"Did you dream this, Sharpie? I know you fantasize about me a lot, so I wouldn't be surprised."
Ford kicks me under the table, and I glare at him. He only stares with his dark blue eyes until I get the message. Grunting, I glance at a nervous Sharpie.
"I'm not overpaying just because you're a club bro, so don't pull any shit with me."
"Do you always have to be an asshole?"
"I do what comes natural."
Sharpie rolls his eyes. "I'll give you an estimate. If you don't like the numbers, you can fuck off."
"Fine. Talk to me about it after I eat."
The rest of breakfast is Big Dick babbling about a few dealers giving the club trouble. His big plan is having Zombie deal with them. Ford gives me a look that means nothing to the others, but I know he smells a con. Zombie isn't a guy sent to do dirty work alone. He makes a fucking mess even when he has a grownup looking over his shoulder. Fuck, I've even been nervous around Zombie.
What Zombie lacks in sanity, he makes up for in loyalty to Uncle Trigger. These days, apparently loyalty to a bad plan matters more than protecting the club.
I don't add anything to the discussion. My mind returns to killing Taz's lackey and Bebe's expression when she saw him dead. Reminiscing our every moment in bed, I miss the part where breakfast is over.
Ford waits for me to shove my final sausage links into my mouth. I hold his gaze and chew widely, so he can enjoy the view. His steely expression never falters. I finally swallow and grin at him. He shares my smile as we stand.
"Sharpie, we have shit to do today, so come over now and give us the estimate," Ford says.
The jackass to my right nods. He also shoots me a nasty look. I can barely contain my need to punch him in the face.
Outside, Trigger is laughing his ass off. He still looks sickly after his heart attack months earlier. Despite his health issues, the man is living the dream. All he needs to do is kill off his vice president and a few of Joker's loyal guys. Yeah, everything is fucking peachy for Trigger.
18
Pax
Switching Sides
Lula hears me enter the house and squeals in excitement. Too bad I can't get that kind of welcome wherever I go. She's waiting for me at the top of the stairs. Picking her up, I'm overwhelmed with guilt when she hugs me. The kid relies on me too much already.
Bebe is in the kitchen, washing dishes and ignoring my arrival. What's a man got to do to get her to squeal? Oh, I can think of a few things.
"You bored of me already?" I ask, holding Lula while finding a Coke in the fridge.
The expression on Bebe's face puts me in the awkward position of getting hard with a damn kid in my arms. Bebe smiles and takes her daughter.
"When are we leaving to get the tree?" she asks.
Grinning at the way Lula squeaks with excitement, I pop the can open. "I got a guy coming over to talk with me and Ford. We're playing some game I don't know the rules to. Once he leaves, we'll take the truck and get our tree. Think you can wait that long, Lula?"
Nodding, she looks ready to burst out of her skin. I can't remember being that excited about things when I was little. Of course, I don't remember a whole lot from when I was little, besides Ford always being around and how much I loved hot dogs. Otherwise, good riddance to my childhood.
Lula slides on her shoes and lets Bebe fix her hair. Sitting on the couch, I watch my girls and think about being a family man. I can do this shit. If an idiot like Sharpie can have a wife and kids, I can nail the father and husband role.
Bebe glances at me, and I see lust in her eyes. She nibbles at her bottom lip then lifts a brow as if to fuck with me. I glare at her for making me hard, but my irritation only makes her smile. She needs me to want her. Since we met, I noticed how she tried to disappear when men were around. Sex wasn't something she craved. Oh, how things have changed.
I laugh at the idea of her as a sex-craved manic. Lula laughs too because she's bouncing off the walls. Nearby, Folgers trots downstairs, and I know Ford is here.
"Are you getting the boys a tree today?" I ask my brother as we wait outside for Sharpie.
"Yeah. Bebe told Shay, so now Shay wants to get a tree this very minute. I swear she's as excited as the boys."
"Wanna go together?"
Ford kicks at the rock garden near the steps. "Sure, but I'll need you to hold my hand and hug me and shit."
"I promise."
Ford grins. "Joker called and said he thinks Sharpie might be setting us up. Then he called back and said Madden told him Sharpie was gonna ask for our help."
"Pretty boy always knows shit."
"And rarely shares any of it."
Frowning, I whisper, "You think he'll take out his dad?"
"No, but I've been wrong before."
My plan is to point out the many times he's been wrong. We hear an approaching Harley, so I keep my mouth shut.