Chapter 8
Bull
“You coming by today?” Sauce asks me.
“Do I want to know why you’re asking me this at ten to six in the goddamn morning?”
“Because I’ve been up all night and wanted to get some shut-eye, but we got deliveries coming in,” he growls right back at me.
“Standard or special?” I ask.
At this point I’m not even sure what day it is and can’t remember if we have a shipment due or if he’s talking about liquor for the bar.
“Standard.”
“Gear or Edge should be around, pull one of their asses out of bed.”
“Don’t forget, the Tyler memorial service is tomorrow, and you said you’d take it. We really need some help over there. I’m stretched too thin and we’re going to start missing shit.”
“You’re right and I’ve got someone in mind,” I tell him, opening my eyes a crack when I get smacked on the chest.
Margo’s nostrils are flared and she’s mouthing the word ‘no’ as she shakes her head.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but George Tucker died last night,” I let him know, rolling back toward Margo when she ducks her head into the crook of my arm.
“No shit.” Sauce sounds legitimately shook and I frown, trying to figure out how he knows him so well. “You know he had a Purple Heart? And a slew of other medals from Vietnam?”
“I didn’t know you knew him.”
“Yeah, Ma rented an apartment from him when we first moved here. We had some weird assignment at school where we had to interview a grandparent, but I didn’t have one so Ma asked him if I could do my report on him. Years later, he helped me get the job at the quarry and that’s when I met Frost.”
“We’ll talk later, but we’ll be handling him in the coming days,” I tell him, feeling bad talking about that in front of Margo.
“I hadn’t even started thinking about all of this stuff yet,” Margo whispers. “Funeral, lawyers, my god-awful cousins. Ugh.”
“Not to mention a murder investigation,” I say, as if she needs reminding. “I’ll walk you through as much as I can, but I have—”
“You have your own life and I’m a mess,” she tries to finish my sentence for me. “You don’t owe me anything, Bull.”
“Stryker,” I correct her, sliding my finger under her chin. “And your life may be a little messy right now, but we’ll get through it. Together.”
Words I’d never thought I’d say to a woman, roll off of my tongue.
Margo looks up at me, as if quietly assessing my sincerity until I see her eyes darken. It’s not until she flattens her hand against my chest that I realize that my heart is pounding, waiting for her response.
“Stryker, I know you’re not a relationship kind of man,” she starts slowly, tapping her finger over my lips when I open my mouth. “Granddad literally warned me about you like forty-eight hours ago. And me? Well, there’s every possibility that I’ll be up on murder charges by Christmas.”
When she stops talking, I suck her finger in between my lips, as I consider my next move. Although her pupils instantly dilated, I’m going to hold off on fucking her brains out right now. That only leaves one option.
“My bathroom’s through there if you want to shower,” I tell her. “I’m going to go make us breakfast, then you’re coming to the clubhouse with me while I get some work done.”
“I can’t, I don’t have any underpants or clothes that don’t look like a walk of shame.”
Shit. I forgot we needed to do that.
“You can go commando. I’ll find you a shirt while you shower, then we’ll have breakfast, get to the clubhouse, and go shopping.”
With that, I leave her sputtering as I roll out of bed. After a quick look in the kitchen, I head out to the coop to grab some eggs and decide to make her something I know she’s never had before.
I stop long enough to put a black thermal layer on the bed for her, as it’s probably the smallest thing I have on hand and just as I’m laying it out, her phone rings.
It’s her dad and I pick it up without thinking.
“Eli, it’s Stryker,” I announce myself.
“Is Margo alright?” he asks, sounding panicked and I realize my mistake. The last thing that man needs is to think anything happened to her.
“She’s in the shower. I didn’t mean to startle you,” I let him know. “How are things on your end?”
“Sometimes it seems like that phone is surgically attached to her, I was just surprised when you answered,” he tells me, letting out a little chuckle.
“My mind’s just been ticking off things to do, but I suppose it’ll be a few days until the sheriff releases Dad’s body.
I just left a voicemail for Dad’s lawyer and one of my half-brothers. ”
“I completely understand how much is on your plate,” I say, switching to my undertaker voice.
“The sheriff will be in touch with me when I can transfer your father to the funeral home and at that point we can set the date for his service. He paid for a package around the time your mother passed, therefore, other than hiring an organist at the church, everything is taken care of. I would recommend against viewing your father’s body, Eli. ”
“How’s Margo holding up?”
“I find Margo to be very self-contained.” I wait to answer until I come up with the right phrase, not only to describe Margo, but to let him know she’s discussed her ex with me. “Especially in light of recent events.”
“Did you say something, Stryker?” Margo calls out from the bathroom.
“Your dad is on the phone, babe,” I reply, throwing the babe in as another message to her dad.
Eli is silently absorbing everything I say, and I smile, thinking about how Margo definitely got that trait from him.
She peeks out of the bathroom, one of my oversized towels is wrapped around her torso and she’s twisted a smaller towel around her wet hair. Seeing her bright red skin, I almost shake my head at her.
What is it with women using scalding hot water to shower?
“There’s a shirt for you,” I say, louder than necessary as I motion toward it with her phone, before handing that over and turning for the kitchen. “I’ll get to work on breakfast.”
I don’t want her dad to be under any illusions when he arrives. Margo’s under my protection and will be staying in my bed.