“Well, I might have mentioned a certain appendage being in the same shape as my pancake and that the lady in question didn’t seem to know how to fix the issue.” She giggled, saw Jameson scowl, and tried to look innocent.
“Oh my God, you didn’t, Jiji, did you?” Now I was laughing.
Jameson turned to me. “Don’t egg her on, Tish, she’s bad enough on her own.”
I couldn’t help it; I could picture Breech sitting at the table with his mouth opening and closing like a fish, not knowing how to respond to Jiji’s banter.
“You will apologize, Jiji,” he ordered.
“I will not,” she replied. “I didn’t do anything wrong. He’s the one who got all bent out of shape; he never should have brought that trash to the table.”
“It’s his table, Jiji; remember, you are just a guest there.”
Jiji looked like he had slapped her. Her eyes filled up with tears and she looked pleadingly at Jameson. “Does that mean we can go home soon? Have you found out anything more about Mom or Aden?”
Now Jameson looked like he’d been the one slapped. “You don’t like it here, Jiji? You want to go home to an empty house, no family there, your best friend here in New York?”
Jiji turned questioning eyes to me, but before I could react, he continued. “She’s mine, Jiji, I’m not letting her go. The choice is yours. Once Aden is disposed of, either you stay here with us or leave and go home alone.”
Jameson looked over at me. I must have had a shocked expression on my face because he immediately softened. “We will discuss this later,” he glanced at Jiji meaningfully, “alone, Tish. Get dressed and come downstairs. We need to meet with Dukes and Danko.” Turning, he left the room, slamming the door behind him.
“Umm, yeah, that went well,” I said, trying to break the tension.
“Is it true, what he said, Tish? Would you stay here if I wanted to go home?”
I tugged her over to sit on the bed with me. “Jiji, this thing between your brother and me is so new. I have feelings for him, have had them for a long time, if I’m being honest. Don’t ask me to choose between the two of you. Either choice would kill me.”
She hung her head. “That wasn’t fair; I’m sorry I said it, Tish. You and I are closer than most sisters. I didn’t tell you about one thing, just one thing in all these years, and look how that turned out. I refuse to make this about us. I’ve watched you falling for him for years. I knew how you felt about him before you did. So, no, there will be no choice to make.
“To be perfectly honest, I like it here. Opry says Sandra loves to teach, I toured the college, and I’m over-the-moon happy that you and Jameson are finding your way to each other. The thing is, Breech stumps me. One minute he’s almost coming on to me, the next he’s breathing fire at me. I don’t know what to do, Tish, have any words of wisdom for a sista?”
Smiling at her choice of words, I said, “Seems to me he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, Jiji. Think about it. You’re Jameson’s little sister. These guys are all about family. He might want to go there with you, but he’s also best friends with your brother, just like you are to me. If he started something and it didn’t work out, it could come between him and Jameson. That’s not easy for him to do, Jiji. You’d basically be giving him the same choice you just gave me. You or Jameson.”
She blinked, taking it in. “Damn it, Tish, why didn’t I see that?” she asked. “How could I be so blind?”
“Come on, babe, you weren’t thinking in terms of you and Breech as a couple. That’s why you didn’t see it.”
“I’m still not thinking of Breech and me as a couple, Tish. I’m not ready to go there. I still have my undergrad work to do, then vet school. I have enough to worry about without some stubborn, musclebound gorilla getting in my way.”
I collapsed back on the bed, laughing at the picture Jiji had painted of Breech. The sheet got tangled and exposed my upper thigh.
Jiji pointed at my leg. “Umm, Tish, you’ve got a hickey right there. I wouldn’t wear short shorts today.”
Looking down, I blushed. I had beard-burn and, as she had pointed out, a hickey on my thigh. Snatching the sheet down, I said, “Pfft, you’re just jealous that I got a little something-something and you didn’t.”
“Eww, do we have to go through this every time?” she asked, tapping on my temple. “He’s my bro. It’s TMI with him and you already!”
“So you’re not mad at him anymore?” I asked.
She snorted. “Yeah, I guess you can say that. My big bro won’t let it go, though. He can have the hots for you, but none of the guys can have the hot’s for me. Narrow-minded asshat. unbelievable,” she huffed. “Come on, get dressed before he comes back and chews out what little butt I have left.”
I put on a pair of capris and a T-shirt, ran a comb through my hair before throwing it up in a messy bun, brushed my teeth, washed my face, put on a pair of flip flops, and prepared to beard the lion in his den.
Fourteen
When I walked into the meeting room, Dukes, Danko, and Breech were already there. I smelled the aroma from the coffee sitting in front of them, and went to get a cup for myself. I lit up a smoke, settling down in my seat.
Breech said, “Aden is a slippery fucker. From the intel I’ve gathered, that isn’t even his real name—it’s Alfonse Ramero. He did a dime at Green Haven for something, but I can’t get into the file. The fucking records are sealed. Whatever it was, it happened a bit before he met your mother. I got a friend looking into his time up there.
“He set up a honey trap on that singles website; your mom walked right into it. When they started writing each other he was still in jail, but she couldn’t have known that from the way he had it rigged. When he got out, he already had his new identity, which he’d been using with her. For a while I’m guessing it worked. Looks like whatever he was into started going south, then everything went to shit after that. The house is gone, Fighter, he mortgaged it to the hilt; it isn’t worth saving. Your best bet is to get Jiji down there soon, get what she wants out of it, then let the bank have it.”
“Shit, he even took her home from her, that motherfucker,” I spat. Squinting at Breech through the smoke, I said, “Fucking sealed?”
“Yeah, something isn’t kosher, but I’ll be dammed if I can figure out what it is. Got people on it,” Breech said, looking up from his laptop.
Dukes spoke up. “Fighter, we think you should move Tish and Jiji into your 3rd street house. Dolly and her crew finished today. It’s unoccupied, plus it’s close enough we can have a couple boys watching them all the time.”
“They getting on your nerves, Dukes?” I asked.
Grinning he replied, “Love them girls, they been through a lot and came out the other side okay. They are a breath of fresh air around here. The club girls even like them, and that’s a miracle in itself. I think it’s the other way around. They need their own space. Three people living in one small room is a recipe for disaster.”
Mulling it over, I liked the idea of getting the girls out of the clubhouse, especially after Jiji’s blowup with Breech. I didn’t want their shit spilling over and messing with the atmosphere in the house.
The clubhouse was an old barn that had been converted years ago. The main floor held a bar with a pool table, a huge 70-inch TV, and a couple leather couches. The kitchen and dining room were off to the side of the bar, along with a couple bedrooms with attached bathrooms for the club girls that lived onsite. On the other side of the bar was the meeting room; it was a large, open space with a conference table in the middle. Comfortable chairs lined the table, and there was a coffee pot brewing 24/7. Upstairs is where the guys each had a room of their own. Some lived here full-time while others with Ol’ Ladies and families lived close to the compound.
Breech spoke up, “Fighter, your tem
per has been on a hair trigger lately. You need to get laid without your sister underfoot—although today you look a little more relaxed, peaceful even.” It was like a lightbulb went off in his head; I could see him putting the pieces together and come up with the right answer. He fucking grinned, laughing like a loon.
Dukes held up two fingers for quiet. “You finished adding up the clues, Breech? Is it okay if we continue with club business and not rehash Fighter’s love life?”
Breech couldn’t leave it alone. “Boss, we may never get this chance again. The lone wolf has been tamed. Fighter has traded in his man card. You have to let me run with it.”
“Asshole,” Danko said. “I can’t wait ‘til it’s your turn. I’m going to have a T-shirt made for you. It’s going to say Pussy-Whipped!”
Breech flipped Danko off. “Look who’s talking, man whore.”
Before they could really get started, there was a timid knock on the door. It had to be my girls, because any of the brothers would have been pounding, not knocking, and none of the club girls would interrupt. Sure enough, Danko let Jiji and Tish in.
Tish was wearing a pair of tight denim capris that hugged her ass and her T-shirt had a half-naked man riding on horseback. It said Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy. Yeah, that’s gonna be a rag soon, I thought.
Jiji’s T-shirt read The more people I meet, the more I like my dog. She would have one of those. She loved all animals, more than some people, and she was proud to show the world how she felt. I saw Breech glance up; his mouth tightened when he saw her but he didn’t comment, which told me he was still mad.
“Sit down,” Dukes said, indicating the chairs across from him. Danko plopped a cup of coffee in front of each of them, showing them where the sugar, milk, and creamer were in the little mini-fridge. I noticed Tish only added some creamer while Jiji added a ton of sugar and milk. When the girls had their coffee to their liking, they resumed their seats across from Dukes.
He began without preamble, “That motherfucker Aden is alive somewhere; we haven’t been able to locate him yet. We don’t think it’s safe for either of you to go home, so we’ve arranged a place for you to stay ‘til we lock his ass down.”
Jiji looked up from her coffee. “Why can’t we stay here?”
Dukes eyed her for a second, then replied, “Jiji, the brothers love you ladies. You belong to Fighter; therefore you belong to us, but the clubhouse is a place for the guys to kick back, chill, drink a little, play some pool, or fuck some pussy. None of that’s changed since you landed here. But I think all of us would be more relaxed if you lovelies had your own space and we could go back to doing what we do.”
Tish’s head turned towards me.
“Babe, the only pussy I’m fuckin’ is yours; that’s not going to change whether you’re in the clubhouse or not.” Her face flushed, but she didn’t say anything.
Danko smiled. “So that’s the way it is, Fighter.”
“Yeah, that’s the way it is,” I replied. “Anyone have a problem with that?” I asked, looking around the table.
Breech leaned forward. “Nope, we got it loud and clear: look but don’t touch. Message received,” he said, saluting.
Jiji turned towards Tish, saying in a loud whisper, “Told you big bros got it bad,” then winked at me! I growled at her, and she sank back in her chair, grinning!
Breech spoke up, “Jiji, Opry’s girl Sandra is a vet downtown, she said she would sponsor you. The local shelter is only about a 20-minute drive from here, and her office isn’t far from the shelter. Fighter said that you were doing your coursework online, but there’s the community college in town you looked into as well.”
“Holy shit,” she said. “Really? That’s amazing, Breech.” Some of his swagger returned at her praise.
Reaching out, I took Jiji’s hand, locking our fingers together. “I’m sorry about Mom; I know you two were close,” I said.
She swallowed and her eyes glazed with tears, but she bit her lip and wouldn’t let them fall, her smile wobbled with the effort. “Love you too, big bro,” she said, squeezing then releasing my fingers.
“This is the best plan we could come up with, ‘til we find Aden and neutralize him,” I said.
“Tish,” Breech continued, “Boomer said there are a couple openings at the hospital where he’s an EMT, and with your resume you shouldn’t have a problem getting a job.”
Dukes spoke up. “We’ve had a couple guys drive down to Florida to close up both your places. It doesn’t look like anything was damaged or taken, but since we don’t know where Aden is, it’s possible that he could have gone through both places before we got there. The weasel could have slithered in and out again. If you give me a list, I can have them pack up some of your stuff to bring back. As for the rest, you should probably have everything shipped here.”
Tish shuddered a little, then straightened her spine. “I hate feeling helpless, like he’s taken control of my life, what I do, where I go. I had a good job, good friends, a happy life, but he’s ripped that away from me. Forcing us,” she gestured between Jiji and herself, “to rely on all of you, who don’t even really know us.”
I was out of my chair and around the table in a heartbeat, pulling her into my arms. I tipped her chin up, saying, “What he did was bring you to me, Tish, to the Devil’s Wind. You’ll never be alone or afraid here, babe. We are a family—we protect what’s ours.” I kissed her softly.
She brushed her hand across my face, whispering, “Thank you, Jameson,” and then she sat back down. Raising her eyes, she looked at all my brothers in turn. “Thanks to all of you. Jiji and I didn’t have any place else to run.” She turned to Dukes. “He would have killed us just like her mom if we had stayed.” She slapped her palm on the table as she continued. “But damn it, I don’t want him bringing his shit here, having it land on your doorstep.”
Jiji spoke up, “Mom told me a couple weeks before the attack that Aden bragged to her that he had dirt on Fighter. If she tried to involve my brother in their business, he would out him then get him arrested and thrown in jail. I don’t know what he was talking about, but Tish is right. If we can cause trouble for you, then we will leave. You find him, though, and I’ll make him talk,” Jiji said. “That filthy piece of slime owes me.”
“Hell fuckin’ no,” Breech’s voice boomed out, making Jiji jump.
“Shit, Breech, scare the pants off me, why don’t you!” Jiji said.
“Doll, I don’t need to scare them pants off you, I can turn ‘em inside out all by myself,” he joked.
Jiji’s face turned red. “Shut the fuck up, Breech!”
“Watch it, girl, your sass only goes so far,” he rumbled. “You get outta line with that mouth and I’ll paddle your ass ‘til it hurts, you feel me?” Breech said.
Jiji bowed her head, mumbling an apology, but wouldn’t look at Breech.
Dukes banged his gavel to get everyone’s attention. “Fighter, you take the girls over to the 3rd street house with Breech and a couple of the prospects. We should have been all over this before now, but since Breech hasn’t been able to locate Aden, we still have to be watchful. If he has a brain in his head, he knows the girls would run to you, so he’s got to know they are here. That gives him a tactical advantage because he can plan out his next strike, while we have to wait and see. I don’t like being put in a defensive position, so we have to take that advantage away from him and get him on the defensive, which means these ladies are never alone. Got it?” he barked, looking at all of us. Their safety is in our hands, and none of us will take it lightly.
“Ladies, why don’t you go upstairs pack your things, then I’ll send Fighter and Breech up in a few,” he said, effectively dismissing them from the meeting.
Tish and Jiji got up to leave, looking at me; I nodded my head, giving them a smile to convey they had done fi
ne. Tish smiled back but Jiji just walked out.
When the door closed behind them, Dukes cursed, “Fuckin’ slime ball, douchebag motherfucker. Fighter, we gotta keep a couple guys on them all the time; we gotta have eyes 24/7. Sonny, talk to your contacts in the Department of Corrections. Get all you can on this guy; who his friends, family, dealer, cellmate, lawyer, every-fuckin’-thing, and do it yesterday.”
Sonny was already tapping away at his computer, talking to himself.
Dukes said, “Okay, that looks like everything for today. Meeting adjourned.” He banged his gavel on the desk.
Dukes got up, slapping me on the back. “Damn Fighter, why you been hiding this thing with Tish?” he asked, lighting up a smoke.
“Shit, Dukes, I didn’t even know it was a thing, but what I do know is I’m not letting go.” Reaching up, I ran my fingers through my hair, rubbing the back of my neck. “She’s warm and funny, naive yet sexy.”
He laughed. “That girl’s gonna give you a run for your money, Fighter. She isn’t like the club girls you been fuckin’ the last couple years.”
“Something about her pulls me in, Dukes. She took the beatdown Aden gave her, but still had enough wits to get them both out of there alive. She wouldn’t leave Jiji behind. I owe her my sister’s life.”
“You thinking it’s gratitude you feel for her?” He asked.
“No fuckin’ way it’s gratitude, Dukes. I have to see where this leads.”
Taking a long drag from his cigarette, he looked at me as he blew out the smoke. “Don’t let that feeling go, man; good women who can deal with our kinda life are few and far between. But if you’re gonna claim her, be sure she can live our lifestyle. You got this, Fighter; if she’s the one, I’m behind you 100%.” He crushed out his smoke and pulled me in for a man hug with a slap on the back. “Let’s go see what Sonny’s dug up.”
Jiji and I were packing the few things we had; I could hear her grumbling under her breath. “Spit it out, Jiji, what’s brewing in that ornery brain of yours?”
Fighter's Claim: Devils Wind MC Page 8
