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Murphy
“Did he hit his head?”
“Probably just a food coma.”
My eyes fluttered open. “Assholes,” I muttered.
“Food coma,” Creed and Apollo sang in unison.
Tatum stirred next to me and buried her head in my neck.
“I told you two to leave them alone,” Ethel scolded. “You haven’t even eaten yet.”
“Just wanted to make sure they were breathing,” Creed called. “All good.” Creed moved away, but Apollo stayed standing over us.
“This is cozy,” he muttered.
“Fuck off, Apollo,” I grumbled.
After Tatum had gotten an eyeful in the bathroom, I showered and put on the sweatpants and shirt Gravel had given Tatum.
When I walked into the kitchen, Ethel had just finished making a batch of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Tatum and I had stuffed ourselves full and then collapsed on the couch, where we both promptly passed out.
“What are you wearing?” Apollo asked. “Is that a Devil’s Knights shirt?”
Tatum laid her hand on my chest and let out a little moan. I didn’t know how she was sleeping through this.
“It sure is. You got a problem with that?” Gravel called.
Apollo held up his hands. “No problem at all. I was thinking that I liked it so much that I should see if King could get me one.”
Apollo didn’t back down to anyone other than Leo, but it seemed that the grumpy old Gravel might have his number.
“Maybe we can see if Leo can make a Banachi shirt,” Creed suggested. “Something like Banchis, your friendly mafia.” Creed motioned across his chest. “Maybe like the cityscape of Chicago on the back or something.”
Apollo rolled his eyes and moved over to the kitchen table. “I would like to be present when you suggest that to Leo, okay?” he chuckled. He sat at the table with Creed, and they both worked on piling their plates full.
“Why are they so loud?” Tatum whispered. She had one eye open and looked sleepily up at me. “Do they not know we were kidnapped?”
I brushed her hair out of her face. “Hey, sleepyhead. You want to go lay down in the spare bedroom?” Ethel had offered us the spare bedroom after we ate, but the couch was closer.
Tatum shook her head. “I like it right here.”
Right here was plastered against my side with her head resting on my shoulder.
I liked it, too.
“How long did we sleep for?” she asked groggily.
“Over two hours.” And I needed it. I was dragging my ass as soon as my stomach was full. “Once Creed and Apollo eat, I’m going to head out with them to see if we can find Brandt. You okay with staying here?” I asked.
Tatum’s eyes darted to the left. “Uh.”
“I promise you’ll be safe here, baby girl. Gravel always shoots first and then asks questions.” I rubbed my hand up and down her arm. “And I know he won’t let anything happen to Ethel. You’re more than safe.”
“King and a few of the boys are headed this way,” Gravel interrupted. He raised his hand in the air. “Speak of the devil,” he smirked.
The loud rumble of a pack of bikes shook the cabin.
“How many did he bring with him?” Apollo asked.
Gravel shrugged and walked to the front window that looked out on the driveway. “Looks like five bikes and three ol’ ladies.”
“Jesus,” Apollo muttered. “We’re looking for a psycho, and they brought their ol’ ladies with them?”
Ethel smacked the back of Apollo’s head with the dish towel. “Mind your manners, boy. You’re in my home, not that fancy mansion you boys live in.”
Apollo rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, ma’am,” he muttered.
I added Ethel to the list of people who could make Apollo cower.
Tatum moved to sit up, and I shifted to the edge of the couch. So much for relaxing anymore.
“Is Meg here?” Creed asked. “Everything she makes is great, but a few years ago, she sent some food to the mansion for something or another,” he smirked, “and one of the things was this banana pudding cake. I don’t know what the hell it was, but I still have dreams about it.”
“Yeah, she’s on the back of King’s bike.” Gravel looked to the left. “Ope, and it looks like Bear and Greta are here, too, in that fancy Bronco of his.”
“Jesus,” Creed muttered. “Did King bring the whole calvary with him?”
Apollo moved to the window. “We might need them. And Greer is going to be pissed at me once she finds out Meg is here. I told her to sit tight at Wyndemere because there wouldn’t be anything for her to do here.”
“When Meg, Greta, Cyn, and Lennox show up, you know there will be chaos,” Gravel rumbled.
“I think you can just say Meg’s name and know that chaos is coming,” I laughed. Of course, I had spent time with Cyn and Greta, but Lennox was somewhat new to the group. She had hooked up with Snapper when he was locked up, and they seemed to be going strong now that he was out.
Tatum slowly stood and winced. “Sleeping on the couch probably wasn’t the best idea when you’re battered and bruised,” she moaned.
“Let me get you some medicine, honey. I have a concoction that should help knock out those aches and pains.” Ethel smiled wide. “God knows after all of these years, I had to help the doctor and whatnot.”
“Concoction?” Creed asked. “Is that code for weed?”
“Don’t be getting into my stash,” Gravel warned. “I need that for when I can’t sleep.”
Ethel waved her hand at Gravel. “Oh, hush. I’m not going into your drawer. I just meant two Tylenol, an ibuprofen, and a shot of whiskey helps heal aches.”
Gravel hmphed. “I would beg to differ, but you do you, woman.”
“Did someone say whiskey?” Meg stood in the open doorway wearing a black leather coat, dark jeans, and black boots. Her signature purple hair was piled on top of her head, and she had a tote bag slung over her shoulder.
“Shots?” Cyn called from behind her.
“It’s barely noon,” Rigid grumbled from somewhere behind them.
“Just get in the damn cabin,” King shouted. “My whole life is just herding your dumbasses everywhere.”
“Who are you calling a dumbass?” Meg scoffed. She walked into the cabin and headed straight to the kitchen.
Cyn headed over to Gravel and kissed him on the top of his head while Rigid moved to the side of the door and folded his arms over his chest.
King filed in with a pixie-looking woman behind him, and then Snapper, Easy, and Frost stepped in.
The cabin was full.
Tatum looked at me. “Whoa,” she whispered.
“This isn’t even half of them, baby girl,” I chuckled. While we, of course, knew the Devil’s Knights, it wasn’t like we gathered with them often.
Fayth, Leo’s sister, had married Slider, a member of the Devil’s Knights, years ago, forging the bond between the Banachis and Devil’s Knights. Over the years, we had helped them, and they had helped us.
Today, it was their turn to help us.
“We got time to eat?” Rigid asked. He rubbed his stomach and smirked. “It was a long ride up here.”
Ethel opened the fridge. “If you can give me twenty minutes, I’ll get a new batch of eggs and bacon going.”
“Oh,” Meg called. “Let me help.” She motioned to Cyn. “Get over here and help, woman.”
Cyn grumbled under her breath but moved into the kitchen.
“I can help, too,” the pixie called. She handed her bag to Snapper, and it clicked that this was Lennox.
“Out of the way, coming in.” The door that had partially closed now banged into King, and Greta peeked her head through. “Your mama wasn’t a doormaker, King. Move it or lose it.”
King moved to the side and yanked the door open. “Remind me again why you came?” he growled at Greta.
She reached up and lightly patted his cheek. “Because you love me, and you interrupted my sexy time with Bear. We had to finish on the way up here.”
“Oh my god,” Snapper moaned. “Do you have to say shit like that? I could have lived the rest of my life without the image of you giving Bear road head.”
Greta tipped her head to the side. “Who said anything about road head?” She smirked. “I like being on top anyway. It worked out for the best.”
“Why?” Easy cried. “Why do you have to say this shit in front of me? I’m your damn brother.”
Bear appeared behind Greta and pushed her into the cabin.
“Whoa,” Tatum whispered. “That is a big man.”
Bear more than lived up to his name. He was over six and a half feet tall, stocky, and could murder you with one look. He was a bounty hunter and shacking up with Greta. He was domineering and serious, while Greta was goofy and sarcastic. They somehow worked together.
“Can you please get a handle on your woman?” Snapper asked Bear. “Not even thirty seconds, and she’s telling us about your extracurricular activities.”
Bear looked down at Greta. “Babe.”
One word.
Greta huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t the truth. King wanted to know why I came with you, so I told him. You told me to stop telling tall tales to get reactions. Did I not ride–”
“No!” Meg and Cyn hollered.
Meg held up her hands. “Do not finish that sentence. I am all for being crazy and zany, but I think we can all agree that we believe you and can move on.”
“Move on,” Cyn echoed. “Move. On.”
Tatum giggled and looked up at me. “They’re just as crazy as you said,” she whispered.
“You don’t even know, baby girl.”
Greta’s eyes snapped to me. “You.”
I looked around. “Uh, me?” I was glad Greta had moved on from telling us about her and Bear, but I didn’t want to be the center of her attention.
“Another one of you came to your senses and found a woman?” she asked.
Tatum pointed her finger at her chest. “Me? Woman?” Tatum looked up at me. “You?”
“I swear she was talking in complete sentences earlier,” Ethel giggled.
“We dated a few years ago,” I explained. “Somehow, Brandt got wind of it.”
Greta quirked her eyebrow and pursed her lips. “Interesting,” she mumbled. “We’ll dissect that when the guys leave.”
“Uh, I...” Tatum stuttered.
“No, you won’t. Leave Tatum alone.” I pointed from Greta to Meg. “I know you two are the ringleaders of the chaos, so try to keep it to a minimum, okay? Tatum has been through enough. She needs to rest.”
Meg snapped her fingers and frowned. “There went my plans of running a marathon while you guys were gone.”
“Babe,” King called.
“Why are you both calling me out?” she demanded. She held up the whisk in her hand. “I’m just whipping up some eggs.”
“Just keep the fuckery to zero today,” King ordered.
Meg saluted King. “Aye, aye, captain.”
King pointed at Greta. “That goes for you, too.”
Greta curtsied. “Whatever the sir wants,” she replied demurely.
The ol’ ladies went to work on making breakfast for the third time while Creed and Apollo finished their plates.
I grabbed Tatum’s arm and turned her to look at me.
“They seem fun,” she chirped happily.
I was afraid of this.
Meg and the girls were a bad influence. They had fun without any worry about the consequences.
“You need to rest, Tatum. You barely could stand.”
She scoffed. “I just needed to stretch. And I'll be as good as new once I get that concoction from Ethel.”
“You are not going to mix booze and pills.” That was the last thing she needed. “You just need to rest and relax.”
She propped her hands on her hips and glared at me. “I think I know what I should and shouldn’t do, Murphy. You’re the one who told me I was safe here. You,” she pointed her finger into my chest, “are the ones who are going to be traipsing through the woods looking for some crazy guy. You should be more worried about yourself and not me.”
“I can worry about both of those things,” I muttered. Though I was going to worry a hell of a lot more about Tatum than myself. “Just try to behave.”
“Murphy,” she laughed. “I think you’re overacting here.”
I wasn’t.
Meg and the chaotic tornado that followed her were not myths.
I sighed and placed my hand on her waist. “Just try not to get arrested while I’m gone, okay?” That was all I could ask. “And if you do, call me, not King. He’ll probably let Meg sit there a couple of days before he bailed her out.”
“We’re not going to get arrested,” Tatum laughed. “Have a little faith in me.”
I did. Meg, not so much.
“Come pull up a chair, Tatum,” Meg called.
“See, she’s already pulling you into her web while I’m right here,” I muttered. I pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I promise not to get into trouble,” she swore. She tipped her head back and smiled. “Now, I’m gonna go hang out while you go catch the bad guy, okay?”
She pulled out of my arms and bounced over to the open stool next to Lennox.
“She seems nice,” Easy snickered.
I flipped him off.
Easy nodded at me. “She probably only likes you because of your shirt, though.”
I looked down at my shirt and scowled.
The sooner we found Brandt’s place, the sooner I could return to Wyndemere, my clothes, and be away from the Devil’s Knights.
I could only handle them for a short amount of time, and I was already nearing my tolerance for them.