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“And we’re not,” Judge said softly, rubbing Jury’s big blocky head.
“Yeah we are, brother,” Trip reminded him. “We’re just as limited as to what we can do legally.”
Sig interrupted him. “And when the fuck have I ever kept shit legal?”
“When the fuck have you ever lived more than a few months not behind goddamn bars, Sig?” Trip reminded him, beginning to get just as pissed as Sig.
Once their two tempers flared things could go to shit quickly between them.
“Sayin’ it again, it ain’t smart harborin’ her,” Trip practically yelled, the tendons in his neck popping.
Sig watched his brother’s chest rise visibly as he inhaled through flared nostrils, held it for five seconds, then blew it out. He wasn’t the only one who noticed. Stella put a hand on Trip’s arm afterward and their president visibly loosened a fraction at the touch.
Not a second later, Trip had Stella pulled into him, one arm securely under her tits and his face in her hair.
“Sig’s right, Prez,” Judge agreed, surprising the fuck out of him. “Got a lot of eyes here. And more are always comin’ in. Club’s grown and still growin’. Got more than enough people to keep an eye on her. To keep her safe.”
“And what about the Shirleys?”
“We’ll deal with them, too,” Judge answered Trip.
Trip’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “How? Burn down that damn mountain?”
“Been thinkin’ ‘bout that,” Sig started. “We’re gonna deal with them real quiet-like. They won’t report shit to the pigs since they refuse to follow any laws other than their own. Hell, they hate the pigs more than us. So, they start comin’ up missin’, you think they’re makin’ a missin’ person’s report?”
Judge grinned. “Fuck no.”
“Right. They ain’t runnin’ their mouths to the pigs. They handle shit themselves up there, just like we should down here.”
Trip scraped a hand through his long hair while staring sightlessly past them all. “Again, don’t want the Fury in the pigs’ crosshairs. And the doc’s husband bein’ one complicates the fuck outta this.”
“Brysons want her baby that bad?” Judge shrugged heavily. “Then that pig’s gonna have to put on some blinders or look the other way. That could be part of the agreement. But it’s best to try to keep him in the dark as much as fuckin’ possible. Less he knows, the better for us.”
“What if the baby’s born with that red hair, Sig?” Stella asked, who was now pinned against Trip with both his arms wrapped around her, the one still under her tits and the other now across her hips, as if he was holding on.
Sig got it. Stella grounded him. Almost like an emotional support dog. His eyes dropped to Jury, whose ears were now getting scratched, and he lifted them to Judge, who was doing the mindless scratching. If the dog could smile, she would be.
Well, damn. Maybe Sig needed to get a fucking dog.
Stella continued, “I mean, if he comes out looking like a Shirley and sporting Autumn’s red hair and hazel eyes, they might eventually realize who his birth mother is. It could be dangerous to keep him in Manning Grove.”
Sig considered that, but he didn’t have an answer. Red was in no shape to be a mother right now and the doc taking the baby couldn’t be a better scenario. “Gonna cross that bridge when we come to it, Stel. She’s gotta get to the end of this pregnancy and spit out that kid first. She signs the adoption papers? She’s free. She can go on her way and never look back. Go live her life and forget about whatever the fuck happened to her.”
“You find out what happened yet?” Trip asked, sounding a lot less ticked.
“It’s been only three days, brother. She hasn’t spilled it and I haven’t pushed. And after today, I now know she don’t want this kid, which means my guess was probably right. Someone on that fuckin’ mountain ‘planted’ that ‘seed’ in her. That kid ain’t just a product of rape, she was bred on purpose to get fresh blood up there.”
Stella winced. “Sig, don’t use that word.”
“Might be true, though, Stella. And if they’re breedin’ women up there against their will, that shit’s gotta stop.”
“Right,” Trip muttered. “But how the fuck did she get there? That’s what I wanna know. Where the fuck did she come from?”
“She mentioned that everyone she knows is in Ohio, but she don’t wanna go back there. That’s all I know. Gonna try to get more info from her without diggin’ too deep and breakin’ her even more.” Because forcing any info from her would make shit so much worse for her.
“I’ll talk to her, too. I need to go pick up some clothes for her at Walmart or Target, anyway. Maybe some maternity wear. When I bring it back, I’ll strike up a casual conversation with her,” Stella said.
