Kendall caught Roxy just as she started for Charlotte again, and dragged her away.
“Come on, Roxy,” Kendall said sharply.
Roxy jerked away, returning to Charlotte and looming over her. “I wasn’t expecting fucking tea from you but I at least expected some civility. I don’t need to be in this raggedy motherfucker. I came as a favor to save your miserable fucking life. I promised Johnnie I’d talk to you, so instead of me fucking you up a little more, you best listen. Leave Kendall the fuck alone about a fucking job. Never mind the fact that Brooks don’t have a fucking office for Kendall to go to, if you fucking care about her as much as you fucking say, you’ll shut the fuck up and let her work out her marriage herself. You fucking with your life if you keep fucking with her. Johnnie loves Kendall and he don’t want to lose her for some stupid shit. As far as I can tell, no motherfucker interferes with you and Brooks. Butt the fuck out of Kendall and Johnnie’s relationship and worry about keeping your ass alive. Because if it comes to them fucking you up, I just might volunteer to do it, you uppity bitch. Call the fucking cops if you want to, but Johnnie would have to bail me out and he might take out his displeasure on Brooks.” Whirling to face Kendall, she snatched her wig back and set it on her head. She probably looked a hot mess, but that couldn’t be helped. “Now, we fucking leave.”
She grabbed Kendall’s hand and pulled her toward the door, where Kendall paused and looked toward Charlotte. The woman sat on the floor in tears. Kendall’s face crumpled and Roxy sighed.
“Go see about the bitch,” she said grudgingly, knowing Kendall wouldn’t be happy if she left her as she was. “I’ll wait outside.”
Thankfully, Kendall didn’t take long. By the time she returned, Roxy had calmed down, even if she didn’t regret her behavior.
“I’m sorry for all the things Charlotte said to you,” Kendall said as they pulled up to the clubhouse gate.
“You didn’t put that shit in her mouth. I don’t have patience for stupid motherfuckers and she falls squarely under that category.” She paused to greet the motherfucker on gate duty with Stretch still in New York. The Probate waved them through. Instead of driving to Kendall’s house to drop her off, Roxy stopped in front of Meggie and Outlaw’s place.
Kendall didn’t look happy about the excursion but Roxy needed to see Meggie. Once they were buzzed in, Roxy led Kendall down the walkway and across the moat, to the back door left open during the day. She pretended fatigue hadn’t started to wear on her. Today’s excitement was more than she’d had in a while. Still, she couldn’t interrupt all that needed to be done to rest. Over the weeks of chemo and recovery, she’d had enough fucking rest. The day wasn’t even half over yet.
Sighing, she walked into the mudroom, hearing the activity of Meggie’s house. Pans and dishes being moved. Children yelling. The low hum of male voices.
In the kitchen, she found Johnnie and Outlaw drinking beers as Meggie stood at the stove, laughing and stirring whatever she cooked. The scent of the food made Roxy’s mouth water.
“Dad!” Rory yelled, running into the kitchen from the opposite door, not yet noticing Roxy or his mom. “Can I get in the shower with all my clothes on like CJ?”
“Ask Aunt Meggie.”
“He’s your son, Johnnie.” Meggie added pepper to the pot. “It’s up to you or Kendall.”
“Him say John John call you his ma, MegAnn,” CJ informed them.
Kendall sucked in a breath, drawing attention to her and Roxy.
Meggie spun around, anger descending on her face. “What?” she screeched.
“What the fuck you say, boy?” Outlaw asked, narrowing his eyes at Johnnie.
“I told Ro MegAnn not his ma. Ant Kenda is. MegAnn my ma.”
“CJ, take Rory to your room,” Meggie instructed, sending Johnnie the evil eye. “You’re an idiot,” she yelled to him, the moment the boys left.
“You and me gotta fuckin’ talk,” Outlaw snarled. “After I hear what the fuck you gotta say, I’ma decide if I shoot the fuck outta you, motherfucker.”
“What’s the big fucking deal?” Johnnie asked with exasperation. “I told Kendall that I consider you his second mother.”
“Omigod, moron,” Meggie accused. “What possessed you to say something so callous?”
“That wasn’t callous. That was open and honest.”
“Jesus, Mary, and all that’s fucking holy, ain’t no wonder your bitch such a psycho cunt,” Outlaw barked, setting his beer bottle down. “You a stupid motherfucker who gonna have a open face when I punch the fuck outta you.”
“Apologize to Kendall,” Meggie demanded, looking ready to punch Johnnie herself. “How do you expect her to ever stay better if you’re always comparing her?”
“To my fuckin’ woman,” Outlaw added. “The bitch you had a fuckin’ thing for.”
“I don’t have to apologize to Kendall. She knows what I meant. She understands that I was letting her know she could breathe easier knowing she had someone to step in her place when she didn’t want to deal with Rory. You’re his aunt, Megan, and you’re a nurturer.”
Outlaw growled. Before a fight broke out, Roxy stepped in between the two men.
“How about the next time you bring up Meggie, Kendall bring up a motherfucker to compare you to?” she asked without heat, wanting to diffuse the situation.
She could’ve always said Outlaw but that would open another can of worms, so she kept it simple.
Outlaw frowned at her. “Your wig crooked.”
“Don’t worry about that right now.”
“No, you’re too busy making me feel like a jerk,” Johnnie grumbled.
“You are,” Meggie and Kendall chorused.
“You gonna be a fuckin’ fucked up jerk, if you don’t back the fuck off,” Outlaw warned. “Ain’t got nothin’ against your boy spendin’ as much time as he wanna here, but not cuz you want my wife to be his ma.”
“What?” Johnnie’s affronted tone matched his incredulous look. “Kendall is the mother of my children and I’m proud of that. I don’t want Megan to be Rory’s mother.”
Outlaw stepped around Roxy to get in Johnnie’s face. “What the fuck wrong with you, motherfucker? You still got a thing for my woman?”
“No! Fuck, what the fuck is the big deal?” Johnnie roared, losing patience. “You motherfuckers are making a mountain out of a molehill.”
If Johnnie didn’t see the punch coming, Roxy did. When Outlaw delivered it, Kendall screamed and Meggie jumped.
“Christopher!” she called, rushing to him as Kendall hurried to Johnnie.
“You fucking barbarian, you don’t have to hit my husband because you’re too ignorant to argue.”
“Get out,” Meggie flared. “You’re not coming in here insulting my husband because yours is too insensitive to realize how what he says affects you.” Standing in front of Outlaw, she glared at Johnnie, ignoring the way he held a hand over his eye. “Keep my name out of your mouth. You have no right to do this to Kendall. It seems as if you don’t want us to be friends. Every time we make strides, you do something stupid.” She turned to Kendall. “Rory is your son. I see him as my nephew and I’ve never thought to take your place. Okay? From now on, if Johnnie says something pertaining to me, come to me.”
“Sure, Meggie,” Kendall said in a noncommittal tone. She sniffed. “I’ll see you at the house, Johnnie. Roxy, I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Kendall, gorgeous, wait.” Johnnie followed behind Kendall, still holding his eye. “I’m sorry.”
That was the last thing they heard before he walked outside, in pursuit of his wife.
Meggie sighed. “Maybe, we want the wrong person to change,” she grumbled. “Instead of Kendall, it should be Johnnie.”
“You might be right,” Roxy agreed. “I’ll help her through this. First, we have to take care of Knox. I have a date with him tonight at eight. He’s taking me to his place.”
“You work fuckin’ fast, babe,” Outlaw said
with a grin.
She nodded. “I don’t fuck around.”
Although she hated Kendall’s latest crisis and the reason for it, helping her had given Roxy a sense of self back. She’d missed being a part of their lives, dispensing advice, and putting out little fires.
Chapter Six
Feeling out-of-sorts, Knox walked into the small office he shared with his partner and childhood friend, Cameron Baptiste. He and Cam had forged an unlikely friendship, with Knox being the son of a wealthy businessman and socialite mother, and Cam being the product of a broken home with a single mother who worked her fingers to the bone to send her son to an elite private school. Dorothea wanted the best for her boy, an only child like Knox.
Cam’s relatives disparaged him and his mom, deeming them with the term Oreo cookie. Knox hadn’t known what that meant until Dot explained to him—white on the inside and black on the outside. Knox had been outraged. Cam had just shrugged. Dot had said fuck them.
As they got older, Knox searched for a way to ease his own discomfort. Eventually, the two of them decided to poke fun at themselves. Cam called Knox ‘Wafer’ and Knox deemed Cam ‘Cookie’. All Cameron’s idea. The man had a quirky sense-of-humor like that.
Knox could’ve taken his life in any direction he wanted, but Cam was like a brother to him. The man made his way through school on his academic merits alone. His life-long goal had been to become a detective. Knox had always been civic-minded and active. Before being roped into assuming his father’s role as president and CEO of the family business, Knox wanted to make his own way, so he’d followed in Cam’s footsteps and gotten a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology.
Knox retired from the force first, in an effort to save his marriage. Nothing worked. Once Callie left and took their son, he thought of going back to work. Instead, he’d gone to Cam about opening the investigative firm.
And there they were, three months into their business being opened.
Cam looked up as Knox sat down in front of the man’s desk. He grinned. “You look like you’ve had a rough morning, my brother.”
Knox grunted, an image of Roxanne rising in his head. “I have a date tonight.”
Whistling, Cam leaned back and folded his arms. “That’s all right. I’m not hating. Which of the lovely skanks are you seducing from their men?”
“This one’s single,” he admitted. “The one Charlotte Redding despises the most. Roxanne.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “By the way, did you get my email? I was finally able to find some social security numbers and birthdates.”
“Yeah, I got it. I’ve already checked out the Caldwells and Donovans. Interesting history. For years, they claimed to be cousins, but they are actually brothers. They have a legitimate business in a medical lab. Uncle Avalon had access to all their records and gave me paper statements as well as log-in information. They have several offshore accounts. The firm stored some of the records.”
“They weren’t destroyed with the offices?”
“Apparently not. For whatever reason, your uncle had these files with him that night. I noticed some discrepancies on what was going in. Digital information is completely different from written records. Avalon said money from the lab had been sent to these offshore accounts, and the interest was diverted back to the club members.”
“So we have them on something already,” Knox said, satisfied. “Accounting. Probably, taxes, too.
“For whatever reason, the ledgers show high deposits but the actual balances come out much lower.”
“No shit.”
“You’d think they wouldn’t want to admit to so much money for tax purposes. The errors are easy enough to follow. I’d think they’d want these lower amounts reported by the banks to match their numbers. An IRS audit would immediately spot the differences.”
“Check into that. See what you come up with. The Feds got Capone on tax evasion. It might be something as simple as that,” Knox said.
“Will do. I also discovered that Caldwell was arrested earlier this year. Spent a week in the tank.” Cam slid a file across the desk to Knox. “The full report is in there. As for Megan Caldwell and Kendall Donovan—”
“Run Roxanne’s information,” Knox interrupted, more interested in the woman he would spend time with tonight. Strictly to give him the upper hand, of course. Not because he was so curious about her, he didn’t know what to do with himself.
A moment later, Cam’s eyes widened and he whistled. “Fuck, Wafer, you down with the swirl now?”
Knox glared at Cam. “You do recall the cheerleader I dated?”
“Nope. I recall the cheerleader you fucked. Completely different than taking honey-dew out on a date.” Cam nodded to the screen. “This is one pretty woman. Even with her bald head.”
“The hell you say! You must have the wrong Roxanne.” Knox shot from his seat and rushed behind the desk. There, on the screen, a photo of Roxy met his stupefied gaze. He’d know those gorgeous eyes anywhere. She was, indeed, as bald as Cam. The picture had a date stamp of six months ago. What caught his attention more than anything, were the bags of medicine hanging from an IV pole, attached to a line that went to her. “Shit!”
Cam scrolled down and read through the information. Knox went over it, too. The words breast cancer jumped out at him.
“Christ!” he snarled. “Why didn’t Charlotte Redding tell me Roxy was sick?”
“Was,” Cameron stressed and pointed to the screen. “No traces of cancer left, post-surgery. She’s on a regimen of Tamoxifen. She’s in remission.” He shrugged. “If you don’t want the job because of this, I’ll take it. I’m into cougars.”
“She’s only ten years older than us,” Knox said, distracted. From what he knew about her, he’d picked up on what a proud woman she was. Seeing her at one of the most vulnerable times in her life seemed like a total invasion of privacy. “Uh, you don’t have my charm anyway, Cookie. You couldn’t get her with the ease in which I did. The moment she saw me, she was taken by my beauty.”
Cam snorted. “One day, your arrogance will be your downfall, fool. Sit down so I can tell you what I learned about Caldwell and Donovan’s wives.”
Doing as instructed, his mind still racing, Knox forced his attention to his friend. “Not much on Mrs. Caldwell. She’s the baby of that group. Her father was the former president. Dead now. So’s her mother, stepfather, and brother. She might have a nephew. A chick named Hopper gave birth to a boy she claimed belong to the brother. Hopper was one of the club rats, though, so this child could’ve been anybody’s.”
“Can we track this woman down?”
“I’m sure we can. The question is will she turn against them and tell us what she knows.”
“For enough money.” Knox was sure Uncle Avalon would be willing to pay whatever was needed. “We’re a few days from Halloween. Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner. Extra holiday money comes in handy.”
“That’s one angle, but the other one is Kendall Donovan.”
The tall redhead interested him, even more than the little blonde. She had ties to the club and the law firm. If Knox could crack her, then he’d have access to a wealth of secrets. “Hit me with it.”
“Mrs. Donovan is an intriguing woman. An attorney by trade. Interned at your uncle’s firm, before being offered a position there. Had a junior partnership before being suddenly forced to resign. She’s been treated for mental illness. Hates Megan Caldwell.”
“Damn, what program do you have access to, to find all that?”
“The usual. But I have time to research all the information Charlotte Redding gave to you. Remember, Charlotte’s brother treated Kendall when she was under hospitalized psychiatric care for six months.”
“Shit, you need a raise,” Knox quipped.
“Great minds think alike. I feel the same way. While you’re out getting into the pants of all these women, I’m here delving into all their secrets.”
Knox got to his feet. “I have a few ph
one calls to make, then I’m heading home to get ready for my date. We couldn’t have asked for a better first case. It’s almost so easy, it’s laughable.”
“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Knox,” Cam warned. “These men haven’t been where they are for so many years without being on top of their game.”
“They’re thugs, thieves, liars, and murderers. Scum. Period,” Knox said flatly. “Their downfall is inevitable. Their leader is the most uneducated, uncouth ass I’ve ever met. He’s no match for me. Just look at the accounting errors of their offshore accounts. The math is too great for him to compute. Trust me. He’s stupid. The smartest one is John Donovan, but he’s too loyal to Outlaw. I doubt he’d turn even if he’s offered representation by Uncle Avalon and immunity.”
Cam studied Knox for a moment, then nodded, seeing his confidence. “Okay, partner. I believe you. If you say the case is easy, it will be.”
“You bet your ass.”
“I can’t wait to hear about your date with the pitiful Roxanne. I wouldn’t mind seducing a few secrets from her. Remember that.”
Knox hid a frown, not liking Cam’s words. A lot of words could describe Roxy, but pitiful wasn’t one of them.
Hand on the small of her back, Christopher encouraged Megan to raise her ass as far as possible. He knew her baby bump stopped her, but she complied as much as she could at his wordless instruction. Sliding deeper into her, he closed his eyes and threw back his head, the silken heat of her and her sweet little cries making his balls ache and his heart pound.
“Christopher,” she breathed, rolling against his cock. “You feel so good.”
“And you feel fuckin’ perfect. I love bein’ so deep in your cunt, Megan.”
She moaned, the walls of her pussy throbbing around his dick.
He was close to coming, so he stilled inside of her, wanting to prolong their stolen moment together to make her come again. Bending over her, he nosed her damp hair and bit her earlobe.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 376