Wild Wind: A Chaos Novella (Chaos #6.6)(31)

Oh yeah.

They had a lot to go over when they had more time.

“Right, well, whether you get it or not, it’s fucking cool. And just saying, that’s what my Club is about. We look out for each other. We do all right now, money is good, no one is hurting. But there were times, and when those times came, the brothers and their old ladies had each other’s backs.” He took a sip of his coffee and reiterated, “It is really cool, Archie. More people should think like you. No, not just think like you. Think like you and do something about it.”

She sidestepped the compliment again, and said, “So the universe as we know it is what we think it to be, and things work out with us, I’m gonna be your ‘old lady’?”

“Yup.”

Her lips tipped up, her eyes went hooded and that was how she shared her approval of that before she sipped more coffee.

“Now, back to the subject, the Harris brothers,” he prompted.

She gave a nod.

“Their parents suck. I’m no counselor, I don’t have years under my belt dealing with kids, but I talked with Freya and I tried a number of different ways to get through to them, and nothing worked. I’m not going to go so far as say they’re bad seeds. Especially Allan, he’s mostly a good kid, but he sticks to Aaron like glue, to his detriment. But dealing with them is beyond my scope.”

“I hear you,” he said when she paused.

So she kept going.

“What I do think is, they give Mal shit. Mal’s mom and dad have split. His dad is military, he’s deployed a lot. His mom’s going to school, online courses she does at night, she works during the day. His grandma is sick, and that puts a strain on things. A lot is going down with him and bullies, they scent blood. But I think it’s more. Mal’s parents may have split, but they’re both in his life. They care. They’re loving. He goes to visit his dad a lot when he’s not overseas. The twins don’t have that. Nothing near it. I think the twins deal with drugs, alcohol, their parents not keeping good company and just overall neglect.”

“Jealousy.”

“Yeah.”

“And the scene yesterday?”

“I’m not a bully, I don’t know, but I think they wanted to communicate that Mal isn’t safe from them anywhere.”

“And they picked you, because they aren’t gonna fuck with him at home and rub up against his mom. She might get the school and cops involved. You’re a soft target because they’ve already tested you and know you’ll put up with a lot before you lower the hammer.”

“Yeah. But that was before my future held me being some biker’s old lady.”

Jagger chuckled.

Archie smiled through her sip of coffee.

Jagger quit chuckling.

“They got the only pass they’re gonna get, Archie,” he warned. “You need to call the cops on them if they show and start trouble like they did yesterday.”

She looked massively unhappy when she said, “I know.”

“Or, you call me, and either I’ll come, or if one of my brothers is closer, they can come and share with those boys that they had their time and now’s the time to get their heads out of their asses because that time is up. They fuck with you or Mal again, there’ll be consequences.”

“How about I share that info with them, and only if things get out of hand or I get the vibe they’re not receiving the message, I call badass biker backup?”

He would prefer to be on the way to her the second shit kicked up.

But he said, “That works.”

“How hard was that?” she asked.

“Sorry?” he asked in return.

“To let the old lady claim her own shit.”

He studied her through swallowing some coffee, wondering if he was that easily readable or if she was just that tuned to him.

Then he answered, “Hard.”

She pushed up to a hand, leaned in and touched her mouth to his.

She didn’t pull back very far when she asked, “What’s for dinner, boyfriend?”

“Smashburgers.”

Her brows went up.

It was then he realized Dutch and Georgie’s baked ravioli that night was veggie. Inadvertently veggie, they were both meat eaters, but it was veggie.

“You eat meat?” he asked.

“Yep,” she answered.

“So, smashburgers. And don’t get excited. I cook, but I cook simple. My mom’s a biker babe, but she’s a mom. A mom with three sons. She took and continues to take care of her boys. We did not have at-home home economics time at Casa de Keely.”

“Keely is your mom’s name?”

“Yup.”

“Pretty,” she murmured.

“Hound cooks too, mostly breakfast.”

“Hound?”

“My dad.”

Something moved over her face.

She didn’t comment on it.

Jag didn’t push it.

He didn’t want to ask his next, but he had to ask his next.

“What time is it?”

“It was closing in on seven-thirty when I brought you your coffee.”

“Shit, I gotta get going, sweetheart.”

She didn’t look like she liked that, but she nodded.