Wild Like the Wind (Chaos #5)(104)

As ever with my boys, I was not wrong about Jag.

And as ever with these people, right that moment with Dutch, they were letting sheer beauty slip right through their fingers.

“Do you think we want your money?” Dutch asked.

“Son—” my father started.

“I’m not your son,” Dutch returned harshly, coming to stand at my side but partially in front of me. “I’m a man called Black’s son, and I’m a man called Hound’s son. I’m a son of Chaos. And it’s obvious that you people didn’t learn anything the first time around. So we’ll just cut our losses here so everyone can get on with their lives, but mostly so you don’t drag Ma through your crap again.”

“You don’t understand, honey,” Tierney tried. “Your father was—”

“My father loved my mother and he loved me and he loved my brother and he loved his Club and he woulda loved all of you,” Dutch jabbed a finger angrily toward them, “if you’d have let him.”

“We’re your family, we were his family, and—” Blair started.

“Has it occurred to you, Grandma, maybe why Dad went lookin’ for another family?”

Excellent point.

She appeared struck and not in a good way.

Hmm, at least it seemed Blair got his point.

Dutch wasn’t done.

“Do you think that hasn’t occurred to me? To Jag? Do you think after all this time we don’t know who our family is? Do you think, even at fuckin’ five,” he bit out that last, cursing in front of his grandparents, which shocked even me, “I didn’t know you left her swingin’ in the breeze when her life crashed down around her? With that and all the nothing that you gave her that came after, did you honestly think you could walk in here and we’d let you get up in her face? If you did, I have one question for you. What in the hell is the matter with you?”

“Dutch, do not talk to your grandmother that way,” Simon ground out.

“And Simon, get the fuck outta my house,” Dutch returned.

They all, every one of them, reared back.

Personally, I wanted to start clapping.

Jag came up on my other side, partially in front of me.

“You heard him,” Jag bit. “And just for the record, I don’t give a fuck about your money either. And I was over your bullshit judgment ages ago. It was just that Dutch thought I should give you a shot. You had it. You took it. You blew it. Now you can get the fuck out, but before that …” he turned his attention to Tierney, “my mother is not messed up. She married a man she loved because she knew her own heart and she had the strength of will to face losing everything she’d known all her life to follow it. And then she lost him. She still gave us her, a nice home, got her goddamn masters, and when Dad’s Club made it so she wouldn’t have to work even a day in her life, she still showed us the importance of making your own way. So newsflash, Tierney, your definition of messed up is messed up. You wanna see it straight, look at your sister. You wanna see a mess, look in the goddamned mirror.”

Tierney’s eyes got huge and hurt.

I pressed my lips together so I wouldn’t smile.

“We—” my father began.

“I have absolutely no clue what’s going on,” Tad broke in at this juncture with his smooth, beautiful voice. “But from what I’ve heard, it boggles the mind you folks can stand in this lovely home your daughter created and look at this strong family she made against what sounds like pretty extreme adversity, some of that being you, and not feel anything but pride. However, since you can’t, I will give you this one warning that you need to take this immediate opportunity to leave or I will personally be seeing each of you to the door. And if I have to put my hands on you, I don’t care which gender you are, I’ll do it.”

Okay.

Official.

I loved Beverly’s new man.

My mother made a move toward me.

And suddenly, Tad was right there in front of me.

Dutch moved forward to stand beside him.

Jag went to his other side.

But Hound walked determinedly across the room, so determinedly, Sarah and Blair had to jump out of his way, and he disappeared in my foyer.

I heard the front door open.

“I’ll allow you to stretch the definition of immediate to now,” Tad rumbled.

Hound appeared in the opening to the foyer. “The door is open. Best be using it before things get any uglier.”

With looks through Tad and the boys at me, all of them started moving.

Hound stared them down as they passed him, so as best they could in the narrow space he gave them, they gave him a wide berth.

Tad followed them.

Dutch and Jagger followed Tad.

“You boys stay with your mother,” Hound ordered.

My sons stopped moving.

Hound and Tad disappeared.

Beverly tagged behind and I lost sight of her in the foyer.

“Get back to your girl, baby,” I heard Tad say softly.

Beverly reappeared.

She went direct to Jagger and put her arms around him.

This was probably because I was approaching Dutch, and when I made it to my boy, I slid my arms around him, my front pressed to his long, lean side.

His arm curled around my shoulders.