Page 45 of Indecent Lies

“Yeah, fine, Jed. And you?”

“Ah, can’t complain. The grandkids are like wild animals at home, so I brought myself out for a bit of peace.” He said it with a grin on his old face. Texas knew for a fact that Jed was a family man and loved having them over. “Doing some decorating?” He pointed to the cans of paint in Texas’ arms.

“Just doing up the lower apartments at my place, something to do.” He added before he was asked if he was going to rent them out.

He might one day, when he took off for good.

He couldn’t stick around Armado, not now.

Jed followed Texas out to his Ford Raptor and stood back while he put his purchases in the bed of the truck.

“I understand, son.” Jed said and had Texas turning around to face him.

A sense of unease pooled in his lower stomach.

Was this how it was gonna be every time he saw one of theSouls? Either ghosting him like a spurned girlfriend or confronting him?

“What happened, I understand why you did it. Gotta be a tough position to be in having a cop brother who has a boner for all MC’s. And what with you being a member of the biggest, that’s bound to sting him.”

As he stood there, the fire in Texas’ gut intensified.

He didn’t want justification or understanding.

He’d fucked up.

That didn’t deserve anyone’s forgiveness.

But Jed went on in his roughened voice.

“In your position most of us would have done the same, son. We’ve always protected our own. Sometimes that shit ain’t pretty. We do what is needed and then we gotta roll with the punches even when it hurts a whole fuckin’ lot.”

“Look, Jed…”

“I mean it, Tait.” Fucks sake, first naming him, the old man meant business.

Texas dropped his head, leaning a hand on the side of his truck, he pulled in a quick inhale just to steady himself.

He knew coming back to Armado that he’d have to reinforce a shield to deal with seeing the boys, but this… this shit got right under those shields.

“The wrong doing was not fuckin’ telling us. You looked out for theSoulsin a difficult situation, we’re gonna be grateful for that, son, you gotta know that, even with what went down.”

“Rider might have killed my brother…”

“Yeah, I’m getting that and understanding more about why you did it.”

For all the differences he and Malachai had now, that was his one thought throughout, if he didn’t intervene, if he didn’t cut off his brother, then Rider surely would have done and Texas couldn’t live with that. Couldn’t have lived knowing his twin would receive a visit from Lawless.

“Far as I know, he was never looking at theSoulsfor anything major.”

“We’ve never been bothered about that, son. You know we have thick skin with the law.” Jed smiled and then clapped a hand on Texas’ shoulder. “We miss seeing you, it’s a crying shame we lost you. None of those boys know how to fucking count.”

This Texas laughed at.

It also told him that no one had his treasurer patch.

He felt oddly relieved about it.

“I hear you got a girl.”