Chapter Two. #2
“Now what, Gran? Can’t I eat in peace?” Gauntlet bit into the toast and rolled his eyes.
“What did you forget?”
“The damn napkins. Yeah. Gran, I’m taking them over after I’ve eaten, or is that a crime?” Gauntlet retorted, and I shoved a sausage into my mouth so I didn’t laugh out loud.
Aggie stared at me before turning to Gauntlet, who held a hand up. “No, Gran, I said I’d do it and I will, but let a man eat in peace!”
Aggie huffed and took Ramon off Amberlea.
“Go eat,” she ordered as a prospect fetched two highchairs.
There was no denying we were bikers, but a family club too.
Highchairs were stacked away in a closet, and a toy box stood in the corner.
Aggie placed Ramon in one while Faelea dropped Trick in the other, and they went to get their breakfast. Amberlea had brought the boys’ toast and sausage and was sitting down with her own when she looked up.
“Skank alert,” Amberlea hissed and chomped a piece of bacon. I bit back a grin at the dislike on her face. Amberlea was no longer locked up tight; she was very secure in being Gauntlet’s old lady and her place in the MC. The woman she was glaring at had somehow pissed her off.
“Good morning.” Scarlett smiled at us, and Amberlea offered a second scowl.
“It was until you walked in,” she snapped and sipped her coffee. A smile crossed Gauntlet’s lips at his wife acting up.
“Damn, you really don’t like her,” I muttered to Amberlea, who scowled.
“Fuck, no. She’s a whore,” she said loudly.
I choked on a laugh as Scarlett flounced past us.
She was Nightmare’s girlfriend and had her hooks firmly in him.
Everyone thought she was a bitch. Scarlett had flirted with me, Steel, and Glitch, and we’d all rejected her.
We’d told Nightmare, but he’d not been bothered.
“She’s a good lay, but not long-term,” he’d replied. At least he knew what she was.
Scarlett went to sit with us, but Amberlea’s icy stare made her pick another table. Amused, I leaned over and kissed her head as Gauntlet growled and flung a knife at me.
“Hands off my woman,” he snarled. Trick copied the sound, and Gauntlet looked delighted. “Make it deeper, son, like this,” Gauntlet repeated the noise, and Trick matched him.
“Wonderful, both of them will grunt like pigs for the foreseeable future,” Amberlea said and picked up a sausage, biting into it.
“Growl at me and I’ll wash your mouths out,” Aggie warned.
The door opened again, and I craned my neck to see who it was.
Savage and Grace entered with Savage’s Uncle Earle following.
Harper, now ten, and Isla, nine, scurried behind him, swinging their hands with his.
Earle looked happy enough. Savage was glowering at his six-month-old twins who’d clearly done something.
“Little assholes,” Savage declared, sitting down. The twins’ eyes sparkled. Grace snorted as she placed two-year-old Jesse down and headed for more highchairs.
“What did they do?” Gauntlet asked.
“Smeared shit all over their cribs. Ain’t fuckin’ cleaning that up. I’ve ordered new ones,” Savage said, disgusted.
I tried not to laugh at our enforcer, but it was hard not to. “Earle happy?” I inquired, changing the subject.
“Yeah, he’s settled in. Uncle Earle loves the house.
” Earle and Aggie had come with us. Their houses had been the first built on Calamity’s orders.
So far, Calamity, Uncle Earl, Aggie, Ghost, Savage, and Gauntlet had fully finished homes.
Mine, Texas’s, and Klutz’s were stagnating, and everyone else was on hold.
We’d had enough of waiting and were now planning to handle matters ourselves.
“Are you all ready for the fair?” Earle asked, sitting down. Gauntlet offered a dark look, and Earle grinned. “Kid, I’m going to kick ass at the coconut stall. I’ve got some womenfolk who need a huge stuffed toy.”
Isla and Harper both squealed, and Gauntlet smiled indulgently.
“Don’t do that! Spawn of Satan!” Savage cried and tried yanking a knife away. Corey, the eldest twin, held his father’s gaze and offered a one-tooth grin. Cole babbled something, and Corey let go, but seconds later both bowls fell on the floor.
“Toast it is,” Savage snapped.
“Did you check the back of their heads for three sixes?” Faelea asked. The poor kid had a horror of the twins after babysitting them once. Faelea refused to do it again, no matter how much Savage offered to pay her. She’d even threatened to make Savage fund her therapy. Gauntlet hadn’t been amused.
“They’re there, but invisible,” Savage quipped, and cocked his head at Grace. She was gazing at Amberlea, who was staring at the twins.
“That fits, Satan’s Spawn,” Amberlea breathed, her mind playing catch-up.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to give Savage credit for it,” Grace replied.
“Satan’s Spawn has a ring to it,” Amberlea murmured.
“Better than Diabolical Terrors. That didn’t sound right,” Rosie said, taking a seat with Penny, who nodded.
“Looks like we finally have a name for the kids.” I smirked. Rage called theirs Hellions, Hellfire, the Holy Terrors, and now we had Satan’s Spawn. Anyone would think we were abusing them.
Grace grinned as she cupped her coffee and watched Savage wrestle Cole for a fork, which he promptly jabbed into his father.
Savage scowled and rubbed his hand, and snatched the makeshift weapon, making Cole screech. Grace serenely carried on drinking, and I strangled a laugh. Damn, these kids were as mental as their fathers!
Alert for the Notorious Princes, I kept a sharp eye out as we entered the fair.
It had been twenty-four hours since I cut the colours off the Notorious Princes, and I expected repercussions.
Cates had sent me a message saying she’d charged them all; however, they’d been too late to make bail last night, and the courthouse was closed today, being a Saturday. All three assholes were in jail.
Retaliation would follow, I’d no doubt, and I wondered if I’d caused a war. But Calamity was right. We had to protect our land and territory or lose it.
“Uncle Falcon!” I looked up to see twelve-year-old Daisy deftly avoiding Texas and racing over to me.
“Hey kiddo.” I grinned, ruffling her hair.
“Dad said I can’t have a caramel apple,” Daisy complained. I checked my phone; it was ten a.m. A smirk crossed my face.
“Your dad’s an asshole,” I stated, and Texas scowled. “Come with me.”
Rosie threw a triumphant glance over her shoulder as we headed to a food truck. I bought her the largest one there to piss Texas off and sent her back to him.
I could see the other families dotted around. Hunter and Mina were with Nightmare and Anchor, Mina wearing a baseball cap and glasses. She was laughing as the three idiots flexed their muscles and hit the high striker base. None had rung the bell, which tickled me.
To the left, I saw Harley and Oakley with Glitch and Priest. Surrounding us, the townies enjoyed themselves, and I noted a lot of out-of-towners. In the year we’d been here, we’d met most of the town at meetings or in shops and restaurants. We didn’t know everyone, but we knew enough.
“Falcon,” a stall vendor smiled at me. I almost fled. She was one of those who chased after single brothers. Despite the old ladies all having their own businesses, women like her saw us having a comfortable life and wanted it too. We worked damn hard for what we had.
“Yo,” I replied and kept wandering. She held her bright grin until I passed.
Jesus, could she be any more obvious? I greeted a few more people as I wandered and picked up some magnolia candles and stuff for Nova.
She loved that shit. I bought some other gifts after checking my phone to see who had birthdays this month.
Rosie organised a calendar with important dates. She kept it updated with each new birth. It ensured we didn’t miss anybody out. I grabbed Grace’s car keys to store my haul and spotted a crowd in the parking lot—right where our Harleys were parked.
I shoved my way through and gritted my teeth. “Did anyone see what happened?” I asked, staring at our knocked-over bikes.
“No, man, sorry. We just arrived and saw this,” a guy replied.
I yanked my cell out and phoned Liam and Mark. Wayne and Chris had stayed behind to protect the Peninsula.
“Get your asses over to the car lot,” I ordered Liam. “Bring Mark.”
“Can we help you stand them back up?” the same guy inquired.
“Nah, it’s cool. Thanks for the offer.” The crowd started dispersing with some wary looks thrown at me.
“Shit!” Mark exclaimed, jogging up.
“They damaged?” Liam asked with a scowl.
“Let’s pick them up and check,” I replied. The ones at the bottom of the pile would have taken the worst. Mine and Calamity’s with Ice and Savage next to them. We hauled the bikes up, and I winced at the damage done to our four. The paint jobs had scratches, and there were dents in their bodywork.
“Damn, Veep, I’m sorry…” Mark groaned when he saw mine.
I nodded. I could rule out the Notorious Princes. This was beneath them. They approached us directly. No, this was one of the mystery assholes.
“Don’t tell anyone until we leave. Let them have fun for the day. And you’re guarding our rides,” I ordered. Mark and Liam both agreed.
“Person wants a kicking for disrespecting a man’s ride,” Mark growled out.
“You’re preaching to the choir,” I told him and headed back. I could keep this hidden from my brothers, but Calamity needed to know.