Chapter 14b Kendall #3
Her eyes widened. “You keep talking about his death. As if you want him dead.”
“Better him than Christopher.”
“Cash is the father of two of my children, whom I love dearly.”
“Christopher is my husband and the father of my children,” Meggie replied. “I love him dearly. I don’t appreciate anyone risking his life. Not only his, but all of my sons except Gunner.”
“What are you talking about, Meggie? You’re giving me a headache.”
“Then you’re behind. You’ve given me one.”
Ophelia glared at her. “You just said you can divorce Christopher and don’t lose sleep over it.”
“That isn’t what I said but think what you want. I’m done with this conversation.”
“It’s good that you’ve left Outlaw, Meggie,” Gypsy said, emptying the last of the salad onto her plate.
Axel peeped his head in. “Is it safe, Mom?”
Meggie smiled. “Yes, sweetheart. Thank you for being so astute.”
Axel’s blank look told her he didn’t know the meaning of the word. She’d explain later, and smiled as he guided Winnie back in, then came to Meggie. “Told you she should’ve been with the other little kids.”
“I understand,” she told him.
He nodded, reminding her so much of Christopher she almost burst into tears.
“I deflected for a long time too,” Gypsy said, determined to carry on the conversation where she left off. “You can finally put him into perspective like I always do with Derby.”
“Christopher does not cheat,” Meggie gritted, appalled that Gypsy compared her husband to Meggie’s.
“Yeah, I forgot, hitting is a hard no for you, too,” Gypsy said. “I understand, but sometimes you have to overlook that shit. We work on a man’s nerves and leave them no choice but to smack us so we’d back off.”
“I have no fucking words,” Zoann hissed. “That is the most fucked-up view I’ve ever heard. You can’t rationalize a motherfucker laying hands on you.”
“Even Cash wouldn’t hit me.”
“Jesus Christ, Fee, shut the fuck up,” Zoann ordered. “That’s quite a low fucking bar.”
“I have a brilliant idea,” Kendall inserted. “Why don’t we stop talking about our marriages. We need to do an intervention for someone near and dear.”
Meggie straightened. Kendall’s words captured her full attention, although she hoped it was a ploy to change the conversation and lighten the mood.
Clearing her throat, Kendall glanced at Harley. “It’s Mortician.”
“What’s wrong with Daddy?”
“Nothing yet, but Symphony is definitely trying to change that,” Kendall replied.
“That waitress at the burger place?” Bunny asked.
“You told me she was flirting with him and he needed a pep talk,” Roxy said. “Is it more than that?”
“There was a lot going on that night,” Kendall admitted. “But Symphony wants Mortician. She sees that he’s vulnerable. I don’t think he’s confided in her about his marital problems—”
“He doesn’t have to,” Gypsy cut in. “A woman always knows.”
“I’m afraid…” Kendall halted and looked at Harley again. “Sweetheart, if this is too much for you, why don’t you leave the table for five minutes. I don’t…your daddy loves you so much. He’s just hurting and sometimes a woman takes advantage of that.”
Mattie got to her feet. “Come on, Harls. I’m a little overheated. Why don’t we take a walk? You want to come too, Reb?”
“I sure don’t,” Rebel replied.
“You sure do,” Meggie said.
“Do I have to, Momma?”
“Yes. We won’t be long,” Meggie promised. “Axel, Winnie, go with the girls.”
Harley started out, then halted. “I don’t blame Daddy, Aunt Kendall. I blame her. Symphony. I told him she was flirting with him and he brushed me off.”
“Don’t worry, sugar,” Roxy said with a smile. “We got this. Fucking with Mortician fucks with Bailey. I’m riding up on that bitch first thing Monday morning.”
“But I won’t be back in town,” Meggie said.
“We’ll handle her,” Zoann promised. “But we’ll leave something left for you.”
“Then it’s settled,” Kendall announced. “We ride out for noon?”
“Can it be in the evening time?” Bunny asked.
“You can’t come, honey,” Kendall said, indicating the kids return to their seats, which they did, trooping back to their chairs without a word. “We need fighters to beat that bitch into the ground. You’re too sweet for that.”
Meggie agreed. For as long as she’d known Bunny, she couldn’t remember one fight she’d got into.
“How old is this Symphony?” Gypsy asked. “Cool name by the way.”
“Symphony’s twenty,” Kendall answered.
“You all need to cut the guys some slack,” Gypsy advised. “It’s shitty that they’re led by their cocks, but it isn’t the worst thing.”
Bunny frowned. “Aren’t you always fucking crying over Derby’s roaming dick?”
“I could handle occasional dick sucks. Even some outside pussy every now and then, but Derby does it all the fucking time. It was a daily occurrence. It just wore me down.”
“We see that,” Kendall said viciously.
Gypsy ignored her. “I have a plan to get, and keep, Derby’s attention for a long time. He’ll never want another woman again.”
“I’ll pay you if you spare us your delusional details,” Kendall said. “Because I can guarantee that motherfucker will never change.”
“I have to at least try,” Gypsy insisted. “Me teaching those young boys to fuck doesn’t even faze Derby any longer.”
Meggie glared at her. That was still a sore spot between them.
“Fuck, how young?” Bunny asked.
Gypsy cackled. “Nothing to worry about, Bunny.”
“It should go without saying that you stay away from Ryan,” Zoann started, her tight smile not reaching her eyes. “Just in case you’re touched in the fucking head and don’t like living anymore, let me remind you. Stay the fuck away from my son.”
“It’s his cock, Zoann,” Gypsy said with another laugh. “You can’t dictate where he puts it.”
“So true,” Zoann conceded testily. “But I can tell Val how unhappy I am that you, a woman who has known Ryan all his life, has made me.”
“Your son’s safe,” Gypsy said. “Meggie made it quite clear the Dwellers sons of the officers were off-limits.”
“What fucking reason did that conversation even come up?” Kendall asked.
“Diesel,” Meggie mouthed, hoping Kendall could read lips. “It doesn’t matter why we discussed it,” she said to the room at large. “Just that it happened, and she promised she understood my position.”
Rebel’s fragile state of mind concerned Meggie, and she didn’t want Gypsy blurting her and Diesel’s affair and hurting Rebel even more.
She had to accept the fact that Diesel couldn’t be hers.
He’d decided to move on with another girl.
Even if Meggie wished he’d waited until his divorce was final, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to face the possibility of an entanglement between Diesel and Rebel.
But Rebel wasn’t in a place where it wouldn’t devastate her to find out about yet another woman that Diesel slept with.
“I’m starving,” Axel declared, inadvertently cutting the conversation short. “Can someone please feed me?”
“So if any of you ladies have something I can do to earn extra money, let me know.”
Since Gypsy began listing her woes that all centered around Derby, Kendall had been tuning in and out. Catching the tail end of the woman’s latest complaint made Kendall pour another glass of wine and stare at her barely touched entree.
“You want a total makeover because of Derby?” Ophelia squeaked. “May I ask how much you have saved?”
“A surgical makeover,” Gypsy said.
Kendall drained her glass and reached for the wine again, but Roxy scowled and snatched the bottle away before Kendall poured more.
Huffing, Kendall folded her arms and leaned back.
“That’s a lot of time, pain, and expense, Gypsy,” Meggie said, her tone unreadable, sitting to Roxy’s right, while Kendall sat to her left. “Will Derby even appreciate it?”
“He loves younger women. If my body can compete, he’ll remember what attracted him to me. Same with my face. I was the beauty of the Burning Hounds.”
Kendall snorted.
“Stand down, baby,” Roxy warned on a whisper. “Dinner’s almost over.”
Gypsy’s lips trembled.
“You are reading too much into Aunt Kendall’s words,” Rebel declared.
“Be nice, Mama,” Mattie said quietly.
“What do you think Aunt Kendall meant, Reb?” Harley asked hesitantly, another attempt to have Rebel acknowledge her.
And another attempt failed.
“Why scold your mom, Mattie?” Rebel said as if Harley hadn’t spoken. “Why not ask Aunt Gypsy if she was the celebrated beauty why did she allow Derby to disrespect her?”
“Because love is a complicated emotion, Rebel,” Meggie said flatly. She leaned forward and met Gypsy’s gaze. “Do you have an estimate for the surgery?”
“I’ve had consultations in Portland and Seattle.
With the tech billionaires in Seattle, it’s more expensive, but also more prestigious.
I checked the cost of an apartment and for skilled assistance for the first week, way out of my price range.
But I’ll be fifty-five in two and a half months.
I have eight thousand dollars for the vaginal rejuvenation. ”
Every eye turned to Gypsy.
“Vag-i-nal,” Axel pronounced, old enough to sit at the table with them even though he protested vigorously at having Winnie next to him. He thought the little girl should be in the nursery with Ella, Blade, and Gunner. “V-a-g-i-n-a-l. V-a-g-i-n-a.” He gasped. “Vaginal has vagina in it.”
“A vagina is a hoo-ha,” Winnie blared, then grinned at Ophelia. “Right, Momma?”
“What’s a rejuvenation, Mom?” Axel asked, ignoring Ophelia’s flaming face.
“A type of makeover,” Meggie answered calmly.
“Are you sure you want to do that, Gypsy?” Bunny asked, inserting the question before Axel regrouped.
“Of course!” Gypsy cried. “Derby’s mine. I’m tired of the back and forth. To fight equally, I have to have a level playing field. My pussy was once prized. It made Derby a lot of money. Johnnie and Mortician loved fucking me.”
“Gross,” Mattie complained.
“Ew,” Harley said, recoiling.
Zoann settled an arm around her shoulder and the girl leaned into her.
Gypsy met Kendall’s gaze and looked at her through her lashes. “I’m not trying to cause a rift.”
“Then what the fuck are you trying to do?” Roxy demanded.
“You sure the fuck trying to cause something with your fucking bullshit. You want that motherfucker? Good for you. We all know he won’t keep his dick in his pants even if you turned into Aphrodite.
You’re here because we thought you needed a break, so don’t try to bring these girls to your level of fucking misery. ”
“I’m sorry,” Gypsy said, not fucking sorry at all.
“Before this gets any more out of hand, how about this?” Meggie intervened tightly. “When I get back, you and I meet and go over what you need? It’ll be my birthday present to you. All expenses paid.”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“As far as I heard, you didn’t ask her,” Zoann snapped, “so get the fuck off your pity train and take the fucking gift.”
“What did I do to you, Zoann?” Gypsy demanded.
“Not a fucking thing. You see Kendall’s in a bad place right now and you’re bringing up what you did with Johnnie.
If you mention Val, I will fucking punch you in your fucking mouth.
Not because I don’t know he fucked you. Old news.
It’s because you’re here being a messy, miserable bitch and I don’t have fucking time for that.
So take the fucking money and shut the fuck up. ”
“But it’s in the past,” Gypsy said. “I wasn’t trying to make anyone feel bad or jealous. I’m so focused on my own misery–”
“Unfocus,” Zoann retorted. “You don’t have to put up with that motherfucker.
Derby was lucky to have you then and he’s lucky to have you now.
If you can’t see that, then nothing we say will help.
You can spend a million dollars turning yourself into Aphrodite–” she nodded to Roxy– “or Barbie, if you don’t change your mindset, it won’t fucking help. ”
“You’re right,” Gypsy said morosely, bringing the fucking mood further down. “Maybe, I need to fuck Diesel again.”
In the scheme of things, the announcement was innocuous, consenting adults taking pleasure in each other.
Aside from the fact that Diesel fucked anything and Gypsy was just fucking desperate, it shouldn’t have been a big deal.
Yet, Rebel’s crush on Diesel was well-known, rumored about in the club and analyzed among friends and family.
Rebel paled and jumped to her feet, ignoring her napkin as it fell from her lap. “What?” she cried, tears pooling in her eyes.
“Reb–”
“No, Momma,” Rebel said around a sob, tripping away.
Meggie stood.
“I’ll talk to her, Aunt Meggie,” Mattie said, glaring at Gypsy and hurrying behind Rebel.
“Meggie, I’m sorry,” Gypsy started around a gulp. “I didn’t mean–”
“Pack you things,” Meggie said coldly. “I want you gone in the next hour,” she declared and stormed away.
Gypsy burst into tears. “I didn’t mean it!”
“Shut the fuck up and get the fuck out,” Roxy said with annoyance, pouring the last of the wine into her glass.
“But–”
“As soon as we get home, I’m telling Diesel that you upset Reb,” Axel declared. “He might not be as mad if I can tell him you left like Mom ordered.” He got out of his seat and stomped away.