Chapter Thirty-Six – Meggie
After Meggie cowgirled her husband, they talked a little more and then he made slow, tender love to her.
Since she was bringing some of the kids to school that morning, she joined Christopher in the shower because she’d been sex-deprived and starving for her husband’s lovemaking.
He hadn’t complained. He never complained and always washed her and her hair when she didn’t pin it up if she was short on time.
As she was that morning. Going into the kitchen and finding Bishop had breakfast almost prepared overjoyed Meggie.
It was one less thing for her to stress about.
They worked side by side to finish. It didn’t surprise her when Axel walked in and offered his assistance.
Once she told him she and Bishop needed help carrying the food, juices, dishes, utensils, and glassware to the breakfast room, he called in Ryder, Ransom, and Kaia.
Just as they finished and Meggie directed the five of them to seats, Christopher, CJ, and Rebel walked in.
Well, Rebel limped, but she still made it down.
Diesel came to the table midway through breakfast, hurried through his food and then excused himself.
Now, the morning chaos was over and she sat in the kitchen after finishing a cup of chamomile tea.
She had a full day ahead of her. She wanted to visit Cash and Digger.
Smack Diesel for setting CJ up. And talk to Mortician.
Last night, he’d kept his distance and his mind seemed as if it was going a million miles a minute.
Although she suspected it had something to do with Bailey, she wanted to make sure.
At this point, nothing would surprise her.
She wanted to meet Jana. Other than the conversation on the phone, Meggie still hadn’t met her face-to-face. Christopher told her about the confrontation with Johnnie. He suspected Diesel was keeping Jana away from Johnnie.
Meggie wanted Christopher to tell Kendall, but he told her his game plan, swearing he didn’t think Kendall could handle the shock of seeing Jana before she talked to Bash.
Meggie wasn’t so sure about that. But then Christopher told her about the DNA test, the most irrefutable proof of all.
If the test proved Johnnie was the father, Kendall would’ve had time to prepare herself.
Unless Bash said that Johnnie wasn’t the father and the DNA indicated otherwise. It was all such a mess. Meggie wanted Roxy’s take on it. She didn’t want Kendall to have a setback but she also didn’t want to lie to her or hide anything from her.
She also needed to meet with Kaia and Bishop. She’d installed them in their new positions and just kind of left them on their own.
And she needed to continue working to get Christopher back.
Or Outlaw. Or both. He’d reverted to the man he’d been in the early years of their marriage, where he didn’t even want men in their family to look at her or touch her.
The man who only wouldn’t kill women and children.
Men, no matter his relationship to them, were always at risk.
She had to remind him that he could not kill members of their family and especially her sons. If she hadn’t intervened, he would’ve shot Diesel for his foolishness.
He offered to spend the day with her. As much as Meggie had missed her husband, she’d sent him to the club. He needed to get control of everything again and he wouldn’t do that if she monopolized all his time.
However, one call put all her plans on hold. She’d just gotten back home from dropping the boys off at school and picking up schoolwork for Rebel, when Celia Caldwell called her and invited her to her house.
Interesting, because she wanted to talk to the woman herself. Christopher still wasn’t Outlaw, which meant Outlaw wasn’t yet Outlawing as only he could.
Yesterday had been a good start, but sharks still circled. Meggie thought Christopher was still too vulnerable to discern whether his “big sister”, as he called her, came in good faith to really broker peace, or if she was somehow fishing for information for nefarious purposes.
On the other hand, she knew Patricia had killed one of Celia’s children to get back at Cee Cee. The real letters that Kendall had were traumatizing bits of family history that Meggie wished she’d never read.
Since she had no intention of bringing that secret to light, Meggie accepted Celia’s invitation and drummed her fingers on the counter the moment she hung up, unsure how Christopher would react.
She didn’t want to walk into a trap. However, Christopher needed to focus on his club.
Meggie needed to force the separation of club and family life as she had before Jo was born.
Diesel opened the door that led to the hallway and stuck his head in. “I’m on my way to the office, Aunt Meggie.”
She crooked her finger at him.
“I have to—”
“Now, Diesel.”
Huffing, he stomped forward and stopped an inch from her. Perfect.
“What?” he grouched.
She lifted herself on the stool’s footrail and slapped Diesel across the cheek as hard as she could.
“Ow!” He grabbed his reddened cheek. “What the fuck was that for?”
“You’re an idiot,” she snapped. “You lost your mind. Thumper could’ve really hurt CJ.”
“I wouldn’t have allowed that.”
“You shouldn’t have allowed any of it.”
“I’m sorry.”
She waved an impatient hand. “Where’s Jana?”
“At the treehouse.”
“Am I ever going to meet her?”
Diesel hesitated.
“I already know her connection to Johnnie.”
“I was thinking to keep her out of the way until after Kendall met with Bash.”
Meggie drew in a deep breath. Kendall needed to know. She glanced at her watch and shelved that problem until later. “Do you have anything important happening at the office?”
“A case to prepare for.”
“Is it urgent?”
“Do you need me for something, Aunt Meggie?”
“Celia Caldwell invited me over for lunch,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m being set up.”
“What do you need from me?”
“I need you in your cut, armed, and ready to kill.”
Meggie expected honesty from Christopher.
Quid pro quo.
She had to give honesty in return.
While she changed into her ‘Property of Outlaw’ cut, leather pants, and leather boots, she called Christopher and brought him up to speed.
“You gonna like Celia, baby,” Christopher said in another sign he still wasn’t where he needed to be. “Don’t just take Diesel. Bring two or three motherfuckers. Celia cool, but you can’t be too fuckin’ safe.”
“I’ll call you when I’m on the way home,” she responded. “I love you.”
“I love the fuck outta you, baby.”
Once she disconnected, she put her hair in a ponytail, opted for no makeup, and then left her freshly painted bedroom. The colors didn’t match, but another redecoration was coming up in a few months, so that would be taken care of.
Downstairs, she found Diesel, Narci, Torrin, Huck, and Pike waiting for her. “All of you?”
“We aren’t all going inside, Aunt Meggie. Narci will wait in front of the house. Torrin will canvass the neighborhood and Huck and Pike will stake out the main road.”
“What’s the address again, Meggie?” Narci asked politely, barely able to look at her.
“Uh…” She pulled out her phone and opened the text message Celia had sent. The address looked so familiar. She gasped.
“Something the matter, Meggie?” Torrin asked, alarm crossing his face.
“I think I know this address.” It couldn’t be.
But it was.
When Diesel turned his Mercedes behind a Ford Explorer, Meggie got out of the car before he cut the engine. It was the very same house Big Joe stored drugs and money. The house where K-P and Kendall’s sister had died.
The house tainted by Logan Donovan.
Diesel stepped beside her. “Are you okay, Aunt Meggie?”
“This isn’t a good house,” she said, and hurriedly explained why.
“Is there a problem?” Narci called from the street as Celia opened the door.
“Come in,” she called, waving Meggie forward.
“Get the flowers and wine, Diesel,” Meggie said, waiting until he handed her Celia’s gifts before she forced herself to move a muscle.
“Are those for me?” Celia asked once she led Meggie to her kitchen.
Meggie looked everywhere, surprised at the light gray walls and white trimming, instead of the overwhelming gloomy darkness that once dominated the place. Two big windows were on each side of a farmhouse sink, allowing sunlight to flood in.
“Are they?” Celia pointed to the flowers and red wine. “For me?”
“Yep.” Wrestling her shock under control, Meggie handed the woman her gifts. She was tall, beautiful, and almost a spitting image of her husband. “Christopher didn’t lie. You look a lot like him.”
“And Bash,” Celia confirmed, and smiled at Diesel. “Hello, Diesel.”
“Celia,” Diesel said with a nod.
“I thought you’d come alone, Meggie. I told you Bash isn’t in town.”
“You did,” Meggie agreed, “but I can’t be too careful.”
“You’re right.” She jutted her chin toward the table. “Sit. I thought we could talk for a bit before I served our sandwiches.”
“That would be nice,” Meggie said, sitting in one of the chairs as Diesel did the same. A moment of awkward silence followed, so she cleared her throat. “You have a very nice kitchen.”
Celia smiled, then walked to a cabinet and pulled out a vase. “I think so. I’ve never had a double-sided refrigerator.”
“The first time I used the ice dispenser on one, I thought it was the coolest thing.” Meggie grinned. “And then to have the water right there? I was in heaven.”
Once Celia filled the vase with water, she sat the bouquet in the center of the table next to a tiny crystal clock, then took a seat at the head. “When did you first discover the wonders of such a refrigerator, Diesel?”
“When I moved in with Aunt Meggie and Uncle Christopher.”
“Ah, right.”