Page 33 of Judge (Devil’s Rose MC #7)

“Ah, do you mind telling us who you are and why you are looking for Sidney?” Mama Debs asks, full of sugar but you can hear the steel thread to her tone.

“Oh, yes, sorry ma’am, my name is Zadie Jameson, and I’ve been asked by Happy Glades Retirement Village to pop by and run a welfare check. We’ve heard that Sidney is an elderly gentleman interested in our care,” She smiles gently.

“What the fuck?! I don’t know where you got your information sweetheart, but I’m not elderly-” he glares around at us when someone snorts, “- and I’m not interested in any old people home. Who called you?”

Zadie chews on her lip, opening her cellphone and tapping the screen a few times, “Hmm, there’s no name, but they’ve put down they’re a concerned member of the public because they believe you are a danger to yourself.

It says here you have access to a motorcycle, which is not ideal for your season of life.

Also that you may possibly have dementia. ”

“ Dementia ? Are you fucking mad!?” Pops is spitting.

“I’m so sorry, sir, it’s just the notes state that you sometimes have crazy notions.

It says there are often loud noises coming from this property, and sometimes you refer to yourself as,” she looks down at her notes, “The Love Pres? Referring to yourself as a character is sometimes a sign of dementia.”

Pops looks like he’s about to shit himself at the thought that the tiny, sweet voiced woman will take him away at any moment.

His eyes are wild, darting around, looking for an escape.

I can clock the exact moment he realizes that he’ll never be able to outrun the sweet woman in front of him, so he changes tact and puts on the charming old man act.

“Look, love, I know you’re just doing your job,” he starts off softly, earning a smile for his efforts, “but I am of sound mind and perfectly fine. Please tell your boss that I will not be needing your services.” Before she can say anything in reply, he shoves Chef her way and hot foots it as fast as his Skechers can take him.

“No fucker is taking me to hang out with people who shit their pants!” He yells over his shoulder, making it as far as the large bush at the side of the clubhouse.

We all watch as he disappears to a crouch behind it.

“Ah, I have a sedative and some colleagues that can help wrangle him if need be,” Zadie starts, staring at the same spot we all are.

“Fuck off with your goons! You’ll never take me!”

“Love, look, you seem like a nice lady and all, but Sidney Tombs is of completely sound mind.” Gus says, almost convincingly.

“I have no idea where you got your information, but trust me when I say that my grandfather is safe with us and he will behave from now on. Right?” Gus yells over his shoulder.

“Maybe,” Pops yells back. None of us miss his grumbling and calling us assholes from his spot in the bushes.

“Here, why don’t you let me show you out?” Rider smiles, the white of his teeth stark against the soot of the smudge stick. She stares at him in horror but follows him anyway.

As soon as she’s out of earshot Pops emerges with leaves in his usually impeccable white hair. Snickers can be heard but none of us are brave enough to laugh out loud. He’ll probably poison us or something shit..

Pops makes his way back to the party before he turns on us, voice low, “Which one of you assholes set me up?” He hits us all, one by one with this narrowed gaze.

“Come on, if you fess up now I promise there will be no retribution,” he continues trying to coax us, staring until his eyes widen when his gaze lands on Kaia.

“It was you, wasn’t it? I knew you were planning something after the whole chilli episode. ”

Kaia smiles sweetly and Pops twists his lips, nodding before holding out his hand. “Well played, girl. Well played.”

Kai takes his hand then pulls him in for a hug, whispering something in his ear. He barks out a laugh, pulling back with a smile on his face. “Lets you and I have a talk, huh?”

“Well, that took an unexpected turn,” Rider mumbles, stepping up beside me.

“Brother, do something about your face,” I shake my head, eyes on Fox, Nitro and Jazz. Huh. That’s interesting.

“What? Do I have something on it?”

I slowly turn to look at Rider looking confused. “Um, might wanna check in the mirror brother,”

“As long as it’s nothing too bad. That Zadie woman was hot as hell,” he mumbles, heading off into the house.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Kai says, slipping her hand into mine.

“No need baby, our hearts and souls recognize their other halves.”

Kaia beams up at me, before resting her head on my chest, and something in me clicks into place. This is what I’ve been missing since I was eighteen years old. My other half. My woman. My Kaia.

Kaia

“Um Mom, those soccer women are coming in,” Annie-Bella says, eyeing the door as the little bell above it jingles.

“OK baby, I’ll seat them in my section,” I press a kiss to her head and grab the coffee pot, ready to serve the horrible bitches. It’s been two weeks since our kids were kicked off the team, and I have to admit my weekends have been so much nicer seeing as I don’t have to fight with them anymore.

“Kaia, how nice to see you.” Chelsea sneers as her bimbo friends titter behind her. “I heard you moved into that trashy motorcycle club compound. Once trash, always trash, huh?”

“Chelsea, how’s your husband’s nose? I hope the plastic surgery went well,” I smirk, filling up their coffee cups. “What can I get you all?”

“Just the usual,” one of the bimbos says. “And can you make sure the berry compote is fresh this time?” More snickering rings out from their table as I walk behind the counter to place their order.

“Five granola’s, Marv,” I call out, slapping my hand on the counter top to get his attention as the bell above the door sounds out again.

Turning, I’m met with the girl gang, Pops and Mad Dog heading toward the stools up at the counter. “Well, lookie at you all here. What can I get ya?”

“Oh, maybe a round of milkshakes?” Lovely asks, perching on the stool before adding, “And a little revenge,” she beams, her cheeks flushed.

Looking around, I lean closer. “What do you know?”

“Oh, nothing yet, but we’ll have to wait and see.” Remy winks.

Marv rings the kitchen bell and Annie steps up next to me, helping me with the food for Chelsea’s table.

“It’ll sort itself out soon enough. It’s just a mess up with the insurance, you know how insurance can be,” Chelsea says in a voice less confident than usual.

“I don’t see why your insurance is refusing to pay for his nose job, but you guys are loaded, so I’m sure you’ll just pay for it outright.”

Chelsea gives her friend a tight smile and doesn’t even spare me a glance when I place her lame granola in front of her.

I move back to my spot behind the counter as the twins circulate around the busy dining room doing top ups or clearing plates.

“Did you do something to Chelsea’s health insurance? She said something about them not paying for her husband’s nose job,” I murmur to the gang.

Pops snorts and then he and Mad Dog chuckle, eyes glinting.

Chewy sits stock still, her fingers tapping on the counter top as she stares in the direction of the women.

I share a look with Mira, who gives me two thumbs up.

Shrugging I go about my business, which today seems to be ignoring the hideous witches cackling in the corner, throwing me and my kids the stink eye.

The sound of motorcycle pipes rumble through the diner and I flick my gaze to the window, watching as the DRMC all pull up, one by one, parking their bikes neatly out the front.

I grin as my man comes walking toward me, his big boots stopping when they meet the toes of my sneakers.

He grips the sides of the Ol Lady cut he gave me at the party two weeks ago, using his grip to pull me closer and kissing me like he hasn’t seen me in years.

Much to the disgust of the twins behind me.

“So gross! You saw her this morning, bruh,” Jax spits.

“You’ll understand one day, son,” Leo says, reaching out to ruffle Jax’s hair and missing as he dodges away. “How’s work,babe? Got space for us? Mama Debs is bringing the kids in too.”

Gazing around the diner I wave the MC to the two empty back booths. Leo drops a kiss to my lips, pats my ass and follows his brothers.

“Excuse me, biker whore, we’d like to pay,” Chelsea sneers. I have the biggest urge to kick her ass and throw her from my diner, but I do the professional thing. Paste a smile on my face and head over with her check.

She holds her card out for me but before I can grasp it she drops it on the floor with an over exaggerated “Oops!” I growl under my breath, the only thing tamping down my temper is the excited looks on the faces of the girl gang.

Running the card through the till I get a big fat “declined” and my lips tip up.

“Ah, Chelsea, sorry about this, but do you have another card? This one is declined,” I call from my place behind the counter, so sweetly it hurts my teeth.

Her head spins so fast she looks like the damned Exorcist. “Try it again!” she barks, rolling her eyes at her friends as they start sharing looks.

“Nope. Says insufficient funds,” I smile innocently.

“Burn!” The ginger kid that just walked in with Mama Debs and the big littles yells, drawing attention.

Chelsea goes bright red, hurrying over. “There must be some mistake,” she says through gritted teeth. “Use this one!” she huffs, flinging another card at me. She taps her foot impatiently waiting for my response.

My eyes dart to the girl gang, Pops and Mad Dog are all leaning on the counter, staring. Flicking my eyes back to the card reader, again I see the words “insufficient funds” on the screen. Turning it around so Chelsea can see it she lets out a stifled scream, then rummages in her handbag.

Looking behind her I see all her friends are whispering, sharing pitying looks at Chelsea who is having a shit fit on the phone with her husband.

“So, while Chelsea is having technical difficulties, do any of you ladies have money to pay for breakfast?”

A brunette who has a kid with terrible acne gives me a sour look, before handing over her card. I thank her and trip back to my till, trying hard not to grimace at the pitch Chelsea has reached over the phone. I do what I have to with the card, all for the same outcome as Chelsea’s.

“Excuse me, sweetheart?” I call out, waving the card in the air, “It seems you have the same problem as your friend here,”

The woman turns dangerously red, snatching up her phone to probably check her banking. I actually have no idea.

“Audit?” Chelsea screeches.

Snorts catch my attention from the counter where my friends, no, my family watch, eyes glued to the scene unfolding.

“Haha!” The ginger kid in the booth with the DRMC kids laughs, pointing at Chelsea and her friends.

“Shut up, you little shit!” Chelsea hisses at him, setting him off even more. The kid throws his head back and laughs his ass off.

“Ma’am, is there a problem here?” Looking up I roll my lips between my teeth trying not to burst into laughter at Fox, standing on the other side of the counter.

Nitro comes to a stop beside him, their new Rose Grove Police Department badges clipped to their uniforms. Leo had told me that Moss needed backup he could trust in the PD, but I never thought these two would be the guys who stepped up.

I guess the DRMC brothers really do take one for the team when they need to.

“Ah, yes, officer-”

“Deputy,” Fox says, trying to hold his own laughter in as Nitro rolls his eyes.

“Oh, sorry Deputy -”

“Ellison.”

“Deputy Ellison. Yes, those lovely ladies -” I tip my head toward the table where Chelsea’s insufferable friends are still sitting, “are causing a scene because there seems to be a problem with their payment. It’s causing a disturbance in my diner.”

“I see,” Fox nods once, sharing a glance with the girl gang.

He and Nitro make moves to talk to the women at the table, but before they can even reach them Chelsea throws her phone at Fox, hitting him in the chest and all the women scatter.

“Wait, are they running from the police ?” Mira asks incredulously.

“They need to be. All those women are married to men who are embezzlers, ponzi schemers, or just shit at filing taxes,” Chewy says before sucking on her milkshake straw. “Won’t be long now and everyone in town will know that particular bunch of women are having severe financial troubles.”

Mama Debs claps her hands, “Did we film it?”

“Yup,” Mad Dog answers, pointing to the booth in the corner where the ginger is standing on the table, cell phone in hand cackling his red head off.

“I may hate that little asshole Rodney, but he sure does have his uses,” Pops grumbles.

Looking around the diner I take in the faces of the girl gang, Pops and Mad Dog, the MC brothers in the booth laughing at the chaos, the big littles eating fries and plotting, and my own two, standing behind the counter looking happier and more settled than they ever have before.

Then my gaze moves to the man who made this all happen, who gave me my twins and a whole family and I can’t help but think how different things could have been if he never walked into the diner asking me to trust him to take care of us.

“You all good there, little mama?” Leo’s deep voice washes over me, and I lean into his stupidly hard chest.

“Yeah babe, just happy to be home.”