Wild Like the Wind (Chaos #5)(94)

The hiding had to end and I was all for that, I just wasn’t all for how that might have to come about (at all).

And we’d agreed not to take this slow so he could move all his stuff to my place, I didn’t care. I’d even get rid of the old furniture that used to be in our living room, which I’d moved down to the basement when I’d renovated so the boys could have a place that was their own when they got to the age they needed that. Hound could put his kickass new shit down there.

What concerned me was that it seemed he was avoiding his space and it might not be the greatest, but it was where we started, it was his, and I liked being there with him.

What I didn’t like was that I knew he was avoiding it because he was avoiding memories of Jean.

“Knight’s not gonna take it that far, not with a woman, and as much as she’s an asshole, Turnbull’s still got a vagina,” Hound said into his phone, coming back to the table with his plate.

He sat down at corners with me and grabbed his fork.

But I was stuck on the name he said.

Turnbull.

I knew that name.

I hadn’t heard it said in years, but then again, I hadn’t heard anyone mention Chew in years. But it seemed with that he might somehow be back, and that somehow was not in a good way, as any way a total dick like Chew could be back.

I couldn’t say I hated Chew in the beginning.

I could say I hated him in the end.

“I know our patch is still clean,” Hound went on. “But I think we may need to back his play. He stayed outta it for us. Now he’s in it, we need to get back into it with him.”

He listened and ate. I just ate because he was silent and there was nothing to listen to.

Then there was.

“Yeah,” he said on a sigh. “Another meet. Doin’ that so much, might as well put cots around the table so we can sleep.” Pause before, on another sigh, this one heavier, “Right. Yeah. I’ll be there. Later.”

He put his phone down and sank his fork in his sausage patty.

“Everything okay?” I asked carefully.

“Club shit,” he muttered, shoving sausage in his mouth.

There was a lot of bad that Hound had to deal with coming after Black.

At his clear indication we were not going to talk about his phone call, a calm, sweet feeling settled low in my belly that there was something important, something good that he’d have, coming after Black.

I knew the golden rule when it came to Club brothers and old ladies, and this was not just Chaos. There was a lot that could be negotiated over time between hardcore bikers and their women, and in that lot, it was the old lady who had to make the decision if she was going to put up with it or not.

But I knew the golden rule.

If there was club business happening and a biker babe’s old man didn’t share, it was not hers to have. She didn’t wheedle, connive or nag. She kept her mouth shut and sucked it up, however that business affected her man, and in turn her, and without comment, she was there for him.

If she was smart, but mostly if she was loving, she proved with actions over time that he could trust her. And if he learned that, he might give her a little bit, he might give her it all. And they might have discussions about it, he might ask her advice, or if she turned stupid, there might be arguments.

But if he eventually gave her that trust, the one thing she couldn’t do was know what was happening with the club then stick her nose in it with the brothers.

She might have some influence but that had strict boundaries, behind the doors of the home she shared with her old man. Outside, especially on club turf, she had her man’s back, she had the club’s back and that was most assuredly that.

I knew Chaos had troubles and I had a feeling Hound trusted me. However, with my history, he was not sharing, more than likely because he was protecting me. I lost my mind after Millie had been taken and I went to the Compound to speak what was left in it. He didn’t want a repeat of that, not because I was so angry, because he understood the hurt and fear that lay under that.

I’d need to take the time to turn that around so I could do my bit to be the part of his life that was the calm to whatever storm Chaos had found themselves in, taking Hound right along with them.

The way I could do that now was not to push him about whatever was happening, just let it be and not have any reaction to knowing it was happening.

So I did precisely that.

I also changed the subject, but unfortunately it was to one that might be almost as sticky.

“Bev called yesterday and said she’d like to have a family dinner with the boys and her fiancé. And by family, she made it clear she means you too.”

Hound turned his attention from his plate to me and I quickly went on before he could refuse this suggestion and do it with extreme prejudice.

“She’s excited for us. She’s falling in love with this guy, kinda after the fact, but she is. And I wasn’t really supportive of it all while it was happening. She wants me and the boys to meet him, and she wants you to do that too. She wants him to be deeper in her life, which means knowing the people she loves. This guy is an insurance salesman. He’ll never rub up against Chaos—”

“Set it up, babe, but do it here. You have a dining room table, Bev doesn’t, and no offense to the woman, but she isn’t near as good a cook as you. Tomorrow night. Or Sunday. I’ll talk to the boys.”