Chapter 3 #2
“Ah.” The smile faded. “Is this about Marco’s kid?”
“Yeah, he called. Guess he needs some help?”
Jordan gave a curt nod. “Carlo’s having a hard time keeping up with him. We try to pitch in, but everyone’s got their own shit to deal with. Come on. Let me take you to him.”
“Thanks.”
Jordan clapped him on the shoulder. “Afterward, we’ll grab some beers, catch up.”
“Another time. I need to get my friend something to wear and then take care of the kid.”
Finlay stepped forward and reached out a hand. “Hello, I’m Finlay. It’s nice to meet you.”
Even with her wind-blown hair and savagely cut wedding gown, she was still gracious.
“Hey. Jordan.” He shook her hand. “And I got you. Hang on.” He waved to a woman at the bar who came right over. “Marta, you got something for her to change into?”
The woman touched the shredded dress. “I don’t have anything so fancy, but I can set you up with jeans and a T-shirt.”
“Oh, I don’t normally dress like this.” Finlay tried for a smile. “Today was a special occasion.”
The woman laughed. “I can see that.”
“Jeans would be perfect.” Finlay’s grin was like sunshine, warming his heart. “Thank you so much.”
As the woman set off through the crowded room, Finlay hesitated to follow. “Where will you be?” she asked Jude.
“We’re going in the same direction,” Jordan said. “We’ll be right behind you.”
The four of them headed off, he and his old friend lagging behind on their way to the living quarters.
“So what’s up?” Jordan asked. “You steal a bride?”
“Friend from high school.” He gave chin nods to familiar faces but noticed a lot of people he didn’t recognize. “Club’s grown a lot.”
“What’s it been since we graduated, twelve years? Long time to be away.”
True.
“You probably weren’t paying much attention at Marco’s funeral, but most of these guys were there.” Jordan’s features tightened. “That was a rough day.”
As they turned down the hallway, Jude couldn’t help watching the sway of Finlay’s hips and the fall of her long, dark hair. He wasn’t so sure about sending her off with a woman he didn’t know. “Is she gonna be all right?”
“Oh, yeah. Marta’s the best. Ugly divorce. Her ex made sure she didn’t get a thing. She was a mess when she showed up here, but now, she’s like the club mom.”
Jude never understood men like Marta’s ex. No matter what happens between a couple, assets should be divided equally. Just split everything and move on. Before the women dipped into a room, Jude called, “I’ll be in here, okay?”
Finlay gave him a relieved smile and nodded.
“Not sure where the kid is, but his pops is here.” Jordan stopped outside a closed door and knocked.
“Yeah?” An older man cleared his throat. “Come on in.”
“You good?” his friend asked.
“Yeah. Appreciate it.”
“You got it,” Jordan said before taking off.
Inside the small room, Jude took in a black dresser, an unmade bed, and a window that looked out to the backyard.
In a small recliner, an older man sat, watching kids play outside. The man planted his hands on the armrests and tried to get up, but pain twisted his features, and he hissed.
“Sit.” In three strides, Jude stood before him and held out a hand. “Jude McKenna.”
The man was unshaven with a shock of gray hair and watery eyes. “Carlo Rossi.” He smiled. “You came.”
“Of course.” They’d only had a brief conversation on Jude’s way to the airport, so he hoped to get a clearer picture of the kid’s situation. “I wasn’t expecting to get a call from Marco’s kid.”
“No, I’m sure you weren’t. And I’m sorry about that. The little runt took my phone.” His words might’ve sounded harsh, but the affection in his eyes made it clear how much he cared about his grandson. “I’m sorry he made you come all the way out here.”
“He said you’re sick, and he needs to get to school. What can I do to help?”
He chuckled. “It’s preschool. He doesn’t have to go.
I only put him in it because I’ve been having trouble with my hips.
Gonna need both replaced.” Again, he tried to get up, but pain dug deep lines around his eyes and tightened his jaw.
He took a moment to pull himself together before speaking again.
“But you know what it’s like here. I got plenty of people who can pitch in. ”
“Where’s his mother?”
Damion shook his head. “Right from the start, she couldn’t handle it. My grandson raised him solo. He did a good job, too.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it under control. He asked for a bike, so I’ll get him one for Christmas. Is there anything else you need?”
“There is.” The old man’s eyes sharpened. “And I’ll get right to the point. There’s a risk with any surgery, but I’m eighty-six years old.”
There was a plea in his eyes that Jude found unsettling. “Okay.”
“Other than me, the boy’s got no relatives. If something happens on that operating table, I need to know someone will take care of him.”
A cold fluid shot through Jude’s veins. Where was he going with this?
“Nothing’s going to happen.” Though that seemed a stupid thing to say.
Any surgery had complications, but at an advanced age…
Sure, he got it. “But even if it did, like you said, you’ve got a club full of people here. Some of them already have kids.”
The old man held his gaze. “Your dad got you boys out of here for a reason, yeah?”
This man was painting a picture Jude didn’t like. “Hang on. What exactly are you asking me to do?”
“I need to assign temporary guardianship, and I’m asking you to do it.”
Jude took a step back. “Me? You can’t just ask a stranger to take care of your grandson. And even if I wanted to, what judge in his right mind’s going to let a guy like me raise a kid?”
“What do you mean, ‘a guy like you?’ You come from a good family. You served this country. You don’t have a record that I could find. And you’re reliable. Responsible.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“You’re here, aren’t you? A kid called, asking for help, and you flew out the next day.
What more do I need to know? Besides, Marco talked about you all the time.
And he’s not the only one. Been living here about a year now, and I’ve heard stories about you and your family.
” Carlo pointed a crooked finger at him.
“Your dad’s the reason these folks have work.
He gave this club a living and the members a purpose. ”
“That’s got nothing to do with me taking care of a child. Trust me, I’m not parent material.”
“Why not? You’re the oldest of four kids. You’ve got the instincts. Thing is, I’ve got to have the surgery in Idaho Falls so my sister can help me rehab after. And I can’t go unless I know Cody’s in good hands.”
The energy in the room changed, lightened, and a sweet, feminine scent filled the air. He turned to see Finlay in a Metallica T-shirt and tight jeans. She brightened when she saw the old man. “Oh, hey, Mr. Rossi.” But the smile faded into concern. “Are you okay? How’re you feeling?”
“Eh, I’m all right. This guy flew all the way out here just to get Cody a bike.”
“Aw, he’ll love that.” Finlay flashed him a luminous smile that made his heart skip a few beats.
“How do you know the Rossis?” Jude asked.
“I’m a kindergarten teacher.”
Of course, she was. And he bet every kid in that class had a crush on her.
“I know most of the preschool kids,” she said, “because we have conferences to see if they’re ready to move up.”
He didn’t ask the question that came to mind.
Was this kid going to make it? Because education wasn’t a priority for Marco or anyone in the club.
They liked to say they graduated from the school of hard knocks.
How could they “live life full throttle” if they had to “work for the man” to pay their bills?
For them, that wasn’t what life was about. It was about living free.
Jude jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to head out. Stop at my dad’s to borrow a car and then get to the bike store. Can I get you anything?”
There was no denying the panic in the man’s eyes. “No, I’m good.”
“All right. Be back in an hour or so.” With a chin nod, he ushered Finlay out of the room.
In the quiet of the hallway, she asked the obvious, “Are you taking Cody with you?”
What would he do with a kid? “No. I have a motorcycle.”
“You could come back for him. You need to know his size. Plus, it’ll be more fun for him to pick one out. It’s Christmas.”
“Can you imagine me showing up in town with a kid? Everyone will think I kidnapped him.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” But she didn’t push the issue. “Mr. Rossi doesn’t look so good. What’s going on?”
“He’s having hip replacement surgery. He’ll be gone for six weeks.” Or longer.
Fuck.
“What does that mean for Cody?” she asked.
They entered the main room, where a few people were dancing.
Several groups gathered around three of the pool tables, and one couple was getting hot and heavy on the fourth one.
A pair of blue jeans pooled around ankles, a white ass thrusting, and a pair of sky-high heels were right there on display for the whole club to watch.
Finlay’s features froze in a mask of horror. “Cody lives here?” Her gaze took a quick tour around the warehouse, noting the curls of smoke from cigarettes and weed, the fight that was about to break out at the bar, and the woman straddling the guy on the couch. “Where is he? I need to see him.”
Through the kitchen window, they could see children of all ages racing around in the snow. “Maybe outside.” When he grew up here, his dad tried to protect him from this lifestyle. And, of course, they’d had Ava.
But who did Cody have? He went tight thinking about an innocent kid running wild in this place. “Carlo wants to make me a temporary guardian while he’s recovering.”
Hope sprang to life in her eyes. “And what did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything. No court’s going to give me legal rights to a kid I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s not true. Carlo’s the grandfather, so they’ll listen to his request.”
“Carlo doesn’t know me.”
“Well, I do. Your brothers do. I’m sure we could find a hundred people who’d speak well of you.”
“I’m not looking for people to testify on my behalf.” She didn’t get it. “I don’t want to do this.” She watched him with concern. “And after the shit I put you through back in high school, why do you have such a high opinion of me?”
“You mean prom?”
He nodded.
“Yeah, well, I have my theory about what happened that night.”
“And what’s that?”
“I kept torturing myself by looking at the picture your friend posted on social media.”
“Oh, the one the cops used to find us?” Now, he could laugh at it. “They weren’t exactly known for their genius IQs.”
“It took me a few days to see the bow tie you were wearing.”
How the hell had she seen that? “You could hardly see me in that photo. Besides, I’d shaved. No way could you tell it was me.”
“The other guys were laughing, but you were behind them, looking pissed off. Your white shirt stood out in the darkness.” She tipped her head, her warm amber eyes studying him. “You were coming to get me, weren’t you? When the guys called, you were on your way?”
All he could do was nod. It was such a relief for her to know the truth.
“I wish you’d told me. I get that you had to leave town, but why did you let me believe you’d been playing me? That was mean, Jude.”
It was. “Because I needed to cut ties with this town.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the town. The only ties you needed to cut were with your friends.”
His breath hitched. “Yeah, well, the biggest tie’s been cut.”
She touched his arm. “I’m sorry about Marco.”
“Yeah.” Instead of offering comfort, the warmth of her hand stirred something deep inside. Something he didn’t want to analyze too closely. “At least he died exactly how he wanted.”
“How’s that?”
“Riding with his boys.”
“Well, I guess the tie wasn’t cut after all, because now, you have Cody.”
“I don’t have him. And I’m out of the business of saving Marco’s ass.” Even back then, he’d understood it wasn’t his friend’s fault. The guy’s dad bailed, and his mom had been more focused on partying than parenting.
The only reason Jude hadn’t wound up like him was because he had a great family.
“If you don’t take guardianship of him, what happens?” she asked.
“His life stays the same. He’ll hang out at the club until Carlo gets back.” But if Marco could’ve made something of his life if he’d had a decent parent, what did that mean for Cody?
“Okay, well, let’s check on him. He shouldn’t be around this”—she gestured to the party—“kind of thing.”
They crossed the kitchen to the back door, but before she could open it, he pulled a parka off the hook and shoved it at her. “Here.”
“Oh. Thank you.” She quickly shrugged it on and headed outside, where kids of all ages chased each other, shouting and throwing snowballs.
“You know which one he is?” Jude asked.
She looked around. “I don’t see him.”
“Hey,” Jude called out to a girl running by. “Where’s Cody Rossi?”
She shrugged and dashed off.
He had his hand at his mouth, ready to shout the kid’s name, when Finlay pointed. “Oh my God. That’s him. That’s Cody.”