“Sleeping,” Georgie announced, grabbing Sloane’s drink and sipping. “So is Zelda,” she said as she handed the glass back to him. She looked at Fee. “I’m sorry I ran off and left you on your own, Fee. Please, make yourself at home.”
“Excuse my manners,” Josh said with a smile. He wore a dress shirt with the collar open and sleeves rolled up. His gray suit trousers fit him well, but also made him look out of place next to Cash and Sloane. “I’m Cash’s half-brother, Joshua McCall. And you are?”
“Ophelia Donovan,” Cash introduced. “A very special woman.”
“Call me Fee,” she said shyly, smiling in pleasure at the possessive way Cash gazed at her.
“There he is!” Josh interrupted. “Stretch is in the house. I knew my drinking buddy wasn’t far away.”
Fee turned to the door and saw one of the bodyguards standing there. He must’ve allowed Stretch in. Obviously, he was known by everyone.
Stretch limped to Fee, pausing long enough to take her hand and continue on. No one lifted a brow.
Cash looked from one to the other, and cursed. “That fucking bad, huh?”
“I don’t know why I went to the funeral,” Stretch responded. “I’ll always be the freak.” He looked at the floor, his grip on Fee hard and tense. “The fag.”
“Wait a fucking minute,” Cash barked. “Those motherfuckers said that to you?” When Stretch didn’t answer, Cash looked at Fee and she nodded, hurt for Stretch. “Get off your leg,” he ordered.
Without a word, Stretch released Fee’s hand and made his way to the sofa.
“We need to pay a few motherfuckers a visit,” Josh commented. “What do you say?”
“I’d say you’re right. I’m going to call Outlaw. See if we could meet up with one of the chapter presidents.”
“Don’t,” Stretch said. “I just want to get back to the club. I don’t need them. I have you and Fee.”
“When are y’all leaving?” Georgie asked, unfazed by the conversation.
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Fee responded.
“You’re here so why not stay another day?” Sloane suggested. “Let the McCall Monsters hang out together. We’ll get you back home the day after.”
“McCall Monster my ass,” Josh growled.
Georgie rolled her eyes.
“It’ll give you a chance to hear Fee sing,” Cash said instead of commenting, at the bar, pouring a drink for Stretch. “Sloane, she’s bad-ass.”
“So I’ve heard,” Sloane said, heading to a seat and pulling Georgie with him. “You must sing off the fucking charts. Cash has been after me to hear you sing for weeks.”
“Really?” Just as the knowledge of Cash and Stretch’s visits brought her down, hearing that Cash mentioned her, even in passing, buoyed Fee.
“Sing something for me,” Sloane ordered in that sexy way that was all his. On television and in magazines, the man oozed sex. In person, it boggled the mind. “Anything that comes to mind.”
She twisted her hands together, nervous all of a sudden. Having a career in singing wasn’t what Fee wanted. All over again, she remembered all the dreams she’d once had. They’d never included being a famous singer, but there were plans for her future as a filmmaker.
Her stagnant life was completely her fault. Now, in the room with all these beautiful people, all focused on her, made her want more. A set course, at the very least.
“Today, Fee. Not everyone gets a chance to sing for Sloane,” Cash pointed out. “Use this opportunity.”
“Oh my goodness, Cash, you’re so rude,” Georgie said. “You both just sprung this on her. Let her get her thoughts together.”
“Did you hear me say anything?” Sloane remarked. “I’m waiting for her.”
“Cash, stop being such a jerk with Fee,” Stretch jeered. “You’re embarrassing her.”
“I am not. Fee knows me. I only have her best interest in mind.”
“Yeah, Cash. That’s why you announced that you and Stretch come to Denver to be together.”
Fee cringed at Georgie’s exasperated statement.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Georgiana. Fee knows Stretch and me have a history. She knows how much I care about him.”
“It does matter,” Georgie insisted. “I’m a girl like her and she doesn’t want to hear what you’ve done for another lover if you haven’t done it for her.”
Cash glared at Fee. “Tell my little sister she’s wrong,” he growled, as if Georgie’s words were her fault. When Fee remained silent, understanding dawned in his eyes. “Are you fucking shitting me? What difference does it make where I’ve taken him? We’re all here together now.”
“By accident, Cash. If Stretch’s dad hadn’t passed away, we never would’ve gone anywhere,” she reminded him. “Christopher doesn’t want us together so we could’ve used an escape too.”
“I wasn’t ready to take our relationship to that level,” he admitted tiredly.
Suddenly not caring where Cash had taken Stretch, Fee stared. “Are you ready now?”
Cash shrugged. “We’re settling into us,” he said. “I’m happy with that. That doesn’t mean I’ll go to Outlaw and get my head bashed in. Okay? If I ever am ready, I’ll have to show him I’m worthy of you first. You’ll have to show him that you can handle what the three of us have. Otherwise, he’ll never accept it.”
“Wouldn’t you accept such a relationship with Georgie? As long as she was happy.”
“Fuck no. I didn’t like Sloane and Georgie together. She was sixteen when they started fucking and he was a twenty-five-year old motherfucker. But without him, my little sister would be dead. Our father is the worst excuse of a parent or a husband than anyone I fucking know. Georgie stayed strung out and my father was too busy sticking his cock in every woman around to notice. He was too busy ruining his wives. If not for that, I’d feel the same way about Sloane that Outlaw feels about me.”
As Cash spoke, Georgie bowed her head, so much sadness entering her eyes. Josh just folded his arms and clenched his jaw. Sloane, meanwhile, looked as if he wanted to kill Cash.
“I fucking told you, motherfucker, don’t bring up Cassandra. Her suicide still upsets Georgie.”
“It’s okay, Sloane,” Georgie said quietly. “Really. Fee needs to know. She’s part of the family now, so it’s her right.”
“We’re lovers, Georgiana. Don’t make this out to be more than it is.”
“Jesus Christ, Cash,” Stretch said with a short laugh. “Twist your fucking knife a little deeper.”
Georgie got to her feet. “Come on, Fee. Let’s go to the balcony to talk. Leave Cash to Sloane, Josh, and Stretch. They’ll straighten him out.”
“He’s a lost cause, kitten,” Josh said with a sigh. “Years of muff-diving damaged his brain.”
“Happily so,” Cash retorted.
Sloane grabbed Georgie’s waist and pulled her back onto his lap. “They’ll be time for girl talk later or tomorrow.”
Curling against him, Georgie kissed the base of Sloane’s neck. Whatever they might’ve faced, they were completely in love now and let the world see it. That’s what Fee wanted. This type of dedication and devotion.
All this time she’d been standing up, keeping herself separate from the rest of them. Now, she made her way to the sofa and dropped next to Stretch. Without hesitation, he put his arm around her and pulled her close.
“Your eyes are so pretty, Georgie,” Fee said.
“They’re gorgeous,” Sloane told her. “From the moment we met, they captivated me.”
“You two make a beautiful couple.”
Georgie smiled. “Thank you. You three look wonderful together as well.”
For some reason, Fee remembered what Kendall said about having to live in Zoann’s shadow. “I’m the dull penny next to these two.”
“You’re the pretty sweetheart between us two,” Cash corrected. “Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”
Georgie yawned. “
I’m sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“Tell me about it,” Stretch mumbled.
Fee hugged him. “But you made it through.”
“I don’t know if I would have without you,” he responded, then raised his gaze to Cash. “Thank you. You were right for insisting on staying behind. It would’ve made the situation ten times worse.”
“What do you two say?” Cash asked, not commenting on Stretch’s words. “You want to accept Sloane’s invitation and stay another day?”
Fee suspected he didn’t know how to handle praise or love. She was sure that was one of the reasons he shied away from meaningful relationships. Instead of pointing out that he could at least acknowledge Stretch’s comment, she nodded. “If you guys are up to it, I am.”
“Hey, Meggie,” Fee greeted, stepping aside so her sister-in-law could enter the apartment. After closing the door, she led her to the sofa. “What’s up?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop in to check on you.”
Guilty unease swept through her as she thought of the days she’d just spent with Cash and Stretch. They’d gotten in late last night. She’d spent the day lounging around and doing laundry. She had intended to call Christopher later and tell him she was back from the trip she’d supposedly gone on with Blue.
“Are you sure everything’s okay, Fee?”
“What do you mean?”
“While you were away, Kendall told me she fired you. A fact you haven’t told Christopher. Before I inform him, I wanted to talk to you.”
“You know he set me up at Kendall’s?” Fee asked in surprise. The last she’d heard, her brother hadn’t wanted Meggie to know.
Meggie nodded. “I’ve known for several weeks.”
“You aren’t angry?”
“If Christopher feels she needed to be monitored, then I stand by him. My question to you is what’s going on. Why have you been lying to him?”
The role she’d played in the recent strife, however inadvertently, crossed Fee’s mind.
“Does it have anything to do with Cash and Stretch?” Meggie prodded, after a moment of silence.
After the way she, Cash and Stretch had bonded in Kansas City, she needed to take the next step. Tell Meggie and Zoann, and stand by whatever criticism they offered. She also needed to convince Cash to come clean to Christopher.
Rubbing her palms on her expose thighs, Fee nodded. “Yes. Kendall told you about us, didn’t she?”
“Stretch left for his father’s funeral and suddenly Cash was absent, too. Once I couldn’t reach you, I guessed it.”
“Does Christopher know?” Hope and dread rose within her. Half her battle would be won if her brother already knew.
“No, Fee,” Meggie said with a sigh. “Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first. Just as I wanted to ask you about your job.”
“Kendall can always tell him.”
“She could. We both know he’d be furious with you. I know there’s a reason why you’ve hidden Kendall firing you from him.”
“Just the fact that she fired me is enough.”
“Depends on the reasons.”
“Well, you see, I, uh, I got myself into a situation. Mainly, trusting Kendall with my affair. She held that against me and…and did a lot of stuff.”
The intensity of Meggie’s blue regard made Fee squirm. “Kendall’s off her medicines.”
Although she phrased it as a statement, Fee heard the question in Meggie’s voice, so she nodded.
“The reason you didn’t tell Christopher immediately?”
“I thought she needed a friend. I didn’t think things would get so bad.”
“Daphne.”
The name fell between them like a shard of ice. Fee went rigid, afraid that Meggie would never forgive her and even more fearful of Christopher’s reaction.
“Every time something went on with Daphne, Kendall happened to be there,” Meggie continued. “That wasn’t coincidence.”
Fee swallowed, wanting to cry and scream and beg for forgiveness.
“God.” Meggie tipped her head to the ceiling. “Christopher is going to kill Kendall. The baby won’t matter. Nothing.”
“I tried to…I didn’t…” Anything Fee said would confirm Kendall’s guilt and her own, too.
“You didn’t what? Want to go along with Kendall?”
“She was blackmailing me, Meggie,” Fee whispered, feeling as pathetic as she sounded. “Even when I went to Johnnie to tell him some things, I didn’t tell him about the Daphne stuff. I was that afraid that she’d go to Christopher.”
“She never would’ve exposed you. She doesn’t want Johnnie to know what a mean witch she’s being again. If she’d gone to Christopher, the whole story would’ve come out. Then, Johnnie would’ve gotten wind of it.”
Oh my fuck! Meggie was so right. Fee had been had! Ashamed, she covered her face. “I’m so sorry, Meggie. I know you must hate me as much as you hate Kendall.” As much as Kendall hated Meggie.
“I don’t hate you or her. I’m just fed up with her behavior. When she accused Ryder of being Johnnie’s baby, I suspected she was once again defying her doctor’s orders. Now, she’s put me in the position of having to protect her from Christopher.” Meggie huffed out a breath. “She makes me so mad. I’ve sided with her a lot. More than she knows. I know this is all about her stupid job. She doesn’t see all that she’s done just proves that I was right in my decision.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“As the club’s co-counsel, Kendall had access to email addresses, cell phone numbers, contacts, handwriting. She probably has some files still in her possession, which she used for her latest scheme. Last time, she took it upon herself to okay a deal, then stowed away on a plane. She shouldn’t be anywhere near club business. She’s going to get my husband into all types of problems.”
Even now, when Kendall had once again caused so much trouble, Meggie didn’t sound vicious as she spoke about her. Not the way when the situation was reversed.
“There’s going to be no reasoning with her while she’s pregnant,” Meggie concluded. “We’re just going to have to keep her out of Christopher’s way.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Should we tell Johnnie?”
“I don’t know, Fee. He was devastated when Kendall walked away. Given her current mood, if we go to him and he confronts her, she might leave. I doubt Johnnie would stand for that a second time. I also very much doubt he’d allow Kendall to take his children. His love for her would turn into hate in the blink of an eye, and they’d go out of their way to hurt each other. I can’t see breaking up their family, if I can find a way to save them. Despite everything, those two love each other.”
“Listening to you makes me wonder if it’s more need and dependency. Really, who else does Kendall have but Johnnie? Ella spends more time with the kids than she does.”
“Kendall loves Johnnie, Fee. Never doubt that. And Kendall has us. She has me. When she’s ready to be my friend, I’m here for her. However, I’m never putting up with her behavior. Ever again. I’ll never forget the image of that man in Christopher’s cut. Dead. That…” Meggie’s voice trailed off and she shook her head. “I’ll see her kicked off club property before I allow her to jeopardize my husband again. For a few hours that evening, my entire world was gone. That’s when my patience and good will stopped for her.”
Fee slid closer to Meggie and hugged her. Months later, the pain she’d felt at believing Christopher dead still came through.
“That makes me going along with Kendall so much worse,” Fee whispered.
“I could shake her until her brain rattles. Most of the time, her actions affect all of us and she must be held accountable. But you did what you thought you had to do to protect the men you love. You did what you thought you needed to do to be her friend.”
“You and Kendall…” What could she say? It was a relationship Fee didn’t understand, after weeks of witnessing it firsthand. Meggie seemed inordina
tely forgiving, even about Daphne. “I don’t know if I could forgive Kendall for conspiring with Daphne against my husband.”
“I’m furious with her. Make no mistake about that. How could she have Daphne corner Christopher on his way home and then forge that card? Kendall knew the trouble Daphne had been giving me for months.”
Oh shit. That’s why Meggie was understanding. She didn’t know Kendall had paid Daphne to taunt her. Meggie thought Kendall’s behavior had to do with her job.
“Um, how do you see Kendall?” she asked, the question leading to what she really wanted to know. “How do you think she sees you?”
“Kendall is a woman whose survival instincts are bar none.”
That was putting it nicely.
“Kendall is blunt and argumentative. She likes being the center of attention. But there’s a frightened little girl inside of her, and that makes her so very vulnerable. I have to remind myself of that when I reach my limit and swear I’m going to tell Christopher everything. I don’t want her dead. I just want her the way she was in the year after Rory’s birth.”
“And how does she see you?”
“I don’t know, Fee,” Meggie admitted after a moment, then wrinkled her nose. “I’d like to think she sees me as open and honest. I’d like to think that she has my best interests in mind. She does, in her reasonable frame of mind. When she’s like this, I’m the enemy. I’ve learned to see her the same way during these times.”
“But you saw her recently and she told you about me.”
“Kendall doesn’t want Johnnie to know she’s behaving badly again. I don’t want Christopher to know. He’d shoot her, Fee. He’s beyond fed up with her, and I’m so worried she’s going to push him too far. What would happen then? I do what I must to protect my husband. For both Kendall and me, that means talking amongst ourselves at the club as usual.”
“Oh, right, so you do talk about your sex life to her?”
“Um, yeah. You were there a couple of times. You know I don’t go into a lot of detail.”
Embarrassment heated Fee’s face. She’d believed Kendall’s words about what Meggie had to do to Christopher. For what? Simply because of Kendall dangling friendship to Fee. She’d been that starved for friendship. So starved she’d risked a lot to show Kendall how trustworthy and trusting she was.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 332