“Do we use that fucking name, Dad?” Rory snapped, throwing his cigarette on the floor and stomping it out. “We’re Donovans to the world. How many people know we’re actually Caldwells?”
Johnnie clenched his jaw.
“Rory, Uncle…Outlaw,” Diesel amended, discarding his cigarette too, “has to reconvene the meeting. No one is invalidating your feelings, but we, as club members, deal withgrief in our own way. We’re going to toast Gypsy and honor her as one of our fallen. I suggest, though, you keep this to yourself. Kendall is already so fucking vulnerable because of your sister. I hate to minimize your grief. However, she wouldn’t see what Gypsy did to you as anything but fucked up. Gypsy’s no longer with us, which means your mom’s anger would be impotent.”
Rory groaned.
“Exactly,” Diesel said with a smile. “And knowing about Derby’s involvement, she’d probably hitthatmotherfucker with her baseball bat.”
“I don’t want to put Mom through that,” Rory said.
“You have all of us.” Diesel swept his hand around to encompass the club, then he nodded to Johnnie. “You have your dad, too.”
Swallowing, Rory glanced over his shoulder. For once, Johnnie looked at his son with kindness and understanding.
“Rory?” Christopher scrubbed a hand over his face. “Megan and Kendall would see what the fuck Gypsy did as…” He pursed his lips and glanced away. “Predatory. Maybe it is. I ain’t too sure cuz I fucked a bunch of older bitches and it was just fuckin’ seen as me gettin’ experience. It might be fuckin’ wrong of me, but I ain’t saw myself as a victim then and I fuckin’ don’t now.”
“Fuck, don’t let Rebel hear that,” CJ complained.
“I can blare that from the fuckin’ rooftop,” Christopher snapped, “and it ain’t applyin’ to her. She a fuckin’ girl.”
“I’m not even about to get into that fucking double standard, Dad,” CJ growled. “You want to talk about someone losing their fucking mind? That would be your fucking daughter if you bragged about your older women while threatening this motherfucker because she’s spoiled.”
“He’s the grown motherfucker!” Christopher snarled, nodding to Diesel. “She ain’t. You implyin’shetargetin’himisfucked up and if I ever fuckin’ hear that shit again I’m beatin’ the fuck outta you.”
“For telling you the goddamn truth?” CJ yelled. “You’velost your fucking mind, too. We all fucking have. Axel just bombed our motherfucking house so we won’t make Mom mad because Rebel and Diesel were screaming at each other like they were long lost lovers. And I didn’t say that for you to hurt Diesel. Out of you, Rebel, and him, he has the fucking sense. He’s trying to get his fucking life together. Rebel is a step away from following Axel’s lead and blowing Jana and Diesel up because she’s so fucking mad. All you can think about is—”
“Whatever the fuck I wanna. That’s my fuckin’ daughter. Not yours so back the fuck away.”
“That’smyfuckin’ sister, Dad. She’s been through a lot and if you don’t fuckin’ back off and hurt Diesel or run him away, we will lose her too. Get that through your thick fucking head, dude.Yourfucking daughter is as stubborn as you. You want to talk about fucking pretense? Work with Diesel andpretend. Mom did her fucking part and made Rebel finally see Diesel as her fucking brother. But how fucking long will that last?Weknow he’s a Caldwell. Your son. Mom’s son. Our brother. All Rebel thinks is we don’t share fucking blood with him.”
“What about that stupid motherfucker?” Christopher grouched, hating that CJ echoed what Megan said and she might be fucking right.
“Huahua?” CJ said with distaste.
Christopher narrowed his eyes. “I beg your fuckin’ pardon?”
“She’s the chi to his huahua,” CJ said, annoyed.
Christopher blinked. “They a fuckin’ dog?”
“And not any goddamn dog neither,” Digger said with distaste. “But a little yappy one that will latch onto your fucking ankle and not let the motherfucker go.”
The situation wasn’t fucking funny in the fucking least, but Christopher roared with laughter. When CJ joined in, it seemed to break the tension and everyone else guffawed.
“All right, boy,” he said when the chuckles died down. He glanced between CJ and Diesel. “How about the three of us sit down with Megan and see what she say?”
CJ looked at Diesel. “What do you say, big brother?”
“I’d like that.”
“You straight for now, Rory?” Christopher asked.
“Yeah, Uncle Christopher.”
He looked between his sons. “You two okay?”
“Yeah, Dad,” CJ said.
