by Bijou Hunter
“Then I’ll go to Shasta with him!”
“You hate Shasta!”
“I hate everything!”
Pop flinches ever so slightly. Just enough for me to know I’m winning. Yay!
He still spits out, “It’s too late today for you to go to Shasta.”
“I don’t care.”
“As long as you live on my property, you will follow my rules!” he says, regaining his fire.
“Fine then!” I yell before leaning over to find my grandmother with my gaze. “Gram, can I move my RV to your property so I can shack up with my lover?”
“Sure, Rando!” she yells back.
“It’s MJ now, Gram.”
“I’m not going to remember that.”
“That’s okay.”
Pop shoots a dirty look at his mother who never notices. “You’re not moving to her property.”
“Gram said I could.”
“Mom!” Pop yells at his mom. “A little help here?”
“She’s twenty-five years old, Coop!” Gram hollers back. “Let it the fuck go!”
I smile triumphantly, but Pop shakes his head. “The RV can’t be moved without a lot of modifications, and they can’t be done today. You’ll need to sleep in the house overnight.”
“Can Quaid sleep with me?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t accept your plan.”
“I have an idea,” Quaid says.
“No,” Pop growls.
“No,” I also growl, sensing Quaid plans to back down to Pop.
“I see the resemblance,” Quaid says and then snaps his fingers in front of my face to force me to look at him. “I’ll go grab my crap from Vaughn’s and then set up my tent out here.”
“No,” Cooper says, but Quaid never stops looking at me.
“Then you can have me nearby, and your father can prevent me from whatever nasty things he assumes I’ll do.”
“Anal, probably,” Audrey hollers from nearby and gets an approving high five from Cap.
“No,” I say immediately. “Well, maybe. I don’t know. Does anal hurt?” Realizing I’ve gone off topic, I smile at Quaid. “I like your plan. You’ll be right here to keep me safe. Plus, I can sneak you into my bed when Pop’s not looking.”
“No,” Pop growls at me.
“Misogyny!”
“That doesn’t mean what you think it means!” he shouts back.
“It means if Colton wanted his girlfriend to sleep in his RV after he was shot that you would let him, but you won’t let me because I have a vagina! Misogyny!”
“Yeah, you probably would let Colton have a girl shack up,” Mom says, eyeing her hubby.
Lily and Audrey both frown at Pop as if he’s personally wronged them.
“Pop,” I murmur, “I know you’re going through a midlife crisis, and that’s hard and stuff but chill out.”
“I’m not having a midlife crisis, MJ.”
“Of course, you are! You love Mom too much to cheat with some twenty-year-old, and you already ride a Harley so buying a fast car seems stupid. With no other way to freak out, you’re taking a stand with Audrey and now me. Though I agree she betrayed you by marrying the giant robot, Cas.”
“Cap,” Audrey grumbles sounding like Pop.
“Cas makes more sense,” I tell my sister while never looking away from Pop. “I’m not leaving you. In fact, I’m asking to stay with you forever. While also letting me shack up with my sexy retired Ranger boyfriend who will kill anyone that messes with me. Is that really so wrong, Daddy?”
“Daddy?”
“Papa?” I offer.
“This is ridiculous.”
“I’ll get my tent and set it up here,” Quaid says and struts toward his Harley.
“No,” I nearly scream. “You’ll be alone.”
Quaid smiles over his shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
“What if you crash and no one is around to help you?”
Crying now, I blame Pop for not letting me go into my air-conditioned RV. Quaid could already be in bed with me. Why does my father have to have standards and care so much about my well-being?
“I’ll go with him,” Colton offers.
“Really?” I ask, wiping my eyes. “Why?”
“Your brother’s been worried about you,” Mom says.
“Really?” I ask, walking toward Colton. “Hug me, little brother. Let me hold you in a warm embrace.”
“Gross, no,” he says, backing away.
Following after him with my left arm lifted, I sigh. “A bullet tore through my womanly flesh, Colt. Don’t make me chase you.”
“Leave me alone.”
“Mom!” I yell. “Colton won’t hug me.”
“Hug your fucking sister,” Pop growls in his bear voice. “Or I’ll make you hug her.”
“You heard the scary man,” I tell my little brother who stands half a foot over me. “Let me feel your love and concern up close.”
Colton grudgingly wraps his arms around me, but I’m kind enough to shove him off almost immediately.
“Eww, you stink.”
“It’s fucking hot,” he complains.
“Whatever, stinker,” I say and then whisper, “Thank you for watching out for Quaid. Please don’t let him die.”
My brother stops glaring with his jackass brown eyes long enough to give me a soft smile. I make a mental note to have his back in the future if he ever needs me.
Quaid climbs on his Harley, seemingly blind to how hard I’m staring at him. I hear Colton’s bike start just as Mom opens the RV door. People are moving around me, but I wait for Quaid to look in my direction. Finally, before he drives away, he glances at me and flashes me a casual smile that promises he’ll be right back.
Despite his assurances and my brother’s presence, I’m certain Quaid will be hurt or killed on the twenty-minute ride to and from Vaughn’s house.
Mom and Pop coax me into the RV. Crying now, I resent my father for sending away Quaid for even a minute. My anger at Pop probably isn’t obvious since I’m cuddled against him on the couch. He’s a big selfish jerk, but as my pop, he owns magical powers to soothe my unhappiness.
Mom stands a foot away in the kitchen, talking loudly as if I’m not close enough to lift my foot and kick her in the butt.
“What would you like to eat? We’re making fried chicken for dinner, but I can whip you up something quick. Want a sandwich?”
“No,” I mumble and pinch Pop’s arm. “My rage feeds me.”
“Why are you tickling me if you’re so pissed?” my father asks.
I glare up at him, knowing he’s messing with me. How can he expect me to forgive him when it’s been all of five minutes?
“Can I put my yurt next to your house?” I ask again.
“Yes.”
“And Quaid will live in it with me.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“He saved me.”
“I saved you, MJ. Remember how you called me and I showed up with the ambulance?”
“That’s not how it happened. Why are you so hard up for compliments, Pop?”
My father fights a smile, but Mom snickers nearby. “Sure you don’t want a sandwich?”
Gram walks a few feet to my bed and starts pulling at the sheets. “I’ll clean this place up while you’re crying.”
“I already cleaned it,” Mom says.
“Stop touching my stuff,” I whine and look to Pop for help. “They’re invading my privacy.”
“It’s probably their misogyny,” he says with a straight face.
Despite my laughter, I get up and walk to where Mom and Gram argue over the proper level of clean in my tiny RV.
“Do I need to kick you both out?”
“Think you can take us, kid?” Gram asks.
“No, but Pop can, and he’s totally on my side.”
“Oh, please,” Gram mutters, rolling her blue eyes. “He lacks the balls to rough up his mommy.”
&n
bsp; Looking to Pop for help, I sigh when he only shrugs. “What good are you?” I ask, returning to his arms. “Do you think Quaid is okay?”
“He’s fine,” Pop grumbles, sounding as if he’s holding in a huge dump.
“He needs me.”
“Not really.”
“He never had a family. His mom was cold, and his pop ran away when Quaid was young. He didn’t have any brothers and sisters or lots of cousins or a gram who could invade his privacy.”
Gram finally stops messing with my blanket and very deliberately walks to the door, exits, and slams it shut.
“You offended Gram,” Pop says.
“No, I didn’t. She’s just a drama queen. I know that because she’s family and our family is close and we love each other. That’s why you keep crying about Audrey running away with Cas.”
“I don’t cry.”
“Not when people are looking. When we’re not looking, you’re a mess.”
Pop looks to Mom who grins. He shakes his head at her, but she only smiles wider.
“I don’t cry,” he says louder as if increased volume will prove his point.
“You sound like you want to cry right now.”
“She isn’t wrong,” Mom says, and Pop growls at her. “Rrr, right back at you, Coop the Poop.”
My laughing and triumphant Mom hurries out the RV before Pop can retaliate. I wish people would stop going in and out. They’re letting out all the cold air, and I know for a fact none of them were raised in a barn.
“Quaid never had what I have, Pop,” I say and realize my arm is starting to hurt more. “He doesn’t know how much he’s missing, but there’s so much good stuff he never enjoyed. I’m going to give that to him.”
“It’s not your job.”
“And loving Mom wasn’t your job, but you still married the emotionally fucked-up chick with the bad childhood and shitty parents and whatever other baggage she came saddled with,” I say and then snap with my good hand. “Oh, yeah, Aunt Tawny.”
Pop exhales painfully as if passing a gallstone. Or maybe he really is constipated. I just know he sounds miserable.
“I’m not Audrey,” I say and rest my head away from him and on the wall.
“I know.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I know, but don’t forget someone tried to kill you three days ago.”
Studying Pop, I ask, “Did any of my bullets get the jerk from the woods?”
“Probably.”
Something nags me about that day. Almost as if a clue to the shooter’s identity is hidden in my memories. Yet whenever I concentrate on that day, my panic returns and the details about the shooting turns to black.
“What if the person who shot me is someone you like?” I ask Pop.
Horrified at the very thought, he frowns immediately. “No one I like would be such a fucking shit fuck.”
“He’s someone we know. That’s why he wore the bandana.”
Pop shakes his head. “No one in our circle would hurt you.”
“If I figure out who it is and that person is close to us, should I not tell you?”
“You better tell me.”
“Maybe I won’t,” I say, turning my jaw away from him. “You’ve been snippy with me today.”
“Don’t even fuck around.”
Ignoring his misdirected anger, I say, “I don’t think you can handle the truth.”
“Whoever it is and whatever they are to us doesn’t matter. I want them dead.”
“What if it’s a club guy?”
Pop shakes his head so hard that I’m surprised he doesn’t hurt himself. “No way does one of my guys shoot my baby. No, not happening. I’d believe Quaid shot you before I’d buy one of the local club brothers did it.”
“You’re still making me think I shouldn’t tell you,” I say, cradling my increasingly pained arm.
Pop studies me for a seriously long time before asking, “Do you already know who it is?”
“No.”
“You’ll tell me when you know.”
“I should just tell Quaid and let him handle it.”
“I’m your father.”
“I know, Pop,” I say, patting his arm. “I secretly had a DNA test done a few years ago.”
Fighting a smile, he shakes his head. “You’re a pain in the ass.”
“I love you, Pop,” I say, leaning over to hug him.
“I love you too.”
“But if you ever interfere with my love life again, I will make you rue the day I was born.”
“Funny,” he says, refusing to allow the hug to end.
Gesturing threateningly at his crotch, I mutter, “Piss off.”
Pop knows I’m all talk and he won’t play my games. I relax into the hug and enjoy the cold air chilling my sweaty skin. My used RV might not be big or fancy, but Buzz made sure the cooling system was topnotch.
THE OUTSIDER
In such a hurry to return to MJ’s side, I nearly forget Colton is riding at my side. My mind remains solely focused on my plan to get to the farmhouse, pack my shit, and race back to the Johansson place. Colton isn’t even on my radar.
When we arrive at Vaughn’s house, he asks, “Need help getting your shit or can I sit on the porch out of the sun?”
“I’m good.”
Leaving Colton, I nearly run to the backyard until I see the pigs. They view my quick approach as a threat and snort wildly in response. I slow my pace to avoid getting attacked. Soon, they trot in the opposite direction, allowing me to yank out a few stray articles of clothing in my tent. I fold my house and grab my supply duffle. Turning around, I find Colton looking at me in the same way his father does.
“After I heard you were sniffing around my sister, I called the Shasta chapter to get the four-one-one on you. People said you kept your head down, didn’t start trouble, and weren’t the type to chase skirts. I don’t want my sister with a cheap poonhound.”
Using every ounce of self-control I learned in the Army, I keep my mouth shut about how the four-one-one on him was the complete fucking opposite.
“Good to know,” I say, walking back to the Harleys.
“You haven’t lived in Shasta long. Been in the club for less time. I get the vibe you lose interest in shit fast.”
“Your vibe isn’t correct, boss.”
“How do I know you won’t lose interest in Rando?”
“She prefers MJ now,” I say while strapping my supplies onto the back of the bike.
“She’ll change her mind again. She always goes. She was Randi before Rando. I gotta wonder if you’ll still be around when she changes her name again.”
I turn to look at Colton and try not to grin at his youthful sneer. “There are no certainties in life, kid. You might not be around by the time she changes her name again, but you’ll still live your life the same way, won’t you?”
“What?”
“I’ve stuck on your sister. She’s mine. Your father can growl, and you can ask whatever questions you want, but nothing changes how I feel right this moment. I can’t promise I won’t crash on the way back to the house or that your sister won’t get bored of me in two weeks. I can only state how things are right this fucking moment. For me, MJ and I are the real deal. Is that enough or do I need to sing a love song to get you to back off?”
“Don’t sing, man. No one needs that shit.”
Grinning, I climb onto my Harley as a hint that we need to keep moving. “No, I don’t think they do.”
“You know, I tried to get friendly with Audrey’s husband, Cap, but the guy is weird, and his family is weird, and they talk in a weird code to alienate outsiders. I don’t know how Audrey puts up with it.”
I only nod since I doubt he’s asking for advice. Colton rubs the sweat from the back of his neck and adjusts the black bandana protecting his dark blond hair.
“Look, I’m cool with you and being friendly and shit. I won’t fucking hug you or listen to you whine about relations
hip crap with my sister. That said, I got your back because I’m a fan of how you make my weird sister happy.”
Grinning, I start my Harley. “Weird isn’t the word I’d use, but she’s special for sure.”
Colton mounts his bike before I get the balls to ask what I’m really thinking. “If you had to guess who shot your sister and you didn’t have to worry about pissing on anyone’s feelings, who would you ID?”
Colton doesn’t answer me, but I think he knows more than he wants to say. The loner part of me wants to beat the answer out of him. I’m loyal to MJ in a way I’ve never been to a person before, and her safety is all I give a shit about. Then I remind myself I’m a member of the club, and I need to respect the hierarchy.
For now, I will, but the shooter needs killing. Based on Cooper’s earlier silence on the matter and Colton’s expression now, I get the distinct fucking impression the Reapers’ investigation has hit a wall.
The ride back to the Johansson house takes an eternity once we get stuck behind a farmer on a large green tractor. Colton tries twice to race around the old-timer, only to be nearly annihilated by trucks coming in the opposite direction on the two-lane road.
By the time we pull our Harleys down the long gravel Johansson driveway, I’m sloppy wet from the sweat. MJ throws open her door, reveals a brilliant smile, and waves at me with her good hand. I leave my shit where it is and hurry to the RV despite spotting Cooper behind her.
“Come inside where it’s cool,” MJ says, fanning me with her hand.
I step into the small RV with barely enough headroom to avoid knocking myself out. Cooper gives me a dirty look, but I’m so damn hot I wouldn’t be surprised if I pass out soon.
MJ guides me around her father and to a two-seat couch. “I’ll get you a drink and something to cool off. Take off your shirt.”
“No,” Cooper says immediately.
I’m unsure why I find his response funny, but I start laughing. Hell, I can’t even stop while chugging a glass of pink juice MJ hands me.
“Pop, go away,” she says and opens the door. “Quaid and I won’t share tender intimacies at three in the afternoon. If you want to panic, check in with me later.”
“MJ,” Cooper says in a low, threatening voice.
“Pop, let me rest before dinner. Your paranoia is concerning Mom and Gram. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they’re talking shit about you in front of the giant man.” MJ sits next to me and sighs. “I wonder if Cas will tell his father about you losing your mind.”
