Before I can ask more questions about hitting things with baseball bats, almost every girl gang member’s phone starts going off with notifications.
“What in the world,” Lovely mutters under her breath.
“Oh Mama Debs is gonna bepissed,” Blanche says, a wide grin stretching her face.
“Everything will be fine, ladies,” Mira soothes. “I’ve been in the Rose Grove holding cells loads of times, they’re really quite nice there.”
My brows raise as I share a look with my sister who snorts in reply.
“What? I will never knock the RGPD cells. That’s how I met my Tank.” She goes all moony eyed and Chewy screws her face up.
Everyone’s phone goes off once more, the women all picking them up simultaneously before laughing. I try not to feel a slight pang of envy. All of these women may have come together because of their men, but they have all found a really tight friendship with each other too. I mean, I have friends, but they all happen to be my sisters. All two of them. Thanks to Vi both Lily and I are honorary girl gang members, but in moments like these, I remember I’m still not quite one of the cool kids. I’m not fun and carefree like everyone else. I can’t really cultivate close friend groups where I get out every week night to meet up for drinks or dinner. I have to ration what energy I have, meaning I spend a lot of time on my couch, safe and sound away from any and all excitement. I just wish, not for the first time, that I didn’t have lupus always there, nipping at my heels. Reminding me to eat well, to rest, to not overexert myself.
Great, now I’ve worked myself up into a funk. I move to stand, gathering my things, “I better let you guys sort out whatever club business is happening.”
“Whoa, nope, if we have to head down to the station to get Pops out of whatever mess he’s found himself in, then you’re coming with.” Vi beams at me, Mira and Kaia nodding their heads like bobbleheads.
“Um, I’m not sure I’ll be needed,” I murmur.
“Of course you’re not needed,” Chewy says, Laney on her hip as she throws her backpack full of toddler learning supplies over her shoulder. “But I doubt you have anything else to do today so you may as well come and enjoy the show.”
“How do you know it’ll be a show?” Kaia asks. Judge’s woman is still new to the group, but that hasn’t stopped her fitting in like she’s been friends with them all since childhood.
“Oh, it’ll be a show. I’ve just messaged Wire’s mom,” Remy replies with a twinkle in her eye.
“Why Wire’s mom?” I ask, seriously confused about what’s going on. All I can tell is that Pops is at RGPD and we have to rally.
“Oh, you’ll soon see why I called Wire’s mom.” Remy answers.
Chewy’s cackle takes me by surprise, as do the grins of the other women. Nat raises her finger in the air and circles it like Marx does when they all ride out. I get swept into a wave of badass women and the Big Littles and we stomp our way down the street, six stores down to be exact, to the Rose Grove Police Department building that resides on the corner. I jump when Chewy kicks the door open, Laney-May still balanced expertly on her hip.
“OK Po-Po, where’s my grandpa?”
Chapter 9
Nitro
Itry not to groan too loud when I hear Chewy’s voice drift through the front of the building, to the office space I’m seated in. My hopes rise slightly when I realize that it’s only Chewy I can hear, which means that she’s come alone. One Chewy I can handle, but Chewyandher girl gang of tough, beautiful and unhinged women? Nope, I’m man enough to admit that I can’t handle that.
“You wanna take this one or leave it for someone else?” Fox asks, his chocolate brown eyes on his computer screen.
We’re not even on duty. But we are sitting at our desks staring at a black computer screen because we didn’t want to hang out in the lobby waiting for all hell to break loose.
“I can only hear Chewy so we might be-” My mouth slams shut when the most terrifying sound in the world fills our office space. It’s the sound of nine pissed women, and I bet they all have property cuts on, marking them as our sisters, our family.
Hurried footsteps on the linoleum move our way and I just know Barb is going to try and get this shit show assigned to me or Fox, and I really hope it’s Fox.
“Sorry to bother you deputies, but we have, ah, a little bit of a scene happening out front,” Barb’s words run together into one panicked sentence. “I know you’re not technically working, but given that they’re your, um, people, I thought you might have a better chance at calming the situation?”
One look at Barb’s tense shoulders and hopeful expression and my legs have me standing before I even made up my mind to help.
“Lead the way, Barb.”
A breath wooshes out of her and her shoulders slump. “Thank you so much, Deputy Gardiner. You really are a good boy.” The older woman pats my face and I can’t help the way my lips tip up slightly.
It’s been a god damn long time since anyone called me a good boy, not the least by my parents. They were more likely to call me scum and blame me for their shitty life. Punish me for their shitty marriage all because they were raised as good christians and as good christians you get married when you get knocked up, no matter your age or feelings. Then when my father went to prison for beating my mother to death he switched up from telling me how worthless I was, to writing me pages of vitriol and hatred.
Shaking off the memories I come to a stop on the other side of Barb’s reception desk. I can see now why she wanted back up. There, facing off against every officer that’s on the clock, is the girl gang. Standing shoulder to shoulder, some with kids on their hips or dangling in car seats. All of them with pissed off expressions on their faces. Including Jasmine. How she got mixed up with this lot I have no idea, but it does feel good that she fits in with the rest of the women. There is no way I would want Fox and I to take a woman the others didn’t like.
