Chapter Forty-Two #2
She’d scooted under the table, so happy she’d changed from her gorgeous dress and expensive stilettos to the jeans, T-shirt, boots, and Property of Outlaw cut she put in her car’s small cargo space.
After ten minutes, D. Elliot finally returned and she’d stuck her hand out to tug on his trouser leg.
After crawling from under the table, she’d used his body as a cover to get to the elevator and make it upstairs to the office.
It was then that she’d noticed all the handymen and fixated on the large one at the bar. He was tall, unevenly barrel chested, and wore dark sunglasses and a cap. She’d alerted Huck, Pike, Sparrow, and Zephyr to prepare themselves to defend Rebel.
Meggie was almost certain it was Bash and wondered how she’d extricate herself and her daughter from the situation. She didn’t want Christopher rushing to her and walking into a setup.
She’d intended to send her detail down to Rebel’s the moment her and Kaia finished their meal. Meggie expected it to be around ten. Now, it was close to ten—an hour from closing time—and Rebel and Kaia were just finishing the bread and calamari .
“Rebel, you’re Rapunzel come to life. Your hair is a stairway to heaven that I’d climb every day for eternity.”
Laughter snorted from Meggie and she clapped a hand over her mouth.
“If I wanted sapphires all I need to do is pluck out your eyes to have the rarest jewels in the world.”
Meggie roared with laughter. “Stop!”
“Kaia, you’re so sweet,” Rebel said, her eyes shining.
Meggie covered her phone, knowing she shouldn’t find any humor in Rebel believing Kaia’s words remotely romantic.
“Please, my beautiful princess, say something else. The sound of your voice is like the call of a whale resonating through the sea.”
Guffawing until tears ran down her cheeks and she could barely breathe, Meggie pushed back from the desk to control herself.
She had to talk to Rebel. Hopefully, her daughter felt comfortable enough to tell her about the date, so Meggie could clue her in that Kaia wasn’t a poet. He wasn’t even close.
“I sound like a whale?”
“No! Of course not, babe. Your voice is like heaven to me.”
“Do you think whales disturb people in heaven? Fuck, forget I said that. I have enough religious and spiritual debates with the Prayer Sheriff.”
Although she hadn’t called her twin by name, Meggie knew Rebel referred to Rule. He was definitely getting out of hand and it was beginning to affect Rebel. Meggie didn’t know if they could wait until the summer to seek psychiatric help for him.
Removing the earbuds that allowed her to hear the conversation, she walked to the floor-to-ceiling window where she could see out but no one could see in .
Her humor immediately fled. Not only were the handymen gone but so were Bishop, Narci, Potter, and Torrin. God! Had they been taken hostage—
The office door swung open and she turned. The big handyman who’d sat at the bar all night walked in and closed the door.
Meggie screamed, although it was a soundproof room, designed for when Christopher or Knox or another Dweller was on premises and needed to get to safety.
“Meg—”
She didn’t give him a chance to threaten her.
Barreling into him, she kneed his groin.
The moment he doubled over, she punched his jaw, screamed again, and rammed her head into his.
Immediately, stars twirled around her and she staggered back.
Not that it mattered. Bash was laid out on the ground.
Determined not to faint, she walked on him to get to the door.
He was so tall, he blocked her escape. One foot touched the floor, but he grabbed the one still on his stomach and almost tripped her.
“Fuck, Megan, it’s me,” Christopher managed, pulling her down onto him. “It’s me, baby.”
Scrambling into a sitting position, Meggie stared at her husband, as he removed the sunglasses and cap, revealing his brilliant emerald gaze and ink dark hair shot through with silver.
“I ain’t able to take the fuckin’ beard off right now. Probably gotta use turpentine.”
“You didn’t get an adhesive remover?”
“Ain’t thought about that.”
Meggie shook her head and chuckled, realizing her husband’s normally honed, hard body was incredibly soft. She roamed her hands over his chest, pressing here and there. “Pillows?” she guessed.
He nodded. “We ran outta fuckin’ time cuz I ain’t wanted to run into Reb. That’s why my ass so fuckin’ lopsided.”
“And the other handymen?”
“Diesel, CJ, Grant, Rory, and Ryan.” He buried his fingers in her hair and pulled her toward him. “You mad, baby?”
Meggie stretched out over him. “No,” she said, stealing a kiss. “I was trying to tell you earlier I wanted us to spend our evening here in the office to watch over Reb.”
He slanted his mouth over hers and Meggie lost herself in his scent and taste.
Christopher broke the kiss. “Fuck, baby. I can’t wait to get into your pussy.”
“I can’t wait to feel you deep in my pussy.”
His cock throbbed against her. “CJ don’t know you here. They might come lookin’ for me. I ain’t know if you wanted them to know.”
Meggie hopped to her feet, then held out her hand. Although Christopher grabbed her fingers, he stood on his own.
“They can know,” Meggie said once he sent a text. Probably to one of the boys. “We all have the same goal. Protecting Rebel.”
“I thought you was okay…why’d you insist on her goin’—”
“I’m kinda okay,” she admitted. “But he’s nineteen years old and that’s my baby. I just couldn’t…and, oh my God, he’s a frigging Sugar Baby . I wanted to kick that jerk.”
“Ain’t nothin’ but a thing, baby. Me, CJ, and Diesel scoopin’ him up later.” He held up his phone. “I already texted Rule to find a good prayer for Kaia’s soul.”
“ What ?”
“You upset, too. Motherfucker really gotta die now.”
“Christopher, you cannot kill Kaia!”
“He called my baby girl a fuck doll. I gotta cut his fuckin’ tongue out. If he bleed to death, it ain’t my fault he a pussy. ”
Meggie hadn’t liked that either. Nor did she appreciate Rebel announcing she was on birth control.
“She likes Kaia and think about what she said about Diesel. If Kaia wasn’t in the picture, she’d still think herself in love with her brother.”
“I ain’t killin’ Diesel.” Christopher raised his hands. “Whatever Reb talkin’ about, Diesel said to her weeks ago.”
“As long as he remembers Rebel is his sister and neither one of us will approve of a relationship between them.” Meggie thought for a moment. “Also, remind him we’ll never disown him. You might kill him but he’ll always be our child.”
Christopher stared at her, then burst out laughing. “You talk about my ass killin’ those two bitches cuz I ain’t wanted to hit them. Diesel probably prefer we disown him then me fuck him up.”
Meggie had her doubts, but she kept them to herself. “If you kill Kaia, Rebel might find someone on her own. If you threaten him enough where he won’t try to sleep with her but still will go out with her, then she’ll be happy and safe.”
He thought for a moment. “And we’ll be in control.”
“Only until she’s eighteen,” Meggie said. She kept her worries about Rebel’s gullibility to herself. The next three years would be quite a balancing act.
“We have to get the guys out before Rebel notices them,” she said, deciding to worry about Rebel’s dating life later.
“They all in the private dining room, baby. Where they gonna stay until Rebel and Kaia leave in the fuckin’ Uber.”
By then, it would be after midnight. She sighed and nodded.
A knock came on the door.
Leaning against the desk, Christopher folded his arms. “Come the fuck in. ”
After opening the door, D. Elliot rolled in a cart holding two glasses and a silver ice bucket containing the restaurant’s most expensive champagne.
There were also two chocolate lava desserts topped with fresh strawberries and mocha crème.
D. Elliot opened the bottle, then poured two glasses and left.
Christopher handed her a glass and picked up his, clinking the crystal. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Christopher.”
She took a sip, while he gulped half the contents of his glass.
“After Reb and Kaia jet, how about CJ drive your car back to the house, Diesel get all the other lil’ handymen motherfuckers home, and I put you on the back of my bike?”
“Yes, yes, and yes,” she said happily. They toasted again.
Christopher pressed a button on his phone and removed the bluetooth, allowing the sound that had been limited to his earbuds to filter into the room.
“Laugh a little more, Rebel,” Kaia said. “It is like the roar of an elephant trumpeting in the night. Your voice is like a million bees buzzing around a vat of honey—”
Meggie screamed with laughter.
“Fuckin’ motherfuckin’ fuckhead.” Christopher gave her the stink eye. “You sure I can’t fuck him up?”
“No,” Meggie said, trying to contain herself, but her husband’s outrage made her laugh harder.
“Your skin is like a ripened plum loved by a wizard.”
Rebel gasped. “Are you calling me a fucking prune?”
“She encourage that stupid motherfucker,” Christopher grumbled.
“You said I’m a poet, Reb,” Kaia said as if he’d heard Christopher.
“I never said you were a good poet. ”
“But—”
The words abruptly cut out.
“What does he even mean?” Meggie said around giggles. She got control of herself and poked her husband. “You and CJ let Reb meet him on purpose. I always thought Kaia had sense.”
“He do! At least I thought the motherfucker did. Give CJ more credit, baby. He couldn’t have known Kaia was a corny, cheesy motherfucker that make no fuckin’ sense.”
“He’s also a liar,” Meggie said with disapproval. “Mortimer? He knows Mortician.”
“We ain’t told him to lie.”
“Hmmmm. The very least you could’ve done was give him money to pay for the dinner.”
“We tried! He said he had it covered.”
“Just more lies then.”
Christoper grimaced. “I’m gonna take care of him.”
“How?” Meggie asked suspiciously.
“Since I can’t kill him, Ima just punch him.”
Meggie frowned.
Christopher raised his hand. “Let them two handle the shit tonight, baby.”
The Work Song by Hozier blasted from his phone.
Meggie smiled at him.
He brushed his lips across hers. “Forgive me for all the shit I did these past few days, Megan?”
“Always.”
“My new bike arrivin’ soon. It’s already fuckin’ ordered.”
She beamed. “Thank you.”
Christopher drew her into his arms and twirled her around. “I love you, Megan.”
“I love you more,” Meggie responded, breathless, never more in love with her man than she was in that moment.