Misfit (Death Dwellers MC #6) (9 page)

Rory headed to Digger and tugged on his jeans. “Hello.”

“Hey, lil bro.”

“Mother said my name is Rory.”

“Mother?” Cash echoed, thrown for a loop every time he heard Rory refer to Kendall in that manner.

Rory’s gray eyes sought out Cash. He nodded. “Yes.”

Johnnie lifted Rory under his arm, smiling at the kid’s squeal. “Dad!”

“Digger calls everyone by a nickname, son,” he explained, sitting the boy on the stool next to the sergeant-at-arms. “He can call you lil bro.”

“Yes, sir.”

Watching them with interest, Digger scraped the potatoes from his plate. “Spend more time with CJ, okay, kid? Toughen your lil ass up.”

“Shut up, fucker,” Johnnie snapped, although he didn’t look too happy at his son’s manners, either.

Fuck, if Cash had been so proper and neat at Rory’s age, his parents would’ve loved it. Even his father. For the longest fucking time he’d wondered if he’d behaved differently would his dad have walked out. Of course, he’d been a child, not understanding the full dynamics.

“I thought you were going to the park,” Cash said to Johnnie, needing their usual plans in place to go through with his ruse.

“We are. I just wanted to stop in. See if you’ve heard anything that might be going on between Megan and Kendall?”

Digger shoved his plate aside. “Fuck.”

Cash shifted his weight. “Don’t tell me those two are at it again.” He almost wished they were, to alleviate the fucking boredom.

“Fucking Kendall, man,” Digger mumbled.

“You know something, Digger,” Johnnie accused.

“Yeah. I know Kendall off the goddamn chain.” Digger got to his feet.

Johnnie scowled.

“Don’t give me that fucking look. You know what I mean.”

Even if Johnnie pretended not to know, Cash sure the fuck did.

Relenting, Johnnie sighed. “What did she do?”

“I can’t tell you. I promised Bunny I wouldn’t repeat what she told me.”

“Fuck, I demand you tell me why my goddamn wife is playing her fucking games again. She pretended everything was fucking fine with her and Megan, but I know Megan was pissed about something.
She
gave it away.”

“I tell you this, you forget I talked to you. Don’t confront Kendall. She’ll blame Meggie and that’ll be more shit.”

“Just fucking tell me,” Johnnie demanded. “At least Fee’s there to pull them apart.”

“That shit not in her job description.”

No longer half listening to the conversation at the mention of Fee’s name, Cash straightened and looked at Digger. “What do you mean?”

“My cousin works for my wife,” Johnnie said off-handedly, still staring at Digger.

Fee worked for Kendall? That was news to Cash. Why hadn’t she told him? Then, again, when had he given her the chance? Since Outlaw found out about their relationship and Stretch seemed so unhappy with Fee there, Cash had gone out of his way to turn their encounters into hollow fucking.

“Kendall told Meggie Ryder yours.” Digger shook his head, ignoring Johnnie’s open mouth. “She said you and Meggie fucked.”

Cash’s eyes bugged out as much as Johnnie’s.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?”

“Why the fuck would I kid about that shit, Johnnie? That’s not joke material.”

Johnnie dropped onto the stool.

“You better not say nothing,” Digger warned. “Meggie agreed to go to the lunch to keep this shit from you and Outlaw. Let them work the shit out.”

“I have to call Fee. Tell her to watch over those two.”

“No, you don’t,” Cash warned. “Why get Fee involved in their bullshit? Those two will go back and forth for as long as we live.”

Both Johnnie and Digger turned to Cash.

“You got a little hostile there, Ghost,” Digger said.

“Fee’s a part of our family.” Johnnie narrowed his eyes. “Why shouldn’t I have her watch over her sister-in-law and cousin by marriage? What’s it to you?”

“Nothing!” Cash cursed his words, but discovering Fee’s employment shocked him. He worried Kendall’s abrasiveness would hurt Fee in some way. “Adding another girl to that cat fight isn’t good. Suppose she takes sides?”

“Fee wouldn’t do that.” Johnnie stared at Cash so hard, he thought he might bore holes into his head. “Stay away from her.”

“I am.” He sounded a little too defensive.

The moment Rory shifted on his seat, Johnnie stood. Cash reminded himself to buy the kid a toy for removing Johnnie’s attention from him.

“If they work it out, I won’t say anything to Kendall yet, Digger.”

“Don’t say nothing to her at all, Johnnie. Bunny would be so fucking mad at me.”

Johnnie lifted Rory and set him on his feet. “Later,” he said, his tone not as light as when he’d walked in.

“Somebody need to talk sense into Kendall, man,” Digger complained. “I like the chick, but, fuck, she got to stop baiting Meggie.”

True, but that was neither here or there. It provided a lot of entertainment for Cash. “I don’t want Fee in the middle of this.”

Digger made a face at him. “Outlaw going to garrote your cock. Keep fucking his little sister.”

He and Digger had come a long way from the day Cash had led him into the club at gunpoint. Still, Cash wouldn’t trust him with information he could use against him.

“Say that lie again and I’ll punch you in your goddamn mouth.”

“Unless you punch me
out
, I’ll fuck you up.” Digger belched and pounded on his chest. “Where you put your cock up to you. I was just doing a public service warning you. Take it or leave it. I’m trying to save your dick and your horny ass.”

“Duly noted, but unnecessary. I have everything covered.”

He did, too, knowing it was more important than ever to move forward with his plan. Contacting his brother would have to wait. Besides, if something had happened to their father, Josh wouldn’t have called only once.

Stretch grunted, pushing himself onward even as he called himself stupid for walking so far from the club with only his cane to get him back. Usually, he’d park his bike in front of one of the houses and start from there.

This morning, though, he’d awakened with the urge to go for a run. Like he once had. When he’d taken that shit for granted. Now, he’d give anything to have the same mobility.

Hopping to a tree, he leaned against it, breathing heavily. No matter how he punished himself, the pain never went away. As a matter of fact, it got worse.

At the ringing of his phone, he slid to the ground, ignoring the almost immediate chill that seeped through his sweat pants and hit his ass.

“What’s up?” he answered, in no mood for Cash’s games. Hopefully, he was calling as
Ghost
, and he intended to get some explosives together.

“Meet me at the club. We have to ride out.”

“For?”

“You’ll fucking see. Just get over here.”

“Is this business or personal?”

“A little of both.”

That meant Fee, and Cash putting his bone-headed plan in motion.

“I would come if I could. I need to rest my leg before I walk back to the club, so have fun. See you in the afterlife.” He disconnected the call, not even bothering to hear Cash’s response.

Cash was going to do what the fuck he wanted.

“Stretch?”

Fee’s surprised voice snapped his head up. He hadn’t heard her approach. Caught off-guard, he didn’t have the chance to smooth his features out. Hide his pain. As much as he hurt, he worried his face looked hideous, red and splotchy from his exertion and the scar slashing the left side of his face.

He’d gotten stares and fingers pointed at him. At times, he considered makeup, some type of foundation that blended with his skin tone. Then, he’d remember Cowboy…his father…his cousins and uncles, all men who considered him a freak. Remembering them made him cringe at the idea of makeup. But, then, he’d be faced with Cash and Fee, beast to their beauty.

She cocked her head. “What are you doing sitting out here?”

In the woods, somewhere between the new construction for Bunny and Digger’s place and Johnnie and Kendall’s house.

“Just enjoying the morning,” he lied.

“Right.” Her tone called bullshit.

Stretch gave her a half-smile, her bare legs grabbing his attention. Unlike the other night, today she wore a flowery dress that reached her knees with a pink knit sweater thing. Her hair framed her face.

“You look very pretty,” he blurted, surprised when she flushed, as if she wasn’t used to compliments.

“Thanks.”

“Wait a minute. What are you doing out here?”

“Walking to the club for Meggie, to pick up a blood orange drink. She’s at Kendall’s. Apparently, Kendall forgot to pick up more.”

Unlikely.
Kendall was very astute. If she didn’t have a drink Meggie liked it was by design. He couldn’t understand why Fee was playing girl Friday, but it wasn’t his business.

“Why?” Fee asked. “Did you need something?”

He needed a lot. Nothing a pretty girl like her would understand. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t hold onto his resentment toward Fee for very long. Just seeing the happiness on her face told him what drew Cash to her. It also drew Stretch.

When he didn’t answer, she hesitated and shifted from foot to foot. “Do you want to walk back with me?”

“No.”

Her smile faded at his brusqueness. He refused to lose his pride by telling her he’d been exercising and pushed himself too far.

She took in his outfit and his sneakers, rolling her eyes when she saw his cut.

“Hey, don’t knock my fashion style.”

“No, never. I’m already aware that it would be easier if that piece of leather was sewn to your body, as much as you all wear it.”

“It’s who we are.”

She backtracked, pulled her sweater thing tighter, then leaned against the tree, close enough for him to smell her floral body wash. Her leg brushed his arm.

“All I have to do is turn just a little and I can lift your skirt to see what’s underneath.”

She giggled. “Are you flirting with me?”

“If I were?” he flung at her. They both knew he was definitely flirting with her.

“Try me and find out.”

He dragged her down to the ground and lunged toward her, tickling her stomach, finding her laughter contagious. It transformed her face, removing some of the loneliness that mirrored his. He even forgot the pain in his leg as they wrestled like two little kids.

“What the fuck are you two doing?”

Cash’s voice halted them. They snapped apart faster than if hot coals burned them.

Fee got to her feet, brushing leaves and twigs from her clothes and hair. “Hey, Cash.”

He transferred his glare from Stretch to her. “You plan on answering me?”

“If I thought you deserved an answer I would,” she replied. “Since you don’t, no. I’m not answering you.”

“I see why you wouldn’t come to the club, Stretch,” he said, before focusing on Fee again.