I ran my hands through my hair and sighed, “Yeah. I got plans with them, although I don’t know if we’ll do them anymore.”
“Don’t let this fucker ruin your life, King. The second he thinks he’s got you, that’ll be it. Take your woman and her son out and act like everything is fine because it is. Big A isn’t going to get what he wants.” Leo’s tone had changed, the threat evident that he wasn’t going to put up with this anymore.
“Text me your men’s numbers. I’ll let them know where to go once they get into town.”
“Will do, my friend. Enjoy your family.” The line went dead, and I shoved the phone into my pocket. Enjoy my family. How the hell was I supposed to do that when I had no idea what the hell Big A was up to?
“Lo, what the hell is going on? The last you knew Big A was gone, you couldn’t find him.” Meg continued to pace back and forth, and I grabbed her, pulling her into my arms.
“We knew he was around, but we didn’t know what he was up to. We still don’t.”
“Don’t you think that maybe you should have told me that?”
“You know I can’t tell you club business.”
“When your club business walks up the steps of your mother’s house and talks to my son, I think I have a right to know!” She spun out of my arms and dashed up the steps of the porch, the screen door slamming shut behind her.
“Fuck.”
“She’ll calm down, she always does.” I whirled around at Remy’s words, forgetting that he was still outside. “I’d be worried if she wasn’t mad at you.”
“Shouldn’t that be the other way around?” I asked, walking over to Remy and picked up the end of the Christmas lights.
“No. At least not with my mom. That’s how I knew she was going to divorce my dad. She stopped caring. Stopped fighting. That’s also when she stopped being herself, too.” Remy pulled the rest of the string out of my hands and hung it on the hooks that ran along the railing of the porch.
“How old were you when your parents divorced?”
“Twelve. Although they should have divorced long before that. Dad was an ass to Mom, and she just took it. Every year she got more and more sad.”
This seemed like a lot of shit to deal with at twelve. Meg had told me her marriage had been shit but never really went into detail about it. “I’m sure your mom was just trying to do the best thing for you.”
“I know. I don’t blame either of them for what happened. They weren’t supposed to be together. They are complete opposites and not in a good way either.” He stepped back from the railing and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Is this it?”
“For today. I need to talk to your mom, and I don’t want you being outside alone.”
“I’m seventeen, King.”
“It has nothing to do with how old you are. There’s shit that’s going on with the club that seems to be spilling over onto you and your mom. There’s going to be two guys always with you until I take care of everything.”
“Does it have to do with what happened to Cyn before?”
“That’s where it started, but now it’s blown up into something else completely. Just trust me to take care of you and your mom.”
“My mom loves you, King. Don’t mess it up.” Remy walked into the house, and I turned around and leaned against the porch railing.
Life seemed to be going so well, but now everything appears to be going sideways, and I had no idea how to fix it.
Son of a bitch.
________
Chapter 17
Meg
“Meg, sit down and have a drink.” Ethel pulled the tea out of the fridge and set it in front of me.
“I hate to break it to you, Ethel, but I think I need something a bit stronger than tea right now.”
“I wasn’t done yet, girl.” She walked over to the cabinet above the sink and pulled down a bottle of vodka. “Everything goes with vodka, right?”
“As of right now it does,” I smiled. She grabbed a tray of ice out of the freezer and two glasses from the cabinet. “Should I make one for Lo, or is he the reason you need a drink?”
“He’s the reason, although it’s not his fault. One of the Assassins were just out on your sidewalk talking to Remy.”
“Oh no,” Ethel gasped. She set the glasses and ice on the table and sat down next to me. “What the heck did Lo do?”
“Nothing. He didn’t want to approach him. We walked around the house and saw Remy talking to Big A. My stomach dropped when Lo told me who he was.” I grabbed two ice cubes and dropped them into my cup. “You know what gets me, Ethel? He knew.”
“What do you mean he knew?”
“He was aware that the Assassins were in town, but he didn’t tell me. This is what he has been hiding from me for weeks. I just knew something was going on, but he refused to tell me. He kept telling me it was club business, and he couldn’t say.” I dropped the other two ice cubes into Ethel’s glass and grabbed the tea. Ethel put two healthy splashes of vodka into each of our glasses, and I topped them off with tea.
“Did Lo tell you when you two started dating that he couldn’t tell you club business?”
“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think it was a big deal back then.”
“Did he say why he didn’t tell you?”
I grabbed my glass and took a swig, grimacing as I set the glass down. Vodka was not my first choice in alcohol. “He’s trying to keep me safe.”
“And is he?”
“That’s not the point, Ethel. Why is he keeping secrets from me?”
“Hunny,” she reached out and rested her hand on mine. “They’re not secrets. You have to realize that although Lo isn’t part of a one percent club, there are still dangerous things that he does and deals with. And to him, not telling you about those dangerous things is his way of keeping you safe.”
“How am I safe when the man who wants the whole club gone walked up your sidewalk and talked to my son?”
“What would you have done differently if you had known that the Assassins were in town? Would you have protected Remy any better than Lo did?”
“Well, no. But that’s not the point either.”
“Then tell me what the point is. Because I hear what you are saying, sweetie, but I don’t think you understand the type of life that you are getting.”
“I don’t want secrets in my marriage. I tell Lo everything, I think he should be able to give the same to me.”
Ethel grabbed her glass and sat back in her chair. “I agree. But,” Oh Lord, I knew there was going to be a but in there. It had seemed that Ethel was siding with Lo. “does Lo know everything about your job?”
“Well, no, but it’s not the same, Ethel.”
She took a long drink from her glass and stood up. “Then you have to decide if you can live with things not being the exact same and the occasional secret kept from you. My son loves you, Meg, but you can’t change the man he is. That club is a huge part of him, and if you can’t handle the fact that club business stays club business, then I don’t know how long you two will last. You’re made for each other. You just need to let go and trust him completely.” She walked out of the room, and I put my head in my hands.
I didn’t know what to do. Yes, Lo had told me that club business stayed just that, but that was before when club business didn’t have anything to do with me. Did I need to know the daily goings on of the garage and the strip club they were building? No. Did I need to know that there was some crazy man out there that might try to kill me and everyone I love? Yes.
“I didn’t think our argument called for opening a bottle.” I knew Lo was standing behind me, but I didn’t turn around. I didn’t know what to say anymore. He walked over to the table, grabbed the bottle and twisted the cap back on. “Remy said I should be worried if you stop talking to me. He said that’s when you know you’re done with someone, you stop fighting.”
Oh, I had a lot of fight left in me,
I just didn’t know if I would be able to survive to the end. “He’s a smart kid. He’s all that I have, Lo.” I lifted my head and looked him in the eye.
“You have me, Meg.”
“The man who keeps secrets from me.”
“One. One secret I kept from you. I can tell you right now, that most ol’ ladies would know only half of what you know. Hell, most wouldn’t even know a quarter of the shit that I tell you. So to me, one secret is nothing.”
“It’s something to me, Lo. One turns into two and before you know it, you have to think twice before you tell me anything because you can’t keep track of the lies and secrets anymore.”
“I have never once fucking lied to you,” he thundered.
“How would I know?”
“Because I’m God damn telling you I haven’t.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away. “Look at me.”
I shook my head, no, and I felt the tears threatening to fall. He stalked over to me and lifted my face to look up at him. “I want you safe, and if I need to keep one thing from you to keep you safe, then I will.”
“I don’t know how you thought not telling me that Big A was in town kept me safe. I was walking around blind, thinking that things were finally getting back to normal.”
“And that is what I want for you. I don’t want the shit from the club to touch you and make you worry, thinking that things aren’t normal. I don’t want fear and worry in your life. You have to trust me to give that to you.”
“I don’t like the secrets,” I whispered.
Lo sighed, dropped my chin and grabbed the chair that Ethel had been sitting in. He flipped it around and sat down, straddling it. “You remember that night I got a phone call and had to deal with club shit late into the night?”
“Yeah. That’s when you stopped telling me things.”
Lo shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. “One thing, Meg. One damn thing that you are making into a huge deal.”
“Because it’s a big deal to me.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.
“That night, Big A had broken into Gwen’s shop and held her at gunpoint, giving her a message to give to me. He didn’t hurt her, just told her that he was coming for us and to be prepared. He locked her in the bathroom of the salon and took off before Gambler came back.”
My eyes got huge, and I couldn’t believe what he had just told me. “Why the hell couldn’t you tell me that? Gwen is my friend. She probably needs someone to talk to.”
“She has Gambler to talk to about it. She is fine. You do not go to her after I’m done talking to you, questioning why she didn’t tell you.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Because I told her not to.”
I growled at his words, pissed off that he was telling my friends to keep secrets from me, too. “Is your telling me this supposed to make me less pissed at you? Because let me tell you, it’s not working.”
“No. Me telling you this is supposed to show you that, although you are pissed off at the Assassins and want to help Gwen, there is nothing that you can do. I have everything under control, and I don’t need you trying to interfere, so then I not only have the club to worry about, but I also have you to worry about.”
“If you would tell me in the first place, we wouldn’t have an issue.”
“And I repeat. Club business stays club business.”
“And I repeat, Lo, I don’t want secrets.”
“It’s like talking in fucking circles with you. This is not going to change. I have told you more about the club than I have ever said to anyone. If what I give you isn’t enough, then I don’t know if this is going to work. Will I keep a secret from you again? Yes. Do I like doing it? Hell no, but I will do whatever it takes to keep you and your son safe. I will die before I let anything that has to do with the Assassin’s touch you. You need to trust me, Meg. Just fucking trust me.” He stood up, looking down at me. “I don’t want to lose you, Meg, but I don’t know what else to give you to make you happy. I’m sorry I kept that from you, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.” He walked out of the kitchen, and I listened to his footsteps as he stomped across the living room and out the front door.
“Can I come with you, King?” I heard Remy ask. I couldn’t hear Lo’s reply, but I heard Remy grab his jacket and head out the front door.
I dropped my chin to my chest and closed my eyes. I didn’t know what to think or do. Everything Lo said made sense, but it felt like if I accepted him not telling me everything all the time, I’d never be able to believe everything he said.
“You let him go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life, my girl.” Ethel walked back in the kitchen, her glass empty and set it on the table. “Where the hell did the vodka go?” she asked, looking around.
“Lo put it away. Besides, I don’t think I should be drinking right now.”
She reached up into the cabinet and pulled the bottle down and splashed some into her glass. “Well, I’ll drink yours.”
“Everything OK?” Here I was freaking out some stupid thing while Ethel was dealing with cancer. I was really fucked up lately.
“Some days are better than others, hun, but Gravel makes every day good.” She filled her glass to the top with tea and set the pitcher back in the fridge.
“You two really love each other, don’t you?”
“With every breath I take.”
“Does he tell you everything about the club?”
“No. And I don’t ask him to either. I’m gonna lay it out for you, Meg, and then it’s up to you.” She sat down in the chair Lo had just left and set her glass on the counter. “No relationship is ever going to be perfect, no matter how bad you want it to be. You have to figure out if Lo keeping things from work from you is worth walking away from him. Would you rather have a man who lies and cheats or a man who does everything in his power to keep you safe? I know what I would choose. I just hope you make the right decision, hun. No man is perfect, but Lo is the closest you’re going to get.”
She walked out of the kitchen after sharing her words of wisdom, and I felt like an idiot. I stood up, dumping my glass in the sink, and leaned against the counter. I needed to get over this.
Lo didn’t tell me what was going on because he was cheating on me or anything like that. He did it so I wouldn’t worry. He did it to keep me safe, and I was an idiot for not understanding that.
I strode into the living room, walking out the front door and stepped out on the front porch. Lo was standing in the front yard talking on his phone, and Remy was sitting in the rocker that Ethel always sat in.
“I like you with him, mom.”
“I like me with him, too, Remy.”
“Then don’t make the wrong choice. Don’t be mad at him for something he didn’t do.” Dammit, even my seventeen-year-old son saw what I didn’t.
“I’m not mad anymore, Remy. I just… I just don’t know.”
Remy stood up and walked over and put his arm around my shoulders. “It’s OK, mom. I just want you to be happy.”
I rested my head on his shoulder and wondered when my son had grown up and how I had missed it. “Thank you, baby boy.”
“You think we can still go to the movies with everything that’s going on? King’s been barking into his phone since we came out here.”
“I already bought the tickets. I hope we can still go.” I watched Lo pace up and down the sidewalk, and I could see the aggravation and worry roll off of him. I know Lo didn’t ask for any of this, and I had no reason to blame him for Big A coming to the house.
He finally hung the phone up and shoved into his pocket. “Hey, handsome,” I called.
Lo turned to look at me, uncertainty on his face. “Yeah, Meg.”
“You think you can still take Remy and me to the movies? I think a night with my two favorite men is what we all need.”
A smile slowly spread across Lo’s lips, an
d I knew I had made the right decision. Lo not sharing everything about the club with me wasn’t worth throwing away what we had. I loved this man, and nothing was going to make me run away from him.
“I think we can manage a night out, babe.”
“Thank God,” Remy whispered. “I love Ethel, mom, but it’s freakin’ boring here. I was afraid we were going to have to stay here all night.”
I laughed as Lo made his way up the sidewalk and Remy walked back over to the rocker he had been sitting in. I jogged down the steps, right into Lo’s arms and wrapped my arms around him, not wanting to let go.
“I love you, babe. With everything I am, I love you.”
“I love you, too, Lo. I’m sorry I’m such a fool.”
“Not a fool. I would feel the same way if I were you, that’s why I hate not telling you everything, but I do it because I know I have to.”
I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed. “How about from now on you just don’t tell me if you’re keeping something from me. Ignorance is bliss after all.”
“Deal. But for the record, I didn’t tell you I was keeping something from you, you just assumed I was.”
“Details, Lo,” I grumbled. Lo’s body shook as he laughed and all I could do was smile.
Our first real fight and we managed to work our way through it. Well, I had a little help from Ethel and Remy, but I eventually saw the light.
“Alright. Grab your boy and let’s get the hell out of here. If I know you, you already have everything you want to buy at the movies all picked out.”
I pulled out of his arms, “You know me too well, handsome,” I laughed.
He knew me, and that couldn’t have made me happier.
________
Chapter 18
Lo
“Uh, you do realize we are getting married in eight days, and you just let me eat the whole concession stand at the movies? I’ll never fit my ass in my dress.” I glanced over at Meg, her hand holding her stomach.
“Wear your jeans down the aisle. I don’t care as long as your ass is there.” I shifted the car into reverse and backed out of Hunter’s driveway. It was passed ten o’clock, and we had just dropped Remy off. Leo’s two men, Creed and Princeton were parked in front of the house, keeping an eye on things. They had said that Leo had given them strict instructions to not let Remy out of their sight.
Keeping Meg (Devil's Knights #6) Page 10