“Cee Cee.”
Christopher processed those careful words. “Fred was an American Scorpion.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a fucking realization. If Cee Cee and Ma married when Christopher was a newborn, the motherfucker would’ve known about her cheating with Fred years before he dropped out of sight. For him to have survived at Patricia’s side for twelve years and then suddenly disappear was because of a club matter. Big Joe and Cee Cee were still on good terms back then, if what Kendall told Christopher during some of their meeting was true. Cee Cee wouldn’t have fucked up a Dweller and risked retaliation.
It all meant one thing: Fred was a Scorpion.
“Cee Cee was his Prez and he fucked over him somehow.”
Kendall’s eyes flared in surprise and she opened her mouth.
Shaking his head, Christopher raised his hand to stop her before she spoke. “I know you’re gonna say some bullshit about it bein’ because Ma and Cee Cee was married and he felt disrespected. Fred was there ‘til I wastwelve. You ain’t tellin’ me in all that fuckin’ time, Cee Cee ain’t knew Ma was fuckin’ him? Cee Cee was payin’ to keep a bunch of motherfuckers alive. He knew what the fuck was goin’ on. My guess is he sent Fred to watch Ma.”
“To watch you,” Kendall told him.
Thatshocked the fuck out of Christopher. “Me?”
“Cee Cee didn’t trust that Logan wouldn’t hurt you.”
The explanation made no fucking sense. Logandidhurt him. Regularly. “And he killed Fred for what fuckin’ reason?”
“Because he slacked on his main job. Cee Cee discovered Logan was beating you and Fred didn’t tell him.”
“Ma knew?”
“About?”
“That Cee Cee sent Fred and Fred was a Scorpion?”
“She did, but from what I gather she saw Fred as the only way to protect you from Logan.”
Kendall’s words sounded like the gospel truth but again shit just wasn’t adding up. However, he hadn’t come to dredge up shit about a bunch of dead motherfuckers. His primary concern was Megan, so he nodded and moved on. “Is Megan in danger?”
Leaning back in her chair, Kendall steepled her hands and rested her chin on her fingers. “Not anymore. Bash swears she never was, but I don’t quite believe him.” She stood, walked around her desk and sat in the chair next to his before detailing Sunday’s conversation with his half-brother. “He wants to broker a peace agreement between the two clubs,” she finished.
“Because of you?” Christopher asked, to be sure.
Uncertainty entered her eyes, though she nodded, and pasted a careless smile on her face. “Was this the face that launched a thousand ships,” she started. “And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss: Her lips sucks forth my soul, see where it flies! Come Helen, come, give me my soul again. Here will I dwell, for heaven be in these lips, And all is dross that is not Helena!”
Folding his arms, Christopher glared at her. “I ain’t your motherfucker. I hate Marlowe as much as I hate Shakespeare. Borin’ fuckheads.”
“It’s one of my favorite quotes fromDoctor Faustus.”
“And you hurt my goddamn ears for what fuckin’ reason?”
“To tell you that I know I don’t have a face that could start or stop a war, so you have every right to be skeptical about the reason Bash wants peace.”
Fucking Johnnie. As much as Kendall tried to ignore that motherfucker’s motherfuckery, he still got into her head and chipped away at her confidence. “It ain’t like you a fuckin’ Gorgon. What the fuck you talkin’ about? I ain’t asked you that cuz youcan’tmake a motherfucker go stupid. It’s cuz I don’t want to put that fuckin’ burden on you. The motherfucker might decide to up his fuckin’ game and ask for pussy, then we would’ve wasted fuckin’ time cuz you now one of my lil’ sisters and I’d have to fuck him up for the disrespect.”
“He was actually rather charming.”
Christopher grunted, laying how she saw Bash at Johnnie’s feet, too. She looked so sad and sounded so defeated. He couldn’t help but wonder if Megan had moved in a similar manner before she left. “I told him I would bring the terms to you. I have drafted some documents for you to read over. If you are comfortable with everything, arrange a meeting. Maybehere at the office? Listen to what he has to say. Brooks doesn’t immediately have to present the contracts to Bash.”
Brookswouldn’t present a goddamn thing.
“He also wants Diesel to stay married to Tabitha for the next six months.”
That would be a problem because Diesel was so fucking hardheaded. He also wanted his fucking way and thought he could outsmart every motherfucker around.
