Bones stared at him for a moment, then nodded, their gazes still locked. “I understand you. Brother…” He pulled in a slow breath, feeling peace sweep through him at the acknowledgment of who they were to the other. “I got you. Your connection is not lost on me. And you know in your soul I would do anything for her. It is good she has men such as us at her back, yes?”
“Truth,” Shades said, and Bones nodded, thankful for his interjection, because it would help relieve the still-tense situation. “That promised coffee ready yet, boss? Because I’d just like to point out how I’d been here nearly an hour before this pair showed, and you didn’t offer me coffee. Not even a bottle of water. I don’t rank as high as the brother-in-law. I see how you are.”
Laughter around the room diffused the remaining tension, and Bones smiled as he nodded again. “That also is truth.” He earned more laughter from them with his words, the sound echoing the bright laughter of Talya that trickled in from the other room. “What would your daughter like?” He gestured towards the refrigerator and watched as Mouse opened it and studied the contents. “There is some variety of juice drinks that Ester likes.”
Mouse snorted. “My girl likes the same stuff. The sweeter the better.” He raised his voice, calling out to the other room, “Hey, honey, you want cherry or grape juice?”
Bones laughed when two voices responded, both bright and cheerful, both laughing, and both exclaiming, “Purple, please.”
“Tell me about the party.” Myron lifted his mug to his lips, eyeing Bones over the rim. “What can I do?”
“You will be in Chicago that long?” The party was still two weeks away, so Myron’s request was surprising.
“Maybe. We decided to hang out here for a bit. I haven’t been around in too long, and Mouse and Talya have plenty of touristy stuff to do.” Myron shrugged. “I thought I could spend some time with Ester.” He took a drink, his face twisting as he fought some internal fight. “I gave you guys last year, but I wanted this Christmas to be…just, I wanted it to include me.”
“I think you mean we gave you last year, allowing for the growth of your new relationship without intruding.” Bones ignored Myron’s smile, forging ahead and away from thoughts of family. “We have a number of children who will be at the party. If you stay, it would give Talya a chance to get to know her Chicago counterparts, too.” Bones nodded. “What kind of help are you considering, Myron? We have a list, and there are ample things not yet crossed off.”
“Whatever you need, brother.” Myron made his way to the coffee machine again, refilling his mug. “Like I said, happy to help.”
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Talya called. The floor thudded under Bones’ feet, and he looked up in time to see Tiny trot into the kitchen, head high. He zeroed in on Bones and came to stand next to him, leaning heavily on the backs of his legs as the dog grumbled deep inside his chest. Tiny was pushing against him, shoving with a shoulder until Bones took a step sideways. “What, Tiny?” Somewhere over the past few days, he’d become a person who talked to dogs. Hand on the dog’s head, he scratched roughly at the loose skin. “What is wrong?”
The doorbell rang again, but Tiny didn’t charge or bark, just stayed next to Bones and pushed. That rough growl never ceased rolling up his throat, his body still shoving Bones sideways towards the front of the house.
Bones had a moment where things stopped in time, where he knew that whatever came next would be life-changing. He was in the last seconds of the before, and all that would exist from here out would be the after.
“Wait.” The single word stuck in his throat, and he dropped his hand to Tiny’s back. The dog’s muscles were quivering. Then he heard a voice that surprised him. “Tater?” There was no danger his brother would bring to the household. Head cocked to the side, Bones listened to the sounds from the next room, hearing Tater and Talya holding a lively conversation, Ester’s voice the most prominent absence. “Ester?” To Myron, he said, “Hold him,” and led Tiny to him, putting the dog’s collar in his hand.
“Ester?” He rounded the open archway and stepped into the living room that abutted the entryway. Ester was on her haunches, arms around Talya, who was looking up at Tater and Red curiously. “What is happening?”
“Bones,” Tater said, and Red lifted his chin in greeting. “We’ve got a situation.”
They stared at him, then looked at the office, and he understood what they wanted, but what he needed to know was what had happened to pull the blood from Ester’s face. “Myron, Mouse, come here, please.” Tiny didn’t bark, but he did strip out of Myron’s grip quickly, going to Ester and crowding in front of her and Talya, putting himself between them and the two men. For Tater and Red’s benefit, he pointed towards the office with a nod. “Go. I will be with you momentarily.”
Mouse stayed back, and Myron approached Ester as Bones did, slowly and quietly. Her head was tipped down now, face buried in Talya’s neck so all he could see was the top of her head. “Talya,” Myron called, holding out his hand, “come on, honey.” She reached up and he gripped under her arms, lifting her from Ester’s unresisting grip as she stayed on her knees. Tiny backed up and plunked his ass between Ester’s legs, occupying the space where the little girl had been. He stared up at Bones, his ears and eyes conveying his worry.
“Ester, what has happened?” When she looked up at him, he froze in place, because the expression on her face was out of place for her reactions. It was filled with joy and happiness. “Ester?”
“I’ll get it,” she called, voice high and thready, exactly as Talya’s had been. “Did you hear her? Bones, did you hear her?” He nodded and placed a hand on Ester’s head, stroking her hair softly. “She’s home, and you know what? We could have that. We could have a home like that. Where a tiny human wasn’t afraid of answering the door, because it would never be the court lady coming to visit. Where a tiny human held music in her mouth, ready to give it to us whenever it made her happy. I was wrong, Bones.” She stood and stepped around the dog to place her palms flat on his chest, face lifted to his, expression earnest. “I was wrong. It’s in the doings. Not the things that come before. Sure, it matters, but does it matter more?” She shook her head, hair flying around, the brightness of her eyes still brightly visible. “No, it doesn’t. That’s what I realized outside, but then Red had to come visit for me to remember. It’s in the doings we’d do together. I thought a pup would be good enough, and Tiny’s good. But I wanna have a tiny human with you.”
“Ester.” He hated the pain in his voice, wished he could have hidden it more, but it was overwhelming him. His chest was tight with fear because she’d forgotten the raw truth and he would be the one to break her all over again. Telling her would break him, too. “Baby, please.”
“No, not like that.” She shook her head again, hair a wild cloud around her head. “I mean, how you said. The ways where not-me does the things that come before. Where the not-me has the swelled belly, and the sickness that comes and goes, and the blood and strain. But what we can do is all the doings after. You wanna do that with me?” Her voice dipped, became less confident and her eyes dimmed. “Bones, tell me. Did I miss it? Was it a one-and-done chance?”
He needed to be certain of what she meant, conscious of the uncomfortable audience they had—Red and Tater listening from the office doorway, Myron and Mouse only feet away. “Ester, my Ester. You and I cannot have a child of our own.”
“False.” Now she was pissed, and the glower she directed his way was scathing. “Am I yours?”
“Yes, of course you are.”
“And are you mine?” He nodded, not sure where this was going now. “Why would a tiny human be different? You chose me, and I chose you, and if we choose a baby, a child, an infant, a tiny human—” She paused and took in a deep breath, her voice slow, testing each word as she spoke it when she finished. “—then why wouldn’t that person be ours, just as we’re each other’s?”
Bones stared at her for a mo
ment, seeing in her eyes the complex attention she’d given to thinking about the problem. Months, she must have been twisting it around in her head, trying to find a way through the snarled knot of pain and lost hopes. In the entirety of his life, he’d never wanted something as much as this, but he’d given up. Bones had thought she’d put it aside forever, but in true Ester fashion, she’d been thinking and considering, and waiting for the perfect time to tell him she was ready.
“You are right, my Ester. If we, if you and I, pick a child to be ours, then that is that. They will be ours.”
“Forever.” She waited, and he nodded. “No fear of being left behind. No fear of being alone. There’ll be lots of days of ‘I got it’ for us.” She sighed and leaned forwards, putting her forehead against his chest. “Thank you for being patient.”
“For you, I find myself willing to do anything.”
***
He settled a calm Ester with Talya and Mouse, then followed the other men into the office, smiling as Tiny forced his way in at the last moment. “Tell me,” he said, turning from the door, “what is so urgent today.” No smiles met his statement, which was surprising. The implication that the club always had business going on was not true, and normally Red would grin at the reminder of how things had slowed down. It was easier these days, and every man in the club breathed a little freer knowing it.
“We got a situation.” Red held up his phone and passed it over. Myron stepped close to look over Bones’ shoulder. “There’s a video, then a couple of pics. Watch the vid first.”
The still shot was a blurred shape in darkness, the triangle suspended over it, ready to be prompted to play. “What will I be looking at?” He didn’t want to go into this without having at least an idea. “Give me something.”
Tater spoke up, the expression on his face unreadable. “Bella’s been trying to make friends. Your Ester, other old ladies like Red’s.” He swallowed. “The club whores, too. Not the party dolls, because I won’t take her to those events. But residential gals, you know how it is. Old ladies can’t help but know what they are when the gals are around the clubhouse all the time. So, Bella’s made it a mission. That video is one Tawny sent her last night. Just watch it, brother. We need you to tell us what to do.”
Bones nodded and a moment later, the sounds of a party filled the room. He studied the image on the phone, noting faces and location. “That is not our clubhouse.” A statement, not a question, and he didn’t look away from the screen to see their reaction. “These men, they are not Rebels. Where is this taken?” He sucked in a breath, because the video’s perspective had floated high for a moment, looking down as if the person recording had their arms above their head, then had swooped down and came close to a woman’s face. It took a moment, but the video finally focused in on her features. The sick feeling Bones had been fighting in the pit of his stomach grew stronger.
Unconscious, Tawny was laid out on what looked like a kitchen floor, arms and legs splayed. Based on the lack of tension in her limbs, he assumed she was not restrained. There were only a few more seconds, and on the video nothing untoward was happening, but he could see her clothing had been wrenched awry, seams popped along her shoulder. Her face was bruise-free, and blissed out, which meant “She is high.”
“Yeah.” Red met Bones’ gaze. “I’d noticed she was wearin’ sleeves lately, but didn’t think anything of it; it’s winter. But then I saw that vid. Watch it again, and look closely at her arms, Bones. I think she’s usin’.”
“Where was this taken?” He rewound the video to the best angle on her arms, then shook his head. “It is not clear. I will not accuse someone based on an anonymous video. What did she say when you questioned her?” He held the phone out to Red, but Myron intercepted the handoff, taking the phone over by the desk. Bones ignored what he was doing, knowing Myron would have a better version of the video before this conversation was over. “She is ours, but she knows she cannot live in the clubhouse if she is using.” He didn’t have to say it, because every man in the room knew, but the club would send her to a clinic if needed. They’d done it before with mixed results. For Tawny, who had lived at the clubhouse for more than fifteen years, it would not even be a question. “We detox her and rehab.”
“Can’t find her.” Tater shook his head. “Bella tried all the other gals, and no one’s seen her.”
“Or they are not talking,” Bones interjected, but Tater shook his head. “You think Bella has earned their trust that well?”
“I do. She’s had girl dates with them. They like her, but more, they trust her. She told them there’d be no blowback for telling on Tawny, but they don’t know anything. She told me they were worried, too.” He shrugged. “As to where that footage was taken, I don’t have the faintest clue. It could be anywhere, Bones.”
“She has a room at the clubhouse.” Not a question, but Red still nodded. “Search it. Turn it upside down. Look everywhere we know are hiding places. Look where we would hide something like that. Toss it and tell me what is found.”
Myron looked up. “Mouse and me are headed to the clubhouse in a few. We were going to take Talya. Want to come along with Ester?”
Bones considered for a moment, then nodded. “Two birds, one stone. If we find anything, I will call Mason from there. And” —he smiled at the men— “I can ask Ester to check on the party plans. See if she will engage. It would be good.”
An hour later, he rolled his eyes as he parked their car next to the clubhouse building. Hot, heavy breathing echoed in his ear, and if he moved his head too far to the side, he knew he risked a tongue lashing. Again.
“Tell me why Tiny needed to come?” Ester giggled, and he smiled. He would do much for that sound. “Never mind, it does not matter. We are here now. Do you want me to take his leash?”
“No, I’ve got it. Him. I’m good.” She blew out a huff of air, stirring the bangs that dropped back over her eyes. “I know people here.”
“You do.” He reassured her, sitting still behind the wheel until she gave him the signal to get out. If she was unsettled, he would wait with her. “Myron and Mouse, Talya, Red, Tater and Bella, Shades.” He glanced around the lot. “Plowboy and Road Runner.”
She nodded jerkily. “I’m good. I know all of them.” When one hand lifted to scratch absently along Tiny’s jaw, she muttered, “Tiny’s here, too. And you are. My Bones.” She cut her gaze towards him, then back towards her knees. “You’re here. That’s the most important parts of the whole dealiebob. You being here. With me. You wanting me here with you. My Bones. I can do anything with you.”
“You can do anything, period.” She shivered, and he placed his palm on her thigh, stroking reassuringly. Tiny whined and pressed hard against her hand. “You have always been amazing to me.”
“Okay.” She sat still for a moment longer, then gripped the door handle tightly. “Tiny, wait.” The dog grumbled, chewing at the sounds until they were nearly words, and Bones laughed at the idea of him talking. Ester frowned, then giggled. “Hush, both of you.”
He met her at the door leading inside and halted her with a hand at her waist. He angled his head down, knuckle under her chin to lift her mouth, and kissed her. Deep, long strokes of his tongue against hers, teeth nipping at her lips, he kissed her until her breath came fast. “Do you know how much I love you?” Without opening her eyes, she smiled and nodded, looking drunk on the kiss. “Double that. My love has grown.”
Slow blinks parted her lids, and her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. “That’s a lot.” He nodded, slipping that knuckle along the edge of her jaw in a slow caress. “Backatcha, mister.”
Inside, Ester stuck by his side only a moment before Talya and Bella peeled her away, Tiny going along with her. The backwards glance she gave him made his heart skip, but the tender way she cuddled the little girl into her side started an ache in his belly he couldn’t wait to explore. With everything that had happened after the men had gotten to his house, Bones hadn’t
nearly enough time to digest the change in direction Ester was dictating. Her reasoning was spot-on, and he understood how she’d gotten there, but after not believing it was in the cards for them, Bones was off balance in all the right ways to have it dangled in front of him suddenly.
Bones made his way to the bar, standing near the end beside the door to the office. He saw Myron inside, working on a computer. “You are still digging into the video?” Myron nodded and lifted a bottle without looking up, taking a deep pull of beer. “Let me know when you have something.” Myron nodded again, and Bones turned to accept a bottle from the prospect manning the bar. With Myron, it would be when, not if, and Bones knew whatever was found would be more than expected when Myron did hand it over. “Red,” he called and jerked his head. The minute the paramedic was close enough, he asked, “Her room?”
“Tater’s headed up in a minute. He decided to do it and not assign it out. That way if nothing’s found, it’s not a black mark against Tawny.”
Bones lifted his beer and took a drink, then said, “He will come get us if he needs to.”
“Yeah. He’s as anti-hard stuff as any of us are. I think he’s feeling guilty because with Tawny spending time with Bella, he thinks he should have seen it sooner.” Red shrugged. “If it’s true, then there’s no blame for any one man. We’d all shoulder it. Addicts, though.” He sighed. “They’re damn good at hiding shit.”
“Boss.” Bones jerked his gaze up the stairs to see Tater already gesturing him up.
“Fuck,” he muttered and set the bottle on the bar, swept the area to verify Ester’s safety and well-being, then took the steps two at a time. “What?”
Christmas Doings Page 6
