Diesel
CJ wasn’t sure what possessed him to not only accept Ember’s invitation but ask for an earlier day.
Certainly, that fucked up Logan video played a big part in his need to escape.
But so did returning to the hospital and seeing Mom’s disappointment because of Dad’s absence.
Fucked up shit, probably completely off the goddamn mark, must’ve been going through Dad’s head.
Maybe he was a bad son for not confronting Dad, yet he couldn’t handle one more emotional upheaval without losing his fucking mind.
Rory was still after CJ to beat him up because he wouldn’t fucking survive a month away from the club. Harley had begun texting again. And Uncle Johnnie was still a motherfucker. So, yeah, he thought hanging out with Ember would be a much needed break.
They trekked down the pathway toward the bungalow in silence, allowing Ryder and Ransom’s voices to reach CJ from a distance. Axel was easy to hear, thanks to the megaphone.
Goddamn. Someone really needed to monitor Axel’s online purchases.
“Free Aunt Fee! Free Aunt Fee!” Ryder and Ransom yelled.
“Come out and face your execution like a man, Cash McCall,” Axel demanded. “We’ve already had a trial. You’re guilty of mean motherfuckery and being a bad boyfriend.”
“Jesus Christ.” Walking so sedately wasn’t an option, so CJ took off running, reaching his brothers just as Uncle Cash stormed from the house with Aunt Ophelia and Uncle Stretch trying to restrain him.
“Click up, men,” Axel ordered, and the three little wretches formed a line. Once Axel set the megaphone on the ground, they linked arms.
“Stop it, Cash!” Aunt Ophelia blocked him with her body, while Uncle Stretch wrapped his arms around Uncle Cash to hold him in place. “They’re just little boys.”
“Fuck off, Ophelia!” Uncle Cash yelled. “Look at the motherfucking house. Little boys did that?”
CJ dragged his attention away from his aunt and uncles to focus on the house and gaped at the spray-painted words.
Men cook too
Real daddies are men
Undoubtedly, that was Axel. He always fucked up sayings.
Free Uncle Stretch
Aunt Fee is a hostage
“Did you three do this?” Diesel asked, finally reaching them and neglecting to ask the bigger question: Where the fuck was Uncle Cash, Uncle Stretch, and Aunt Ophelia when the Triplets were fucking up their house?
Axel glared at all of them, then looked at Aunt Ophelia. “Get Winnie, Aunt Fee. We got space at home for you. We like girls.”
“Axel, enough,” Uncle Stretch gritted. “We got your point. Go home, so—”
“So, nothing!” Uncle Cash struggled against Uncle Stretch and shoved Aunt Ophelia out of the way so forcefully that she lost her balance.
Everyone gasped except Uncle Cash.
“Motherfucker!” Axel cried.
CJ grabbed a handful of his shirt and pants and snatched him back.
Uncle Stretch positioned himself in front of Aunt Fee, and punched Uncle Cash’s jaw, defending his woman against their asshole of a man. The blow wasn’t hard enough to break bone, but it did make Uncle Cash grunt. Meanwhile, Diesel rushed forward to help Aunt Ophelia to her feet.
“Enough, asshole!” Uncle Stretch said to his husband, ready to deliver another blow. “Enough. No wonder Axel wants to take Fee if this is how you acted when they visited. And let me tell you, motherfucker, if you ever lay your hands on Fee again, I’m laying your ass out.”
“Fuck you,” Uncle Cash snapped, and for a moment, CJ wondered if he’d hit Uncle Stretch and cause a brawl. “I won’t have a child disrespect me. Especially my nephews.”
“Yeah, never mind you disrespecting our dad,” Ryder said with sarcasm. “Voting with that motherfucker again and leaving Dad on his own. We were your nephews then, too, fuckhead.”
“Ax wants to save Winnie and Aunt Fee.” Ransom narrowed his eyes and added darkly, “we want to set you on fire on behalf of Dad.”
Fuck! This was spiraling so far out of control, CJ wasn’t sure what to do.
“You don’t get to speak to me about club business, you little assholes,” Uncle Cash said.
“Even if they’re right?” Diesel demanded. “And by the way, if I find out you put hands on Fee again, you won’t have to worry about Stretch beating your ass, because I’m telling Uncle Chris, and we’ll scoop your ass up.”
The anguish on Aunt Fee’s face was reflected on Uncle Stretch’s. A flicker of fear passed over Uncle Cash, but it was brief. Within moments, he returned to supreme assholery.
“Shut the fuck up, Diesel. Tell your brothers don’t fucking interfere in my family. Ophelia is my fucking woman—”
“Barely,” Axel yelled, still dangling in CJ’s grasp, but wiggling like a fucking worm.
“Mom and Dad got rings on their fingers, so does all my other aunts and uncles. Only you and Uncle Stretch got rings, so Aunt Fee is my aunt, not your woman cuz if you really valued her, you would’ve got a ring for her, and you wouldn’t send her to a kitchen when you got fucking hands to cook.
C. knows how to cook, and he does it for Mom sometimes.
Ryder, Ransom, and me are kidnapping Dad and making that motherfucker learn kitchen duties, too.
Cuz not only are you a ratfink friend to Dad, you’re a miserable motherfucker to Aunt Fee, so shut up. ”
Well.
“You’re too young to understand the relationship I have with your Aunt Ophelia,” Uncle Cash bit out with a little less steam. “I don’t answer to children.”
“Apparently, you don’t answer to nobody,” Axel said sullenly.
“We aren’t stupid, Uncle Cash,” Ransom said with disapproval. “We know you and Uncle Stretch are married and Aunt Fee is your baby mamas. Ax is right. She don’t have a ring and Aunt Fee is sweet and kind. If no one else will defend her, we will.”
“Defend her from what?” Aunt Zoann asked as she walked up with Uncle Val. “What’s going on here?”
“Finally, some fucking justice!” Uncle Cash escaped Uncle Stretch and gestured toward the vandalized house. “They’ve been tormenting me for a fucking hour.”
Uncle Val whistled. “You boys did this?”
“Put me down, C.,” Axel ordered, and marched to Uncle Val the moment his feet touched the ground. “We did,” he said, and explained why, omitting Uncle Cash’s shoving Aunt Ophelia.
Never mind if Dad ever found out, Aunt Zoann would’ve beaten Uncle Cash’s ass.
“We’ve vetted the brothers, Aunt Fee,” Axel said into the silence. “We have a wonderful man for you. He’s loyal to Dad and everything.”
“Axel, as your attorney, I’m telling you to be quiet,” Diesel ordered.
What alternate reality was CJ living in? His big brother was representing their younger brother because of what again?
“And as your client, I’m telling you to shut up,” Axel retorted. “I pay you a lot of money to get me out of trouble, not stop me from getting into trouble.”
“You pay me five fucking dollars a month. I can’t even buy a meal with that,” Diesel argued. “And repeat what you said in your head. Remember, you wouldn’t need to pay me if you didn’t get into trouble.”
“Exactly, Diesel,” Axel countered. “I’d keep my hard-earned money. Since we both know I will run foul of Dad again, I need your services.”
“Afoul, and—”
“Okay, enough!” Aunt Zoann ordered. “This is going nowhere.”
“Boys, you want to come and help me with Hogzilla?” Uncle Val asked, not in the least fazed.
“Wait a minute!” Uncle Cash cried. “They don’t get off so easily. They disrespected me and fucked up my house. You’ve definitely run afoul of Outlaw, buster.”
CJ bet Dad wouldn’t give a fuck but he kept that to himself.
“I’ll tap some brothers to cover up the spray paint,” Diesel promised.
“That isn’t good enough,” Uncle Cash said.
“It has to be,” Diesel said in a steely tone and indicated the graffiti. “Considering I’d just as soon gut you for your desertion–”
“You’re a club member. They are children–”
“Yeah, Outlaw’s children,” Ryder snorted. “And, motherfucker, you fuck over him, you fuck over us.”
Uncle Cash ignored Ryder. “I want them punished, Diesel. Somebody call Outlaw now. If he’s busy, I’ll beat them.”
“Yeah, no, Uncle Cash.” Maybe CJ would cancel with Ember, go to his room instead of the hospital, and hide from the world. “You’re not beating my little brothers.”
“Beat me, motherfucker,” Axel ordered. “Then Dad’ll kill you and save me the trouble.”
“Axel, shut up,” CJ commanded, not taking his gaze from Uncle Cash. “I know you’re upset but you can’t hit my brothers. It’ll be Dad’s decision how to proceed when we tell him.”
“I demand justice now!”
“Cash, quit while you’re ahead,” Uncle Stretch advised. “It’s over.”
Aunt Ophelia smiled at Axel. “I appreciate your defense of me, but I promise I’m very happy, bud. I love Cash and Stretch.”
“He doesn’t understand that, Ophelia,” Cash barked.
“I do, too,” Axel said with indignation. “It’s a threeple.”
“Throuple,” Ryder said around a cough.
“Three people,” Axel replied. “Threeple.”
“Do you see why I don’t want my innocent son around you?” Uncle Cash snarled.
“That should’ve been your innocent daughter,” Ransom said with disapproval. “Tar’s got a cock. He needs to know this shit.”
“Yeah, Winnie’s a girl. We got to protect her like we do the Blonde Viper, Mattie, and sometimes, Harley,” Axel said.
“You don’t understand,” Uncle Cash repeated. “My son will carry on the McCall name. Winnie will grow up, marry, and take someone else’s name.”
“You’re such an asshole,” Uncle Stretch said. “Winona is still our daughter.”
“See?” Uncle Cash addressed them. “Winnie has a father. She doesn’t need me to hover, too.”
Aunt Ophelia lifted her chin and pasted a smile on her face but hurt flickered in her eyes. At some point, Uncle Cash forgot he had a family and only remembered his son.
“It isn’t my fault you don’t want to protect the King name,” Uncle Cash snapped. “Instead of demanding peace to protect the boys, you stay aligned with Outlaw.”
“Dad’s old,” Axel said with resentment, “so he’s protected you for a loooonnnngggg time, Uncle Cash, and you never became his enemy before.”