An Outlaw Valentine

by Kathryn Kelly

  “Fine,” Meggie muttered.

  Roxy hugged her again. “Now, get upstairs. Let me cook for you today.”

  “No, but thank you. I can manage.”

  “Meggie?” Kendall called.

  Meggie gritted her teeth. She didn’t want to answer, but if they were going to work together on the ball, she had to put aside her feelings. “Yes?”

  “I really am sorry. I hate knowing what Johnnie did to you. I would never purposely put you in danger. I’ve made so many mistakes over the years and for that I apologize. Perhaps, this is just too much. Or, maybe, you can find it in you to forgive me one last time. If you do, I swear I’ll cherish our friendship and value you.”

  Kendall sounded sincerely remorseful. Still, Meggie wanted to ignore her words and walk away. While it would take time to get over her anger at Kendall’s latest stunt, she knew she would. Kendall would always be Kendall. Meggie could take that with a grain of salt, if Kendall’s actions didn’t always affect so many people.

  “Kendall, I accept your apology. I don’t know when, or if, I’ll ever forget this latest incident. But we’re sisters-in-law. We need to fix this between our husbands. As for us becoming close again, you’ve burned me time and again, so I can’t promise you anything. All I can say is we’ll take this one step at a time going forward.”

  “That’s all any of us can do,” Kendall said quietly.

  Nodding, Meggie hugged Roxy. “Thank you for coming. I’m going to check on my kids, so I’ll talk to you later.”

  For the first time since she’d met Roxy, she invited her to leave, just wanting to be alone to get her thoughts together.

  His heart or mind wasn’t in church this morning, especially when he had to look at Johnnie and Mortician. Val. Digger. Cash. Stretch. All those motherfuckers who he considered family and brothers and who thought he was a motherfucking fool.

  More than that, he wanted to stay home and watch Megan. Will those ugly bruises around her neck to heal. He wanted to force her to say the words, Johnnie did this to me.

  But she wasn’t going to and his anger simmered, compounded by Johnnie throwing in Christopher’s face the time he’d made Megan’s pussy come, all those weeks ago.

  Christopher knew Megan loved him. She said it. She showed it to him. But imagining Johnnie finger fucking her, seeing the motherfucker in his mind, strangling her. Unable to do anything about either left him feeling helpless.

  However, Megan was okay…trying to be okay. Christopher knew she was putting that show on for him and CJ, and he loved her, fell in love with her, a little more.

  If she was making such an effort, he had to do the same.

  Except the call of death pounded through him. He wanted blood and guts spilled. He drew in deep breaths, thinking of his wife to calm himself.

  Last night, she’d been excited as she explained she was going ahead with her Valentine’s Day Ball. She’d already talked to Roxy and Kendall in person, and had invited the women over to the house for a planning session. Supposedly, Zoann was going to find a couple of recipes to throw together for the taste-test that should be going on now.

  Meanwhile, Christopher was having fucking nightmares about wearing a fucking monkey suit again. How the fuck had she talked him into that shit again?

  “That’s the bi-monthly report,” Stretch finished, closing his ledger and grabbing the copies of the budget to hand out to the membership.

  With all the interruptions from yesterday, Christopher had had to leave Megan early this morning to finish his review of the year-end shit, so Stretch could get what he needed printed in time. He’d already reported on those numbers.

  They hadn’t been a mystery to Christopher. The bi-monthly figures, though? With thoughts of dissecting Johnnie running through his head, Stretch could’ve been a little Yoda motherfucker beaming every assfuck up, and Christopher wouldn’t have realized it.

  Fuck him. He had to get it together.

  Christopher returned to the podium and glanced down at the copy of the budget Stretch left for him, just as he usually did. The numbers blurred. He saw Megan, dead. Strangled.

  Taken away from him. Insanity threatened to overcome him. How close he’d come to finding her body.

  Her fucking body, left in their bed.

  But, no. It wouldn’t have been him who found her. It would’ve been his boy. CJ would’ve been scarred for life.

  He’d been worried about the fucking Imperials when the motherfucking enemy was right in his own club.

  Christopher swallowed, his heart pounding and his ears ringing. Balling his fist, he growled, a combination of horror and fury settling into him,

  A voice cleared, and he glanced up.

  Knox glanced at his watch. “I have another meeting to get to.”

  Christopher squinted. “When the fuck your ass got here?”

  “I just called him in from outside, Prez.” Digger stepped from behind Knox.

  Digger’s dreads drooped from the man-tail high atop his head. Little silver stars dangled from the ends of his hair. Bunny put his hair in any style she wanted, and motherfuckers said Christopher was pussified?

  Christopher forced his attention to club business. Drawing in a breath, he looked at his members. “This Knox Harrington,” he introduced for the few motherfuckers who didn’t know him. “A lotta you motherfuckers know his ass cuz he always ‘round here. He been investigatin’ the Imperials at my fuckin’ request.”

  “Outlaw, what about brokering the peace deal?” Slipper called. “I’m still interested in that.”

  “Well, I’m not,” Potter inserted from his place behind the bar. “Fuck them. They killed one of my best friends when they hit two of our brothers. I want blood.”

  “My old lady expecting twins,” Orange announced. He was one of Slipper’s sons. “I want to be around to meet them. We should set up another meeting with them, Outlaw.”

  Brothers were getting riled up, drawing lines. Digger as sergeant-at-arms came closer to Christopher and folded his arms. Despite Christopher not talking to him, Mortician stood and helped Digger close ranks, quieting the room.

  Mort and Digger were willing to die for him. He shouldn’t feel so fucking pissed, but he wasn’t a rational motherfucker where Megan was concerned.

  “If you can’t broker a meeting, let Johnnie arrange it,” Bowlie advised into the silence.

  “You’re fucking crazy?” Potter barked. “If Outlaw can’t do it, Johnnie sure the fuck can’t.”

  “Why not?” Bowlie demanded. “It was Johnnie’s idea.”

  Christopher waited until the debating stopped. However, he had one more thing to fuck up Johnnie for.

  Anarchy began with a mere seed of dissension. Johnnie had planted that seed with his talk of peace negotiations.

  “Peace come in all fuckin’ forms,” Christopher started. “If I blow the motherfuckers away, we have peace.”

  A few snickers greeted his statement.

  Johnnie got to his feet and turned toward the back wall, facing away from everybody. “Fuck the Imperials,” he yelled. “I’m not interested in peace with them.”

  Digger walked to Johnnie and tapped him on the shoulder. “Who the fuck you talking to, Johnnie?”

  “The members,” Johnnie said around a yawn, and swayed.

  “Son, turn your ass around and then you’ll be talking to the members,” Mortician said.

  Stumbling around, Johnnie squinted at everybody and then grinned.

  Chuckles exploded in the club. Ordinarily, Christopher would fuck up anybody who dared to make fun of Johnnie, but fuck that motherfucker. They could put him in a dunk tank with his dick swinging and Christopher wouldn’t give a fuck.

  Mortician sighed, then went to Johnnie and guided him to a seat. “Come on, brother. Let’s sit and listen to prez.”

  Johnnie rubbed his neck, his face flushed. Blinded by anger, Christopher glared at him.

  Outlaw, let’s just hear Knox’s report,” Mortician sugges
ted.

  Christopher agreed with his enforcer. “Tell us what the fuck you found, Knox.”

  Once he stepped away from the podium, Knox took his place.

  “I’m still chasing down leads on Mystic, the president,” Knox began. “But I’ve discovered a few things about Randolph. One, Mystic is his stepfather. Randolph’s almost twenty. He’s been busted for drugs before. His mother put him in rehab. He was a heavy steroid user.” He held up a picture and pointed to the beard. “Probably that’s where all the thick hair growth comes from.”

  “Yeah, but his dick must be the size of a fucking button,” Potter called.

  Snickers filled the air.

  Offering a half-smile, Knox continued. “His father was a Joey…” His voice trailed off as he flipped a page.

  Christopher snapped his brows together, on alert.

  “Joey Foy,” Knox finished, confirming Christopher’s sudden suspicions. “His mother’s name was—”

  “Hopper,” Christopher interrupted. Fuck. Randolph was the son of Snake and Hopper. In other words, Megan’s nephew.

  “You…uh. Yes,” Knox confirmed, surprised. “You’re acquainted with her? That’s her real name?”

  Christopher shook his head. “Nope. Don’t know her real fuckin’ name. She was a Dweller girl, called Hopper cuz she hopped from bed to fuckin’ bed, every fuckin’ day, all fuckin’ day. A motherfucker named Rack decided to take her for himself, but knocked the fuck outta her, so Snake…Joey got her.”

  “Why do I know the name Snake?” Knox asked.

  “Cuz Snake the motherfucker who buried my ass the fuck alive. Snake Megan deader than dead, fucked-in-the-head brother.”

  “What the fuck Randolph want?” Mortician wondered aloud.

  Exactly. Merging the two clubs could’ve made more sense if they hadn’t killed and stolen from the Dwellers. They didn’t want a goddamn merger. Now that he knew what cum made Randolph, Christopher realized he wanted to take over the Dwellers completely.

  Over Christopher’s dead fucking body.

  “Find out ‘bout Mystic. All you can. As quick as you can, Knox,” Christopher ordered. “Don’t give a fuck how much I gotta pay you. Just do it. I need it in the next twenty-four-fuckin-hours.”

  “I have other cases,” Knox protested. “I can’t drop them to do your stuff.”

  Christopher glared at him. “You just fuckin’ did.”

  “Fine,” he conceded tightly. “I’ll see what I can come up with.

  Voices of members rose in heated discussion at this new information. Some members had been friends with Snake, but chose to be loyal to the club. Not necessarily Christopher.

  Fuck! Snake 2.0 slithering around was just what the fuck he needed.

  “Knox, get the fuck and start on what the fuck I need.”

  Scowling at Christopher, Knox grabbed his keys and phone from the podium, then stomped to the door.

  Christopher pounded the gavel to restore order. “’Til we know what the fuck goin’ on with these motherfuckers, watch your fuckin’ back. Both clubs already spilled the other fuckin’ blood. Motherfuckers say they want in the fuckin’ club, but they ain’t come correct. That mean they up to fuckin’ no good. Not a motherfucker in here mention who Randolph old man is to my woman. If I gotta fuck him up, I ain’t wantin’ her to know.” He glared at his table, where the other club officers sat. “Fuckin’ family and shit.”

  Mort winced, and Johnnie glanced away.

  “Any-fuckin-thing else?” he growled.

  Nobody said a fucking thing.

  “This meetin’ over,” Christopher declared, banged the gavel, and stormed the fuck away. He didn’t have fucking time for motherfuckers who wouldn’t be honest with him about who had tried to take Megan’s life.

  Despite her lingering anger at Kendall’s latest stunts that, once again, wreaked havoc, Meggie followed Roxy’s suggestion and focused on the Valentine’s Day Ball. After telling Christopher she’d like to have the celebration, she called the girls and invited them to her house to exchange for menu ideas.

  Zoann said she’d cook a dish centered around Valentine’s Day for them to taste test. “I’ll make sure it’s an aphrodisiac,” she’d promised.

  Once she’d hung up with Zoann, Meggie called the other women again and told them they could bring recipes or an actual dish like Zoann would. Now, as they all sat around the island in the kitchen, sipping mimosas and throwing out ideas for the ball, Meggie took notes.

  “I’m not sure about a hall,” she said at Bunny’s suggestion. “At first, yeah. But it isn’t that important.”

  “What’s a ball without a hall?” Kendall intoned, not unkindly, glancing at Meggie’s neck.

  A turtleneck covered her bruises, and would continue to do so, until they faded. She didn’t want constant reminders of what had taken place. She and Kendall—Christopher and Johnnie—needed to move on from this incident.

  “Kendall’s right,” Bunny offered, her gaze going to Meggie’s neck, too. “Isn’t that the whole reason you decided on a ball?”

  She nodded.

  “I think it’ll be fun,” Christopher’s youngest sister, Fee, said, with a dreamy smile. She was both Cash and Stretch’s girlfriend, and now had a baby by both. “I’ll be healed from Wynona’s birth right around that time.”

  “I haven’t been to a ball in years, sugar,” Roxy stated.

  Bailey smiled at her mother. “We can dress up and let tuxedos be optional.”

  “Okay,” Meggie answered, her voice still hoarse and her throat still sore. “I’ll look into some places.” She made a note. “Wherever it’s held, I want a lot of roses for decorations.”

  “Definitely,” Zoann agreed. “I know it’s for Valentine’s Day, but it’s also for your wedding anniversary. Are you going to renew your vows, Meggie?”

  “I want to. That means Christopher would have to deal with Father Wilkins, though. That might complicate matters more than him wearing a tux.”

  “The priest’s an honorary member of the club,” Zoann pointed out. “They’ve learned to tolerate each other.”

  “Yeah,” Fee added. “I’m sure Christopher wouldn’t mind renewing your vows.”

  “Ohhhh.” Kendall’s eyes lit up. “You two can write your own vows.” She slapped her forehead. “Oh my God, what am I talking about? I forgot who I’m dealing with. The blonde and the biker.”

  Meggie glared in Kendall’s direction.

  “Kendall, baby, if I have to find some tape to shut your fucking mouth, I will,” Roxy warned her. “We’re not here for your petty bullshit.”

  “Why don’t we talk about the food?” Bailey suggested with nervous laughter. “That’s originally what the meeting was for. Menu preparation.”

  “I think the food should be catered,” Fee piped in. “Think about it. We’ll have to get ourselves and our kids together.”

  “Kids?” Kendall laughed. “Children won’t be allowed.”

  “Aww,” Bailey said. “I had the perfect little dress for Harley.”

  “Of course kids are allowed,” Meggie said. “They are a big part of our lives. I can’t imagine hiring babysitters for them.”

  “I won’t allow my children to attend,” Kendall snapped. “They need to know their places.”

  Irritation surged through Meggie, but she knew Kendall would dig her heels in if Meggie insisted.

  “All the kids are going to be there except Rory, Matilda, and JJ, Kendall,” Bailey said. “Suppose Outlaw and Lucas want a father-daughter dance? Johnnie could have one too, if Matilda is there.”

  “A father-daughter dance?” Pursing her lips, Kendall glanced away, then sighed. “Fine. But I’ll need Ella to have an invitation. I won’t be able to handle three children on my own.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Meggie promised, her heart going out to Kendall in spite of everything. That didn’t mean she wasn’t angry with Kendall. But Meggie also knew how deeply Kendall had mourned the loss of her father,
when she’d been just a child. That had affected her entire life. She understood how Kendall valued her identity as a career-woman. The fact that she didn’t care who she risked to get her way was what infuriated Meggie and made her want to shake some sense into Kendall. “You can invite whoever you’d like.”

  “Thank you,” Kendall said primly. “I’ll inform her to start searching for a ball gown.”

  “Who’s providing the music?” Bunny asked.

  “I want to ask Sloane Mason if Phoenix Rising has that date open,” Meggie answered. “Hopefully, they do. Otherwise, we can get a DJ.”

  “How about operatic music?” Kendall said.

  “Fuck no!” Zoann boomed. “You’ll never ruin my night. Opera limpens Val’s dick and dries my pussy out.”

  “Must you be so crass all the fucking time?” Kendall complained.

  “If Val doesn’t complain, you damn sure have no place to say anything,” Zoann retorted.

  “Val wouldn’t complain.” Kendall smirked. “The little man is afraid of you.”

  Zoann opened her mouth to respond, but Roxy clapped her hands. “Enough!” she demanded, restoring instant order.

  For a moment, they were all silent. Meggie took the opportunity to add balloons to her list as well as a reminder to contact Sloane ASAP.

  “Can I tell you a little secret?” Kendall said on a loud whisper.

  “You’re going to say it whether we agree or not,” Zoann told her, “so why bother to ask?”

  Kendall scowled at Zoann, but then leaned forward, rested her arms on the counter, and smiled. “A few days ago, I told Johnnie he could fuck me in the ass.”

  “Why?” Bunny asked with a frown. “Did you want something?”