“Adulthood not what it’s cracked up to be?”
“You know prospects don’t actually get paid? I put in enough fucking time with this club, and I’m lucky if the warden spots me a fiver for a fucking sandwich every now and then.” Jeremy’s navy-blue eyes narrow. He’s such a handsome kid, so tall, and with a huge heart. He’s still just a teenager, though, and has some more maturing to do.
“Worth it,” I say casually. He just stares at me like I’m speaking a foreign language. “You can bitch all you want, but we both know this is where you belong. Forsaken’s your family, and if Duke is tight about sharing the wealth, then it’s for your benefit.”
One thing I know for certain about Duke from my short time living with him is this—he’s as generous as can be. As long as Duke’s around, Nic won’t want for anything.
“You sound like somebody’s mother,” he grumbles, staring at the gun in his hand like he’s trying to figure something out. Finally, he places it next to another gun and a phone. I bite back the pang of sorrow his comment creates. “Not that I’d know what that sounds like.”
“Of course you know what a mother sounds like. Nic’s been trying to mother your stubborn ass for years, not that you’ve made it easy on her.”
“Figured she’d miss a pill and get knocked up at some point. Had to make sure she knew what she was doing—for Robin’s sake, ya know.”
“Totally,” I say and nod my head, smiling. I get to babysit Robin about once a week or so now. Sometimes it’s just for an hour, and other times it’s longer. Jeremy puts in his fair share of time with her, too, which I know he enjoys, though he’ll never admit it.
Ruby walks up and places her hands on her hips and looks at Jeremy’s seemingly random arrangement of weapons and mobile phones laid out over three of the smaller tables. She shakes her head and laughs.
“Jim’s really putting you through the ringer, huh, kid?”
“Pres thinks this will help me learn to pay better attention,” Jeremy says. Ruby places a hand on his shoulder and gives it a squeeze.
“You’ve done good.”
Jeremy’s eyes volley between Ruby and his arrangement before his eyes widen and he gapes at her for a long moment. A smirk graces his handsome features. He gathers up the items and places them back in the box, checking the guns to make sure the safety is on each one, and shakes it. Ruby takes it from him, sets it on the table, and quickly takes out and arranges everything very similar to how Jeremy had done just a few minutes ago.
“A good old lady makes her old man’s business her business. It’s not her place to stick her nose in. It’s her job to keep his shit running, and that means knowing his brothers and their club.”
“Take notes, Bean.” Jeremy whistles and elbows me in my side. I tense up but try to shake it off. Ruby’s eyes roll dramatically at his comment, but I ignore it. I don’t think she likes me much, but I don’t have the energy to deal with that right now and busy myself with wiping down the empty table tops.
One of the mobiles Jeremy arranged on the tables chirps, but I ignore it. Then it rings, and rings again, before Jeremy’s bothered with checking out the phone and inspecting it. It chirps in his hands. He shakes his head and sets it back on the table just as it starts ringing again.
“What the hell? Ian’s phone never rings,” he says and silences it.
“Oh crap. Gimme that!” I drop the rag I’m cleaning with and snatch the phone from his hands. I can’t believe I almost forgot the dog breeder was supposed to call. I press the green answer button and hold the phone to my ear. I’m about to say hello when a rough, Italian-accented voice sounds in my ear.
“You ever answer your phone? We got Jennings. Just waiting on your signal to get him out safely.” The man on the other end sounds out of breath. His words don’t make sense, but they send a chill down my spine anyhow. I lose my breath and pull the phone away from my ear and end the call. That wasn’t the dog breeder.
“Bean?” Jeremy sounds worried, but I can’t be bothered by it. I stare down at the phone in my hand and try to make sense of what just happened. My hands shake, and I can feel myself paling.
“Um, Jer? Is there a Jennings aside from the Jennings?”