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“Right at daybreak. Came crashing through the laundry room. Scared the kids shitless but no one got hurt.” Dagger shook his head as if wondering how that was possible.
Chris took control of Dagger’s snow blower and Darren fired up the one they brought with them. They made a path two blowers wide from the driveway, around the side of the house to the backyard. There they cleared a large enough area that they’d all be able to come back and assess the situation.
Race, Maverick, Trick, Jed and Dagger all wore coveralls. The rest of them wore jeans with thermal underwear underneath and coats. They all wore insulated boots, gloves and knit hats. The way they were all standing around, hands on their hips, their heads titled back, would have made a very funny picture if someone were here to take it.
Tulsa had a lot of experience in construction so he would be lead on this project. He’d worked right out of high school for his father’s company for several years and was being groomed to take it over at some point, but Tulsa wasn’t sure that’s what he wanted to do with his life. That’s how he ended up in the Sons of Redemption MC in Oklahoma, then transferred to Redemption, Colorado. His older brother had fallen in line with that plan and was always on him to grow up and come aboard. That’s why Tulsa left.
“It’s not as bad as I was expecting when you said it fell on the back of your house. I was picturing the whole back half to be smashed in.” Race scratched at his chin. It looked like the back corner of the house took the brunt of it. Race knew from numerous visits to Dagger’s house over the years that the laundry room and kitchen were probably a total loss.
“Yeah.” Dagger agreed. “Looks like Ginny’s going to get that new kitchen she’s been wanting.”
Race laughed and clapped his friend’s shoulder. “How long have you been promising her a new kitchen?”
Dagger grinned. “Eight years.”
“Time’s up, buddy.” Race moved closer to the tree to get a better look.
“At least the insurance will be paying for it now.” Dagger’s expression was almost gleeful.
“You get pictures of all this for the insurance?” Race asked.
“Yes.” He pulled out his phone and waved it around.
“I don’t know why you’re so tight with your money.” Maverick came up on Dagger’s other side. “You make the same amount of money we make and I know for a fact you’ve been investing for at least ten years.”
“Are you saying Dagger is loaded?” Jackson asked from Race’s other side.
“Damn. Next time we go out, drinks are on Dagger,” Jed entered the conversation.
Dagger grumbled, “I’m not fucking rich.” He and Maverick were around the same age, which was seven or eight years older than Race’s own forty-two. Despite Dagger’s young age, when it came to talking about money the man was like an eighty-year-old Scrooge. He’d clam up and act like he barely had a dime to his name. That was all a front to hide a very generous heart. Whenever help was needed, whether it be money or otherwise, Dagger was often the first to chip in or volunteer. He doubted Ginny had any idea just how much money her husband had or she would have had that kitchen remodel she’d been wanting before now.
“Let’s clear away this tree so we can get a better idea of what kind of damage we’re looking at,” Tulsa spoke up behind them.
“Saved by the bell, brother.” Race smiled wide and motioned for Dagger to get started.
Dagger gave him the stink eye and fired up his chainsaw. Maverick moved to a different part of the tree and got started. The rest of them started hauling wood to be stacked closer to the fence and out of their way.
A couple of hours in and they stopped and gathered in Dagger’s garage for a coffee break. He had several lawn chairs set up and a gas heater he’d kept running allowing the men to get in out of the cold from time to time to warm up. The old ladies had been thoughtful and sent several thermoses of coffee to help keep them warm. They also packed sandwiches and chips for lunch with cookies and brownies for a snack.
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Tulsa started. “How did Bellamy get a black eye?”
Race’s expression darkened. “Charlotte saw me in Bellamy’s store. She went in after I left and got in her face and punched her. Apparently, that was the second time she’d warned Bellamy to stay away from me.”
“She what?” Jed growled.
“Yeah. I think you all got the word last night, she is not allowed anywhere near me, Bellamy or the club ever again. If she shows up, she’s turned away. If you want to fuck her you can do it anywhere else. Oh, and I almost forgot. She stole my kids’ hide-a-key and let herself inside my house, then climbed in bed with me like she owned my dick.”
“Damn. That bitch is crazy.” Tulsa shook his head. “I’m not touching that with a ten-foot pole.”
“Yeah, like your dick is a ten-foot pole.” Tuck shoved at his shoulder.
“You are such a juvenile sometimes,” Tulsa laughed and shook his head again.
“Right. Let’s eat and get back to work. We’re losing daylight.” Race passed out sandwiches and Maverick passed out chips. “What do you think, Tulsa? What should we do first?”
Tulsa wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I think we need to make a run to Home Depot to get some plywood, a few two-by-fours and tarps for now. I want to get some plywood up in the house, blocking the kitchen off so all that cold air and weather can’t get to the rest of the house. We probably need to shut off the heater vents to the kitchen and laundry so we’re not wasting heat. Then we can put up enough two-by-fours to screw plywood to for temporary walls and the roof. I know the insurance is going to pay for this, but I’d really like to keep as much moisture out of the house as possible until they pay up. No point in letting things continue to get worse.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Race agreed with Tulsa. “When we’re done, Jed, Tulsa and Maverick can go get the supplies we need while the rest of us warm up and drink some more coffee,” he ended on a smile.
