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Rebel
My talk with JT has my gears turning. My mind is spinning. I have Striker on my mind. He’s been on my mind since Grim, Tread, and Romeo set off to Florida and I wasn’t invited to ride along.
Looking back, it seems strange that Romeo would ride my brother’s Indian and not his own. Could be nothing, but I can't shake this feeling.
I head to the Roadhouse in search of Truth. If anyone knows what the fuck they're doing down south that motherfucker will.
I find him out at the garage tuning up Stone’s chopper. A wrench comes sailing and lands at my feet with a clang. “Easy, brother,” I tell him retrieving his tool. A few more inches and he would have clipped me.
“You alright, man?”
“Never better. Motherfucker slipped out of my greasy palm.” He laughs.
“Uh huh,” I say letting it go, but I don’t believe him. However, if he wants to talk, he will. I won’t press him.
“What are you up to? Figured you’d be home with the wifey and that brat pack.” He grins.
“Got a question I was hoping you could answer.”
His brows raise piqued with curiosity. “Sure, man, what’s up?”
“Florida. Where’d they go down there?”
He rubs his palms on his jeans, smearing oil on them. “Daytona.”
I nod. “You do any work for Romeo? Is there something wrong with his ride?”
“Not that I know of. What’s with all the questions?”
I rub my chin thinking on whether I want to say anything yet. I decide not to. “Just curious. I’ll see ya around.”
“Yeah, see ye brother. Need anything else let me know.” He shoots me a chin lift before bending back down to finish his job.
I walk to my bike still unable to shake this feeling. I’m about to head home when my mom calls to me from Grim’s porch.
I walk over and bring her in for a hug. “How ye doing, Mom?”
“I’d be better if my son would come by and see me more often,” she scoffs.
“You see me all the time,” I yawn out.
“Come in and have a glass of tea. Make an old woman happy.”
“You’re not old,” I say appeasing her request. She smiles.
I kick back in the recliner. I may take a nap while I’m here. I know once I get in the door at the house my kids will be all over me. Not that I mind, but I miss sleep.
Mom goes to the kitchen to fix my drink.
I reach down in the side pocket on the chair to find the remote control for the TV and pull out some pictures. I start to put them back, when red hair catches my eye, Colt.
I start flipping through them. I miss my buddy.
When I get to the last two photos, I’m not expecting what I am seeing. A boy about eight or so is staring at me. It can’t be... I shake my head. Must be a kid of someone mom knows or something. I look at the last picture, and there’s a little girl with eyes I’d know any-damn-where. My chest constricts, she reminds me of how Sarah might have looked as a child or Baby.
Baby.
I flip back to the picture of the boy.
Chills rack my body.
Mom comes from the kitchen with my tea and a sandwich. “What is this?” I grit holding the pictures for her to see.
Her face pales slightly. However, her masks quickly reappears. “Just some pictures that I found while I was cleaning.” She shrugs.
She’s good, but she can’t fool me.
I knock the plate from her hand, and it goes sailing to the floor. “Don’t fucking lie to me.” I hold the pictures to her face, and she takes a step back. “Where are they?”
“Christopher, please. You’re angry and not making sense,” she pleads.
“Baby’s alive, isn’t she?”
“No, no.” She shakes her head, but her pale face and frown gives her away.
“Fuck you. Fuck Grim. Fuck Baby.” I stomp down the stairs of the porch.
I march back to the garage as Truth is locking up for the day. “Get your computer and meet me in Grim’s office,” I seethe.
“Jesus,” he says crouching back from my glare. “I’ll be over in a few, man.”
I head to the Roadhouse and ignore the stares and voices greeting me. I go straight to the basement. My hands are shaking I’m so Goddamned angry as I unlock the door.
I pull out my phone and send my wife a text message.
Best Husband Ever: I won’t be home for dinner tonight. Club business.
Chelle Belle: I’ll leave you a plate covered on the stove. Love you, be safe.
With that settled I go over to the safe. My first try I mess up the third number. It takes me another try, but I manage to get it open. I scan through the legal documents and don’t see anything out of place. Except...I reach to the back where I noticed Grim had stuck some book belonging to Baby’s mom a few years back and it’s gone.
I try to recall the last time I was in the safe. It was only a week ago. The book was still here. I close the safe and start going through the desk. I kick the chair when I come up empty. Raking my fingers through my hair I am about to explode.
Truth
Fucking Rebel has done lost his mind. I shake my head as I walk in the door to my apartment to grab my computer. I need a shower, but with his mood I best not keep him waiting.
I rush to the bedroom passing Amy as she comes out of the bathroom all green in the face.
“Hey, woman, ye feeling okay?”
“No, your devil spawn won’t let me keep any food down,” she whines.
“Come here.” I pull her in for a hug, kissing her temple. “Want me to call Liberty to come sit with you? I gotta go handle some shit for Rebel. Not sure how long I’ll be.”
“No, I’ll be fine. Just leave me here to die from puking myself to death.” She pats her stomach and goes to bed.
Before I leave, I get the trashcan from the bathroom for her and some crackers from the kitchen.
I kiss the top of her head and grab my laptop from the nightstand.
“Love you, Peaches,” I call as I go out the door. Her response is to moan, and I shut the door when I hear her gagging. I can’t deal with puke. If I see puke it makes me sick too.
I jog down the stairs and over to the Roadhouse.
As I pass through the kitchen, I tell Kimmie to make me a pizza and bring it down with a beer. I have a feeling I am in for a long night.
When I step into the office, the chairs are flipped over. Books are thrown from the shelf.
“What the fuck are you doing? Grim will kill us if you trash his shit.”
He braces both palms flat on the desk, appearing a bit like a madman. “I need you to show me everything you’ve got about this Florida trip, and tell me everything you know.”
“I don’t know much, man. I don’t feel right about this...Grim know you’re poking around in his business?”
“Club business is my fucking business. You forget I’m your VP, motherfucker!”
“Chill. Damn. I didn't mean anything by it.” Fuck, he’s wired up. I flip a chair right side up and take a damn seat. “I don’t know much. Tread was riding out to put John down. Liberty’s fuckface of a husband. Kurt was supposed to ride with him, but we know where he is, so Grim ordered Romeo to go in his place, and decided to go along for the ride.”
I open up my computer and pull up the information I have on John. Sliding it across the desk, I turn it around for him to see. He clicks through the files asking a few questions about the chats I had with John. I tell him what I know about them getting him to meet Lulu and taking him out.
“Now you know everything I do. What has you so torn up over Florida, brother?”
“I don’t know just a hunch I have about something.”
Kimmie interrupts bringing in my food. I give Rebel a minute to process what’s on his mind and decide if he’s ready to be honest with me. I dig into my dinner feeling slightly guilty that Amy can’t eat. I chug my beer and let out a loud belch.
I’m still waiting for Rebel to shit or get off the damn pot.
I start to call upstairs and tell Kimmie to bring down a six pack, but the dark expression on Rebel’s face tells me we need something harder.
Going over to Grim’s liquor cabinet I break out the bourbon. I pour us both a glass and sit them on the desk next to the bottle.
“Pull up Grim’s cell records. I want to know who he’s talking to down there.”
“Look I get that you have shit going on in that head of yours, but VP or not, you want me to snoop on our Prez, ye gotta tell me why.”
“Fuck, shit is fucked, and I can’t believe it,” he says rubbing his hand over his beard. He downs his glass and mine.
Whatever he’s thinking about, it must be bad.
“I saw some pictures over at my mom’s. Kids, she has pictures of kids that look—Baby, man, I think she’s alive and somehow, this Florida shit is connected.”
Damn, just double damn. I don’t know what to say. I sit here stunned. I remember Tread saying when the bust went down at Dry Ridge he never saw Baby or Grim.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking Baby and Striker are in Florida, and that Grim, Tread, and Romeo know that. I think they are with them.”
Rebel pours us both another drink, I toss it back then I pull my computer across the desk and start hacking into Grim’s phone records, hoping I don’t live to regret it.
Liberty
I’m sitting on the porch swinging away while Kyler plays basketball with Jamie. There is an age gap between them, but Jamie is a good kid, and they get along.
I’m not too sure about Dawn, but Kyler likes it when she watches him.
I smile when I get a message from Tread, he’s coming home. I’ve missed him. He’s only been gone a few days, but we are just getting adjusted to being back together. He’s still finding his way with being a dad.
I can’t help but think about poor Christa and Kurt. How tragic that the day she marries him, he is sent away to prison. Tread has been out doing the exact same thing Kurt did to protect me.
I don’t know that I wish he hadn't killed John. John deserves everything he gets. Well, everything he got. If Tread is coming home, it means he has done what he set out for.
A shiver runs down my spine.
What if something happens to Tread?
What if he gets caught?
I shake my head. I can’t think that way. Tread is smart, not that Kurt isn’t. That situation although similar was different in many ways.
I gave Christa my phone number and told her not to be a stranger. She’s a Black Rebel now and we stick together.
My eyes pop open wide and my ears prick hearing Sunshine screaming at Dawn.
“You’re not to leave this trailer until your father gets back, young lady.”
“You’re not my mother stop pretending to be,” Dawn shrieks in her face. “I hate you! I hate my dad. I hate you all. Every one of you can go fuck yourselves.” She flips her the bird and waves her middle finger in her face.
I have to bury my face in my hair to keep from laughing. It’s not funny really, but I can't stop the giggles from erupting in my throat. I wish Amy were here for this. She’d get a real kick out of the situation.
Jamie’s cheeks are tinted red with embarrassment. Poor boy.
“Jamie, you want to stay the night? We can order a pizza and make cookies,” I tell him, and he grins so wide. I didn’t figure he’d want to go home and deal with that. Besides, I don’t think he is all too happy to have Sunshine's son home.
When I asked about him, he made a sour face.
I take the boys inside with me and send a text to Sunshine that I am going to keep Jamie for the night. I think she could use the break.