Chapter 15
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Brew
Erica may think she can run, but she can’t hide. Eating her muffins only reminds me she made these with her hands… Then I think about where her hands were last night; rubbing my dick.
The lip that came out of that woman? Normally, I wouldn’t let that slide, but Erica clearly has no clue how far gone I am when it comes to her.
I’ve had a taste of paradise, and I want more of it.
Instead of doing just that, I’m sitting here listening to my brothers and Sawyer while we make a plan of attack.
“So he’s still with Big Papa?” Haze palms the back of his head, referring to Gareth, who I filled everyone in on a few minutes ago.
“For now,” I grumble. “I don’t trust him, but he may be of use to us.”
“You dragged me all the way over here,” Logan says. “Could at least offer me a whiskey.”
“It’s ten o’clock in the mornin’.” I shake my head. “You’ve been livin’ above that bar too long.”
“The bigger issue is what we’re gonna do with him,” Haze goes on. “Movin’ him to the warehouse seems like the most obvious choice, then we can really question him like we want to.”
“Or we may have a problem on our hands,” Sawyer says, sitting in the meeting room chair. He drops a stack of papers on the desk in front of him. “All of what he said is legit, including his stint with Delta Force. He’s also related to someone we know; his brother is Bane Adler.”
“What the fuck?” I bark.
Logan rubs his beard. “This can’t be good.”
“Jesus,” Haze says, then glances at me. “How much did you fuck him up?”
“Didn’t,” I say. “Only because I’d just gotten back from Texas and if I ripped his teeth out, I wouldn’t get much out of him.”
“Fair point,” Sawyer says. “Suppose we should pay him a visit.”
“Need to call Bane first,” Logan puts in. “Fuck him up too much, then we’ll really have a problem.”
We may have an alliance with the Ridgehaven Hellions, Mississippi, but that doesn’t mean Bane will just be okay with us fucking up his brother.
Reluctantly, I agree. “Fine, but he’s not exempt just because he’s Bane’s brother. Not sure how well his story adds up.”
“Rock is diggin’ up the security footage from the station,” says Sawyer. “Then I guess we’ll see for ourselves if what he said is true.”
“Probably a good idea to get the facts before we cut his face off.” Logan shrugs.
“What the fuck is Bane Adler’s brother doin’ snoopin’ around here?” Haze asks. “He’s been at the fightin’ ring for weeks, you’d think if he was that hard up for dough, he’d go bang down his brother’s door.”
“Maybe they don’t get along,” I say. “Not every family is like the fuckin’ Brady Bunch.”
Logan grins. “You mean like us?”
I flip him the bird. “If he knows shit about The Grid, we need to act quickly. I got as much as I could, but not the location of where he says these scouts live.”
“Raise of hands say we call Bane, then with or without his permission we go and fuck up asshole Gareth,” Haze sighs, like he’d prefer to be doing anything but.
We all raise our hands.
I don’t want to be doing any of this. I mean, I want to find out where these asshole Grid members are hiding, don’t get me wrong, but Erica is playing on replay in my head.
I can’t stop thinking about her. About what she let me do.
Then her attitude this morning, which frankly, I didn’t expect.
Did it put me off? Hell no. It only spurred me on, which is why I came down early this morning and happened to be at her desk when she got in.
I didn’t mean to scare her, that’s the last thing I’d want, but I’m not letting this slide.
She wanted me back, she can deny it all she wants.
“It’s settled,” Logan says. “Sooner we find out what the fuck’s going on with this Gareth character, the better. I’ve got a bar to run and I can’t keep runnin’ over here every time there’s a problem.”
“You’re barely here,” I remind him. “Technically, we’re the Nomad Brothers.” I motion between me and Haze.
“Yeah, I’m not sure there was a third party in that line-up,” Haze agrees. “We just kinda asked you out of respect, and Ma would have a fit if she knew we kept you out of important decisions.”
The intercom chimes. “Excuse me, Dawson boys,” Erica says through the intercom. “But I have, um, your mom here to see you.”
We all immediately look up at the monitor that shows us a view of the front reception. Sure enough, Mom is making her way down the hallway, and then I see Erica jump up to follow her.
“Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” I mutter.
“Uh, Mrs. Dawson, if you wouldn’t mind waiting in the recept—”
Mom completely ignores Erica as Haze, always the kiss ass, jumps out of his seat to open the door. “Ma?”
When she’s standing in the doorway, she’s not happy. “Out of all the dirty, rotten things my boys have done to me,” she starts. “I never thought I’d be getting a call from my own sister telling me Nova is out of jail, and not only that, she’s staying here!”
Logan pinches the bridge of his nose and Sawyer hides his laugh behind another muffin.
“I’m sorry,” Erica mouths, backing away.
I shake my head. “Don’t worry about it,” I mouth back. Erica disappears, and I feel bad my mom probably yelled at her. She raised three wild boys, so I guess you could say we get our charming personalities from her.
Haze kisses her on the cheek and she swats him away. “Fine thing me havin’ to find out my own niece was on the street, and nobody thought to pick up the phone.”
“Hello, Mother,” Logan says, half standing as he half hugs her.
Then her hawk eyes land on me. “Dylan, you look like you haven’t slept in a week, are you coming down with something?” She’s never been one to hold back the truth.
Ma used to live in Florida, but she thought it a good idea to move to New Orleans last year to be closer to her boys. We all know it’s because none of us are married or have any kids yet, and she’s all about them grandbabies.
I stand, embracing her in a hug. “Ma, you look ravishing.”
She swats me on the arm. “You look more and more like your father every day.”
I roll my eyes. Dad was an alcoholic and an asshole.
He died ten years ago, and good riddance.
Ma was loyal to the very end, even when he didn’t deserve it.
The asshole never touched her again once we were big enough to put him in his place, but the scars will always remain.
He ruled with an iron fist, and I vowed that if I ever had kids, I’d be nothing like him.
I’d make sure my kids know they’re wanted. Loved. Cared for. I might have a funny way of showing it, but the people I care about know who they are.
“I’m not sure that’s a compliment,” Haze laughs.
“Always did have a wanderin’ eye,” Ma goes on, taking a seat next to Sawyer.
“Hello, Mrs. Dawson. I’m Sawyer, we met last time—”
“Perfect, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind making me a coffee, since I’ve traveled halfway across town because nobody’s answering their phones.”
Simultaneously, me, Haze and Logan all check our phones. Shit.
“Of course, ma’am.” Sawyer jumps up, then slides the container across to her. “Blueberry muffin?”
She smiles. Ma never smiles, but of course she’d be under Sawyer’s spell in under thirty seconds. “Thank you, son.”
Son?
“We were in a meeting,” Logan sighs. “And nobody knew about Nova until two nights ago, Ma. She wanted to tell you and Aunt Elsie when the time was right.”
“Fat lot of good that’s gonna do now,” Mom says, waving her hand at us. “I’ve got my sister callin’ me every time of the day, on the hour, askin’ if I’ve heard from her.”
“Maybe Nova didn’t want to talk to her,” Haze suggests. “It’s not like Aunt Elsie is the model citizen for mother of the year. Nova ran away from home more times than I can count as a kid.”
“Doesn’t mean Elsie is a bad person,” Mom sniffs. “She just didn’t know how to raise a child. If she’d had sent her over to my house when Nova was a girl, things might have turned out a little differently.”
Despite her gruffness, Mom is a good lady deep down with a big heart.
You could say I inherited her personality.
She did her best with us boys, and a drunk for a husband, but I always wondered what would’ve happened to her if her life had turned out differently.
She’s not unhappy, but sometimes in her eyes I see a faraway look.
I’ve never been game enough to ask her what her hopes and dreams were, or tell her that it’s not too late.
Instead, I clear my throat. “Ma, don’t come bargin’ in here upsettin’ the apple cart. You know if Nova feels even a tiny bit threatened she’ll bolt, it’s what she’s good at.”
Ma can hear me, but she pretends she can’t. “She still needs to call her mother.”
“And she will,” Logan says. “When she’s ready. We’ve given her a job and a roof over her head. Hopefully, this time she’ll settle down and stay in one place. She can’t afford to get into any more trouble.”
“Well, I’m not leavin’ here until I see her,” Ma sniffs.
Fucking fantastic. Nova would’ve seen Mom coming and bolted. It wouldn’t surprise me if she’s still hiding under the desk. I pull out my phone and text Erica.
Me
Where’s Nova?
A few seconds pass, then my phone chimes.
Erica
She’s hiding in the office behind me
Fucking great.
Me
Don’t let her leave
Erica
I’ll try, but she’s pretty shaken up
Me
My mom isn’t a bad person. Nova just hasn’t called home since she got out
Erica
I’ll try to talk to her
I don’t know what Nova is hiding. Ma adores her, even if she’s a little ticked off right now. Nova has her own issues with her mom, and she probably thinks she’s on the way over here. Not gonna happen since she lives in Tennessee.
“Fine, just don’t be your usual self,” I mutter. “Guns blazin’ won’t help matters. Don’t know what happened to her, but she was back with that fuckwit boyfriend of hers when she got out. Won’t tell me shit about it, but we may need to find him if she won’t talk.”
“Language,” Ma scolds. “My usual self isn’t all that bad, thank you very much.”
I resist the urge for another eye roll because Mom drives us all crazy.
Sawyer returns with a steaming hot cup of coffee. Ass licker.
“There you are, Mrs. Dawson.” He beams at her.
She smiles back. “Thank you, Sawyer,” she sighs, then adds, “if I were fifty years younger…”
Fucking great. My mom, the toughest woman I know, is affected by Sawyer’s pretty blues and fake charm. I’ve never seen him make coffee in his entire life.
I flip him the bird when she’s not looking.
I feel a migraine coming on, and it’s not even lunchtime yet.
My phone chimes and I glance down at it.
Erica
And can I have my panties back, please?