Damaged and the Outlaw (Damaged #4)

Now, he waned to play things safe. Judd said it was more of an age thing than the injury. Either way, Danny was a guy who thought war with the Devils was always a bad idea. He made this clear as soon as we were all sitting around the table.

“We can’t be sure what happens when those fuckers are dead. Do we even know who they’re tied with? Who their suppliers are? Taking out these guys could be the opening shot in a war. Do we really need that shit right now?”

Tucker crossed his arms and glanced at his brother. “They’ve been attacking our territory for nearly a year. They turned one of our fucking guys. Now, they’ve sent a killer into our town to kill one of our guys. If we don’t hit them hard, we’re saying we’re pussies.”

“There’s more here than ego,” Danny said, his rough voice unnaturally calm. “We have people and supply lines to worry about.”

“How many fuckers might think about turning on us because we’re seen as weak?”

Cooper never reacted to the rising tempers. Two seats away, Judd sat just as still, but I noticed his jaw twitching. Normally, the enforcer was unreadable. When I glanced at Tawny, I saw why Judd was grumpy. Her hands were in fists and she finally pounded them on the table.

“Why do you keep talking about this shit?”

Danny looked about ready to tell her to shut up. Likely, he remembered why Tawny sat in on our meetings, so he said nothing.

“You keep talking and talking,” she said to Cooper who showed no reaction. “You want the answer to be obvious. If you do nothing while they shoot up Ellsberg, you look weak. If you shoot up Tucson and kill them, you look like a crazy fuck. Who gives a shit what the odds are of one or the other? You’re obsessed with thinking things out, but your strength isn’t you brain.”

“Tawny…” Cooper muttered.

“No, shut up. Do you think your pop thinks shit to death? No. He goes with his instinct and you need to the do the same fucking thing. You already know the answer. You want him to signal you the right answer. Waiting for him has made you stupid. Fuck your brain. Logic says you and Farah don’t make sense. Your instinct said otherwise. What should you listen to?”

Cooper’s jaw relaxed. “Your sister is the hottest thing in town.”

Tawny exhaled hard. “You’ve known what to do all along, but you think you have to listen to others and wait for your pop to give you the answer. He knows it and so do you. Just do it already.”

Cooper stood up and glanced at his father. “We kill the fuckers.”

Standing, Kirk stretched casually. “I’ll call Memphis.”

Danny was clearly pissed while the other guys were nervous about starting shit with no clear end point. They wouldn’t speak up now with Cooper and Kirk on the same page. It was a done deal.

“Are you okay?” I asked Tawny who was shaking.

“No,” she said, walked to Judd and curling up in his lap. “Fuck anyone who judges me. If someone gives me shit, Judd will shoot them in the face.”

Judd wrapped his arms around his woman and smiled. “I haven’t shot anyone in a couple of weeks.”

The other guys headed outside to bitch. While the rest of us waited for Kirk to return and make the call, Tawny smiled at Cooper.

“Sorry I called you a fucking idiot.”

“You didn’t.”

“Oh, in my planned speech, I did. I guess I went off script.”

“You’re funny. Good thing your man has a trigger finger.”

“Or what?” Tawny said, her head cradled in the crook of Judd’s neck. “You’d tell my sister you…what?”

Cooper grinned. “Danny’s going to talk shit about you now.”

“I’m going to talk shit about his shallow grave,” Tawny said, looking tired. “I’m glad you’re listening to your gut. You’re Kirk’s son and that makes you smart.”

Looking more confident than I’d seen him in months, Cooper smiled. “Thanks, but how do you explain Tucker? Are you saying my mom cheated?”

Tucker glared at his brother. “I’m his son too.”

“Based on Tawny’s idea, you can’t be. Sorry, dummy.”

Returning, Kirk sighed. “I never gave your mom a reason to cheat.”

Tawny grinned. “Men are funny.” We all watched her for a minute then she sighed. “I’m on new meds and they’re making me sleepy. Maybe a little moody.”

“Maybe?” I asked and she flipped me off.

Kirk set the phone on the table. “I’ll do the talking and we don’t give details to anyone outside the room. I trust my guys not to snitch, but they’re fucking scared and that makes them dumber. Things have been too quiet and easy for too long and they’ve gotten whipped.”

As Tawny dozed against Judd, I locked the door and Kirk dialed. Soon enough, a deep voice asked, “What’s up, Kirk?”

“One of my boys got some shit on a fancy shirt and we need a cleaner.”

“How big a stain we talking about?”

“Big, but it’s a delicate shirt. Needs a soft touch. The guys I know would destroy the material. The stain is a pain, but we don’t want to ruin the fucking shirt, you know?”