“Shit, Mom.”Caleb surged to his feet and moved to his mother, putting his hand on her forehead.“Let me get you some water.You need to drink lots of water.”He hurried off, presumably to get Violet some water.
“Sit back and relax, Veda.”Darby nudged me with her shoulder.“Things are about to get interesting.”
Violet gave Darby a confused smile.“What’s about to get interesting?”
Caleb hurried back in with four bottles of water.“Drink all that, Mom.”
“Good grief, Caleb.Stop it.I’m not drinking all that.”
Caleb gave his mother a solemn look.“Yes, you will.”
Violet looked from one of us to the other.“What?What’d I do?”
Riot walked in the room and leaned in to brush a kiss on Violet’s head.He whispered, “Those fuckin’ things are loaded with pot, baby.My advice is, when he comes calling, just let Jesus have you.He’ll send you back when the pot wears off, and me and Caleb’ll take care of you.”
Violet blinked, glancing at both guys.“I’m so fucked.”
Yeah, that got us all laughing.
I caught Darby’s grin out of the corner of my eye as Caleb knelt by his mother’s chair, unscrewing the cap on a water bottle with the solemnity of a battlefield medic.“You gotta hydrate, Mom.Riot said.”
“Riot said,” Violet echoed, shooting her man a look that promised retribution.“Riot’s sleeping on the couch tonight.”
Riot didn’t look particularly worried.“Worth it.Especially when those things hit.”
“I’m not stoned!”Violet looked equal parts exasperated and amused.
Caleb raised his eyebrows.When he spoke next, it was in a perfect imitation of Yoda.“Be you will… Be you will.”
I snorted coffee out my nose again on that one.I wasn’t alone.Sully barked out a laugh from where he sat at the monitors but facing us.
“Are you tryin’ to get your ass whooped, kid?”Riot grinned at Caleb.
Caleb, the little shit, looked down his nose at Riot.“Do, or do not.There is no try.”
More peals of laughter… until Violet almost toppled out of her chair laughing.Then wereallylaughed.Riot stood and scooped Violet up into his arms and sat back in the chair with her cuddled in his lap.
The banter continued while I sat in the chair next to Sully, looking at the monitors.I have no idea what I thought I’d see that he couldn’t.Honestly, I just wanted to find something else to focus on.
My gaze moved from one screen to the next.Wasn’t much to see.The outbuildings, the patch of gravel drive where the guys had parked their bikes in case they needed to back up Griffin and Knuckles.Sometimes the camera angle would stutter and flicker, lines jumping across the feed, and every time it did, my gut twisted.Each time, Sully would grunt but didn’t move.Seemed I wasn’t the only one on edge.
“How much longer?”I didn’t specify, but Sully knew what I meant.
“Honey, they’ve been gone thirty minutes.They’re gonna be a while.”
Right.I knew that.Just seemed longer.
“It’ll be OK.”Carrie must have noticed my anxiety.She stood next to me and reached out to squeeze my shoulder.“One thing I’ve learned since I’ve been here is that Knuckles takes care of everyone in the club.He’ll bring everyone home.Including your sister if she’s there.”
Sully’s phone vibrated.He didn’t move at first, just stared at the screen.The muscles of his jaw bunched.Then, without a word, he stood.The chair creaked under the loss of his weight.“That a camera glitch or some shit?”he muttered.“Watch.”
Riot kissed Violet before putting her on her feet and crossing to the monitors.On the screen, one of the outbuildings blinked to black.Just a second’s pause, like the feed had stuttered.Then it came back.
“Never known Knight’s equipment to be less than perfect.”
“Is that normal?”I asked, leaning in as another screen did the same thing.“I mean, do your security cameras do that sometimes?”
“Nope,” Sully told her, quiet but firm.He didn’t take his gaze from the screen.Neither did Riot.
