“Remember the children,” Buster motioned to where they sat. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation upstairs, where you can get off your feet.”
“I don't want to go upstairs. I don't want to stay here. I'm going home.” She held up her hand to stop any protest. “You can send someone with me, to watch me, but I want to sleep in my own bed.”
“That is not going to happen; we both know it. It's too much of a risk, one that Danny would never let you take. You'll stay here with the rest of us until this is over. There's no way around it.”
“I just want to sleep in our bed, Buster. In our sheets.” Amelia's eyes filled with tears. “I just want him back. I want him back.” Meg watched without words as Buster moved over to hold Amelia and then lead her up the stairs.
Meg turned away and straight into Train. “Hey.”
“Hey. You okay?”
“Yeah. I'm good. The lawyer came by, though. She's in a tizzy about what happened at the house.”
“I didn't figure this was going to make it easier,” he sighed. “I'm sorry, Meg.”
“Don't be sorry. She'll get over it.” She stretched up so she could press her lips to his. She didn't want to talk anymore, so that she wouldn't have to tell him another lie. He deepened the kiss, slid his hands down to her ass.
Meg pulled back with regret. “Remember the kids.”
He released her ass with a sigh. “I think that we need to go upstairs. You look like you could use some rest.” Somehow, he managed to make the innocent statement sound exceptionally dirty. A thrill rolled through her.
“I am feeling a little bit sleepy. Are you sure we should?” Meg glanced over to where everyone was still sitting.
“You worry too damn much about what people think.” He grabbed her hand. “Let's go.”
Meg could hear the low rumble of Buster's voice when they shut the door to the room. Amelia must have been right next door. Train must have seen the expression on her face, because he went right to the small television on the dresser. He turned it on, loud, and grinned.
Any protest had died when he touched her. There was something about his hands on her, in any way, that made something inside of her feel warm and fuzzy. His mouth covered hers in a kiss that could only be described as demanding. “I want you, now.”
Meg nodded, and then his hands were all over her. He undressed her quickly, his hands nearly rough. Soon she had on nothing but her skin; her clothes were in a pile on the floor, but he was still fully dressed. She reached out to undo his belt, but he stilled her hands and shook his head. Before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers again.
“Get on the bed, on your knees.”
The request let Meg know exactly what sort of mood he was in. She moved to the bed, did as he asked and wasn't surprised when he pushed her forward. She was surprised when he grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back with one hand. She heard him undo his belt and slide down his zipper. His fingers moved between her legs, working her to make sure that she was ready. Meg braced herself; when Train was in this particular mood, he was rough. He didn't try to hurt her, but sometimes the line between the pleasure and pain would blur so much that Meg wasn't sure she could take the sheer intensity of it.
He slid inside of her without warning, filling her, stretching her so that she couldn't hold back the cry that tore from her throat. She heard him grunt, and he gripped her hips tighter. He began to thrust intensely, hard and fast. Meg moved with him as best she could with the way he held her. She let the sensations wash over her, drown out anything else but the two of them in that moment.
Train's free hand gripped her hair, tugged her head back, and it was enough to have her body start to shake. She was close, so close. Everything was out of her control, she didn't recognize the sounds that were coming out of her mouth or the rough grunt Train made each time he slammed home. “Come on. Come on.”
Meg wasn't sure of the reason for his urgency, but she shut her eyes and willed herself to let go. She felt the moment slip between her fingers yet she still cried out as if she'd claimed the pleasure for her own. Train's movements became quicker. He came with a roar that was like nothing she'd ever heard before.
He pulled out of her almost immediately. Meg heard him adjust his zipper and belt. She rolled over onto her back, rubbed her hands over her wrists. “I had you too tight, didn't I?” Worry darkened his features. “Fuck. I'm sorry. You should have said something.”
“Did you hear me complain?” Meg continued to massage her wrists and kept her voice light. It didn't matter if her hands were a little numb. “I clearly recall enjoying myself immensely.”
“Give me those.” He sat on the bed next to her, began to rub her wrists. “I guess I got carried away.”
“I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment.” Meg told him. She was as content as she could be, to be alone with him. It didn't matter what was going on downstairs or what was around the corner when they were together.
“It is. It always is,” Train's voice was as gentle as his touch. It was a complete contrast to the way he'd been just moments before. “You really in the mood for a nap now, or do you want to go back down?”
“I was heading back up here anyway.”
“I noticed that you haven't been part of the cackling hens. What's up with that? Only person around less is Kay, and she pretty much hates us.” He was telling the truth about Kay. She didn't even bother to mask her contempt for them and the life that her husband had chosen.
“It's the kids,” Meg nearly lied but decided she'd used up all her lies for the day. “They make me think about the boys. We're all sad enough, no one needs me moping around, so I just keep myself busy. I help Caroline or I read. I was surprised that there were so many books here.”
“You know I leave them all over the place. Don't try to change the subject, either.” Train continued to rub her wrists. “I'm sorry that it makes you sad. We'll be able to go home soon.”
“Soon?” Meg had suspected that things were going to come to a head with Buster's words earlier, but to hear Train say it made it more real. Her heart began to beat harder, worry crept cold fingers up her spine.
“This will be our last night here, Meg. Tomorrow, we'll be in our own bed.”
“You're going after him tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we are. Once everything is said and done, I'll tell you everything. Right now, I just need you to trust me.”
“I do,” Meg replied.
“Good.” He released her wrists, shifted to grab her clothes off of the floor for her. “Get dressed. We're going to go down and see what treats Caroline made today, maybe play some cards or something. You won't be sad, you'll be having too much fun. And then we'll come back up here and maybe get some sleep.”
<#<#<#<#
Meg mixed more butter into the mashed potatoes. If they kept eating like this, they were all going to need gym memberships or something. There was also meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and assorted vegetables, which would be ignored by most of the guys.
“Are there any more napkins?” Jillian stuck her head into the kitchen.
“In the store room,” Caroline replied. “Ask Kay to get them, you've got your hands full trying to get the buffet table set up.”
Jillian snorted in response. “Yeah, right. She hasn't done anything but stare at her phone and tell her kids not to move or talk to anyone. I'll get them myself.”
“I've got a feeling that Kay is going to end up being a problem,” Caroline sighed.
“Yeah, I think so too,” Meg agreed. “She'll be happier when this is all over and she can go home.”
“I doubt that she's ever happy,” Caroline replied. “Anyway, I'm going to go and help Jillian if you've got it under control here. Everything else is ready to be carried out, and I'll be back to help with that.”
“I've just got to take the biscuits out in like four minutes, and then we'll be good to go. I'll start bringing stuff out when I get these in the ser
ving tray.” Meg added a bit more salt and pepper to the potatoes and decided that they were delicious.
The timer dinged for the biscuits. Meg walked over to the oven, took them out. The sound of a scream from the common room made her heart jump painfully in her chest. She set the biscuits down and followed the sound.
It was Kay who had screamed. Now everyone was simply staring at her. Bones looked more pissed than Meg had ever seen. “You grabbed me. Don't fucking grab me.” Kay's voice carried and she didn't seem to care. “You heard what I said. I've spoken to my parents, I'm taking the girls and going back home with them. I will not raise my children like this. The car should be here for us now. Girls, get your bags, now.”
“You aren't taking my kids. You want to go, go. They're staying,” Bones spoke in a careful tone. Meg figured he was trying to keep calm because of the girls.
“No, they're not. They're coming with me. Girls, I said go,” Kay screamed.
The situation hit entirely too close to home for Meg. Her stomach churned. The smells that had been delicious only seconds earlier now made nausea rise fast and hard. She pressed her hand to her mouth as if that would stop it.
“Hold on now,” Buster spoke up. “You might not like the situation that you're in right now, but you can't just take a man's children away on a whim. He's got the same rights as you.”
“Maybe I should call the cops right now, let them sort it out. I'm pretty sure that they'd be thrilled at all the things they'd find laying around here.”
You could have heard a pin drop. It had never been so quiet. “Take the girls, for now.” Bones said finally. “But this is far from over.”
Meg had to go back to the kitchen as he crouched down to be at eye level with his daughters. It was too much. She heard the door swing open behind her, but she kept going right out the back. Technically, it was too dangerous to be outside, but it was the preferable option to even hearing the painful goodbye. There was a pack of cigarettes on the railing, and she lit one.
“You're smoking too much lately,” Train chided from behind her. “Give me that.” He plucked the cigarette from between her fingers. “That hit a little close, huh?”
“Just a bit,” Meg ran her hands through her hair. The longer length reminded her that she needed to get it cut, but now wasn't really the time for that. “Is she gone?”
“A car pulled up outside for her while she was having her hissy fit. She grabbed the kids as soon as he was done saying goodbye and split. Got to admit, I'm not really that surprised. You could see how much she hated it here.”
“It wasn't just being here. I think it was Nightshade she really hated. I don't think she understands what it really is. She doesn't get it. All she saw was her husband having a life outside of her and the kids.”
“You get it. I wasn't sure that you would or that you'd want to, but you get it.” Train took a pull off of the cigarette and handed it back to her. “We should head back inside before there's no food left. You need to eat. You're going to need the energy.”
“Am I?” Meg felt herself smile. She snubbed out the cigarette.
“You are,” he confirmed. “What part of it did you make?”
“The mashed potatoes, biscuits, and I helped a bit with the mac and cheese.”
“I thought that I smelled mac and cheese. We should eat more mac and cheese when we're back home.”
“I'll keep that in mind. Would you eat broccoli if it was in mac and cheese?”
“Why would you even ask that? Disgusting.” He made a face. “I'll have some salad.”
“A little lettuce, drenched in ranch dressing, isn't really even a vegetable, Train. I swear, for someone who works out as much as you do, you think you'd eat better.”
“I work out the way that I do so that I can eat the way that I do.” It was something he'd told her before. It didn't work that way for her, so she was a little bit envious.
“More vegetables wouldn't kill you,” she pointed out while making a mental note to start exercising more.
“You don't know that for sure.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “Yes, I do know that for sure.”
“What if I'm allergic to asparagus?” he countered.
“When have I ever made you asparagus?” Meg raised an eyebrow at him.
“It's just the first vegetable that came to mind.”
“Do you know how I got the boys to eat it? I told them that it would make their pee smell funny. They had to try it out.” Meg smiled.
“Funny how?”
“Eat some and find out,” she suggested. “And there's no asparagus here tonight, just some roasted carrots and green beans. They're really good. Jillian made them.”
“I'll try them,” he relented. “But if Jillian made them, they're probably not really good. She's a shitty-ass cook.”
“Train, that's not nice.”
“It doesn't have to be nice, it's the truth. Come on, let's go.” Inside, the mood was much more somber than it had been before Kay's outburst. It was the first time that they'd had dinner where you didn't have to shout to be heard. Meg realized she preferred it loud; everyone was always laughing. Tonight, no one even seemed to crack a smile.
Amelia came downstairs when they were in the middle of the meal. She'd told Caroline she wasn't hungry, but she went to grab a plate. Meg thought she might have actually gotten some sleep. She was wearing one of Danny's shirts, it was stretched over her belly and the sight was both incredibly sad and beautiful.
“It'd be great if everyone stopped staring at me,” Amelia said once she was seated. “I don't like people watching me eat, and I think I'm actually hungry.”
“Are you hungry because the baby is hungry?” Zoe, Manuel and Sandra's daughter, asked from across the table.
“That's probably part of the reason, Zoe.” Amelia smiled.
“Is it kicking? Can I feel it kick?” The little girl was at the age where she basically said whatever popped into her mind. Meg worried that Amelia would be annoyed or just not want to be bothered, but she continued to smile.
“He's not kicking right now, but when he does, I'll be sure to find you. How does that sound?”
“Sounds good.” Zoe returned her attention to the food.
“He?” Caroline asked.
“They did a scan at the hospital. It's a boy. Danny won the bet.” Amelia's smile wavered a little.
“Wait,” Ace called out, “that means that he gets to pick the name, right? He said that he had one already, said that you'd hate it.”
“He did. I didn't hate it, exactly. Doesn't really matter, I guess, I'd have named him it anyway, because that's what he wanted.”
“So, what is it?” Ace prompted her.
“Shane Danger Benson. So that one day, he can say, 'Danger is my middle name' and mean it. Go on, you can laugh. I sure as hell did.”
“I like it,” Train called out.
“You would,” Amelia replied with a roll of her eyes.
It was nowhere near their normal banter, but Meg realized that it was a start. Even as they were getting torn apart, they were healing. They were making themselves stronger by being together, staying together no matter how hard things were.
Soon, the dinner was like all the others, with raised voices and plenty of laughter. The mood relaxed considerably. They were almost done with the meal when Meg realized that this could be the last time they were all together like this. Any one of them, or all of them, could be lost when they went face to face with Gagliardi.
Chapter Twenty-Three
There had been several variations of the plan to take down Gagliardi. Each one ended with the man dead, and that was really all that mattered. In the end, they decided that a simple approach would be the best. They'd just cut power to the building, disabling all of the security measures, so that they could breach the building. Once inside, they'd shoot anything that moved.
Nightshade still had enough friends in the area to know that Gagliardi hadn't left the warehouse s
ince before Danny had been killed. Train was starting to think that Gagliardi wasn't as dear to the people back East as he'd have them believe. If he really had pull, wouldn't hell have been raining down on their heads? He kept the opinion to himself, on the off chance that he was wrong.
It was a risk to go into a situation like this too cocky. Normally, the more risk the better for Train, but now, it was different. He had Meg to go home to. He'd do whatever it took to make sure that happened. Seeing the way that losing Danny had dimmed all the light inside of Amelia had shaken him. Even he had to admit that she was one of the strongest women he knew, right up there with Caroline and Jillian. He loved Meg, but he wasn't sure that she had that inner strength. With all she'd lost, losing him would make her lose herself.
All That Matters (Nightshade MC Book 3) Page 30
