quick call and see how everything’s going. See how the kids are. Any hiccups?”
“Kids are good. School’s good.”
“What aren’t you telling me, son?”
“When did you become a fucking mind reader, eh?”
More fucking chuckling. “Not a mind reader, just a parent. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been absent all these years. Once you become a parent, the intuition’s engrained within your bones. Is Ryder giving you problems? Jenni’s all right, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, everyone’s fine. The kids are good. But listen…” I step out of the kitchen, peeking down the hall to make sure little ears aren’t listening. “I had a visitor the other day at the shop. Guy called himself Rob Masters. He was all tweaked out and shit. Nasty fucker, but he said he was the kids’ father. He tried to get money from me, saying he would leave them alone if I paid him cash.”
“And you didn’t, right?”
I roll my eyes like he can fucking see me. “Really? Do you think I’d let some drugged out piece of shit shake me down for some money?”
“Did you report it to social services?”
“Fuck no, I didn’t. I know that the only reason why the kids are here is because that lady with the county is trying her damnedest to keep them with us. I don’t understand it, but I’m not gonna question shit. Things are good here, and I’m not about to rock the fucking boat. Shit could go two ways. She could rip the kids outta here due to safety reasons, or she could track his ass down and try to get him help so he can get the kids. And there ain’t no way in hell those kids will ever live with a fucking drugged up cunt.”
I can hear my father sigh on the other end. “Have your guys been able to find anything out about him?”
“Not a fucking thing. It’s like he’s a ghost.”
“If he’s strung out like you say he is, then he’s more than likely to be homeless and unreachable until he decides he wants to be found.”
“I’m thinking about making a few trips myself. See if I can find him out at some of the street camps. Maybe ask around.”
“Don’t do that, Tylan. Don’t draw attention. Keep the kids safe and your eyes open. I’m sure he’ll be back again when he needs something from you.”
“I’m not about to live my life looking over my shoulder, Pops. I’ve done that and it ain’t happening again. Shit has got to change. I’m not playing these fucking games with some douchebag.”
“Tylan,” he warns.
I feel my blood start to boil, this entire situation pisses me the fuck off. “I’ll fucking take the kids and run before I deal with anything like that.”
“Don’t go jumping the gun, son. Keep them safe. You never know what he’ll encounter on the streets, especially if he owes anyone money for his habit. They may find him before he finds you again.”
“I hope you’re right. The shop is way too close to this house for me to feel one-hundred percent okay with the situation.”
“Everything will work out. Now go give my granddaughter a kiss for me.”
“Okay, Pops. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Hey, Tylan?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t forget to tell her that I had a talk with the dog, or you’re going to have a very unhappy little girl on your hands.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Just trying to help,” he says with humor in his voice.
It’s been one month since Ryder and Roxy’s supposed father paid Lick a visit. The days have been hard on us. A prospect sits outside of the kid’s school every day to make sure they’re safe, and Ryder has asked several times what’s going on, but Lick refuses to answer him. The few times Ryder has come to me, I’ve given him the half-truth.
“So, what you’re saying is that we aren’t safe here?” Ryder questions me again.
“Your uncle wants to make sure that there isn’t any trouble. You know how he is.” Wiping down the table, I try to keep myself busy.
“You know you’re a shit liar, right, Jenni?”
I toss the towel at him. “You may think you’re grown, Ryder McCoy, but it’s very rude to cuss in front of a lady.”
He laughs. “Yeah, tell that to my uncle.”
“Well, I can’t get him to stop, but I’ll surely try to keep you from starting.”
I understand Lick’s need to protect the kids. I feel the same way, but our ways are completely different. I don’t like how he’s handled the situation, and he doesn’t appreciate my constant disapproval of his actions. But Lick is right about one thing. If Maggie finds out about Rob, there’s a chance that she will have to find him and offer him help to get clean so he can be the parent they deserve. So, because of that, every time Maggie calls or pays us a visit I don’t mention it. The kids are thriving. Ryder’s walls are slowly crumbling, and Roxy is a happy little girl. We’re doing a good thing here, and how much the kids are changing is proof.
“What are you doing?” Lick asks as he wraps a hand around my waist. Moving my hair away from my neck, he places a kiss behind my ear. My skin pebbles under his touch.
“I was making lunch.”
I wrap my hands behind his neck. Arching my back, I press my butt into him, gyrating my hips, making my point. I know he gets what I’m saying when a growl rolls from his throat.
“Where are the kids?” I ask as I continue to sway back and forth against him.
“Fuck,” he groans. “They’re in the back, playing with little man.”
Spinning me around, he lifts me up before I wrap my legs around his waist. His teeth bite into my neck. He sucks just enough, not wanting to leave a mark, continuing his assault down my neck and nipping at my skin through my shirt.
“I need you.” His voice is muffled by the cotton.
Tightening my legs around his waist, I squeeze. “You have me.”
He stops, bringing his eyes to mine. “I know I do. But I need to fuck you.” He gives me a wink.
“Then take me–”
Before I can finish, something bangs on the front window of the living room.
“I thought you said they were in the back.”
He drops me to my feet. “They were.”
Turning around, I walk towards the front door. “But did you tell them to stay in the back? You have to tell them even when it’s obvious to you because they’re kids and most of the time they don’t think two steps ahead.”
When I push through the front door, I see Roxy sitting on the grass playing with her dolls. She sees me and waves with a smile on her face. Ryder has a ball, tossing it down the grass, watching Goober chase after it. His black and white fur bounces as he bounds for the ball, grabbing it in his mouth then prancing back to Ryder.
“Everything okay?” Lick asks as he comes up behind me.
“Yeah, everything–” I watch as Ryder turns his body and throws the ball in the other direction, across the street.
It happens in slow motion.
Goober pumps his little legs, eager to catch the rubber ball that Ryder has launched into the air. I hear his nails rake across the sidewalk, trying to gain traction. They continue to scrape as he makes his way to the street. My breath stills in my lungs as I see a flash of red turn the corner, going far too fast for a residential street, speeding way too fast for my liking. My eyes flash to Goober ru
nning, then to the car, then back to Goober.
“No…” My voice is barely audible.
Without warning, tires squeal against the payment. Ryder screams as Lick rushes past me. A small yelp reaches my ears, then a rev of an engine as I watch the flash of red race away, leaving my sight.
My nose burns as tears rush to my eyes. “Oh, my God. No! Please. Please, please, please,” I pray.
“Jenni?” I feel Roxy’s hand pull on my own.
“Yeah, baby?” I respond but don’t take my eyes from the street.
“You okay?”
That’s a question I’m unable to answer. Please, God, please.
It seems like it’s forever as I wait, unable to breathe, cemented to my spot. Ryder stands first, head bowed, shoulders slumped. When he looks up, his eyes meet mine. Tears run down his face, and my heart drops. Lick stands, holding a limp Goober in his hands.
I’m not okay.
“I’m sorry!” Ryder yells from his spot in the road. “I’m sorry. Please–I’m sorry,” he repeats, shoulders shaking as he cries. He bows his head again, pulling at his hair before throwing his head back, wailing at the top of his lungs. My heart shatters in my chest.
Lick carries Goober to me. His little body bounces with each step that he takes. My little fur ball, my baby. When Lick reaches me, Goober’s so still, eyes open but vacant. A sob breaks from my chest. I reach out, I want to pet his fur, but I’m scared, so I pull my hand back. I can’t bring myself to touch him.
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” Lick whispers.
“Jenni?” Roxy pulls on the hem of my shirt. “Jenni, is Goobie okay?”
Another sob from the street brings my eyes back to Ryder who’s now coming towards us. “I’m so sorry,” Ryder rushes past me. I try to reach out, I try to grab him because I know he’s devastated, but I miss his arm. I hear the front door of the house slam–making me jump. The force is proof of the anger he’s feeling.
Dropping my arms, my body goes numb. “No, baby, he’s not okay.”
“Jenni?”
I look up and see Bubba standing on the sidewalk. My eyes drift from side to side, seeing if he’s alone. I haven’t spent any time with Bubba, and after what went down with Savannah, I’m not comfortable with him being around me.
Lick: Devil's Fury Book 2 Page 20