“Found it!”A voicecalled through the common room.Smokey looked around, wondering what they were talking about.A moment later, Hunter appeared from the hall that led to Raven’s office, the security room where Hawkeye and Pike kept an eye on everything that happened around the club, as well as the door to the rear of the clubhouse where they were working on adding homes for the brothers and their families, homes where they would be safe.He’d need to talk to Raven about getting on the schedule for one of those houses.
It took Smokey a moment to register what Hunter was crowing about.The prospect was carrying a highchair?Right behind him was Raven.
“Good.I knew it was in there somewhere.”Raven paused, scanning the room.Smokey knew who he was looking for when the president’s gaze landed on him and stopped.“Take it over there.”He motioned to where Smokey sat with Tania, then stepped around Hunter and made his way to them before the prospect could maneuver through the tables and people.“I thought this might be helpful.We’ve got a few other things in storage.They’re all pretty old so I’m not sure what kind of shape they’ll be in but we’ll see and replace what we need to,” he said, glancing back and forth between Smokey and Tania.
“Thank you, that’s very sweet of you,” Tania said, looking at the highchair.Smokey spotted a touch of anxiety in her eye and wondered what caused her to be wary.Yet he kept a firm hold on Carter for the time being.
“You can’t just pull something like that out of storage and give it to them,” Taylynn said, approaching.The spray bottle and rag she carried in one hand let him know she intended to scrub it down.“It’s been in there for who knows how long.I don’t want to even think about how dirty it is.”
“I hosed it down and let it dry before I brought it in,” Hunter said, defending himself.
“But did you even wipe it down?No.Look at this!”She’d already sprayed whatever she had in the bottle all over the seat and started scrubbing, with that she held out the rag that had already turned a dingy gray.“See?”She turned to look at Tania.”Give me just a couple minutes, then you can use it.”Taylynn shook her head as she went back to work, as if she couldn’t believe the people she had to deal with.Smokey felt for her, but it probably wouldn’t have occurred to him to scrub it down either.
“There,” she said after a moment, turning it back to face the table.“Now you can set the little angel in there.”She handed the bottle and rag to Hunter.“Put those away, please.”She turned to look at Raven, then at Tania.“I’ll be right back.”Taylynn hurried off, leaving Smokey wondering what had just happened.
“Mind if we join you?”Raven asked, waving to the chairs on the other side of the table.
“Not at all.”He’d wanted a chance to talk to Tania, but realized maybe the common room wasn’t the best place.He’d hoped having other people around would make her feel safer, but it also meant people to overhear what she might not want anyone to know.He turned to check with her.Tania just glanced up from his phone and nodded before lowering her head once again.Smokey wondered if it was a long list or if she was trying to make sure she didn’t forget anything.
Raven took a seat across from him, but kept his head up and scanned the room.Smokey knew he was watching for Taylynn and would call her over when he spotted her.Smokey liked the woman, and what she’d done for his president.She’d smoothed his edges and made him easier to get along with.Not that he was easy, not by any means but easier.
“Anything new?”Raven asked, glancing at Tania before turning his attention back to Smokey.
“Not yet, but it’s been an hour, maybe two.I don’t expect he even knows what’s going on.”
“You sent David to grab their stuff yet?”Raven asked.
“She’s working on the list now.We left her phone with the car.He’s paying for it and we have no way of knowing if he’s tracking her with it.It was easier to leave it behind.”
Raven nodded.“I’ll get Pike on that.We’ve got plenty.We’ll add her to the club plan.I don’t know if the boys will be able to keep her number though, she might have to get a new one.”
“I don’t want the same number.Rod knows that one,” Tania piped up without looking up, proving she could do at least two things at once.“So do my parents.I don’t want to deal with them for a while.Daddy’s going to tell me I made vows.Momma’s going to try to talk me into going back to Rod.I don’t want to listen to either.”She looked up at him and spun his phone back to face him.“There.I’m pretty sure that’s all of it.I also added the room each item should be found in and the code to the front door at the bottom of the list.”
“Good, that will make it easier for them to find everything.Is there any staff in the house?A housekeeper, anything like that?”
Tania shook her head.“The housekeeper comes in once a week for deeper cleaning, other than that, it’s my job.”
“Did you quit your job at city hall?”She’d managed to land a job as the mayor’s assistant’s intern for a summer when they’d been in high school, that had turned into a part time job while they’d finished school then full time when they’d graduated.A few months later, the assistant had retired.Tania had been the obvious choice to replace her, since she had shadowed the other woman for a year and then had slowly been taking over her duties.
“Nope.I’m still working.But I don’t make as much as he does, so taking care of the house is how I make up the difference in our incomes.”
Smokey stared at her, having a hard time believing his ears.Well, not exactly.He believed what she was telling him, what he had a hard time with was that the fucker had actually said that to her.That she’d married a fucker who believed shit like that.Once he locked it down that Tania would be staying with him, he’d make sure she knew he didn’t care if she worked or not, but if she wanted to work, then they would take care of the house together.He didn’t see her as his slave, and that would never change no matter if she had a job outside the home or not.
After a moment, she blinked and looked back at his phone without saying anything.He started to type out a message to David to grab at least one other person and go get the attached list of things, but typing with a baby in one arm was harder than he’d anticipated.
“Here.Let me take him for a few?”Taylynn held out her arms but didn’t reach over or try to take him out of Smokey’s hold.
Smokey glanced at Tania, he had no problem letting Taylynn hold Carter, but he knew the president’s woman.He didn’t know how Tania would feel about it and didn’t want to do anything to upset her or make her uncomfortable.She’d get to know them with time.Tania stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, as if she was surprised he was asking her opinion.After a second, she seemed to get what he was silently asking and nodded.Smokey lifted Carter up and handed him to Taylynn, quickly typed out the message, and then realized he hadn’t given the prospect the address and had to ask Tania for it.
By the time he’d finished, Rene arrived with their food.He asked what Raven and Taylynn wanted then disappeared to fetch food for them too.
“Can Carter have any of this?”Smokey indicated the two plates the prospect had just delivered.
“Yeah, he can have some of that.”Tania motioned to his plate of lasagna.“But you’ll need to cut it up in tiny bits so he doesn’t choke.”
Rene reappeared with Raven and Taylynn’s drinks.
“Can we get another plate?”Tania asked Rene.
