Chapter 6 Cash
Chapter six
Cash
“She’s still disappearing during the day, but I haven’t found any liquor bottles, so that’s a good sign,” Lucy says as we’re sitting at Thorn and Thistle with Charlie, Linc and Jude.
“Cece seemed more like her old self when we saw her at the park last week. She even stopped by when I texted her a couple days later and hung out with us,” Maizie chimes in from behind the bar.
I still haven’t heard from her, though.
After my visit to the house last week, I went back the next day.
And the next. Slowly but surely, I’ve been making some progress.
When I left that day and rode around for another hour before heading back to the clubhouse, it didn’t sit right with me that I had left the place a mess for the last two years.
Cooper and I started that project together.
It’s a dishonor to his memory to let it fall to ruin.
So the next day, I came back with tools and a semblance of a plan.
At the very least, I wanted to get the paint and the counters in the kitchen finished, and I did.
It took me two days, but the creamy yellow walls and professional-grade stainless steel appliances were finally finished and set up.
“Another beer?” Maizie asks.
“Sure, thanks,” I say, then turn to Lucy. “Any idea where she goes?”
Lucy shakes her head. “No. I’ve always given her the space to do what she needs to do.
That first year, she never left the house much, but then she started spending her time somewhere.
That’s when we started seeing a change in her.
When I would ask about it, it would turn into an argument like just about every damn thing, so I stopped asking. ”
“And it’s killing you not knowing,” Charlie says.
Lucy’s head tips back and she groans. “So much.”
“Careful, love, you know what those noises do to me,” Jude jokes, and Lucy’s head whips in his direction.
“You’re a pig,” she tells her man.
“Oink oink,” he replies with a cocky grin.
Jesus. These two.
“What about following her?” I ask, and both Linc and Jude chuckle while Lucy shakes her head.
“I’d rather not start a nuclear war with my sister.
If she ever found out I was doing that”—she raises her fist and makes a gesture mimicking an explosion—“there would be no hiding from that bomb triggering.” She shrugs and sips the whiskey in front of her.
“I hate this, but I can’t control her. Plus, it wouldn’t be fair for me to try. ”
Dealing with this side of Cece has been a minefield for everyone.
“I’m just glad she isn’t rage baking anymore. One more scream-metal song and I would have thrown her damn phone in the street and run it over. Repeatedly,” Jude says.
And some people have been dealing with things a bit more compassionately than others.
The door opens, and Barrett and Braxton walk in, followed by Ozzy.
“Oh-ho-ho. Look who’s been let off the leash tonight,” Jude says with a wide smile as our prez and two other brothers have a seat at the table a few feet from the bar top we’re currently occupying.
“Fuck off, arsehole,” Ozzy says, raising his middle finger.
“What have I told you about that shit? Arsehole, fecking—or any derivative thereof—knackered, chuffed, and bloody are my words. You do the Queen a disservice by saying them with your American accent.”
“Yes, I’m sure the Queen is rolling in her grave that a Yank is using arsehole,” Lucy says. “Don’t be a twat.” Her eyes widen and she covers her mouth dramatically. “Oh, no. Am I allowed to use that word with my uncultured American accent?”
Charlie snickers beside her but tries to cover it with a cough.
“You can say anything you want, love. Speaking of twats—”
Lucy slaps her hand over his mouth and gives him a look that would scare most men. “Do not finish that sentence.” She quickly jerks her hand away and wipes her palm on her jean-clad leg. “And for the love of God, stop licking my hand.”
“Then stop putting it over my mouth. You should know by now that anything on my mouth gets licked.”
Linc groans and shakes his head. “You set yourself up for that one, Lucy.”
“So glad I left my woman at home to come hang out with you idiots,” Ozzy grumbles, but the smile on his face gives away that he’s happy to be out with his brothers.
“Where’s Freya?” Lucy asks.
“Working on a case. She said it’s a complicated one, and she’s been clocking a lot of hours on it. Her client is the ex-wife of a cop, and the department has done a bang-up job at losing evidence of her reports of domestic violence. Fucking assholes.”
Ozzy’s woman often takes on pro bono cases for women with complex divorce or custody cases and not a lot of money.
“I have no doubt she’ll nail his ass. And hopefully open an investigation into the department,” Maizie chimes in as she comes around the bar before setting three beers on the table.
“Thanks, Maiz,” Ozzy says and nods. “She still has a shit ton of contacts, so I’m sure someone will be looking into it.”
I shake my head. There’s nothing that pisses me off more than men who hurt women, then hide behind a badge and a department.
“Any word from Liam?” Ozzy asks Jude.
“They’ll be back in a few weeks. Maybe sooner, maybe later. Depends on something or other. He didn’t give me specifics.”
“Sounds about right,” Ozzy replies. “Nova and Cillian out there with them?”
Nova is Cooper’s younger sister and the Monaghan family lieutenant’s fiancée.
She’s also a retired pickpocket who has a way with disguises and relieving people of their belongings without them being any wiser.
Better believe that when Liam found out, he was practically salivating at the mouth to get her to work jobs for him here and there.
“No, they’re sitting this one out. Business has been busy as hell at Nova’s bar.”
When Nova showed up in Boston after the Monaghans and the club took care of the shitstorm with the Italians, she wanted two things: Cillian and to open a bar.
We’ve been there a few times now. Reminds me of home with the New Orleans flair it’s becoming famous for—complete with a seafood boil every weekend.
I should head out there soon and check on her.
Doing work at the house has given me a lot of silent hours.
And a significant portion of that time has been spent remembering growing up in Louisiana with Cooper and Nova.
The stupid shit Coop and I would get up to, and the way Nova used to trail behind us, wanting to be included in everything.
It wasn’t a perfect childhood for any of us, but the three of us made a family of our own.
I was devastated when Coop died, devastated when Nova wanted nothing to do with me.
Having Cece helped more than I think she realized.
The night wears on, and my brothers and I, along with Charlie, Lucy, and Maizie, share a few more beers and a lot of laughs. As the hour gets later, the other customers start to head out, leaving only our group.
“Alright, boys, time for me to head out. Freya’s done with her work,” Ozzy says, pocketing his phone.
“Running home to the missus, Prez?” Jude asks with a smirk.
“Fuck yeah, I am. Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same,” Ozzy replies.
Jude lifts his brows with a thoughtful expression. “Fair.”
Ozzy strides up to the bar and throws a couple hundred on the bar top. “Thanks, Maizie.”
“Ozzy, what are you doing? That’s way too much,” she tells him. “Plus, it’s your bar. You don’t have to pay for your own beers.”
“That’s for your tip jar,” he replies.
She tilts her head. “Ozzy.”
“What? You may be Wyatt’s woman, but you’re still my bartender. Take Wyatt out to dinner or something. Tell him I paid for it.” Ozzy shoots her a sly smile. “He’ll love it,” he finishes.
Maizie chuckles and takes the money from the bar top. “I’m sure he will.”
My prez says his goodbyes and walks out of the bar with a wave at the door.
“It’s too early to go home. Let’s hit up Midnight Rose,” Barrett suggests.
Braxton agrees and they look at me.
“You in?” Barrett asks.
I consider my options. Go back to the clubhouse and get a good night’s rest so I can head over to the house in the morning and finish installing the upstairs toilet and vanity, or finish the night with my brothers at the strip club.
Fuck it.
“Yeah, I’m in.”
I instantly regret coming with Barrett and Braxton. The club is loud and busy for a weeknight, which is great for business, but not for my head.
“My man, you have been in a funk for weeks. Lighten up,” Barrett says from across the table, shaking my shoulder.
“Fuck off. I’ve had a lot of shit going on.”
“I know, I know. Working on the house. I told you I’ll come help,” Barrett says.
It’s felt too personal to have anyone else at the house.
That was Coop’s and my project. None of my brothers has even seen the property.
It would be like sharing my grief with Barrett, and although my brothers would be there for me with no questions asked, Cece is the only one I ever talked about Cooper with.
We were in the midst of tragedy together when we first met and came to rely on each other in unexpected ways.
I guess I never reached out to my brothers because I had Cece.
Maybe I should have. Maybe I should have encouraged her to talk to her sister more about the shit that was brewing inside her.
We were in our own bubble. We were each other’s refuge, and at times, each other’s comfort when we couldn’t keep the chaos out of our heads.
But that’s changed now. And I still don’t know what to do about it.
Maybe it’s time to move on and come to terms with the fact that she’s shut me out.
“You know what? I actually could use your help with some stuff. It’ll get done faster if I have help.”
That brings a smile to Barrett’s face. The man is all about helping out his brothers.