Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(18)
“Thanks for this,” he said, patting his breast pocket as he started for the door.
“You earned it. I heard you picked up Dev last night,” Fox said about his son, Devilman, as he got to his feet.
“Word gets around,” he replied, pulling open the door.
“Hold up, Keyes.”
He turned back to Fox as he walked up to him with outstretched arms. He enveloped Keyes in a rare fatherly hug that ended with a solid pat on his back. “He never deserved you. You watched out for him, took care of him. It’s all any of us can hope for from our children.”
It took a second for Keyes to finally hug him back then he avoided eye contact as he turned to leave church. He wasn’t certain he was worthy of Fox’s praise.
Mack and Ace were there, Mack sitting at one of the many tables scattered in the bar area of the clubhouse. Ace, their resident bartender, stood behind the bar where he was just about every night of the week. Both his brothers looked worried as they eyed him closely. Ace and Mack were trusted advisors to the prez, Mack was next in line to be the club president if anything happened to Fox. Of course they had been the ones Fox had come to all these decisions with.
Mack gave him a fist bump as he passed by the table heading for the front doors. “Stay for a drink?”
“I gotta get back to the shop.” Which was a lie, he needed to ride to help process everything he’d just heard, because no doubt, if there was a way to have guilt in his deal, he’d find it at the worst possible time.
He pulled his phone, checking the time. Two thirty in the afternoon. He could drop this cash off by his Uncle Clyde’s place south of Dallas then take a spin, maybe take a super long out-of-the-way ride to Alec’s house. He lifted a hand to Ace before he left the building. Keyes started for his bike, cocking his head at the prospects loitering around the place. He was glad he wasn’t the only one who thought they were unworthy of a Havoc patch. On that note, he dialed Louis at the tire shop
“Yep, boss man?”
“Can you close up tonight?” he asked.
“Sure thing.” Louis never hesitated. He was a fucking work horse, and Keyes knew he could count on him.
“I’ll be back in the mornin’.” He ended the call and looked at the time while settling his sunglasses in place. If he hightailed it to Clyde’s, maybe he could make it to Alec’s before he got off work. A grin split his face as he realized the gift Fox had given him. He’d be spending more time at Alec’s house with no guilt or worry about being gone so much.
As for his old man? It wasn’t a surprise he wasn’t his father’s biological kid. The reason for all the years of Smoke’s hate still didn’t lessen the impact of the way he’d treated Keyes. A child should never have to grow up like he had.
Was it wrong to wish a slow, painful death on someone? Keyes mounted his bike, knowing full well good people like Alec didn’t wish for those things, but he kind of did.
=?=
Late seemed to be the word of the day—Alec’s day specifically. He came off the elevator to see Rosa Daly and her granddaughter, Keely Cummings, waiting on a bench next to the bank of elevators. Rosa looked to be in her regular state of anxiousness as her gaze landed on Alec. In stark contrast, Keely played with her doll in the seat next to her, lost in the make-believe world she played within. Jacob, his assistant came into the small waiting area from the opposite direction of Alec, and without saying a word, he took a seat next to Keely. He had agreed to sit with the little girl while Rosa met with Alec.
“Thank you for coming,” Alec said, stopping directly in front of Rosa as she got to her feet. He stuck out his hand, and she followed, clasping his tightly. “I’m sorry I’m late. It’s been a day.”
“Is she okay out here?” Rosa asked, turning toward her granddaughter. Keely’s head lifted, her eyes rising to meet Alec’s. Much like the first time he’d met Keely, he was taken aback by the maturity staring at him from such a young child, proving she hadn’t been so lost in play after all.
“Jacob’s going to sit with her, and you’ll be able to see her the whole time. We won’t be long.” Alec nodded toward the secluded sitting area and led the way. He shut the door behind Rosa to help give them more privacy, offering her the seat closest to the large window overlooking Keely and Jacob.
Rosa was incredibly territorial where Keely was concerned, and as far as he could see, she had every right to be. What happened to Keely played a large role in his success at keeping Donald locked away. Keely had been in the vehicle when both her mother and father were arrested. The authorities found a sizable amount of methamphetamines in the backseat where Keely sat holding a firearm in her hands that she had accidentally discharged during the traffic stop. The little girl was lucky to be alive today.
“We had a win yesterday. Did you get my message?” Alec asked, taking his seat across the small table from Rosa.
“I did. I was working, but it made everything better. I’ve been worried,” she said, her gaze shifting from Keely to Alec. The relief didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“It was a great day for me as well. I’m going to keep doing everything in my power to keep him locked away, I assure you. I’ve worked with the criminal division extensively, and I feel confident you’ll be assigned an attorney soon,” he said, which wasn’t necessarily the truth, but he sure hoped it worked out like that. Alec opened a much more condensed version of the packet of information Janice had supplied him with yesterday. “I’ve stumbled on something that I need clarification on. That’s why I asked if you could stop by.”