Page 32

I wanted to confront Spunky the next day, but Birdie wouldn’t let me.

She told me she wanted to take a few days and spend them as a family.

It sounded like a damn fine idea to me, so that’s what we’ve been doing.

Yesterday, we had a game and movie night at the house, just the four of us.

Watching the twins get so fucking excited about board games was the best thing ever.

There were so many things I learned about them yesterday.

They’re competitive as hell. Not against each other, though. Hell, no. My kids love to fucking tag team the other players. The little shits used their twin mojo thing to royally kick mine and Birdie’s ass at each fucking game.

I may or may not have pouted about that, and they may or may not have laughed hard at me.

They’ll always have each other’s backs, and I’m grateful for that.

Shit is dark in this world. Navigating it with someone you trust is crucial.

Birdie asked if it was safe enough to go to town today. She said she refuses to let Frankie take more from them than they already have. It’s not fair to the kids to stay hidden at the house when we have an entire club at our back.

It wasn’t a ringing endorsement that she’s ready to fully trust them, but it was a start. I’ll take it.

Butcher and Pretty Boy are coming for protection, and Gavel wants to tag along to get to know his great-grandkids.

I’m surprised the old fucker has held off as long as he has.

Just shows how much respect he has for Birdie.

He knows the hell she’s been through and didn’t want to crowd her until she was ready.

When he called last night and asked if he could come, she didn’t even hesitate to invite him.

Gavel can bring Mad Dog to life for the twins in a way that Birdie and I can’t.

They deserve to know just how fucking great he was before cancer took him.

“Do you think he’s going to like us, Daddy?” Lovelyn asks as we wait for Gavel on the porch.

“He already loves you, sugar pop.”

She peers at me with wide eyes filled with wonder. “Really?”

“Your grandpop is the best man there is,” I tell them.

“What about Mom’s grandpa? Mom said his name was Darragh, but you all called him Mad Dog,” Legend asks.

“Another great guy. You can ask your grandpop about him. He loved him more than anyone on this planet.”

“Like you love Mom?”

“Yep. Just like I love your mama.”

Legend and Lovelyn smile. “That’s pretty cool,” my boy says.

“It is. It’d probably make your grandpop happy if you asked about Mad Dog, actually. He doesn’t talk about him much, but he loves to.”

“Do you miss Mad Dog, Mama?” Lovelyn asks Birdie.

“Absolutely, I do. And you know what? He’d have loved you all so much. I bet he’s watching over you all the time.”

“Like our angel?”

I let Birdie handle this question because I love my kids and I won’t lie to them. That shit isn’t my foray. Not anymore. I stopped believing in all that shit a long time ago.

Birdie rubs my tense back as she addresses Lovelyn, and I melt into her touch. Even without knowing why, she still fucking knows .

We stand around outside waiting for Gavel. The twins bounce in front of us, unable to contain their excitement at meeting their grandfather officially for the first time.

Gavel shuts off his engine and climbs from his bike as Lovelyn looks up at me. “Can we go now, Daddy?”

I chuckle and nudge them forward. “Go ahead.”

The smile on Gavel’s face is something I haven’t seen since we lost Mad Dog.

“Grandpop,” Lovelyn yells, running straight for him.

His gruff laugh as he squats to catch her warms my heart right the fuck up.

“Hey there, Pippin,” he greets, wrapping her tightly.

Legend is a bit more cautious as he approaches, but his body vibrates with eagerness, all the same.

“Come here, Scout,” Gavel says gruffly, holding him arm out.

They speak in low tones, their conversation secure to only them. Lovelyn brushes her fingers over his beard, nodding as he talks. As they stand to face us, I can see how much it was needed for all three of them.

Gavel and I bundle Birdie and the twins into the SUV I bought not long after they returned to Coral Cay, then he climbs back onto his bike.

The twins jabber away in the backseat as we drive through town, the excitement bright in their eyes as they observe everything.

We do a bit of shopping where Gavel and I spoil the absolute fuck out of all three of them before the kids mention they’re hungry.

We head to Nauti Nibbles since it’s one of the best places in town.

Marigold smiles at us, grabs some menus, and leads us to a booth.

She came to town about two years ago, running from a troubled past. Me, Tomcat, and a few other brothers were having breakfast when she came strutting in with her head held high.

Since we were down a few servers thanks to Tomcat not keeping his dick in his fucking pants, we hired her after Cypher cleared her.

Marigold is one of the best fucking servers this place has ever seen.

So good that we promoted her to manager six months after she started.

The customers love the shit out of her. Hell, I think half my brothers do as well, which seems to irritate the hell out of Tomcat. According to him, they’re only friends and that won’t ever change.

I’m calling bullshit on that one. On his side, anyway. Marigold definitely has him friend-zoned, which is funny as hell.

Once she’s taken our orders and brought us our drinks, we all chat quietly. Gavel watches the twins with so much emotion that even my uncaring ass is feeling fucking fuzzy.

“Hey, Grandpop,” Lovelyn starts.

“Hey, Pippin,” he teases, causing her to laugh.

“Daddy said you loved Grandpa Darragh a whole lot, like how Daddy loves Mama.”

“More than anything,” he says gruffly, his normally stoic face warm with memories.

Fucking hairball is stuck in my throat or some shit.

“Will you tell us about him?”

Anguish flashes in my grandfather’s silver eyes, but he smiles softly at Legend.

“Sure thing, Scout.” He clears his throat, his eyes going hazy with memories.

“The first time I met him, he was running from a dog that was trying to attack him. He kept swearing the thing was going to eat him alive.” His laugh is husky.

“The damn dog only came to his ankles, but in his mind, it was the most vicious thing he’d ever encountered.

Here was this tall, muscular dude terrified of this little bitty thing.

He swore the dog was mad. That was probably when I fell in love with him first. You gotta understand something, kids.

Us loving each other back then was considered all kinds of wrong.

Didn’t stop it from happening, just made it harder for us. ”

“But how did you all have Mom and Dad?” Legend asks intuitively.

A dark expression crosses Gavel’s face before disappearing.

“We had wives. Not having a wife was frowned upon by the church. Guess we got lucky, though, because they weren’t so bad.

As long as they got their heirs, they didn’t mind us loving each other so much.

We took care of them until they eventually fell in love with others.

Then we all went our separate ways. They weren’t evil women.

None of us were just right for each other. ”

“What happened to them?” Lovelyn asks.

“Life, Pippin. Life happened,” he replies, his words heavy.

“What was Grandpop’s favorite thing in the world?” Legend asks.

“Your mom, aunt, and uncle. He loved them so much.”

They go back and forth with questions, trying to glean as much information as they can about this man we all loved dearly. Gavel brings him to life so vividly that the twins are in awe of a man who is no longer with us.

They really need to stop cutting fucking onions in this place. It’s irritating my eyes.

When Birdie chuckles next to me, I realize I said that out loud and stick my tongue out at her while discreetly wiping my eyes with my shirt.

We’re all laughing at another story Gavel is telling us about Mad Dog when windows shatter as someone fires bullets through them.

The twins and Birdie are screaming as I slide my gun from my holster. “Under the table.”

Gavel shoves Legend and Lovelyn under him since they were sitting next to him, and Birdie crawls under next. She covers their bodies with hers as Gavel and I slide out of the booth.

Thankfully, the place was nearly empty before the shooting.

More shots ring out and more glass breaks as the bullets land around the dining area.

An agonized scream comes from behind the counter, and I watch as a bullet tears through Marigold.

Butcher and Pretty Boy are returning fire outside while Gavel and I return it from in here.

Fucking Demented Demons again.

I grunt as a bullet tears through my shoulder, but the guy who shot me doesn’t stand a chance to do it again since mine pierces his forehead.

Someone must have called the club in because my brothers come flying into the parking lot. They jump from their bikes and finally even out the fight.

“Grandpop,” Lovelyn screams.

I jerk around at her scream, my eyes searching before landing on Gavel’s body lying in a pool of blood. Running over, I slide through the blood as I land next to him. I drop my gun and shove both hands over the wound on his chest.

“Come on, you old fucker. You’re not going out yet.”

“Twins. Birdie,” he gasps, red tinting his teeth.

“They’re safe.”

“Mari?”

“I don’t know. She was hit, but I don’t fucking know.”

I’m so numb to what’s going on that I don’t even feel the tears pouring from my eyes until my grandfather lifts his bloody hand to my face.

“Proud. You.”

“Just stop talking, you fool.”

“Darragh,” he says then sighs with a bloody smile, his eyes closing.

“No. I am not fucking losing you,” I roar before starting compressions.

It feels like hours before help arrives, but by the counts in my head, it’s only been about two minutes.

EMTs push me out of the way before taking over. I fall to my ass, my eyes glued to Gavel’s body.

“We have a pulse, let’s go,” one of them yells.

It’s a flurry of activity after that.

“Marigold,” Tomcat’s anguished voice screams as he rushes through the door.

“Quit your yowling,” she grumbles, climbing to her feet from behind the counter.

She’s holding a hand to her shoulder, but that’s too much for Tomcat.

My family.

Where’s my family?

I try to move, but my body refuses, my eyes drifting back to the pool of blood in front of me.

Warmth hits my sides, melting the ice that filled me the moment I saw Gavel down. The twins’ shaking bodies snuggle next to me, their cries quiet.

It’s their pain that finally pulls me from mine.

“Let’s get to the hospital,” I say, monotone.

Just as we step out of the diner’s doors, I hear the panicked yell from the EMT before the ambulance doors close.

“We’re losing him again!”