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Chapter Thirteen
I’ve Seen Weirder
Gate
Once upon a time, Sunday afternoons had meant NFL games and tailgate food, not club meetings about drug cartels and the sex trade.
Gate found that he missed the good old days a helluva lot.
He sat in his chair at the head of the table and flipped through the agenda for the day’s meeting. The fact that his club was in enough shit to even need an agenda hadfuck mewritten all over it.
He sighed and tossed the papers to the table in front of him.
A quick knock at the door and then Lucky stuck his head in. “Talk to you a minute?”
“Meeting doesn’t start for another fifteen,” Gate answered.
Lucky stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I know. But you’re always the first one here.”
Gate smirked, “And you’re never the second one here. So what gives?”
Lucky skipped his usual seat down the table from his father and planted it at Gate’s immediate right. “Just had breakfast at Mom’s,” Lucky started.
Gate nodded, “Thought I smelled her French toast. She okay? Stella?”
“Yeah, they’re both good. Stella’s a pain in my ass, but what are you gonna do?” Lucky laughed on a shrug.
Gate chuckled. His children were both forces of nature, but together, they transformed into something he’d rank between a hurricane and a tsunami. They gave each other hell, but woe unto anyone else who did.
Gate watched Lucky scrub a hand across his chin while he turned over whatever was on his mind. Gate leaned back in his leather chair to wait him out.
“You know Brent hasn’t been around the house in a while,” Lucky started.
Gate sat up a little straighter. This isnotwhere he’d expected this conversation to go.
“No, didn’t know that.”
Lucky slammed his hand down on the table, “The man’s never fucking been there. Not really. I mean, what kind of man marries a woman with a daughter and then doesn’t even hang around the house long enough to make sure they’re okay?”
Gate decided to tread carefully, “Your mom must be good with the situation.”
Lucky blew out a breath and smirked, “She’s tough and all, but I’m tired of watching her have to take care of everything herself.”
“Then go see her and Stella more often and make yourself useful,” Gate replied.
Lucky’s eyes went wide at the threat to his freedom, “I’m not the one married to her.”
And didn’t that just kick Gate in the balls.
“And what’s with you birddogging her so hard yesterday?” Lucky asked, the first hint of accusation in his tone.
“Watch your mouth, boy,” Gate warned.
“I’m not trying to be an asshole, Dad, but yesterday, you stayed on her like a second skin, and she was twitchy as hell.”
“Your point?” Gate asked, his voice lowering to a growl.
“I think Brent left her and she doesn’t want to admit it,” Lucky said. He shrugged, “Maybe she thinks it’ll hurt Stella’s feelings or something. But it’s not like the man ever tried to be close to either one of us. And they weren’t even married that long. Weirdest relationship I’ve ever seen.”
