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“She is,” Turbo said. “Believe it or not, I actually am a grown up and got her through.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve been worried about her, but for some reason missing you more.”
“How else have you been?” she asked. “The truth Bugs. Are you sleeping? Eating?”
“Haven’t been hungry for anything,” he said. “At least nothing local.”
“Are you trying to talk dirty to me?” she teased, her voice light. “If so please continue.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard lots of dirty talk since I’ve been gone.” He swirled the beer bottle in front of him.
“Yeah, but much like the buffet I’m more than sure is filling the clubhouse where you are, none of it wets my appetite.”
“Woman, you really need to stop,” he said. “There are too many miles between us and I’m pretty sure Cream would castrate me before the cops got the cuffs on to toss me back in jail if I tried to run.”
“I have an idea. I already talked to Maggie and she’s good with it. Doc’s coming by in a bit and I’ll get her read on the situation too,” Turbo said and he had to hold back his wonder on why Doc had to make a house call. “What if I leave Syd with Maggie and fly to Oakland. I already spoke to Jill and she said she has some medical conference she was coming up for so I’d have a ride from the airport to drive me to the club house.”
“You already have this all planned out?” he questioned.
“It’s not like I bought the ticket,” she said. “But I said I miss you Bugs and if you haven’t noticed, I tend to spin like a top and you’re the first person who’s ever caught me.”
Damn, he couldn’t help the overwhelming urge to ditto the sentiments.
“Do you think Sydney will be okay at Maggie’s?” Mike knew the little girl liked the grandmother to the MC, but the last thing she needed was one of the few adults she trusted to abandon her.
“I won’t come if Doc says it wouldn’t be good for her, but Mike, she has an army here to protect her and you’re alone.”
“You tryin’ to come and protect me?” he mocked, but knew there was a level of truth to her words. Syd had her thumb and her wubbie. What did he have? Resolve? The belief in what was right had to count for something? The idea of Turbo behind him in the gallery gave him a boost, but what if the trial lasted months?
“Bugs, she loves Maggie. The woman has been babysitting when I have to work,” she said with a sigh. “Which I can’t do for a week—”
“Why can’t you work?” he asked.
“No one really wants to see a stripper with stitches,” she replied. “Ruins the fantasy.”
“Why do you have stitches, Turbo, what the hell happened.”
“My car bit my knee,” she joked. “That’s the last time I try to be nice and give her premium.”
In the background he could hear Sydney calling out for a story.
“Just a minute,” she called back. “Your daughter beckons. She’s been invited to a sleepover at Maisie’s tomorrow night and she wants to go.”
“Mountain’s stepdaughter?”
“Soon to be,” she corrected. “Cream said there was some big meeting next week. I can come out for a few days and hopefully when I return I’ll have the bunny killing dad Syd loves and misses with me.”
“Fine, but why is Doc making a house call?” he questioned, needing to know if there was something he wasn’t being told.
“She’s not,” Turbo said. “I’m going over plans for the male revue with her Ol’ Man and she’s tagging along. I told you, we had one set back this week and it resolved rather quickly. Last chance, you want to at least say goodnight?”
He wanted to do that and so much more. He wanted to kiss them both goodnight in two very different ways. But he and his daughter had a shorthand and he feared she would not understand he couldn’t tell her when he’d be home again.
“Turbo, come on,” Syd’s voice carried through the phone and he knew he had to let go of his fear.
“Hear that? She’s calling me Turbo,” she’s stated with a lilt in her voice. “She does it because her daddy does.”
“My bad,” he apologized then curled his fingers tightly around the half drunk bottle of beer in front of him. “Let me say goodnight.”
