Chapter BOONE
BOONE
My mom could barely wait for the girls to wake up. Yarrow sat next to their door and cuddled with Beef Jerky. Nova surprised me by sitting next to my mom. They mostly talked about the dog and what I was like as a baby.
Blackjack set two small pink bags on the kitchen counter near where I stood. “Your mom bought lava lamps for the girls.”
“I figured she would, so I’ve been holding off getting them myself.”
My dad smirked. “I’m glad to see you’re no longer moping.”
Sharing his smile, I admitted, “Deep down, I knew Nova was mine. Waiting was killing me.”
Goldie joined us and rested her head against Blackjack’s chest. “I knew Boone and Nova were perfect together,” she lied. “I was always pushing him to make his move, but no one listens to me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, grinning at her bullshit. “Your haircut looks great.”
“It makes my head look huge. I might decide to wear a wig until it grows out.”
Blackjack chuckled. “Get one of those big, brassy ones that’ll make you look like Lita Ford or Bret Michaels.”
“Done,” Goldie said and smiled at where Yarrow and Nova sat together. “Today sucked, but this part is good.”
Blackjack hugged Goldie and exhaled deeply. I felt him controlling his temper. We weren’t in the right venue to lose control.
But remaining calm was more difficult once the girls got up. They started off excited about meeting my parents and Beef Jerky. They were thrilled with their lava lamps. They helped me order pizza for everyone. Things were going well, and I could almost forget my earlier rage.
Yet, as Lyric was telling Yarrow about riding the mechanical horse, her little face suddenly scrunched up.
“The man pushed Mama down,” she whimpered and burst into tears.
Skylar instantly started crying and reached for Nova. “You have to go to the hospital,” Skylar said as her mom consoled her. “You have a hole in your body.”
Lyric wanted me to hold her. “You saved us,” she whimpered in my ear. “Don’t go.”
“I’m staying right here,” I said and stroked her little back.
“You got hurt when I was in school,” Skylar told Nova. “I need to retire school.”
Nova smiled softly. “But you like going to school.”
Still panicking, Skylar cried, “You got hurt!”
“Just my butt,” Nova said. “You can’t stop going to school over my butt.”
Skylar grudgingly smiled at the “butt” part. Yet, as she hugged her mom, the girl seemed ready to cry again.
Before the girls embraced more tears, Beef Jerky trotted outside, trailing Ramen and Xena. Lyric instantly smiled at the sight of the dogs. Skylar took longer to rebound, but eventually, she also followed the animals into the yard.
“Kids are tough,” Blackjack told me when I went to the porch to wait for the pizzas.
“When they were upset over a bully, I could calmly fix shit. But this thing today will stick to them.”
“You and Goldie grew up safe, but you always knew fucked up shit happened in the world. You saw how it affected your mom.”
“And you,” I said, thinking about how he stopped a woman’s rape by killing her attacker. That moment of righteous rage sent him to juvenile hall. “I still felt like the world was safe.”
“In Rawlins, we’re the big fish in a small pond. Little Memphis is a different beast. Nova’s shooting happened in Baton Rouge, an even bigger pond. If you want to live a quiet life, you’ve got to build a home in a quiet place. That’s not Little Memphis.”
Exhaling deeply, I took in the late afternoon glow. “Nova and her brother are tight. I don’t think she would do well in Rawlins.”
“Just consider it. I fear having to move to Little Memphis to be close to the grandbabies.”
I smiled at how he viewed the girls before explaining, “I plan to build a house in this neighborhood. I’ll make sure there’s a guest suite, so you don’t need to move.”
“Make sure it’s soundproofed. Your mom’s gotten loud since you and Goldie moved out.”
Blackjack laughed at my expression. His amusement faded once Exile marched over to where we stood.
“How seriously is your club taking what happened today?”
Frowning, I pointed out, “Those assholes attacked my sister and my woman. Why would you think I wasn’t taking it seriously?”
“I didn’t ask if you were upset. I asked if your club planned to do anything besides trauma bond and eat pizza.”
Blackjack frowned at Exile. “How do you think your sister would feel about moving to Rawlins? It’s a quiet town. Decent schools.”
Exile only responded with a dirty look before walking away.
“That got rid of him,” Blackjack said and patted my shoulder. “Maybe you should talk to Clint about what’s happening. That way, if the cowboy returns, you’ll have information.”
I smiled at my dad and tugged him into a hug. “I’m so fucking pissed, but I can’t show it.”
“Your job is to be the family’s rock, so your woman and kids can feel safe. Just shove your rage down deep and let it loose later in the gym or while burying those Jokers.”
Releasing my dad, I swallowed my fury and focused on the task at hand. While my dad kept an eye out for the pizza delivery, I walked to Ford Reed’s house. Clint was inside with his parents and Ivy.
The way my friend exhaled once we stood together on the porch made me think he was struggling with his own rage.
“How is Elle?”
“She’s rattled,” Clint said between clenched teeth. “She feels vulnerable in Little Memphis. I’m not sure she even wants to stick around until Halloween.”
“And Zodiac?”
“He’s got his guys in Baton Rouge ready to ride.”
“Will they come here?”
“I don’t know. He might be planning to hit the families of the guys from today. I’ve talked him into holding off until we meet with the LM Jokers.”
“When’s that happening?”
“In a few hours, we’re having a meeting at the community clubhouse. Joker will be there along with several other former Little Memphis guys.”
“Is Joker planning on protecting those assholes?”
“Even if I was willing to smooth things over, Zodiac and Exile won’t agree,” Clint said and glanced around. “Joker knows what kind of man Zodiac is, even if his son doesn’t. Zodiac will not stand down. He wants to kill those guys whether we agree or not.”
“So we kill them.”
“It’s complicated.”
“I feel like it’s not,” I said before sighing. “But I’m the muscle, and you’re the man in charge. I’ll do what you tell me. But those guys need to be buried. If Elle hadn’t fired her gun today, I don’t know if the foxes would be only banged up.”
Clint glanced around and muttered filled with rage, “They came after Elle. You’d think my pregnant sister would be off limits, but those fuckers hate Zodiac so much that they were willing to threaten her. No way can they walk away from this, no matter what Tricky or even Joker says.”
“Then we’re on the same page.”
“My dad and uncle have chatted up their old bros. Lucky and Taco will be at the meeting. They see shit the way we see shit. The only question is if Tricky will fight us on the matter.”
Clint’s words eased my mind. The shit earlier today wouldn’t be brushed aside to appease old friendships or keep the peace. The assholes had moved from trash-talking the foxes to assaulting them. If we gave them another shot, a fox would likely end up dead.