“We’ll talk about it later,” Diesel gritted then looked at CJ. “What were you going to say?”
“Devon and Rory,” CJ started, looking between the Triplets. “Why—?”
Axel slapped his palm on his forehead. “Oh, brother, do I gotta repeat stuffs all the fucking time?”
“I had it handled.”
“Not sufficely,” Axel said.
“Sufficiently,” Diesel corrected and smirked at Axel’s glare.
“We don’t got to go over that again,” he said with a little sniff, looking at CJ again. “You already know. What my men and me want to know is what are you doing about Rory now that we got revenge?”
“Never talking to that fuckhead again,” CJ said darkly.
“You talk to Ryan again,” Ryder said.
“And?” CJ understood that if he could forgive one fuckhead, he should forgive the other. But Rory, on his self-righteous Uncle Johnnie kick, seemed so much more of a traitor. “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel the same way about Rory.”
“If you keep hating him, you’ll eventually slip up and not only will Aunt Zoann figure it out but Mortician, little brother,” Diesel said.
CJ nodded. “I know.”
“And if you don’t make up with Rory soon, Uncle Johnnie will just get him further in his wing,” Axel added.
“Under his wing or in his corner, Ax,” Ransom said. “You mixed it up.”
“Fine,” Axel said with a long-suffering sigh. “What Ransom said.”
Ryder looked at CJ. “Strategize, bro. Think about ways to test Rory’s loyalty.”
Ransom opened the container with his ham sandwich. “We’re going to do that with Devon.”
“I’m keeping watch on Ryan,” Diesel told CJ.
“You deal with Rory,” Ryder said, grabbing Ransom’s lettuce and tomatoes, and biting into them. “Try to get him back to our side before Uncle Johnnie ruins him completely.”
“You think that’s why Mattie and Aunt Kendall was so sad?” Axel asked, exchanging his empty glass for Diesel’s half full one. Although Diesel scowled, he didn’t stop Axel’s theft. “They wasn’t acting right last night.”
That was true. “I’ll call her later or tomorrow after school.” Maybe CJ would get a chance to talk to her at lunch. It all depended on who was at the table with them.
“By the way, CJ.” Diesel tapped his pocket. “I received a message from Freya. Molly has been safely situated.”
“Thanks, bro. What happens next?”
“Wilkins and Freya will hire private caregivers for her and keep watch over her.”
Molly’s state dampened CJ’s mood, though it eased his mind to know she would finally get help. Only time would tell if she could ever lead a normal life.
Since returning home last night, Mattie had floated in her own world, lost in memories of Wally’s cruelty, and her near strangulation by Wally, Jr. The sexual assault was merely a blip and more mortifying because Grant saw her so exposed. Otherwise, she’d been subjected to worse by Wally, Billy, and Eric. Despite how Mama tried and what almost everyone believes, Mattie wasn’t closely monitored.
She was one of the MC princesses but her father was a troll, the evil king trapping Mattie and Mama in the ivory tower. Rory was his heir apparent.
Mamawasn’t protected from those two. It made sense that shethought Mattie’s ‘sisterhood’ with Rebel and Harley protected her. Unfortunately, that was the biggest flaw.
Rebel had learned to sneak and had helped Mattie to do the same. Harley always declined Rebel’s offer to cover for her if she wanted to spread her wings. At one time, Mattie believed Rebel assisted because she’d stopped liking Daddy long ago. After all, Rebel never took advantage of what she could do.
Part of Rebel’s assistance in Mattie’s escapadeswasbecause of one Mr. John Peter Donovan. But she’d gotten the reason Rebel didn’t participate completely wrong when it should’ve been so clear.
