Chapter 9LovelyMarx
Lovely
“ S o, I guess we just…wait?” Vi whispers as we all sit together in the panic room that Pops has.
I have to admit, taking it in, that he’s done a good job of it.
At the Keep the panic room was basically a tornado shelter.
Here, it’s furnished with plush fabrics, there’s a large screen TV and a selection of DVDs and video games.
There’s a kitchenette area as well as a fully stocked bathroom.
Chewy even showed us all the back rooms (yes, Pops has back rooms to his panic room) where he keeps shelves of food and toiletry goods all laid out like a grocery store.
“Grown ups are always complaining,” Cove says in her overly loud voice, rolling her eyes at Elio and Jovie.
They’re on the floor playing some type of board game.
Bee, Laney, Juno, Nat’s daughter Rosie and Ana’s son Jr are all around the sameish age, so they’re toddling around messing up the big kids’ game.
“Grown ups have a lot of things to worry about,” Mira says.
“Like what? Making moony eyes at each other?”
“Ugh, gross! My mom and dad do that ALL the time,” Jovie says in disgust.
“So do mine! But maybe less since Tess was born,” Cove replies.
“I’m way too tired for all that,” Blanche says, addressing the adults. Well, us Girl Gang because Chef, TumTum and Flack are busy comparing their guns and knives.
“Hear, hear!” Ana says, leaning over to high five her.
“Wait, your kid is like, old.” Chewy says, wide eyed.
“Yeah but he still doesn’t sleep through the night.” Ana replies, smiling down at Jr as he toddles toward her.
“You need a proper routine for him. Feeding, educational, physical activity and then a good bedtime routine. Laney is a good sleeper because of all those things,” Chewy says with a nod.
Some of the girl gang roll their eyes, but I just smile at Chewy. One of the ways she likes to care for people is to give them strict routines and statistics.
“Ladies, we have the go ahead to head up now. Marx is calling Church,” Chef calls out.
“But my browni-”
“Church with dessert,” TumTum adds, looking just as relieved at the prospect as Mira.
The men do some type of complicated code on the touch screen pad thing attached to the wall before the door slides open, revealing the basement. It looks like every other basement, slightly neglected with all sorts of forgotten items neatly stacked on shelves.
“May I have this honor?” TumTum asks as he bends toward me. I give him a grin and a nod and he slides his arm around my back, the other beneath my knees and lifts me into his arms.
We slowly climb the stairs, my arms holding around his neck in the hopes I can keep my full weight off him.
I’m short like my sister, and all Landry women are built sturdy.
Since I had Bee I’ve also filled out a little, making me nowhere near as light as a feather.
Flack opens the door at the top of the stairs and TumTum carries me through to the main living room, where we’re met with a low growl.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Just helping Lovely up the stairs, Prez.” TumTum gently places me in my chair that Flack has just parked up next to us.
“You don’t touch her.” Marx jabs a finger at poor TumTum who looks equally confused and like he’s going to soil his pants.
“He was helping me. I don’t suppose you’d want me to walk up the flight of stairs, would you?” I ask in my calm voice. No need to raise it. I’ve done that before out of anger and well, let’s just say I learned my lesson.
“He had his hands all over you!” Marx whirls around, glaring at me.
“You are being ridiculous and we have bigger things to worry about than who has their hands on me.” I offer back with a serene face even though I want to get my angry, no, livid face on. Who does he think he is? TumTum was only helping.
Marx takes a deep breath and appears to shrink as he lets it out slowly.
I know he’s under a lot of pressure, but geez, the man needs to get a grip.
What and who helps me is of no concern to him.
He runs a hand down his beard and nods, stepping back from TumTum.
I reach out and grip TumTum’s hand before thanking him.
He gives me a tight smile and pushes me next to Mira who is sitting at the end of one of the couches.
“That was hot! Did you see him get all ‘me man! Don’t touch man’s woman, argh’,” she rifles around in her top, retrieving her ever present notepad and pencil.
“Why is Mira making wookie sounds?” Chewy frowns. She doesn’t even wait for an answer, walking past and taking a seat on Rhodie’s lap.
Everyone finds places to sit or stand, the room filling up with bodies.
My brothers are along the back wall, the Tombs dotted between MC members and Moss is sitting near his sister and Jules.
As per usual Mama Debs and Sage have the kids occupied somewhere.
There are so many of them that at some stage it won’t be practical for Mama Debs to watch over all of them.
I wonder if the club has thought about a daycare or something?
I’m pulled out of my thoughts by Marx thumping twice on the wall, gaining our attention.
“Thank you for being here. We have some things to discuss and some decisions to make.” He looks at each and every one of us, before clearing his throat.
“We all know that Serpiente is out there and I’m sure we can all guess, with the cartel’s approval, he is coming for us.
We fucked up their business, so they’re going to retaliate.
First step was obviously sending the sheriff to do their dirty work.
The hit failed, and now Kelson is scrambling. Moss, do you have any insights?”
Moss shakes his head. “I’ve known he was off for a while.
Just a weird vibe. Normally if you came to me and said he’s the guy who attacked your compound, I’d have thought you’d all been high or something.
But Chewy showed me the security footage, and that along with his unpredictable moods and stress breakdowns, I can’t ignore the signs.
” He tips his head side to side. “In the run up to our little visit just then, he’d spent at least an hour in a heated phone call.
On a cell that isn’t department issue. As soon as he hung up he left the office like a bat outta hell calling me to back him up. ”
“Does he know you have a connection to the MC?” Savage asks in his rough voice.
“In fairness, I have a connection to the Tombs. Who happen to have a connection with the MC. It’s tenuous at best. I mean, do we even really know each other?” Moss smirks.
Marx huffs out a laugh, as do the rest of us. “So, if we were to ask you to-”
“At this point I’m a senior law enforcement officer with concerns over how my superior is behaving.
I believe there is a safety issue around his behavior and I have already reported it.
I’d imagine he’ll be stood down once my evidence is presented.
” Marx’s brow raises. “Once stood down there will no longer be protection from the force at his beck and call. Be a pity if something were to happen to him.”
Chewy grins and claps her hands, sharing a look with Pops. I hope the sheriff has a come to Jesus moment, because if he doesn’t he’ll be having a Come to Tombs moment, and that seems a lot more painful.
“OK, well that seems like one of our problems is going to be taken care of very soon,” Mad Dog grins.
“So, that leaves the cartels,” Wire says.
“The sheriff is in business with the La Sombre Roja and Cartel de Silencio cartels. La Sombre Roja has contacts in Louisiana, while the other has links here in Texas. They were both small time while the Cordoza family were in power, but when Roman cleaned them out, the other two rose up, splitting the business between them. Up until recently they worked well, split the drug trade evenly and entered into the kiddy market, snatching kids while on vacation with their parents, and then sending them back this way. That’s where Candice and this other woman, Renae, come in.
Serpiente acted as the middleman, investing cartel money and making sure the women were there to collect the kids. ”
“And we fucked that up,” Rhodie adds.
I grip the armrests of my chair, knowing that men like the cartel and the sheriff don’t give up easily.
They’ve had a taste of power and they hate when it’s taken from them.
It all started with Vi protecting Juno and getting the baby farm operation shut down, then Chewy found Laney and messed it up again.
They’ll be scrambling, trying to keep power over their businesses, the grip tightening.
If we thought they were cruel before, they’ll be even worse now.
We’ve kicked the hornet’s nest and it’s going to get a lot worse.
“So, the attack on the clubhouse with the sheriff and those upper level cartel members, was that a warning?” Rider asks, jiggling his knee up and down. He’s usually pretty hyper, but he’s looking like a coiled spring, ready to pop off at any moment.
Marx shares a look with Switch, then he stares at me. He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It was a hit.”
The room erupts with “what the fucks?” and it takes a lot of thumping by Marx to settle everyone down.
My fingers find their way to the left side of my chest. It still aches, but I’d rather that than Marx to have been killed.
I know Rhodie is the VP and will step up, but I just can’t imagine the MC ever being the same.
“So, they were trying to take you out?” Flack frowns.
Rhodie steps forward and dumps a handful of spent shell casings on the table. “It was a hit on all of us.”
I stay where I am as the men all move forward as one, looking at the casings. “What the fuck!? They have our names carved into them!” Dex yells, throwing one down in disgust.