“All true.”
“And you never struck me as someone who could go soft for a woman, let alone one with a kid. And the baby thing felt like a terrible idea.”
“You’re pissing me off again.”
“Sure, but here you are alone for the night. Dick is dry. You are clearly sulking over her being gone. So, maybe you have qualities I hadn’t known existed. And maybe Elle saw them, even though I couldn’t,” York said and then added, “But naming the kid Wilbur Megatron feels mean.”
Grinning, I shrugged. “I have a name idea that’ll make her ditch that ridiculous Wilbur crap. I’m just waiting for the right time to spring it on her.”
“I’m not great at naming shit. It’s one reason I’m leery about getting a pet.”
“Just ask the club sluts to name the damn thing. Animals don’t really care. Name him York Junior and get yourself something to fill the quiet.”
When York nodded at my suggestion, I suspected he might hit up the local shelter tomorrow.
I understood how he felt about the quiet. While it never bothered me before, the silence was deafening when I finally went to my apartment. Elle wasn’t a particularly noisy person. When we watched sports, she didn’t prattle on. If she got bored, she played on her phone.
But I never forgot she was next to me. Her absence over the next few days left me short-tempered and easily distracted.
I found myself staying at my apartment more than down in the clubhouse. The club sluts got on my nerves by constantly flirting when I was clearly uninterested in their pussies. Rather than bark at everyone, I hid in my apartment and texted Elle.
“York got a dog,” she told me.
“I know, but how do YOU know?”
“Exile told me. York named it Junior.”
“I gave him that name.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? He gets Junior and I get Megatron?”
Chuckling, I nearly ignored the incoming call. Uknown numbers were usually spam bullshit, but they could also be my Void snitch. I told Elle that I would text her later.
Answering the phone, I waited to see if it was a spam recording. Instead, I heard my snitch’s disguised voice.
“Zodiac, good job freeing the lawyer from the goon squad.”
“Glad to hear you’re still breathing, but what happened to keeping me updated?”
“I’ve had too many eyes on me. Things have also been quiet. There was no reason to risk contacting you.”
“But now there is?”
“It’s still quiet here. Management is temporarily changing their plans. No more money or time will be spent on the Little Memphis situation for now. The other members of management have sidelined the one driving those attacks.”
“What’s the plan for my territory?”
“They need to time to reestablish themselves in Texas. Gangs have given them trouble in Houston. Other interests are pushing back on them in El Paso. Baton Rouge isn’t on their radar for the time being.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
After a moment of silence, the guy said, “You need to understand something. The member who is obsessed with Little Memphis might not quit his plan. He’ll simply need to be sneaky. Your alliance isn’t out of the woods yet.”
“I’ve heard rumors that this person is Trigger’s son, Ryder. Any truth to that?”
The snitch didn’t respond, so I continued, “If you wanted to fix this problem, you could give me the asshole’s name and address. I’d have him eliminated by the end of the week.”
Silence lingered on the line before he finally stated, “No,” and hung up.
