When I descend the stairs for breakfast, I follow my nose to find the kitchen full of women. Tessa and Queenie work side by side while Christina washes fruit at the sink. There are club girls rolling out biscuits and another stirring something on the stove. Katie is sitting on the counter swinging her legs, munching on crispy bacon. The whole scene feels domesticated enough to make me want to keep Christina and Katie here with me forever.
Christina fits seamlessly into my life, and I don’t know quite what to make of that. The men in my family and the club brothers treat her with the utmost respect because she’s wearing my cut. I knew that would help her settle in here. Seeing her in my cut also makes something twist in my chest. Whatever it is feels bittersweet because she’s not really my woman.
I pour coffee and lean against the sink. Katie spots me first. “It’s Slate! Are you hungry, Mommy says there’s enough food here for a small town!”
I thump my chest playfully with one hand and use my growly voice. “I’m always hungry, just like a big bear.”
She just giggles, like I’m the funniest thing she’s ever seen. Suddenly, her little hand reaches for a slice of bacon and holds it out for me. I stroll over and bite off a big piece, chewing it up as I rub my belly.
Christina glances over at me. I love the sweet smile on her face. It’s so genuine that it makes me think she actually enjoys being here with my family. Since she’s been under my protection, she looks healthier, the color has come back into her face, and I could swear she’s put on a pound or two. It looks good on her.
When Katie tries to feed me more bacon, Christina tells her, “That’s enough. You can’t feed him like a pet. He’s a grown-up man who can feed himself. You know that, right, Katie?”
Katie looks so downcast at that I end up making a barking noise like a seal and open my mouth. That gets her giggling and I love the sound of it.
“Don’t you be encouraging her,” Christina says to me.
“I’ll do tricks if it gets me bacon,” I mutter as I pinch another crispy slice from the plate.
Christina playfully bats my hand away, “Breakfast is in ten minutes, think you can wait that long?”
I laugh and turn to Katie. “Miss Katie, I don’t think we’re wanted here. You wanna come with me and we can watch cartoons?”
“Yay!” she says.
I help her off the counter and she happily skips ahead.
I get us settled by the TV and start flicking through the channels looking for something suitable. The kid’s young, maybe two, but she talks really well for a two-year-old and seems to understand a lot. “Okay, kiddo, what are we gonna watch?”
She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can get her words out, Silver pops up. I don’t even give her a chance to open her mouth. Instead, I throw up one hand, blocking out her face. “Get the hell away from the kid, Silver.”
Her eyes go wide, like they always do when she miscalculates my tolerance for her bullshit.
I add, “I’m not joking. Don’t want to hear a word you have to say. If you keep comin’ to me, I’m gonna make sure you get permanently banned from all club properties.”
When she turns on her heel and stalks off, Katie asks, “Is she naughty?”
I tell her, “She’s an irritating girl and I don’t like her.” I realize almost immediately that I should have kept my damn pie hole shut.
Katie mimics my angry expression. “I don’t like her either.”
Sweet Jesus, I really put my foot in my mouth on this one. Then again, being wary of a snake like Silver could only make her safer.
***
Around midday, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to discover it’s an unknown number. The area code tugs at something in my memory, so I swipe to answer the call.
“Slate here.”
A rough voice on the other end says, “It’s me.”
“Rivera?”
“Yeah. It took me a minute to get my phone charged.”
His voice sounds like he’s been through some shit. I can hear the noises of the city in the background.
“What the hell happened?”
