Order (Tattoos and Ties Duet #2)(71)

“I hadn’t even looked. He spoke to me from the minute I walked in,” Alec explained, truly not caring in the least the sex of the animal.

“I thought for sure he’d be mine. He’s kept his distance from everyone.”

Alec was counting out his cash and looked up in surprise. That hadn’t been his experience at all. Maybe destiny brought them together.

“How much do I owe you for the carrying case?” he asked.

“Nothing at all. He’s also started his shots. The paperwork and a small amount of puppy food is inside here,” she said, pointing to an envelope on the coffee table. Mrs. Hardin carefully wrapped the dog inside the blanket. The puppy kept his eyes on Alec the whole time. He placed the cash on the coffee table and tucked his wallet back in his back pocket before he took the envelope.

“I can carry him,” Alec said when she started to put him inside the case. “It’s cold out there. I’ll get the case in the car and put him inside. I have it warming,” he explained, folding the envelope to place in his side pocket.

“Very good then. I hope you get as much love from him as we have ours. They’re wonderful little companions, smart and loyal.” She carefully handed him back to Alec. He beamed at the Boston, now wrapped up like an Eskimo. Mrs. Hardin couldn’t have been kinder as she handed off the case and opened and closed the door for him.

Once Alec got the puppy tucked away in the passenger seat with the heater blowing directly on the shivering bundle, he hit the road. Maybe ten minutes into the drive home, Alec split his attention between the Boston and the road as the blanket start unraveling and the little guy leaped from its hold, shaking his head. He was fierce, not frightened in the least. He looked all around until he found Alec then lay on the blanket, his head turned toward him.

“It seems you’ve been waiting on me. Or me waiting on you,” Alec said, sticking his finger through one of the holes in the case, absently petting the little guy’s soft head. He had a good hour and a half drive home that may have taken almost two with as slow as he drove. He had precious cargo in the car, and that seemed to change everything for him. Again.

=?=

“Church!” Fox called out, walking through the clubhouse about an hour later than he’d originally set for the meeting. Slowly, his brothers filled the meeting room. “Take a seat. We got shit to talk about,” Fox ordered, taking his place at the head of the table. He dropped a heavy file on the worn wood but offered nothing more.

There was grumbling between the brothers. It was late for some. Others had spent the last three hours drinking, but for Keyes, he was just glad that no one was treating him any differently, and for the first time in his life, his old man wasn’t there, throwing homophobic insults and making sure every one of his brothers heard shit about him.

Once the guys got settled, Fox started the meeting, going through the required protocol until the floor was given to him. He stood at the head of the table, looking at each brother before he pushed the file folder into the center of the table, older photos scattered across the top. “This shit came in the mail today. No idea who or where it came from.”

Fox leaned over, and with a swipe of his hand, the pictures spread all over the table. Keyes wasn’t close enough to grab one, all he could see were the photos were all of a younger Ray-Ray with a woman, the same woman in each shot.

“What the fuck’s this?” Ray-Ray asked, defensive as hell. His chair scraped across the floor as he stood, reaching over the table, picking up several photographs.

“You tell us,” Fox suggested, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mack rose, ran his hands over some of the pictures, shoving one particular one to Ray-Ray. Keyes looked around at the other members, but they looked about as confused as he felt when Ray-Ray shouted, “What the fuck, man? You gotta fuckin’ give me more than this.”

Whatever was going on, Mack seemed to clue in based on the anguish crossing his face. He dropped back into his chair, cursing loudly as Fox tossed out a piece of paper that had been underneath the file folder. Ray-Ray took it, and within seconds, he shouted, “Motherfucker!” And kicked at his chair, sending it slamming against the back wall.

“What the fuck’s going on?” Hound asked.

“I didn’t know,” Ray-Ray said immediately, his burst of attitude turned to justification as he stared at Fox. “I swear to God I didn’t fuckin’ know. Honest, the whore was a fuckin’ stalker.”

“Goddamn, Ray,” Mack said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I fucked that whore a few times in the early nineties, man. She was a college chick that kept showin’ up everywhere I was,” Ray explained, shock in his eyes and desperation in his voice as he looked at each of his brothers, trying to make them understand. “I fucked her. She wanted to be fucked. I swear to God I didn’t fuckin’ know.”

Dev rose from his seat, reaching across the table to rip the sheet of paper out of Ray’s hands before taking his seat again next to Keyes. It took a second before Dev muttered the apparent sentiment of the meeting and handed Keyes the typed note. “Motherfucker.”

Keyes read the aloud. “Donice Twiford—senior, University of Texas Dallas—current Dallas County District Attorney.”

Whoa. That was a huge blow, and it took a second for the words to sink in before the room erupted in utter fucking chaos.