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“We’ve got an issue,” Gunner says, looking panicked and a little pale. Cameron’s hand is gripped in his, and my granddaughter, Mane, is straddled on his opposite hip, eating an obliterated banana that’s all smooshy. She’s rubbing the soggy fruit on his shirt as she pats his chest, trying to calm her daddy’s distress. The fact that he doesn’t even notice is worrisome and has my spine stiffening.
“Chill, Gunner,” Cam ridicules him. “It’s not the end of the world.”
Gunner’s eyes widen at her declaration, his face tightening. “Not the end of the world? Cameron, you’re pregnant and we don’t have a doctor down here. You haven’t stopped puking in days. You have a hard time crawling out of bed, and wiping Mane’s ass makes you gag. I’d say that’s pretty damn close to the world ending, wouldn’t you?”
“Stop being such a girl, Gunner.” Kruger snorts. “Get your shit together and stop squealing like a bitch in heat.”
“We lost babies not too long ago, remember? How could I not stress about this?” Gunner counters, his tone full of remorse and anxiety. “I can’t watch another one of our women mourn and cry like that. Not again.”
“That wasn’t y’all’s doing, though, son.Youdid nothing wrong. Why would you suspect that the water source and shipped supplies were poisoned? Nobody knew that someone would be so damn malicious to put toxins in your shit that’d force miscarriages. I’ll work on getting you a doctor to see to Cam’s needs,” I promise.
“Good, because I’m not the only one in need of obstetric services,” Cam states, licking her lips, stunning us all utterly speechless.
“Who?” Shamus asks, stepping forward. “Who else?”
“I can’t say who. It’s not my place. When they’re ready, they’ll tell you themselves,” Cam whispers.
“Getting the Crumley brothers’ issue wrapped up is more pertinent now than it ever was before,” I announce. “We have babies to welcome, and a life to rebuild.”
“A-motherfucking-men to that, Pops!” Texas shouts.
“Damn, brother. We need a remote to control your volume,” Kruger comments, a sour look on his face. “That shit hurt my eardrums.”
“That’s because you’re a pussy,” Texas parries. “Or old. Both work in your case.”
“Take that shit back, you punk ass bitch,” Kruger snarls.
“Truth hurt, brother?” Texas taunts, never knowing when enough is enough.
“I’ve got some truths for you, shithead.” Without any warning, Kruger strikes. He charges Texas and the two tumble to the ground and begin wrestling. Punches are thrown, but neither of them grunt, both lost in the fight for dominance.
“I wish they’d just pull out a ruler and measure their dicks already. This shit is getting old,” Cam complains, rolling her eyes. “Come on, Pops. Let’s go get you a drink while us ladies get to know our new friends.”
“Perfect. I could use a whiskey on the rocks,” I state, following the two to the community center where the bar is set up.
* * *
Hours later, I’m nice and buzzed, watching the women float around the room, full of laughter. Mera and Shayne seem to be fitting in with the men’s old ladies. I’m hoping they’ll be the key to helping the girls find their place and answer any questions they may have about life in general as well as other things that weren’t taught to them at the abbey.
“We saw the local news report about the girls missing from the convent,” Gunner says, lounging back in his chair. “Any word on the streets about how her brothers are handling her disappearance?”
“Nothing as of this morning, but we left shortly after breakfast. There wasn’t much time to check in with our contacts. I’ll check in with them when I get upside,” I tell him. “I want to see how the cards play out before we make our move. Plus, we have some things to sort out before we’re ready for war.”
“They’ve gone lax with y’all’s untimely death. They’re still trying to scope out who was responsible for the clubhouse’s bombing. They’re busy trying to find out if they have another enemy they didn’t consider on the horizon that they need to be watching out for,” Luca says, giving them the lowdown.
“We believe that’s the reason they’re trying to get this union between them and the Ruiz family sorted.” I inform them of my assumption. “Their eldest son, Paulo, is who they’ve made the marriage contract with, in regard to Shayne. They’re an up-and-coming organization. They’ve started making a name for themselves in the organization.”
“They trade in skin,” Luca briefs them. “They’re climbing the ranks, taking out those above them, and taking their stock.”
“For fuck’s sake, Luca. They’re people, not cattle to be branded. That shit’s fucking sick,” Gunner admonishes his uncle. “What the hell is wrong with these people?”
“They were weaned from the tit too early,” Kruger says, putting his two cents in.
“The Fitzgerald’s reached out to us not long ago, looking for an ally.” I sigh. “I couldn’t give them an immediate response, knowing that we were fixing to infiltrate the convent and kidnap their granddaughter.”
“Can’t have them in your house with their deceased granddaughter. That could cause a problem. You can’t leave and go to them, not without having preparations in place,” Master adds, rubbing his chin.
“How’s their relationship with their grandsons?” Tyson asks. “If it’s not good, we could use the fact that they hid the fact that she’s alive against them and gain their trust.”
