by Emma Slate
“Where are the kids?” I asked Darcy, who sat at the kitchen counter.
“Video game show down,” she said. “I hate sticking them in front of the TV, but sometimes it’s the only thing to do.”
“They need to be running around after a Frisbee or soccer ball,” Gray muttered from his spot on the couch.
The living room was fully occupied, but I didn’t see Knight or Bishop, his VP, who I’d yet to really talk to. I’d caught him side-ways glancing at me, though. I couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of Knight’s long lost daughter.
I scraped together the last of the eggs and bacon, poured myself a cup of coffee, and stood at the counter to eat.
“Did you talk to Colt?” she asked.
“About letting us out of here? Yeah. He didn’t really want to hear it.”
“The charity sale for the elementary school is this weekend. I promised Laura we’d be at the park to help her.”
I hadn’t seen the woman who’d brought me a bunch of clothes in a few weeks. Nor had I given her a check for a donation like I’d wanted to, either.
“I feel so cut off from the world right now,” I said.
“Yeah, I feel you.”
“I haven’t even called Shelly,” I admitted. “To tell her about, well, everything.”
No matter how much I tried to keep her in the fold, she wasn’t part of the Blue Angel family, and therefore would always be on the outskirts. She should’ve been the first person I talked to when I found out about Knight. But we were on lockdown and Rachel, Darcy, Joni, and Allison were here so I’d turned to them.
“This is fucking ridiculous!” came Zip’s roar.
“I’ve a right to be concerned!” Colt yelled back.
All movement and conversation stilled as the fight down the hall unfolded.
“Concerned, yes. But this is fucking ridiculous. We need to be able to live our lives.”
“Get the boys. We’ll fucking vote on it,” Colt bellowed.
The Blue Angels didn’t need to be gotten since they could hear everything that was going down between Colt and Zip. With a sigh, Gray stood up and headed out back. Boxer, Reap, Torque and the others followed suit.
I finished breakfast, tossed the paper plate in the trash, and then headed back to our bedroom. I was sorting our dirty laundry when Colt filled the doorway, his face dark with annoyance.
“Vote didn’t go your way, did it?” I asked.
“Democracy’s a democracy,” Colt said, but his voice was filled with anger. “Why are people so shortsighted?”
I nudged the door closed so we could speak in private. “I think because people make most of their decisions emotionally.”
“Yeah.” He shoved a pair of dirty boxers into the bag. “You’re right about that.”
“They’re right, too, though. Can’t live your life in fear, waiting for something to go wrong.”
He let out a sardonic laugh. “That’s just it. I know things are gonna go wrong. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Hell of an outlook on life, Colt.”
“You disagree with me? You? Based on what you’ve lived through the last few weeks?”
“Sure, life is one shit storm after another,” I agreed. “But look what it can bring. I’ve got you. I’ve got the girls. New family.”
“Knight.”
“He’s not my family,” I protested.
“We haven’t gotten a chance to talk about it the last few days, have we,” he murmured. “Sorry for that, babe. Sounds like you can use an ear.”
“I could use my own bed,” I stated.
“Yeah?” He slowly came toward me, backing me up until I hit a wall. “What do you want to do in that bed?”
I grinned. “Sleep for hours without being awakened by screaming children or fighting couples.”
“Everyone is clearing out except for the Coeur d’Alene brothers. I don’t want to take you home—not while all this shit with Dev and the cartel is still a loose end.”
I sighed and reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. “I know you couldn’t control the outcome of the vote and everyone is taking their families home. But if you want to stay, if it’ll make you feel better, then I won’t fight you on this.”
He leaned down and captured my lips with his. “Thank you.”
Chapter 25
I waved to Shelly across the park lawn, shaking my head when I saw her outfit. Skinny white jeans, a pink and white checkered sleeveless button up, and cork wedges.
“You look like you’re ready for a day at the rodeo,” I said with a laugh, hugging her.
“If I was going to the rodeo, I would’ve worn my cowboy boots.” She not too discreetly surveyed the area. “Which one is he?”
I gestured with my chin to Knight who was leaning against the fence of the basketball courts.
“Wow. He’s good looking.”
I glared at her.
She shrugged. “Sorry, honey, but he is.”
The night before, I’d called Shelly to invite her to the charity yard sale that was being held in a public park due to the huge space, and to fill her in about Knight. I glossed over what I could, but had to mention club business because Colt had called the Blue Angels from Coeur d’Alene in for back up to deal with the Iron Horsemen. And it wasn’t like I could get away with not telling her why we’d needed back up. But I did manage to leave out the part about a cartel being involved.
“Introduce me,” Shelly said.
She took my hand and squeezed it, knowing I was nervous. I still wasn’t sure how to act around Knight. He might’ve been my father, but he was a stranger.
“Hey,” I greeted him awkwardly.
“Hey,” he said, his gaze darting to my best friend.
“Knight, I’d like you to meet Shelly.”
“Shelly,” Knight repeated. “Good to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too,” she said, clearly looking him over and studying him.
“Guessing you know who I am?” Knight asked with a smile.
She nodded. “Mia brought me up to speed.”
I stood by while the two of them talked. Every now and then, Knight’s eyes would dart to mine, like he wasn’t sure how I was going to take his interaction with Shelly. But Shelly was Shelly and knew how to pretend awkwardness didn’t exist. She was aware of social cues, she just chose not to pay attention to them.
“She’s nice,” Knight said after Shelly excused herself to find a restroom.
“She’s the best,” I said. “We’ve been friends forever. She was there when Grammie died. She’s the only reason I got through it.”
His eyes saddened. “I’m sorry you’ve had to live through so much loss.”
“I—” Emotion blocked my throat. “I need to help Darcy set up.”
I turned away from Knight. I wasn’t prepared for public shows of emotion with him. My heart kicked up in grief when I saw his face fall and then close off.
The lawn was covered with folding tables and volunteers were hauling boxes of donated items from their cars and trucks. Kids ran around, laughing and having fun, and Blue Angels stood in small clusters, talking and watching. I caught Colt’s eye, gave him a quick wave, and then turned my focus to Darcy and the girls who were unpacking used books.
“What can I do to help?” I asked her.
“Sort the books by genre,” Darcy said. “I’m trying to create a semblance of order.”
I bent down and grabbed a handful of old-school paperback romance novels and set them aside.
“Did I see Shelly?” Rachel asked.
“Yeah. She’s here. She went to find a bathroom.”
“Was it my imagination or did I see you introduce her to Knight?” Darcy asked. “Self-help books go on the other end of the table.”
“Yeah, they met. It’s just weird, you know?” I shook my head. “I don’t even know how to deal with it. Oh, I wanted to ask you guys before Shelly gets back…I’m going to throw her a bachelorette part
y. Something small, and not a strip club situation. Maybe like a boozy brunch. Would you guys be down to attend?”
“I love that idea,” Allison said. “Except I can’t partake which kinda bums me out.”
“Sorry, lady,” Rach said with a grin. “I’m not forgoing alcohol in solidarity.”
“I second that,” Joni said.
“A girl can dream, right?” Allison sighed. “Aside from the no booze thing which really sucks, I have a hard time staying awake past nine now. It’s like the clock strikes nine and I’m supine.”
“Hey, you rhymed!” Rach said with a laugh.
“Enjoy your sleep while you can,” Darcy said. “Lily still wakes me up in the middle of the night if she has a bad dream.”
Shelly found her way to our table. Rachel immediately put her to work as they gabbed. Laura came by, brown eyes surveying our work.
“How’s everything going over here?” She frowned. “You guys aren’t done yet? We’re supposed to be ready to go in twenty minutes!”
“Relax,” Joni said. “We’ll be ready. Your yard sale will go off without a hitch.”
Laura huffed and then turned and walked away, no doubt to berate other volunteers who weren’t finished with their section.
“Why are we stuck with the books?” Rachel asked. “I wanted to man the costumes. I saw at least three boas over there.”
“Ah, speaking of boas…” Darcy began as Cameron chased Lily across the grass. The little girl wore a bright pink boa that streamed behind her.
“They’re cute,” I commented.
“They’re exhausting,” Darcy said. “I’ve been with them nonstop, even though the lockdown is over and we’re back at our house, Lily has become my shadow. And Cam can’t sit still.”
“I’ll take them for a weekend,” I offered. “Or even a couple of days during the week if you need a break. Maybe after all this stuff with the club is sorted.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Darcy protested. “They’re my children. I’m obligated to love them and therefore entertain them.”
“You’re not asking, I’m offering.”
“You don’t want to clear this with Colt first?” Darcy asked with a grin.
“He’ll be fine with it,” I assured her.
“You know my brother wants babies, right?” Joni stated.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I know.”
“So you’re hoping to use my children to scare the hell out of him and praying he changes his mind,” Darcy acknowledged. “Good plan.”
“Not a deterrent,” I said. “But I’m not ready for all that—I want to finish my degree and not feel like the rug is always about to be pulled out from under me.”
“I wish I’d brought my flask,” Joni said. “This seems like a good flask conversation.”
Darcy grinned. “One step ahead of you.” Reaching into her back jean pocket, she whipped out a metal flask. “And before you judge me, it’s Amaretto. It’s basically water.”
“I knew I liked you guys for a reason,” Shelly said with a wink. “Drinking in a public park. My kind of ladies.”
Cars started pulling up and parking on the street. People trickled across the grass, looking through the tables of second-hand belongings, discovering items they felt they couldn’t live without.
By one o’clock, we had more foot traffic than we knew what to do with. Laura had “hired” a band, which was just a group of fathers with kids who attended the elementary school. They covered classic rock hits and jammed out, having a blast. There were four different types of food trucks, so there were options. Laura had thought of everything and I marveled at her event organization skills.
“Mama,” Cam whined. “Can I get a hotdog? And a Sno-Cone?”
“Me too?” Lily asked. They both hung off her like little wolf pups. Darcy was in the middle of trying to sell a woman an encyclopedia collection that was missing the letters X and Z.
“I’ll take the kids for a bit,” I volunteered.
Darcy sent me a grateful look and then fished around in her pocket. I waved at her to put her money away, grasped Cam and Lily’s hands, and walked toward the hotdog stand.
“We have to make one stop before we get food, okay?” I asked. “First one to find Laura gets their own cotton candy.”
Cam found Laura, who was sitting at a folding table at the entrance of the park, holding the cash box. Lily nearly pitched a fit until I told her I’d buy her a cotton candy too. Her pout turned into an adorable smile.
I reached into my back pocket and pulled out an envelope to give to Laura. “Here.”
“What’s this?”
“My donation. For the clothes you brought me.”
She adamantly shook her head. “Put that away. You don’t need to donate. The clothes were a gift.”
“Please take the money and save us a lot of time,” I said.
“But Colt—”
“But Colt what?” he asked from behind me.
I turned to him. “I shouldn’t be surprised to find you standing right there, and yet, I kind of am.”
Colt grinned, leaned down, and kissed me quickly. Cam made a gagging noise while Lily giggled and hugged his leg.
He reached down and hoisted Lily up and settled her onto his shoulders before returning his attention to me. “What are y’all talking about?”
This man, speaking in a drawl with a cute little girl on his shoulders, had me sighing like an idiot.
“She’s trying to give me a donation,” Laura said, looking at me with a knowing smile.
“You gave me clothes when I had none,” I protested.
“I was happy to do it.”
“They’ve been arguing for a billion minutes,” Cam informed Colt. “And I’m hungry.”
“Me too,” Lily added.
I folded the envelope and shoved it into the pocket of Laura’s denim skirt.
Laura didn’t look at me but at Colt. Colt nodded and then Laura accepted it.
“Come on,” Colt said. “I’m hungry.”
“How hungry?” I asked in a playful voice.
“So hungry that I don’t think a few hotdogs will do it.”
“No?” I asked.
“No.” Colt pretended to look thoughtful. “I think I want…a Lily burger!”
“What? No!” Lily laughed as Colt lifted her off his shoulders and slung her over his back and began to nibble on her arm.
“Yep,” Colt said in amusement. “I’ll have a Lily burger, medium rare, with everything on it!”
“And fries!” Cam added with a grin.
“You’re next,” Colt warned.
“Eat him first!” Lily offered.
Colt set Lily down on the ground and playfully tugged on her pigtails. “Nah. I think it’s too much trouble. Guess I’ll settle for three regular burgers then.”
I snorted in amusement. “Just three?”
“Gotta keep up my strength for tonight.” He winked.
“Why do you need strength for tonight?” Cam wondered.
“Way to go,” I muttered.
“I’m gonna be in a wrestling match,” Colt deadpanned.
“With costumes?” Lily asked in excitement.
“Yeah, we’ll wear suits.”
“Hey, guys, why don’t you run ahead to the hot dog truck and order. Colt and I will be there in a moment,” I suggested.
The kids took off in exuberance, and when I was sure they were out of earshot, I looked at Colt. “Suits?”
Colt slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into his chest. “Yeah, suits. Birthday suits.”
I let out a chuckle. “You think you’re hilarious.”
“I got you to laugh, didn’t I?”
“Yep. You also got me thinking about you naked.”
“Then I definitely did something right. I’ve been missing you this week.”
“You’ve been busy,” I said. “How are things with Sanchez?”
“Coming along. Knight and his boys are
going to do us a solid and help Sanchez’s men move the product.”
“For a cut, right?” I asked.
“A cut of the game, yeah. They want in. Make it profitable for all of us if we can run shit up all the way to Idaho.”
I paused in thought and frowned.
Colt noticed my pensive expression. “What?”
I glanced around at the park bustling with smiling, laughing kids, their parents, young twenty somethings buying used furniture to outfit their boho chic apartments.
“I just—drugs destroy communities.” My gaze drew back to his. “Are we knowingly going to be part of something that will change the landscape of Waco? It’ll have repercussions and they won’t be good.”
Colt scratched his jaw, obviously weighing his words. “What about pharmaceutical companies? Doctors write scripts for opiates. Do you know how long it takes to get addicted to opiates? Ten days. You know the duration doctors are writing those scripts for? Ten days. Bankers swindling old ladies out of their pensions. The world is stuffed with people robbing each other blind.”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” I pointed out.
“That’s true. But why is it okay for others to fuck with humanity? Because it’s technically legal? It’s bullshit. How many people die from alcohol related incidents versus pot?”
He took a step closer and wrapped his hand around my neck. “You chose this life, Mia. When you chose me.”
My eyes swept up to meet his. “I know that, Colt.” I sighed. “But I’m allowed to push back. It helps me process.”
I reached up to cover his hand caressing my neck. “I’m not going anywhere. If that’s what you’re worried about. But that doesn’t mean I can turn a blind eye without saying something. That money will be used to take care of our family. That money will send Cam and Lily to the college of their choice. But in taking care of our family, who do we hurt in the process, you know?”
“I know,” he murmured. He paused for a moment. “You still love me? Knowing what you know?”
I smiled slightly. “Yeah, I still love you. I just have to reconcile it, okay? And this wasn’t me busting your ass or naively saying, ‘Oh, just do something else for money. Something legitimate.’ I just don’t want to be a raging hypocrite, enjoying the comfort the money will bring without at least broaching the topic of what my comfort will mean for others.”