Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Rage
Istand in the hallway listening to the two of them chatter away. It sounds like Serenity is teaching Mila to cook.
“That’s perfect,” she tells my sister.
“That smells yummy,” Mila says.
“It’s vanilla.”
I peek around the corner. Serenity is holding a little brown bottle under Mila’s nose.
“Mmm,” my sister hums, closing her eyes.
Serenity laughs, and I dip back around the corner, remaining hidden. I just want to listen to the two of them, because I know they’ll both get quiet once I enter the room.
“What do you want to do today?”
Mila doesn’t answer, and it breaks my heart. She doesn’t even know all of the possibilities that have opened up for her.
“We could play in your room or take a walk down by the pond.”
“See baby ducks?” Mila asks.
“Maybe. You never know what special things you’ll see on a walk.”
I go back to my room and grab one of the old disposable cameras I never used the last time I took the bike over to Yellowstone. When I get back out to the kitchen, Mila is setting the table.
“One for Mommy.” She lays a fork perfectly on the table, and then she slides down to the next seat. “One for Mila.” Then she moves all the way to the other side of the table. “And one for Daddy.”
I may be the farthest away from her, but at least she’s saving a place for me at her table. That’s more than enough right now.
“Good morning,” I say.
As I expected, Mila wraps herself around Serenity’s legs and peeks at me from behind them.
“Oh sure. You show up now that the work is done.” She picks my sister up and settles her on her hip like she’s done it a hundred times.
“I’ll do the cleanup,” I say, holding my hands in the air.
“Sorry but I already promised Mila she could wash the dishes,” she teases.
“How about I take out the trash then?” I ask them, walking over and pulling the bag out of the can.
Before I go outside, I hold the camera out to Mila. “I heard you and Mommy were going for a walk.”
Serenity cringes, and I get it, but I think it’s best if we just let Mila call us by the titles she feels comfortable with. Plus, I’m a firm believer in putting exactly what you want in life out into the universe. Who knows, maybe that is what Mila is doing. Manifesting her best life.
She’s curious enough about the camera that she takes it from me.
“Mommy will show you how to use it,” I tell her.
“Should we try to get a picture of the ducks today?”
Mila nods, burying herself against Serenity’s chest. Can’t say that I blame her. There’s a softness about her that’s warm and inviting. I’d be lying if I hadn’t dreamed of resting my head on her breasts myself.
There was a part of me that worried my admission last night might change the way she looks at me, but she’s the same Serenity as she was yesterday.
By the time I get back in from the garage, Mila and Serenity are sitting side by side eating happily.
“We’ve got one more for breakfast,” I tell Serenity. “Wizz just pulled in the driveway.”
“There’s plenty. I didn’t know if the twins ate here regularly.”
“Depends on if they get their toes tangled up with a patch bunny.”
“They mentioned these bunnies when we first met. Do you mean they get caught up in their bedding?”
I laugh. “That was a good one,” I say before yelling at Wizz to come in.
When I turn back to her, her brows are pulled together.
“Oh, you were being serious.”
“What are we being serious about in here?” Wizz says, going right to the stove to make himself a plate.
“Serenity doesn’t know what a patch bunny is.”
“Are you making fun of me?” she accuses.
“No.”
“I bet there are things I know that you don’t.”
“I’m sure there are.”
“So stop.”
Wizz sits down by Mila. “These two are silly, aren’t they? Everyone knows what a bunny is.”
“I like bunnies,” Mila tells him. “They have big ears.”
“You have little ones, but …” He leans forward and pretends to pull something from behind her ear. “They are big enough to hide a quarter.”
Her eyes widen and she takes the quarter from him, inspecting it. She tries to hand it back and points to Serenity.
He doesn’t take it, but he does reach around her and does the same thing to Serenity.
My baby sister squeals in delight and points to me next. The way my heart rejoices at her happiness has me feeling an immense amount of hope.
“It doesn’t work on grumpy gusses,” Wizzard tells her.
Serenity barks out a little chuckle, covering her mouth. Mila looks at her and then giggles too.
“You’re lucky they laughed,” I tell my friend.
Mila studies the camera I gave her as she eats. You can see the wheels turning in her dark eyes. She’s so curious. I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for her being isolated in her crib.
After the girls do the dishes and head outside on their adventure, I sit down with Wizz. He slides a folder across the table to me. “That’s everyone who’s been in and out of their clubhouse in the last sixty days, including members.” He looks out the glass doors, watching the girls.
I look at Savage, feeling my rage simmer just beneath the surface. My gaze goes down the page, and I find Serenity’s name. It fits with her story. I keep going and then notice something curious a week earlier.
My head snaps up. “They got a visit from the cartel?”
He turns, and the look of seriousness on his face makes my stomach fall. He nods slowly. “I have a theory if you’d like to hear it.”
I nod, but I can tell by his tone I’m not going to like it.
“Look at Savage’s government name.”
“Silas Jones,” I say aloud.
“Sound familiar?”
“No.”
“Serenity … Serenity Jones.”
My head snaps up. “Are you saying they’re related? Jones is about as fucking common for a last name as one can have.”
“That alone wouldn’t have caught my eye, but I was just looking into her, remember? And I know she has a brother named Silas.”
I jump from my seat to make sure she and my sister are within eye shot. “Does anyone else know about this?”
“No.”
My heart pounds against my rib cage as I think about what I admitted to her last night. Could Serenity be so good at the game that she’s been lying to me this entire time?
“She said her brother died and left her with a debt,” I say, keeping my eyes on them.
“It’s him, Rage. Savage is Serenity’s brother. He’s not dead.”
“But do you really believe she went to all this trouble with my sister …” My words fade as Serenity looks my direction, shielding her eyes. She waves and points to Mila. My gaze follows her finger. Mila has the camera to her eye and is snapping pictures a few feet away.
I return to Serenity. She isn’t looking at me anymore. She has her hands over her chest, watching my sister with such adoration on her face, I know it can’t be fake.
If it is, she’s pure evil.
“Can we keep this between the two of us for now?”
“Rage, word on the street is the Scorpions owe the cartel a shit ton of money. Hence the reason for their visit. If this is true, this could be why he is so hell bent on stealing one of our shipments. And guess what?”
“It just happens to be enough to cover his debt?”
“Pretty damn close,” he answers. “Listen, I’m sorry brother, but this is serious. We can’t risk any trouble with these fuckers right now. Especially if they’re connected with the cartel. I think it best to cut her loose and hope he moves on.”
“He’s already threatened to stir up trouble before my custody hearing if we don’t give him the guns. He’s desperate.”
“We’ll call in Omaha, Lincoln, Jackson … whoever the fuck we need to, and we’ll set up a perimeter around the county to keep them out. All of the shipments we move to our secondary location until it cools down.”
My jaw clenches. I worked so hard for Jameson to get this set up here. He trusts me, but more than all that, there is Mila to consider. I have to do what is best for her.
She runs through a patch of wildflowers back to Serenity. She takes her hand, and they walk farther down the path toward the lake.
“Rage, you don’t have to make this decision. Lean on your club. Take it to the table, and we’ll vote on it.”
“I can’t leave her alone with my sister until I’m absolutely certain she isn’t a part of the Scorpions.” My fingers curl into fists. “Mila is already so attached to her,” I admit quietly.
Wizz stands and places his hand on my shoulder. “Mila will get through it. Better now than a month down the road.”
I close my eyes, resigned. “Call the meeting.”
“We’ll make a family event out of it. That way we can keep an eye on her. It will be a good distraction for Mila if we need to, you know, send Serenity on her way.”
His negative spin on Serenity makes my blood boil, but logically what he’s saying makes sense.
This doesn’t look good for her.