Iceman Chapter 19
I was slightly anxious all day. I kept checking my phone to ensure I didn’t miss a call or text from Meadow. I wanted her to stay off a while longer, but the woman was stubborn and refused to remain home. My offer to pay their bills was kindly but firmly declined. Her insistence on taking care of her family was one thing I admired about her, among many. I was partially concerned she was pushing herself to go back too soon, but the main reason was I didn’t need Scott or Joni meddling or causing her trouble. I’d demanded if they did, she was to call me. I’d go over and handle it.
When I was finished and could leave for the day, I didn’t delay leaving the building site. I had driven my truck since I had tools and other supplies to haul. I was waiting at a light for it to change to green when I happened to glance over to my right. My dad was in the lane next to me in a brand-new truck. He was staring over at me. When he saw me looking at him, he smiled and waved. I didn’t bother to acknowledge him.
When the light changed, I took off. I fumed the whole drive while I kept checking to see if he was following me. There were too many vehicles for me to know. Besides my anger at him popping up way too much, I wondered how the hell he could afford a new truck. When I was growing up, he rarely kept a job for long. Mom was the one who supported the family, not him. He wouldn’t have had any money coming in over the past fifteen years to save and buy one. That left him getting a loan. How the hell had he gotten the loan to buy it with no job history for all this time?
Outlaw’s investigation mostly revealed what I learned from the parole board call. He was out for good behavior, and they forgot to notify me of the hearing and his parole. What they hadn’t told me, but my brother did, was the name of Dad’s parole officer and where he was living. It was a halfway house for parolees. They’d stay there anywhere from six months to a year while they got re-acclimated to living in society. They had curfews and check-in requirements. Outlaw offered to investigate his actual time in prison, but I had no desire to know what he did all that time. I told him thanks but not to bother.
I’d been late leaving the construction site. I’d wanted to finish up what I was building so I could start something new tomorrow. Tonight, the twins were cooking dinner for all of us. Sometimes, they all did it. Other times, it might be Meadow alone. I helped chop, fetch, or whatever, but I wasn’t the best cook if it wasn't breakfast. I did pay attention and kept the recipes and stuff in my head for future reference. I didn’t expect my woman or her sisters to do all the cooking and household work. I wasn’t like my ole man in that way.
When I parked in the apartment’s parking lot, I saw both cars. I was relieved and couldn’t wait to see Meadow and find out how she was doing and how the day went. Since I was staying here and only going to the compound when we wanted to visit, had church, or needed more clothes, Meadow had given me a key.
I tried the handle when I reached the door and found it locked. I always checked because I wanted them not to get complacent and forget. If we were within the walls of the compound, I’d be less anal about it, but after what happened with Bosch’s men and Saylor, even my brothers and their families were locking their doors sometimes. We were used to leaving them unlocked. After all, rarely was anyone stupid enough to go up against an MC.
Unlocking the door, I walked in with a smile on my face. As soon as they heard the key in the lock, I heard Blizzard and Icicle start barking. I pictured them running for the door. I was right. They were under my feet, standing on their hind legs, begging to be petted as I entered. I barely had room to move to close and lock the door. I took off my cut and hung it up before I bent down to rub them. Their cute, smashed faces always made me grin.
“Hi there, fellas. Have you been good today? I bet all you did was sleep, watch television, and eat.”
“You got it. That’s what they do every day. When I die, if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as a pug,” Aspen said from the kitchen, where she was stirring something.
“Amen to that,” Sage said as she came from the short hallway where the bedrooms and bathroom were.
I finished worshipping the boys and then sat in the chair next to the door to take off my boots. While I did, I greeted the girls. “Hey, you two, how was school? Is your sister still showering?”
“School was the usual. As for Meadow, yeah, she’s in the shower, but something is bothering her. She came in all gloomy and barely said a word before going to her room. We asked if she was alright, and she mumbled and then walked off,” Sage answered.
Instantly, my protective vibes increased. I put my boots out of the way and approached the twins. They were in the kitchen, standing together, with worried expressions. I wrapped an arm around each of them and squeezed lightly.
“I’ll go find out what’s bothering her. Don’t stress it. Whatever it is, we’ll work it out. You just stay here and keep cooking whatever smells delicious. I hope it’ll be done soon. I’m hungry.”
They giggled. “You’re always hungry, Ice. It should be done in about twenty minutes,” Aspen told me. I rubbed my belly as I walked off to find my woman and see what was bothering her.
Opening her bedroom door, I slid inside. I heard sounds coming from the bathroom, but there was no water running, so she must be done.
“Babe, I’m home. Are you all clean and ready for dinner? Your sisters say we have about twenty minutes. I think I’ll take my shower now,” I said as I entered the bathroom.
I found her at the sink, combing her wet hair. She smiled, but the way her gaze shifted away from mine, and the stiff way she held herself when I kissed her told me there was a problem. I went to the shower, turned on the water, and began to strip. As I did, I told her about my day—just the bare facts. The water got hot right away, so I was able to get in quickly.
She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. She secured her hair up to dry and then applied face cream. I finished telling her about my day by the time I was done with my hair and had half my body washed. Wiping water drops and condensation off the shower glass, I looked out. She was watching me.
“Are you going to tell me what happened, or do I have to drag it out of you? Before you say nothing, your sisters see it, and so do I. What’s wrong? Did something happen that I should know about?”
She sighed. “Yes, but before you get upset that I didn’t call you, it literally happened right at the end of the day. When it and the aftermath were over, I only wanted to come home and see you and be with my family. I planned to tell you after you had a chance to shower and relax.”
“Well, I’m almost done showering, and I can’t relax until you tell me, so go for it.”
She started slowly, and then, as she spoke, she got more vocal and animated. When she told me Scott came across with his old shit, I wasn’t surprised. What angered me was when she told me he grabbed her arm. However, I chuckled when she told me how she broke his hold and then his nose. I was drying myself at that point.
I tensed again when she said the director called them to the office. By the time she reached the end, I was dressed, and we were sitting on the bed. I knew she was waiting for me to blow up about him and that she didn’t call. A part of me wished I’d known so I could’ve driven over there and caught his ass as he left, but I was smarter than that. Scott Harrison had interfered in our lives for the last time. He was receiving a late-night visit. I pulled her onto my lap and cuddled her close.
“Meadow, relax. I’m not upset with you. I get why you did what you did. And while I hope Harrison didn’t take in your director, he might’ve been. What I can do is promise you that Harrison won’t bother you again for the remainder of your time there. You concentrate on doing your job to the best of your ability and finding a new one. Let me handle him.”
“Jake, I probably won’t even have a job by morning. If I do, it’ll be a miracle. However, whether I do or not, I don’t need you handling Scott. He’s my problem, and after breaking his nose, I doubt he’ll say anything again, especially if I do keep my job and he knows Director Higgins is watching us. Please, don’t do anything that’ll get you in trouble or hurt. He’s not worth it.”
“Keeping him away from you is worth it. And I promise I won’t get into trouble or hurt. Now, I bet our dinner is ready, and if we don’t get out there, those girls and dogs will eat it all. Forget about Scott Harrison, and come eat with me. I may need your help to fight for food.”
She laughed. I gave her a better kiss than the one before my shower. I was about to say the hell with dinner when there was a loud knock.
“You two, stop whatever you’re doing and get out here. If you don’t, Icicle and Blizzard get your portion,” one of them yelled. I couldn’t tell them apart since their voices sounded the same to me, although Meadow could.
“Sage, if you feed our dinner to those little beggars, I’ll kick your ass,” Meadow told her. I heard giggling, then feet pattering down the hallway. I reluctantly let her up. Hand in hand, we went out to the kitchen to have dinner. There’d be time to plan how to teach Harrison a lesson later.
???
It was almost eleven o’clock that night. Meadow was sound asleep. After we ate and spent time with her sisters and the dogs, they went to their room, and I took Meadow to ours. I made love to her, and afterward, she was too tired to stay awake.
I’d just texted Ren and Loki to see if they were awake and could talk. They replied yes. I went outside to the front patio area to call them so I wouldn’t disturb anyone. They both answered immediately.
“What’s wrong, and who do we need to kill?” Renegade asked.
“What he said,” was Loki’s response.
I smiled. Yep, leave it to my brothers to always have my back. “I don’t think it’ll come to that, but there’ll definitely be a come-to-Jesus talk. We just need to be smart about it,” I told them.
“Please say it’s the shithead Harrison. Or is this about your dad?” Loki asked.
“Not my dad, although I saw him again today on my way to the apartment. No, it’s Harrison. Let me tell you what he did today,” I told them before launching into the retelling of the tale my woman told me.
There were some muttered curses before I was finished. When I was, I got two brief replies.
“When?” Ren asked.
“Where?” from Loki.
“The ‘when’ I need to figure out, but it can’t be tonight. He might expect it. As for where, that’s easy. I already have his address. He lives alone. I should’ve done this back when I originally wanted, but I let everything with Meadow distract me. I truly hoped that after coming to Knoxville, he had gotten the message. Obviously, he was biding his time for her to come back to work. What about tomorrow night? I don’t want to be out late.”
“Works for us. Are you telling Meadow what you have planned?” Renegade asked.
“I’ll tell her what I’m doing. I won’t keep stuff from her. Anymore.”
“I’m with you no matter what. What do you want us to do?” Loki asked.
“I’ll handle the lesson. I need you to be lookouts. I’ll try to keep it quiet, but if someone comes to check on him, you have to tell me or divert them. I’m not going to jail for that weasel,” I growled.
“Wish we’d get some lesson time with him, but she’s your old lady. We’ll watch your back,” Ren agreed. Loki grunted in affirmation.
“Okay, I’ll send you more information tomorrow. For tonight, let’s get some sleep. We all have to work in the morning.”
We wished each other a good night and then hung up. I went back inside and found the comfort of my bed and woman. She snuggled into me despite my chilled skin. She never woke up, which told me how tired she was.