Chapter 26 – Oske
Chapter Twenty-Six
Oske
M y brothers step out of my car with the dumbest expressions on their faces. Wyatt Shaw and his gang convinced them to come back to Oklahoma, but I can tell they hate being back on the rez. Like whatever the fuck they’re doing up north is any better. Since I met him, Wyatt Shaw has taken care of me, and he promised me that he’ll take care of my younger brothers too.
Not like they’re perfect. Chitto, the middle child, steals a cigarette from Nokose’s pocket. They don’t always go by their Creek names, depending on their company, but I will be cold in the ground before I call them “Cheeto” or “Nick”. Chitto puffs on his cigarette, causing my youngest brother to cast a disapproving glare at him and say something rude under his breath. Chitto punches him in the arm.
I’m already impatient. They’re somehow even more immature than the bikers.
“Where’s Keyshawn?” I snap at them.
“We’re still running surveillance,” Nokose says while Chitto rolls his eyes — as if I’m not paying them. “That white boy is fucking crazy!”
“Why do you even care, bro?” Chitto asks me. I’m apparently ‘bro’ now…
“I’m not paying you to ask questions. This woman is in danger.”
“She spends all her time watching reality television and barely goes outside,” Nokose says. “She doesn’t seem like she’s being tortured.”
Wyatt and Owen won’t leave me alone about whatever goddamn secret they think I have, and now that I’m trying to handle things on my own, my useless brothers can’t even help.
“I should hire someone else and send you idiots back to Montana.”
I can’t do that, but they don’t understand enough about land ownership and contracts to know that. My brothers are finally back home, and once Wyatt has an answer he likes, we get our land back. I won’t have to worry about these knuckleheads anymore, because the land will be in a trust that takes care of them. Forever.
“Why are you so mean, Oske?” Nosoke asks. “All we ever do is send money, FaceTime, and get treated like shit.”
“You get treated like shit because I send you to kidnap someone and you come back to me telling me that she watches too much TV. That woman is in danger from a human trafficker who watches my every move. I need you to grab her. Now. ”
Wyatt trusts me to solve his little mystery, and I’m going to handle it my way. Deacon has clearly gone to great lengths to keep this woman a secret, and I don’t want to get my ass in trouble for his actions. I need to keep all my business relationships functional, even the ones that have strange crossover.
“If you were less of a bitch, maybe you would be able to have a man or a woman, or whatever the hell you do,” Chitto says.
“This is why Nosoke is always my favorite brother.”
“He’s your favorite because he kisses your ass for no reason. Did you even cook dinner for us?”
“Go get McDonald’s. I’m not cooking for your lazy ass until you come back with the woman I asked you to kidnap.”
“Lazy? You’re the one who sits here all day smoking weed.”
“Chitto, be quiet,” he whispers. “I want us to roll up soon…”
At least they’re getting along.
“Come inside,” I say with a sigh, knowing that I’ll continue to be the “mean” older sister while feeding, clothing, and solving problems for these two assholes. “Weed, beer, and dinner. Then you two promise me I won’t have to wait any longer for Keyshawn.”
“Fine,” Nokose says. “We’ll lock in and do it, okay? Just be chill.”