I’m watching Pippa carefully, but she’s got her poker face on. If she’s found any holes in Toni’s story, I’ll have to catch up with her later to discover her thoughts.
Then she asks the question that I hadn’t really thought about up to now. “How did you find out where to find Freak?”
Toni looks first at her, then at me. “Duh,” she starts. “Ace told me.”
“I’ll give you the tour,” Ace hurriedly states, as if sensing he’s in for another lecture. His hand rises with the intention to take her arm.
“Give her a moment to drink her coffee,” I remonstrate with my son, tossing him a glare that conveys we’ll be talking more about this later. The Kings of Anarchy don’t take well to their locations being shared casually with strangers. Then to the woman of the hour, I suggest, “Why don’t you sit down for a moment?” To encourage her, I pull out a chair and wave toward it, then kick out the one next to it and sit down myself.
She accepts the invitation, placing the obviously still hot coffee on the table. “This place keeps surprising me. It’s all so clean, and the furniture looks new.”
Leaving out the reason for the necessity – she doesn’t need to know an enemy club caused one fuck of a lot of damage, it doesn’t just look new, it actually is – I keep it simple. “It was redecorated a few months back, and we took the opportunity to get new furniture.”
Uninvited, though very welcome, Pippa takes the seat beside her, leaving Ace to take the one opposite. He’s wearing an expression that’s not hard to decipher. He’s bored and wants his aunt to himself.
“So where do you live?” Pippa asks conversationally.
“Flagstaff.”
Nodding sagely at the answer, Saint’s old lady asks, “So how long are you staying in town?”
Toni grimaces. “I took a week’s vacation, and this is day two. I’ll need to get back if I want to keep my job.”
“What do you do?” Having asked the question to which the answer will allow her to dive deeper into her background, Pippa casually looks down and coos to her baby.Fuck she’s good.
“I’m a librarian.”
I’m smiling, already knowing that answer. Idly, I wonder whether she’s got a pair of glasses, and the thought flits through my mind of what she’d look like naked, wearing only them as she bobs up and down on my cock.Would her boobs bounce like Josie’s? Or are they fake? Just how similar are identical twins? Would her pussy feel the same?
With a start, I realise that while I’ve been lost in my highly inappropriate thoughts, Pippa and Toni are still talking, and even Ace is joining in. Trouble is, I’ve completely lost the thread of what they’re discussing. If it wouldn’t draw attention, I’d slap myself around the head. I’m supposed to be sussing out whether she’s for real or if she’s here with an ulterior motive, not imagining her in my bed.
She’s been sipping her coffee, but now it’s gone.
“Can I show Aunt Toni around the compound now?” Having noticed the empty cup, Ace requests, adding fast, “I know church and the offices are out of bounds.”
“Church?” Toni’s brows rise. She looks first at me questioningly, then glances at my brothers, who, now that she draws my attention to them, are still standing at the bar, trying to look disinterested. Though Stalker, in particular, keeps giving sideways glances at her. When I get the chance, I’ll have to remind him that she’s hands off. Only because she’s Ace’s aunt, of course, and to make a move on her would be a mark of disrespect. Then, I wonder whether I’m going to be telling him, or if it’s a reminder to myself.
Ace, laughing, is already answering her question. “They’re not religious. It’s where they hold their secret meetings.”
“Not secret.” I chuckle. “It’s where we discuss club business, with only the patched-in members allowed.”
“Secret,” Ace repeats in a stage whisper, with a knowing look toward his aunt.
“Very hush hush.” Pippa grins, giving me an amused glance.
Fed up with adult conversation, Ace stands. “Come on, Aunt Toni. I’ll show you around.”
As she stands, I shoot a look toward Pippa, who almost imperceptibly gives me a little nod. I translate that as no red flags have been raised, and she can’t see the harm in letting Ace have a few minutes alone with his aunt.
Which suits me fine. I’ll use the time to catch up with Saint’s old lady and hear what she thinks of Toni now she’s met her. Before that, once Ace and his aunt have left the room, I swiftly relieve the prospect of his bar duties and instruct him to surreptitiously follow them around.
Then I return to the table. “What do you think?”
Instead of answering, Pippa shifts the baby into her other arm, then stands, beckons, and leads the way toward her office. Once there, she starts tapping on her keyboard, making the screen light up in front of her. It’s obviously awkward while holding Jade in her arms, so I offer to hold the baby for a moment, automatically rocking her gently.
It’s been a long time since I held someone so young. Actually, I never have. Ace was two months old and already seemed more robust the first time I’d met him. Apart from worrying about properly supporting her head, and other things I’ve heard Saint dictate, it’s easy. She’s fast asleep and shows no sign of waking.
“The research I did before was to confirm the birth certificate as real, and that she was Josephine Mordrake’s twin. I didn’t have the location or her job, so now I can dive deeper in.” Fora moment, all I can hear are the rapid soft thuds as her fingers dance over the keys.
