Page 21 of Remiss

“I ain’t fuckin’ withher. She fuckin’ withme.Case in fuckin’ point:tofuckinday. Yesterday, she was my wife, your ma, again. My sweet angel. She was puttin’ motherfuckers in their fuckin’ place and lovin’ on me. Today, the lil’ pain-in-the-ass motherfucker back to dividin’ to try and conquer. Let her, Reb, Axel, and Gunner eat alone, while we here.” He looked at Rory. “As a matter of fact, get Johnnie here. I ain’t gonna think about killin’ him too brutally tonight.”

“Uh–”

“Call him,” Christopher ordered again.

“Uh, o-okay,” Rory said and staggered to the bar, sitting on one of the stools.

“Ima call Val and Mort,” Christopher continued. “She clickin’ up? I fuckin’ am too. We gotta get Megan back.SweetMegan.”

“You only love Mom if she’s a certain way?”

Ransom’s strained words cut through Christopher and he shook his head, wondering where the fuck his boy got that idea.

“Fuck no! I love Megan no matter how she is.”

The explanation seemed to confuse Ransom even more.

“Fuck, you too young to understand, boy.”

“Or you’re too fucking old to understand, Dad,” Ryder countered, rolling his eyes, golden-haired and blue-eyed like Megan and Rebel. And Big Joe and Snake. “Instead of all these fucking games, just apologize to Mom. She was back yesterday because you were too.”

“I ain’t changed,” Christopher said stubbornly. “Megan was back cuz she missed me. She been sleepin’ next to me since she was eighteen. Ain’t no fuckin’ way she stayin’ away from me too long. Two days at most.”

“Dad, I have never heard Mom bring up divorce inanycontext,” CJ said , his voice rising in frustration. “If you keep fuckin’ with her–”

Christopher clamped his jaw, pretending her statement didn’t haunt him. Yet shedidlove him, so she’d never leave him. Under any circumstances. “We goin’ back and forth between Sweet Megan and Hell Megan if I ain’t nippin’ this shit in the fuckin’ bud. She even scheduled the fuckin’ hysterectomy without my permission. What the fuck is wrong with her?”

“Probablyyou,” Ransom said with disgust and stomped to the table reserved for the kids.

“Hey, Uncle Christopher,” JJ said, his greeting quite fucking belated. “Bye, Uncle Christopher.” The lil’ motherfucker turned and rushed behind Ransom.

“Tell me you aren’t going to stop Mom from having that fucking surgery,” CJ demanded.

“Ain’t your fuckin’ business, son,” Christopher said with finality. “This between me and your ma.”

“It isn’t,” CJ denied. “I stood by you, against her, when she said she wasn’t going to have it. We were so fucking hard on her. Now,you’vechanged your fucking mind, so she has to?”

“Yeah,” Christopher said without remorse. “It ain’t only her decision. It’s mine, too. She havin’ another fuckin’ kid. While I’m huntin’ Bash, Cleaner, Wally, Jr., Tom Harris, and every motherfuckin’ Scorpion out there,she gotta be safe.” He bared his teeth at Cash. “And since I ain’t got the fuckin’ backin’ of the club to protect her, I gotta do what the fuck’s best.”

As CJ sputtered, Cash stood. “I have to get home to your beautiful sister, Outlaw. She loves me so much and would never recover from my death.”

“Fuck, you right, McCall. Ima just make you disappear and ain’t ever let you be found. Ima think of a runaway letter for you to write before I fuck you up.”

“Dear Aunt Fee, I was a coward and a traitor and don’t deserve to live in peace or die in dignity. I deserve to wander the earth in a No Man’s Land for the rest of my fucking days. I’m running away because I’m such a shitty motherfucker.” Ryder folded his arms and smirked at Cash. “Peace out. I never loved you or Uncle Stretch because I love myself too fucking much.”

Eyeing Cash, Christopher finished his beer. “I fuckin’ like it, Ry,” he complimented. “Write that shit down for me, but instead of Aunt Fee and Uncle Stretch writeOpheliaandStretch. This motherfucker not their nephew.”

“Good call, Dad,” Ryder said.

Turning, Cash stumbled away, not so fucking high-and-mighty now.

“Can you call Mom and ask her to come to the club to cook?” CJ asked in a tone Christopher couldn’t place.

His boy was annoyed over the possibility of another pregnancy, but it was a different type of tension.

Thoughtful, Christopher searched his mind, trying to recall the last time CJ ate at the club since his overdose. Twice? Three times? Each time, his ma prepared the food.

“Dad?”