Chapter 40 – Christopher #2
Bash laughed. “I understand how irritating that can be. But why do you keep calling me ‘uncle’?”
“Aren’t you our fucking uncle?” Axel asked.
“I am, but I don’t allow a snot-nosed kid to disrespect me.”
Axel ran to the mirror on one of the walls. “Motherfucker, I don’t got snot on my nose.”
Christopher tipped his head down and smiled, although laughter floated in the air.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Bash asked. “I didn’t mean fucking literally.”
“It’s another saying, Ax,” CJ said.
“Oh, brother. Would you motherfuckers find sayings that make sense?”
“It just means you’re a young motherfucker,” Bash said. “A kid. Kids usually have snotty fucking noses.”
Axel glanced at Christopher. He was probably still irritated with Diesel, so Christopher was the next best choice.
Christopher nodded. “That’s what the fuck it mean, son.”
“Then they are nasty motherfuckers with mommas and daddies that are gross too,” Axel said, and cocked his head at Bash. “Were you ever a kid?”
Christopher laughed at that question.
“All grown motherfuckers had to be fucking kids at one time,” Bash told him.
“I can’t imagine you or Dad as kids. Dad’s fifty. Really senile. How old are you?” Axel asked suspiciously.
“I’m turning fifty-nine in a few months,” Bash said.
Axel gasped. “You’re not ninety? You look about ninety. I’ve never met anyone that old. Dad’s a miracle. So are you. Not as big as I first thought, though”
Bash looked at Christopher as if he couldn’t fucking believe what the fuck he was hearing.
Axel was an…experience.
“You one insultin’ lil’ motherfucker, boy,” Christopher said with a shake of his head.
“We’re getting off the road, Dad,” Axel huffed.
“Off track,” Diesel said.
“Whatever,” Axel replied, then looked at Christopher. “This isn’t about you two ancient motherfuckers, Dad. It’s about Rebel.”
“I agree, kid,” Bash said.
“By the way…” Axel held out his hand to Bash. “Man to man, I apologize for abusing you at Turn Creek.”
It surprised Christopher that Bash humored Axel and shook his hand.
“I respect a man so straightforward.”
Axel beamed, then threw Christopher the thumbs up sign. He was never as lively as his son, although he’d been Axel’s age when he met Big Joe. It was probably why Christopher didn’t think much of Axel’s behavior most of the time. No one had ever curtailed any of Christopher’s tendencies.
“Uncle Bash—”
Mattie and Harley’s arrival interrupted Axel. Rebel started to smile until Jana stood and rushed over.
“Hey, Jana.” Mattie hesitated, then glanced between Jana and Rebel before holding up her phone. “Uh, Harley and I were looking at some cute outfits and we wanted to see if Rebel got the links we sent since she hasn’t responded. Do you want to shop with us?”
Jana looked at Diesel, silently asking his permission. Forever a motherfucker, he ignored her.
Jana turned Rebel. “Can I?” she asked.
Christopher’s jaw almost fell to the fucking floor in shock.
What the fuck was wrong with Jana?
“I can’t tell you where you can and can’t go,” Rebel bit out, coming out of whatever stupor she’d been in. “This isn’t my house.”
“Bro,” Mattie said, elbowing Rebel and nodding to Jana, who looked on the verge of tears. “Be her, uh, sister.”
That wasn’t Rebel’s fucking job. It was up to Diesel to protect her, but that motherfucker didn’t give one fuck about her, so he didn’t care who she fucked or how she came across.
“Overlook whatever reason you’re angry with her,” Harley said.
Rebel glowered. “Maturity is too fucking much trouble.”
“It isn’t,” Mattie insisted. “It’s part of being a grown-up.”
“Being grown is even worse, Matt,” Grant said.
“Tell me about it,” Digger grumbled.
Mortician glared at his brother. “Fool, you not grown yet.”
“You a cold motherfucker, Mort,” Digger complained.
“You don’t have to be grown to be mature, Grant.” Rebel glared at Jana again. “Or loyal.”
“Adulting sucks,” Grant confirmed.
Knox sipped his glass of red wine and smiled at Grant. “Once you settle on the course of your life, you’ll be fine, son.”
“I know what course my life is taking, Dad,” Grant said.
“That’s good, little bruh,“ Digger said. “I didn’t find out until I was twice your age.”
CJ squinted. “But you aren’t forty-six yet.”
“That’s about right, kid,” Val said. “Motherfucker not grown yet.”
“How old Grant?” Digger asked, swiveling his neck from one way to the other. Without a motorized wheelchair, he still had very limited mobility.
“Grant’s turning twenty-three later this year.” The pride in Knox’s voice was hard to miss. He drained his glass and set it on the table next to him, then looked at his boy. “I suppose I still can’t convince you to join the board of Harrington Enterprises.”
“No, Dad,” Grant said with a shake of his head.
“We dying to know what you planning,” Digger pressed.
Grant pursed his lips.
“You’re going to be a lawyer like Diesel, right, Grant?” Axel asked with excitement.
Only because of Diesel. If Diesel didn’t enjoy being a lawyer, chances were Axel would hate it, too.
Rebel cocked her head to the side. “We hate the suspense, Grant.”
Harley and Mattie nodded.
“Tell us,” Mattie said. “Although I’m inclined to agree with Axel. You’ll be an attorney.”
Christopher envied the contentment in Knox’s eyes. He was a man who could look at his son and know the road his boy planned to travel. True, most of Christopher’s sons were underage, but from a young age Grant knew what he wanted to do and hadn’t once veered from that direction.
“Now, I’m really curious,” Mattie said.
“Yeah, your silence might mean you’ve changed your mind,” Rebel guessed.
“Fuck, now, I’m fucking curious,” Bash put in.
Christopher was, too. It was obvious Grant was thinking something completely different. The more motherfuckers focused on him, the antsier he became.
“Tell us, son,” Knox encouraged.
Rocking on his heels, Grant glanced at Mort, which wiped that motherfucker’s smile away.
Christopher lifted his brows.
“Uh, little dude, this not the time—”
Grant cleared his throat and interrupted Mort. “It’s something else, Mort. When CJ becomes Prez, I plan to use my trust fund to build and run a meth lab. I’m going to be a one man show and do everything from cooking to distribution.”
At first, Knox joined in the laughter. Mattie and Rebel giggled.
Harley smiled, too. Grant was being a funny motherfucker.
Unable to help himself, Christopher join the laughter floating around him.
Except Grant didn’t even crack a smile. He stared at Knox.
As it dawned on everybody, the chuckles stopped.
Knox stumbled toward Grant, struck fucking stupid, unable to say a word. He studied his kid. The motherfucker nodded.
Fucking nodded, like that was an acceptable response with the bombshell he’d just dropped.
“A meth lab…?” Knox cleared his throat and forced a smile. “I like…you’re hilarious, son. You’ve told your joke. Now, I want the truth.”
“Fuck,” CJ groaned.
That meant bad fucking news. That also meant CJ knew what Grant planned.
“Tell me the truth, Grant,” Knox ordered.
“That is the truth, Dad. I plan to cook meth.”
A noise escaped Knox and he staggered back, losing all his color. Christopher thought the motherfucker would faint.
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MOTHERFUCKING MIND?” Knox snarled.
A valid reaction. Grant had to have lost it, but he needed to find that motherfucker right the fuck now.
“I’m perfectly sane,” Grant responded.
“Says you,” Axel told him. “To everybody else, you sound like a stupid motherfucker.”
“Well, I’m not,” Grant declared. “I’m cooking meth to bring in money for CJ’s club.”
“Now say what now?” Rebel blurted, seeming to find her fucking voice.
Knox swiveled to Rebel, red-faced, trembling with rage. “Exactly, Rebel. Make it make sense. I will disown you before I release money to you for that reason.”
“Little dude, you don’t want to run a meth lab,” Mort said.
“Yeah, your money can be put to better use,” Cash said, another motherfucker who grew up in wealth.
“No,” Grant said stubbornly. “This will help CJ. Besides, we already talked about it.”
All eyes turned to CJ. “I thought he was joking, even if I don’t see a problem with it.”
“Except that motherfucker doesn’t know the first fucking thing about meth,” Rebel said.
Exactly. Christopher couldn’t have said it better himself. What the fuck was wrong with Grant and CJ? They couldn’t use the club to fucking experiment and hope for the fucking best.
“I can learn.”
“You can also blow the fuck up,” Rebel retorted.
“And go to jail for life,” Mattie added.
“That will not happen,” Grant insisted as Tabitha walked into the room, glared at Jana and sashayed to Diesel.
Christopher threw that stupid motherfucker a warning, so he wouldn’t fuck with her in front of Bash.
“It sure the fuck won’t,” Knox said flatly, unaware of the new drama. “You won’t get the money to build it.”
“That’s my dream!”
“To run a motherfucking meth lab?” Val sounded appalled. “You can do anything else with that fucking money.”
Bash dropped next to Christopher and leaned closer. “Who’s that?”
“A fucking idiot,” Axel said, still standing nearby.
“Why is everyone making a big deal out of this?” Grant cried.
“I accepted that you want to be a full-time biker,” Knox started. “I accepted you want to drop out of Harvard, despite the Harrington tradition. I accepted you won’t join the company. But I will be goddamned if I accept you running a meth lab. Cooking meth. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I’m with your daddy on this one, Grant,” Mortician said, which started a chorus of agreements, even from Bash and motherfucking Cleaner.
That spoke volumes to Grant’s fucked-up idea.
“You can’t do this, Grant,” Harley said. “This will break Lolly’s heart.”
If possible, Knox paled a little more.
“She lived her life the way she wanted,” Grant said with a shrug. “She can’t tell me what to do with mine.”
“I’m not putting up with your disrespect toward my wife,” Knox said.