“Shouldn’t someone have called child services by now?” I question, poor kid’s skinny and pale. Someone’s cut his hair since I saw him yesterday, but he still looks like he’s been through a lot.
“Peyton won’t allow it; she figures he’s been treated badly where he came from, and she won’t risk him going back there,” Eden explains, looking over at the table where he’s coloring in and sighing pitifully.
“Well, she can’t just keep him.” I can’t see this ending well; missing kids come with a lotta heat. Heat that the club don’t need.
“Try telling that to her.” Raze comes from behind me, slamming a wad of cash on the bar in front of me.
“Cash from the job we did for Antonio,” he informs me, sounding pissed and fuckin’ tired.
“Fucker finally paid up?” I was starting to wonder if he ever would; we did that job for him weeks ago. “I’ll make sure the boys get their share, and put whatever's left inside the safe,” I assure him, fixing Wrath with what he’s owed before tucking the money in the inside pocket of my cut.
“Appreciated.” Raze nods before heading over to join Peyton. The little boy looks up at him and smiles, and me and Wrath share the same worried look.
“They can’t get attached to that kid.” I shake my head, then wink a thank you to Polly when she places a coffee in front of me.
“Looks like it’s already happened, but that's a problem for another day. Did you fix things up with Alicia?” Wrath asks, and both he and his wife await my answer.
“Is there anyone around here who doesn’t know about that?” I feel like such a fuckin’ idiot. I should have had this conversation with her months ago.
“We all saw the way you rode off when she gave Greaser that welcome home.” He shrugs, taking a seat on one of the stools and tapping his lap for Eden to sit on there.
“So, did you?” she asks, not letting me get away with answering.
“Jesus Christ.” I shake my head and walk away. It’s bad enough thinking of the two of them playing happy families together at his mom’s place; I don’t need to be reminded of how I let that asshole steal my girl right from under me.
“Vike.” Millie comes straight for me when she sees me heading out.
“Listen, Mill, if you're gonna ask about Alicia, the–”
“Actually, me and the girls were planning on throwing her a baby shower sometime in the next couple of weeks. I was wondering if maybe she’d like her mom to come; she never really talks about her folks, and I wouldn’t know how to contact them without asking her, and ruining the surprise.”
“She ain’t close to ’em,” I tell her, not prepared to get into why. Saul told me the reason why he and Alicia had left their hometown. I have no idea if she knows that he trusted me with their secret, but she can rest assured that it will die with me.
“I wouldn’t want her mom to think we left her out.”
“Millie, the woman didn’t even come to her own son's funeral. I doubt she’s gonna be worried about a baby shower.” I give it to her straight, and although she looks a little shocked by how blunt I am, she seems to accept my answer and moves on. I head over to the table where Saint, Dev, and Ruckus are so I can give them each their cut from the job, and when Dev looks up at me like he’s gonna ask the same fuckin’ question as everyone else, I quickly shake my head.
“Outside,” I tell him, leading him out to the yard so we can get this over with
“Where’s ya girl, Vike?” he asks.
“She ain’t my girl…yet.” I smile at him, and he almost knocks me sideways when he slams his huge palm into my shoulder.
“Nowthat'sthe fuckin’ spirit. Did the two of you get to talk?”
“No, she’s currently on her way to visit Greaser’s mom with him.” The smile quickly drops from his face.
“I’m taking your advice, Dev, I’m playing that fucker at his own game,” I explain. “Alicia has a good heart, and Greaser exploits that. I need her to see for herself what kinda person he is. I have to give him the opportunity to fuck things up for himself.”
“Sounds like the shittiest plan I ever heard.” Dev shakes his head, looking unimpressed.
“Trust me, I know Alicia; she’s smart. But right now she’s scared, and she’s vulnerable. I can’t tell her what to think; that makes me no better than him. I know it would have been him who orchestrated that whole Trinity situation. Up till then, Alicia and I had been making progress; he could sense it, and he had to do something desperate. I’m already in his head. Now I just need to let him show his true colours. I need to give him the rope.”
“It’s risky, Vike.” Dev still looks unsure
“She promised we can talk when she gets back. I’m gonna be honest with her, tell her how I feel. That way, she can make a decision.”
“And what if she chooses him?” he asks, clearly not convinced by my plan.
