The Davenport Christmas Chronicles

by Piper Davenport

  “The club is solid. I’ve got shit handled.”

  “And my account?”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll get your Chocolate Yum Yums,” I snapped.

  “Listen, you cocky motherfucker. Commissary is all I have to trade with in here so don’t fuck around.”

  “Roth put the money in your account. Can we move the fuck on?”

  “How’s the other thing?” Char asked, instantly switching gears.

  “Which thing?” I huffed in irritation. I hated talking in code.

  “The new seat for that old bike?”

  Char was obviously talking about Minus, the new Burning Saints’ President, and the current thorn in my ass.

  “It’s being handled.”

  “You sure?” he pressed.

  “I’m gonna have the prospect take care of it,” I replied.

  “The prospect?”

  “He’ll have a foreman with him on the job.”

  “If you think he’s qualified to take care of a seat like that.”

  “He’s good. There is one thing, though.”

  “What?”

  “There are two seats now,” I said.

  “On one bike?”

  “Two new seats, two old bikes. One belonging to our old friends.”

  There was a long pause on the other end before Char asked, “The V.P?”

  “Rapunzel,” I replied.

  “That gonna be a problem for you?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Take care of the original order first.”

  “I said I’m fucking good.”

  “You have two minutes remaining,” the automated voice interrupted.

  “How’s my baby boy?” Char asked.

  I rolled my eyes. Ryder Carsen owned several bars and restaurants in the area and had married a nun for fuck’s sake, further solidifying the fact he wanted nothing to do with his father. Char didn’t like that Ryder wasn’t taking up the mantle, but there was nothin’ he could do about it now. I had the baton.

  “He’s insignificant,” I said.

  “You watchin’ him?”

  “Yeah, boss, we’re watchin’ him. He gets out of line, we’ll deal with it.”

  “He gets out of line, use his pretty little pussy to deal with him. He’s fuckin’ whipped.”

  “Got it.”

  Jesus, even for me, that seemed harsh. There was no love lost between father and son, and I got it. I hated my own father, but I wouldn’t fuck with my mother to get back at him. Low fuckin’ blow.

  “You good otherwise? Anyone hassling you in there?” I asked.

  “You think I can’t fuckin’ handle myself or something?” Char bellowed.

  “Anything else then? No? Good.” I hung up before Char could respond. I was done putting up with his shit. I had more important things to do than be his backup cupcake fund guy. I had real fuckin’ problems to deal with out here. Shit to tend to with my club. Besides, he wouldn’t have to worry about snack time, or anything else for very much longer.

  Hatch

  Monday night, I got home to find Maisie in a knock-down, drag-out with our oldest boy, Flash. His real name was Parker, but we’d called him Flash ever since he was little because as soon as he could walk, he was off and running. The only thing faster than his feet was his mind. Very little about him had changed over the years, except these days he always seemed to be in a bad mood.

  “What’s the rule, Parker?” Maisie growled.

  “The rule’s stupid!” he snapped.

  I did not like the tone he was usin’ with his mother.

  “What the fuck’s goin’ on?” I demanded, walking into the kitchen.

  Maisie raised her hands in defeat and turned her back.

  I faced my son. “Flash?”

  “He has a D in three classes,” Maisie provided.

  “I have a D in two classes,” Flash corrected. “I have a D+ in science.”

  “You’re gonna have an F as in, foot up your ass, if you keep up with the attitude,” I growled.

  Flash looked at me sheepishly. “Yes, sir.”

  “Look, son. You’re too smart to get grades like this, so what’s goin’ on?”

  “Nothing, I’m good. I’ll get the grades up,” he replied dismissively.

  “I know you’ll get your grades up. All of ’em. But that’s not what I’m concerned about,” I said, softening my voice. I could tell something was on my son’s mind and it bothered me that he was closed off. He and I had always been close and him holding back was unusual. “Talk to me, buddy.”

  “Can we just talk about something else?”

  “What else is there to talk about that’s more important than your education, Flash? What’s more important than you?”

  “I just want to go work on my bike, can we do this later?”

  “Oh, no, mister. There’ll be no working on your bike until those grades are up,” Maisie said.

  “But that’s not fair! We have less than a week before Christmas break. It’s not like I have new homework or anything,” Flash protested.

  “That means you have time to do your missing assignments and go over the material on the tests you failed before holiday,” Maisie shot back instantly.

  One thing I’d learned quickly was to avoid arguing with my woman at all costs. Only the strong survived and I’d yet to meet anyone that strong. She’s as sweet as pie ninety-nine percent of the time, but she’d stab you in the neck with that one percent slice if you pissed her off.

  “But I still have problems with the ignition to work out,” Parker whined.

  “No buts. It’s like your father said. There’s nothing more important than your education.”

  “Like he can talk,” Flash motioned to me without breaking eye contact with his mother. “Bikes are a hell of a lot more important to him than education ever was.”

  “What did you say to me, young man?” Maisie asked in a deep controlled tone. My son may not have known it, but he had mere seconds left to live.

  “Go to your room,” I said as sternly and plainly as possible, as I knew any further conversation or sudden movements would further add to the thoughts of filicide I knew my wife was currently having.

  Thankfully, Flash did as he was told and as soon as he’d left the room I went to my wife. And gently kissed her forehead.

  “You’re a good mother and our son is an asshole.”

  Maisie slapped my chest. “Don’t you dare call my precious angel an asshole,” she chastised without a trace of irony.

  “See? That’s why I could never be a mother,” I joked.

  “Oh, is that the only reason?”

  “I’m gonna get to the bottom of it, Sunshine.”

  “He misses you,” she said. “There’s something else going on, for sure, but part of this is because you’re gone a lot.”

  “Not sure how to change that,” I said.

  “I know, love. I’ve got your back, but I can’t be you for Parker. You’re his favorite human and you’re not here much. He’s feeling it.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t take the Prez patch.”

  Maisie sighed. “Darling, you deserve the patch, and I know that once all of this business with the Spiders is dealt with, things will calm down. You’ve just got to figure out how to make Parker understand.”

  I stroked her cheek. “I’m gonna go talk to him.”

  “I’ll keep your dinner warm.”

  “Thanks,” I said, and made my way upstairs, stomping a little harder than normal to drive home my irritation.

  Pushing open his door, I found him sitting cross-legged on his bed, his phone in his hand, probably texting Tate.

  “Phone down, bud.”

  He dropped the phone on the nightstand and settled his chin in his hand, and I sat beside him on the bed. “What’s goin’ on?”

  “Nothing.”

  I nodded to his phone. “Do I need to ground you from textin’ Tate?”

  “She grounded herself.”

&n
bsp; “What do you mean?”

  “She’s not talking to me, Dad, okay?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Swear to God, kid, you keep up with this nothing bullshit, I’m gonna sell your bike.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “I would. Start talkin’. All of it.”

  “A girl at school’s in trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “Her dad hits her.”

  I did my best to control my rage, fisting my hand at my side. “And why’s Tate not talkin’ to you?”

  “Because I’ve been skipping our study group to help Madison.”

  “Madison’s the girl who’s gettin’ hit?”

  Flash nodded.

  “Has Madison told her teachers what’s goin’ on?”

  “No. And she swore me to secrecy, but now I’ve told you, so I’ve betrayed her confidence.”

  “You like this girl?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Tate jealous about that?”

  Flash shrugged. “I don’t think so. She’d probably tell me if she was. She tells me everything. Even stuff I don’t wanna know.”

  “I guess that’s what best friends are for, huh?”

  “I don’t mind,” he said, running his finger over the comforter distractedly. “I just wish she wouldn’t be pissed about me helping Madison.”

  “Bud, your grades come first. Tate’s obviously just lookin’ out for you, and if this Madison girl is gettin’ hit by her dad, that’s adult shit you shouldn’t be takin’ on.”

  “No one else will help her.”

  “Flash, that’s not true. Her teachers will help her.”

  “Well, she doesn’t want to tell them and I’m not a snitch.” He huffed. “Forget it. You don’t understand.”

  “I understand more than you think.”

  He reached for his phone, but I grabbed it before he could. “I’m keepin’ this for a few days.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because you’re grounded until you get your grades up.”

  “That’s not fucking fair.”

  “Watch your mouth.”

  “Why should I?” he snapped. “You swear all the time.”

  “Jesus, kid, what the hell’s goin’ on with you?”

  He shook his head, dragging his hands through his hair.

  “Talk to me, Park.”

  “There’s no point.”

  “Outside of school, you’re in this house until your grades are up.”

  “Whatever,” he said, and I left him to wallow for a bit, pulling my phone out as I walked down the hall.

  “Hi, Hatch,” Zach said, answering my call.

  “Need you to find out from Tate what the fuck’s goin’ on with this girl Madison. She’s not talkin’ to Parker over it and he’s losin’ his shit.”

  “Madison Payne.”

  “Did she volunteer this information?”

  Zach chuckled. “Sort of. She’s pretty emotional about this stuff with Flash, and Shannon got her to drill down a bit. Tate said Flash won’t tell her much, which is part of why she’s frustrated. I think Madison’s dad’s name is Myron or something like that.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll see if I can get more info from Flash.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I hung up with Zach and called Mack. “Hey, Brother.”

  “Hey. Myron Payne...any idea why that name sounds familiar to me?”

  “He’s that asshole security guard we hired for Blush.”

  “Not ‘Major’ Payne?”

  “Yeah, the very same douche.’”

  “Jesus. More like, Major Asswipe. Didn’t he last about a week?”

  “Three days,” Mack corrected. “He was gettin’ creepy with the girls.”

  “Right.”

  “Why?” Mack asked.

  “His daughter goes to school with Flash and she’s having some trouble.”

  “You have Booker do a deep dive yet?” Mack asked.

  “Was gonna give him a call tonight, but I think I’ll do it now.”

  “Okay, brother. Keep me posted.”

  “I will.”

  I hung up and texted Booker instead of calling, and he responded with, “On it.” I then headed downstairs to eat.

  “Is Flash in trouble?” Jamie asked. He was sitting at the island, a bowl of ice cream in front of him.

  “Not your concern, bud,” I said, pulling him in for a hug. “You have a good day at school?”

  He shrugged. “It’s school.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true. Appreciate you workin’ hard, though.”

  “Is that why Flash is in trouble?”

  “Darling, don’t worry about Flash, okay?” Maisie said. “He’s just having a bad day and needs a bit of an attitude adjustment.”

  “More like a bad month.”

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “Yeah, he’s super salty and stuff. He was kind of being a jerk at the club dinner.”

  I sighed. “Okay, bud, we’re gonna figure it out.”

  “Be patient with your brother, okay?” Maisie said. “If he’s having a bad month, he needs us to be kind.”

  “I know, Mom. I will.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his temple. “Thanks, cherub.”

  “Why do you have to make hugs weird?” he complained, and I bit back a laugh.

  “Because I can,” she said. “Now, go clean up and do your homework.”

  He put his bowl in the sink, then headed upstairs and I took his seat at the island.

  “How’d it go?” Maisie asked, setting a plate of pasta in front of me.

  I filled her in as I ate and she blinked back tears. “My poor darling. He always takes the weight of the world on his shoulders and won’t talk to anyone about it.”

  Before I could commiserate, my phone buzzed and it was Booker calling. “It’s Booker.”

  “Take it,” Maisie said, and I did.

  “Hey, brother.”

  “Myron Payne’s got a porn business, not a particularly good one, but it’s an earning avenue.”

  “And?”

  “And his girls are getting younger and younger. FBI’s currently got him on surveillance. They suspect him of child porn, but they haven’t got him on anything yet.”

  “Fuck me,” I breathed out.

  “He’s also a Spider.”

  “Goddammit. Is he an officer?”

  “No. He’s a cleanup guy, though. Real nasty motherfucker. He was under Brick up until his death.”

  “And Madison?”

  “She’s his stepdaughter. Madison’s mom married him a year or so ago.”

  “Okay. I’m gettin’ a picture here, but I need to talk to Flash.”

  “Okay, brother.”

  I hung up, sliding off the barstool and walking around the island to kiss my woman.

  She laid her hand over my mouth. “As much as I love tomato kisses, I think I’ll wait until you brush your teeth.”

  I kissed her fingers and grinned. “I’m gonna go talk to Flash real quick.”

  “Okay, love.”

  I managed to steal a quick kiss, then headed back upstairs, knocking on Parker’s door before pushing it open.

  He was lying on his back on the bed staring at the ceiling. “I don’t want to talk, Dad.”

  “I get it, bud, but we’re gonna anyway. Sit up.”

  He did as I asked, begrudgingly, and I sat in his computer chair and leaned forward. “I know who Madison’s dad is.”

  “Okay.”

  “He makes dirty movies.”

  “Yeah,” Flash said, staring at his hands.

  “Is he tryin’ to make Madison do shit she doesn’t want to?”

  “How did you know?” he asked, then groaned. “You just figured it out, huh?”

  “Yeah, bud, I did. That’s a lot of stress on you, Flash. I can see why you’ve been fallin’ down on your grades.
She really needs to tell her teachers.”

  “She doesn’t want to tell the teachers because they’ll put her into foster care again. Her mom just got her back and she’s afraid they’ll take her away for good this time.”

  “Did she tell her mom what’s been goin’ on?”

  “Her mom just gets mad at her and tells her to quit flirting with him. It’s so gross, Dad.”

  “Okay. Look, I’m gonna give you some leeway here because you’re helpin’ a friend and that’s what we raised you to do, but you’re still grounded until you get your grades up.” I handed him his phone. “You can have this back for now, but if she’s not willin’ to tell a teacher what’s goin’ on, then you need to.”

  “I’m not a snitch.”

  “Then I’m gonna talk to Auntie Payton.”

  Payton was the principal for the elementary school most of our kids attended, and if anyone knew this Madison girl, it would be her. She’d also know how to handle the situation delicately.

  “I’m okay with you talking to Auntie Payton,” he said. “That’s actually a good idea.”

  “I know it is. Now, you might want to apologize to Tate and smooth things over with her.”

  “She’s just gonna grill me for information.”

  “Well, then you need to figure out how to stay strong and not tell her if that’s what you feel you need to do.”

  He stared at his phone. “Yeah.”

  “Park, look at me.”

  He met my eyes and I smiled. “I’m real proud of you, son. I’d like you to talk to me first in the future, but I get that you were helpin’ a friend, and that means somethin’.”

  I left him, calling Payton on my way downstairs. After giving Payton all the information I had, I headed back to the kitchen where Parker was wrapped up in Maisie and she was giving him all the motherly love she could bestow in a hug. Flash had always been a hugger and Maisie was his go-to for all things emotional. They were two peas in a pod and loved each other fiercely.

  “I’m sorry, Mama,” he said.

  “All forgiven, cherub.”

  “I’m gonna go get my grades up now.”

  She cupped his face. “I love you to the moon and back, Parker.”

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  Looking like the world had just been lifted from his shoulders, he smiled and headed out of the room. I grabbed him and gave him a bear hug before letting him go, then I snagged a beer from the fridge and Maisie and I snuggled in front of the fire until the kids were asleep.