Page 12 of Judge (Devil’s Rose MC #7)

I knew from the look on his face at dinner that he knew something was up.

We may have not seen each other in years, but all the signs were there.

The set of his jaw, the way his eyes narrowed.

He wanted to grill me until I told him what was wrong.

It was always his way. No matter how many kids picked on me or called me names, no matter how hard I thought I had hid my hurt, he always knew.

And then he’d interrogate me until I spilled my guts and he would fix it.

Either with his fist or his scary glare.

I mean, the guy was near six foot when we were eleven years old, he was also wide as hell, so all it would take is a look and the kids would back off.

Leo was my protector, Judge is my co-parent.

Someone who thinks I’m the world’s best mother when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.

Thankfully we were saved by Rider and perhaps the worst live band I’d ever seen in my life.

I chuckle as I sit back on the couch, my morning coffee in my hands as I run last night through my mind.

It was a pleasant night and I could almost feel the old pieces of mine and Judge’s friendship slip into place.

Not fully, never fully. Too much has gone on in the past to be able to go back to the way we were.

All the hatred and anger I once held toward him is now only a glimmer of what it once was.

Now I wait with bated breath for his. I’m sure he has questions, things he wants to know, anger at the situation or at me for not trying hard enough to tell him what we’ve been through.

When his anger finally comes out it’ll be in full force and rightly so.

My stubbornness and inability to ask for help has hurt me once, and I know it’ll hurt me again.

Sick of myself and going round in circles in my head, I haul ass from the couch, place my cup in the sink and leave, heading toward the farmhouse.

It’s so funny how small my world was three, no, four days ago.

Just me and the twins. Six years ago it was just me, the twins and my dad.

I shake off the sorrow and decide to get a little exercise, jogging up the stairs of the house, beelining for the nursery.

“There she is!” Remy smiles gently as I walk through the door.

“I got sick of being stuck in my head at home, decided this is better. There will be enough crazy conversation to keep me distracted.”

“Worried about today?” Nat asks.

“Today, tomorrow, next week. It’s my natural setting.” I reply, snuggling down into a bean bag that is far too small for my ass.

“There really is no point worrying like that. You could die today. Or tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Chewy.” Ana rolls her eyes, her chubby son lying sideways on her lap poking Rosie, Nat’s daughter.

“What? It’s true. Do you ever see me worry about anything? Nope. Because I can only control what I can control,” Chewy replies, petting her gator.

“Like Laney’s brain development, and Rhodie’s ass?” Blanche snorts.

“Exactly that. That’s all I need to control to be happy.”

She may have a point there. I have never once seen the woman flustered or upset.

I, on the other hand, feel completely out of sorts.

Everything still feels up in the air with the MC and Judge and everything they’ve got going on.

Although we’re all hoping today will put an end to it.

As fun as it’s been, I really want to get back to my own home, and the diner.

“Sounds like the men are getting ready to head out,” Chewy says, head tilted, before she stands abruptly, scooping up Laney like a football, Chomper mirroring the position in her other arm.

“How does she know?” I whisper to Blanche as we follow her down the stairs.

“She has the hearing of a bat. And the nose of a bloodhound. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s neurodivergent or if it’s a family thing.” Blanche shrugs. “Pops is the same, but Tav can’t hear a thing.”

“Tav’s hearing is as good as mine. If you think he can’t hear you, he’s lying.” Chewy yells over her shoulder to us.

“That rat bastard,” Blanche whispers. “Can’t hear the baby my ass.” She frowns, hoists her baby higher in her arms and speeds up. She’s a woman on a mission as she storms toward her man, who is now looking pretty damn concerned.

I snort, then come to a stop on the deck.

The whole of the DRMC are preparing to ride out.

The Tombs’ are loading up their SUVs and a big van named Truck Norris.

The women with men are all hanging off them, hugging each other goodbye like Mira and Tank, or kissing passionately like Rhodie and Tuesday, their gator and daughter squished between them.

Lovely is standing between Marx’s outstretched legs as he leans on his bike and then I spot Judge.

He’s straddling his navy blue Harley, looking like damned sex on legs.

He catches my gaze, giving me the crooked smile I’ve loved since I was five.

Weaving through the MC members who are milling around, I stop when the toes of my sneakers touch his big boot.

“Judge-”

“Leo.”

“Huh?”

His eyes crinkle at my confusion. “It’s Leo, Kai. I’m always Leo to you, OK?”

I huff, rolling my eyes. “Leo, be careful, yeah?”

He stares at me, his gaze boring into mine. “You talk like you’ll miss me.”

“It’s not about me, Leo. There are two kids who have found their dad. They’ll want him back in one piece.”

“And you?”

I wrestle between what my mind says, and what my heart says. I mean, me and Leo, what we had is never going to happen again. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start to rebuild a friendship, one that revolves around happy memories and our children.

“You’re gonna make me say it, ain’t ya?” I huff out, hand on my hips.

His grin widens, and even though I can see the worry creasing his brow, at this moment he seems lighter than I’ve seen him since I arrived here.

“OK, fine!” I throw my hands up in the air, hamming it up, “Yes, I want you to come back too. In one piece. Unharmed. Got it?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He nods once as I step back.

Two bodies step in close on either side of me, and I know it’s my heart, my kids.

Jax nods once at Leo, who does the same back, but Annie throws her arms around Leo’s neck.

Her light brown curls, identical to Leo’s when he was younger, cover them both as they whisper to each other.

He presses a kiss to the top of her head, and when he meets my gaze I watch as he blinks the tears from his eyes.

The brothers all straddle their rides, the cacophony of sound builds as their engines start, the rumble moving through me, soothing my nerves.

Marx circles his finger in the air, before slowing leading his men down the drive.

Leo looks back, kisses his fingers and then holds them up in a wave.

As if we’re all connected, me and the kids do the same, not a word spoken.

Annie-Bella sniffs, so I throw my arm over her shoulders, then do the same with Jax.

“He’ll be fine, my love. He’s a giant, tough man,” I whisper in her ear, hoping to transfer some of my strength to my sweet girl, even though I can feel every fiber of my being screaming that it’s too dangerous and that Leo should be here with us.

“But we only just found him,” Annie whispers pitifully.

“We’ve survived this long without him, we’ll be fine,” Jax says flippantly, but his brow furrows in concern as well.

“Come on, there’s nothing we can do hanging around out here,” Nat says, snapping us out of our ever worsening mood.

Gravel crunching has me looking over my shoulder to find a fancy black town car coming our way.

“Oh goody! It’s Dima!” Chewy exclaims. “This lockdown just got a helluva lot more fun.”

“Mom?” Annie-Bella asks, big green eyes on mine.

“I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be fine.”

Or at the very least, it’ll be something that we can handle ourselves. Surely.

Pops

Shit. We’ve got Renae Sullivan on her way to us right now, the men are over three hours away dealing with cartel bullshit and it’s the prospect, two young guys, two old guys and the women here.

I rub my hands together, readying my cache while the women fight about who is staying up here and who is going to hole up with the kids in the basement. I’m not sure how they’ll sort that all out, and I don’t much care.

“We’re ready. Lovely will be up here with Mad Dog stationed in the kitchen, you’re on the roof Pops, with TumTum on another. Got it?” Chewy barks at me. Me. The man who taught her all she knows.

“Yeah yeah, I got it. Just wait a moment, I have some goodies to set up around the house.”

“Do it fast.” She stalks off and I poke my tongue at her.

I jiggle the mount for my blow torch a little, making sure it’s secure and stable. Don’t want it falling to the ground or anything.

Kaia stomps past me, on her way to who knows where. “Hey, what’s the problem, sweetheart?”

“Ugh,” she grumbles, “I’ve been relegated to kid duty.”

I try to hide my smirk, “And you want to be up here bringing the hurt?”

“Yes!” She jabs a finger in my direction. “They had my kids as targets. No way, nuh uh, am I putting up with that shit.” She lets out a breath, her shoulders slumping.

“Well, it sucks you can’t be up here, but you can help me if you want.”

She narrows her eyes at me. I’m pretty sure I’m still on her shit list after the pepper incident. “How am I meant to help you?”

“You any good with booby traps?”

A grin slowly grows on her face and her eyes light up with a level of glee that I’ve only ever seen on Chewy when she’s torturing.

“Got any small explosives and nails?”

Yes, I think she’ll do nicely.