Page 28 of The Souls We Claim

But all that means my mind has been on other things.

“Yeah. Forgot for a minute.”

Spark rolls his eyes. “You’re a better man than that, brother.”

The words hit me square in my ego. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I’m saying. Man up. Even if she goes to live with this mysterious sister of Mercy’s, doesn’t mean you can take your eye off her.”

“You’re starting to piss me off, Spark. First yesterday, now today. You’re not my fucking dad.”

Spark shakes his head sadly. “No, because if your dad were here, you wouldn’t be in this mess. I get that this isn’t the hand you were expecting to be dealt, but they’re the cards you got. Plan your sister’s fucking first birthday. Invite all the women. Get a cake she can eat with her hands and face.”

Spark walks ahead of me into King’s office, and I pivot to the bar to get a drink. “Whiskey,” I say to the prospect who serves it real quick. I throw it back equally as fast.

“Got a second?” Clutch says.

“You going to shit on me too?”

“What?” Clutch asks.

“Never mind. What is it?”

“Just spoke to Gwen. Said Arianne tried to pay at the grocery store and however she tried to pay got declined. Then she found out her husband cleaned out her account.”

I throw the whiskey glass across the bar where it hits the wood and shatters, sending shards flying. “Motherfucker.”

“Yeah. Well. Are you going to help her out?”

“You know what…why the hell is this my problem? I got a baby in my house that’s not mine, that needs feeding, and looking after, and birthday parties that need planning when I want to be here, focused, working on a plan to catch Collins. Now I got a woman who is related to a girl I didn’t give a shit about. Mercy was a shit human being who trapped my dad into a situation he didn’t want to be in. Oh, and I got a fucking vengeful half-brother who killed my dad and the woman I couldn’t stand.”

Clutch strokes his beard. “I’m gonna give you some advice, and you’re going to take it.”

I shake my head. “‘Cause that’s the thing I need right now.”

“You’ve got a lot of shit going on, I get that. But you’ve always been the cool-headed one. The one who could carry the load. You were a Navy fucking SEAL who saw shit most of us can’t imagine. And I get that you just had a fucking devastating blow. I know how hard it is to lose your dad, remember. I gave the go ahead for my own to be killed in prison. But you’re at risk of letting it overshadow the man you are. You gotta hold on to him, stick with his values, otherwise…”

“Otherwise?”

Clutch stares me straight in the eye. “Otherwise, you’re gonna sound like a whiney ass who can’t take care of what’s his. I get grief. I really do. But step up.”

He’s right. I’m playing victim. Fuck this shit. I’ll take care of Lola by taking care of Arianne. I make a mental note to get Dad’s place valued for sale. I’ll sell most of the shit in it. I’ll take the cash and buy a house in Lola’s name. Arianne can live in it, rent free, until Lola is eighteen. Then it’s Lola’s. But by then Arianne’ll be on her feet. She’ll have a job.

“Are you two old ladies joining us, or should we wait even longer?” King shouts.

“On our way,” I say. I turn to face Clutch. “Thank you, brother.”

Clutch squeezes my shoulder. “Just make it right.”

“Did you fix her car yet?” I ask.

Clutch shakes his head as we walk to church. “Two more days on parts.”

“Deduct it from my cut of the take.”

When I hop on my bike home three hours later, my head is clearer.

“Arianne,” I shout when I take off my boots in the hallway. I thought briefly about staying at the club, blowing off somesteam. But I’m here for the two people currently relying on me to help them figure out their future.