Chapter 31 – Kendall
Instead of going home after she concluded her business in Nampa, Kendall headed straight to the office.
Not only did she have to complete Diesel’s new contract that gave him equity in the firm, she had to count the genealogy tests she’d ordered.
When she got back into the area and turned on her phone, she had a ton of messages.
Outlaw informed her the meeting would be moved to Celia’s and told her he’d emailed her a list of people that still needed to be swabbed.
Thankfully, he was footing the bill. He’d tapped more motherfuckers than Kendall had on her list. She would’ve suggested only the genealogy kits if not for the urgency. She also considered foregoing them altogether, but they’d help her to build proper family trees.
She’d already started on the Donovans, even adding Jana as one of Johnnie’s children. The worst kept open secret ever that only needed confirmation.
Just as she realized she needed to order ten more kits, her door opened and Charlotte breezed in.
She wore a frosted blue tweed skirt and jacket with satin trim, her hair in a tight bun and light make-up on her face.
Today’s jewel of choice was pearl—studs in her ears, a triple row bracelet on her right wrist, and a choker around her neck.
Kendall smiled at her, happy to see Charlotte once again able to own designer clothes and expensive jewelry. “I was going to return your call.”
Charlotte also left a message for her. She considered telling Charlotte about her plans if Johnnie didn’t straighten up, but she didn’t trust the woman not to open her mouth.
“Don’t worry about that, dear. I know you’ve been busy.” Charlotte lifted a brow as if she expected Kendall to expound. “With whatever,” she added with meaning. “I’ve been so worried about you, darling. You usually respond to me by the end of the day, but nothing.”
The weight of what Kendall intended to do pressed down on her. Thinking about escaping and losing contact with Brooks, Charlotte, Roxy, Meggie, Mortician…everyone she loved was good in theory. Faced with the actuality, though, and her grand plan fell apart. It seemed selfish and cowardly.
Tears rushed to her eyes and her shoulders slumped.
“Kendall, darling…” Charlotte halted, took one look at Kendall, and rushed forward. “You’re crying! Has Meggie done something to you? I told you not to trust her.”
“Meggie hasn’t done anything to me,” Kendall said tiredly. She hadn’t even spoken to her sister-in-law. Had Meggie even left her a message? Odd. They called each other several times a day. “I…” What the fuck could she say?
“Is it one of those children?”
Deflating, Kendall rested her elbows on the desk, and dropped her head into her hands. “What children? Never mind. Meggie’s, I assume. I haven’t seen them in several days.”
“Not his children. His children. Your husband’s.”
Kendall stiffened, straightened, and slowly lifted her head. “Are you referring to my fucking children?”
“I am. They are vile little savages. You know I love those kids as if I gave birth to them myself, but you must admit they are bringing you down as much as Meggie. Were it me, I’d ship them off to boarding school and hire a hitman for her.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Charlotte, and don’t come back. I could see you burning in a fiery crash and I wouldn’t piss on you to save your fucking life,” she yelled. “Get the fuck out now, bitch.”
Hurt pulling her features down, Charlotte gasped. “Kendall—”
“Get the fuck out! Now!” Kendall screamed, losing her fucking mind. She picked up the empty mug she’d forgotten to move and threw it, screaming at the top of her lungs and swiping everything off her desk. “Get out of here before I fucking kill you!”
“Kendall, my dear—” Brooks hurried to her, pausing long enough to address his wife. “Charlotte, what did you say?”
“Nothing! It’s Meggie and that man she’s married to. Those children—”
Kendall screamed again.
“Beams!” Brooks yelled. “Is Diesel here?”
“No sir.”
“Call Outlaw or Mortician.”
“No! No!” Kendall cried, wild, blind with pain and rage and tears, not seeing Charlotte or anyone, just devastated. “Johnnie…”
Johnnie, what? She didn’t know. She’d suffered as his wife. Now, Charlotte targeted her children because Johnnie was their father. Kendall screamed again.
Brooks wrestled her into her chair. “Kendall, my girl, look at me—”
“I hate that motherfucker so fucking much,” she sobbed. “How could I have ever loved him? How could he do this to me? To us?”
Brooks took her face between his hands and thumbed her cheeks. “Listen to me, my girl. Listen to me. Charlotte’s gone. Okay?”
Kendall nodded.
“She’s gone.” He puffed out sharp breaths. “I’m getting you in to see your doctor. Perhaps, an overnight stay—”
“No, I need to see Mattie. My sons,” she cried. “They need me.”
“Is that why Charlotte was here? Because she visited the kids?”
Charlotte’s words ran through Kendall’s mind.
“Bitch!” she snarled, screaming again, unable to bear all the pain careening through her. The humiliation and the idea that, despite everything, she’d lost Johnnie anyway. All the fighting she’d done for him and their kids—for herself—all the effort she’d made still blew up in her face.
She’d built her entire life—her entire world—around Johnnie. Her heart broke and she cried bitter tears, barely aware of Brooks hugging her and comforting her, as kind as the father she’d lost so many years ago.
The sound of spurs seeped into her brain.
“Mom?”
Hysteria bubbled inside of her. Rory didn’t wear spurs.
“Maybe you need to wait outside so I can talk to your ma, Rory,” Outlaw said.
“Beams called me, Uncle Christopher. Looking for Dad. I was at Turn Creek.”
Her son’s voice soothed her, and she shuddered, pulling away from Brooks and finding Rory and Outlaw standing side by side in front of her desk. Behind them, Beams, Tabitha, and half the fucking office gaped.
“Out, people!” Brooks ordered. “Beams, close the door.”
“I saw you on camera,” Rory said the moment Beams complied.
Rory’s mouth was swollen, his cheek and chin were bruised, and his lip had a nasty split. He’d gone somewhere and gotten into a fight.
“Why didn’t you go to school, son?”
“As a matter of fact I did.” Rory scowled at her and continued before she could question him further. “Does it matter to you what the fuck I did or didn’t do, Mom? You left us for two fucking days.”
“Watch your fuckin’ tone, Rory,” Outlaw barked. “You ain’t talkin’ to your ma like that in front of me.”
“Why not? When she clearly deserves it. She deserted Dad, so he deserted us.”
“What?” Kendall gasped.
“Don’t act like you fucking care, Mom,” Rory spat. “You left us! Was it to fuck someone else?”
Outlaw growled and balled his fist, but Kendall’s halted him.
“No!” she cried. “No! Don’t hit him. Please.”
“Rory, I ain’t tellin’ you but once. Get the fuck outta this motherfuckin’ office before I fuck you up. Ain’t askin’ CJ to do it, like I did the last time. This ain’t a club matter. This about you disrespectin’ your ma because of motherfuckin’ Johnnie.”
“That’s my dad!”
“Who ain’t worth a motherfuckin’ thing. The only reason that motherfucker still breathin’ is cuz of your ma, you, and your brothers and sister, so I suggest you count your fuckin’ blessins.”
“Why’d she leave, Uncle Christopher? Her phone was off and everything. I tried to call her just to talk to her, but she didn’t care.”
“I did, Rory,” Kendall said helplessly.
“The fuck you did! You wouldn’t have tried to pretend we didn’t exist.”
Just as Kendall started to sob again, Outlaw snatched Rory off his feet and shook him so hard his head jerked back.
Ignoring Kendall’s pleas, he carried Rory to the door, opened it and tossed him out.
She just managed to see her son crumple to the floor before Outlaw slammed the door shut and turned to her.
“Who you want me to call, Kendall?”
Beaten and broken, Kendall shrugged. “Meggie.”
“She ain’t home. She took Rebel shopping in California.”
“I just want to go home,” Kendall said, sniffling.
“That ain’t safe, baby,” Outlaw told her.
“I-I’ll go to the club then.”
He studied her. “You wanna tell me what the fuck happened?”
“Johnnie,” she said quietly.
“When don’t that motherfucker happen?”
“And Charlotte,” Kendall added.
His look enigmatic, Outlaw didn’t answer.
Her lips trembled and she returned to the main reason she was so upset, even if Charlotte had set her off. “I didn’t know Johnnie was gone.”
“Neither me.”
Then no one knew where he went. “Rory blames me.”
“Rory a fuckin’ fuckhead,” Outlaw spat.
Kendall was too exhausted to defend her son.
“He loves Johnnie.”
“That’s his fuckin’ problem.”
“It doesn’t give him the right to disrespect you, my dear,” Brooks told her. “Frankly, I’m shocked and disappointed in him.”
“Go talk to him,” Outlaw instructed. Once Brooks left, he sat in a seat, folded his arms, and cocked his head to the side. “You preparin’ to leave Johnnie?”
“Does it matter? Rory will hate me.”
“Rory can live happily ever after with that fuckhead. I heard you fucking screaming, Kendall. You lost your fucking shit. No motherfucker worth that. Not Johnnie or not a kid you brought into this world who just fuckin’ disrespected you to high fuckin’ heaven.”
“I love my son.”
“He love you?”
Defeated, Kendall lowered her lashes.
If she left now and Outlaw killed Johnnie, Rory would hate her forever. “I’m not leaving my husband,” she said quietly, even if just speaking those words seemed to turn her insides to stone.
She felt alone, lost in a dark world without an escape.
“Diesel outside in his Mercedes. Take Rory and let Diesel drive you two home.”
“I need my truck.”
“Ima take care of it.”
She grabbed her purse and her coat and started out.
“Kendall?”
Outlaw’s call halted her at the door.
“If Rory step out of line with you while he in that fuckin’ car, Ima beat the fuck outta him. Johnnie might be the head of your house, but I’m the head of the fuckin’ family and Rory outta fuckin’ chances to straighten the fuck up.”
Kendall nodded and walked out with those words ringing in her ears.