He lifts his hand, silencing her. “Mammoth is our family, and now, so are you. We take care of family. We look out for one another. We keep one another safe. You’re one of us now. There’s no other place in the world you should be except here.”
“But…”
“Want a drink?” he asks her, stopping whatever she was going to say.
She nods. “I could really use some whiskey.”
“You got it.” He smiles at her as he stands. “I’ll clear the clubhouse, and we’ll drink.”
“Oh, don’t go to all that trouble. It looked like everyone was having a nice time. I hate to be the reason to ruin everyone’s night.”
“Ma’am, family always comes before pussy.”
Mom blanches at his frank statement, but it’s always been the truth, however crude the words. “Well, okay,” she says softly, eyes moving to me as I nod.
Morris marches toward me. “Give me five, and bring her out.”
“You sure? I can keep her…”
Morris shakes his head. “Five and then at the bar. Both of you need a fucking drink, and we need a goddamn plan.”
8
Tamara
“Princess,” Mammoth says, finally calling me hours after I sent him a text message.
“Babe. What the fuck?” I ask.
“What the fuck?” he repeats.
“Yeah. What the actual fuck? I texted you hours ago. How hard is it to text back and say you’re busy?”
“Well, I—”
“No. I don’t want to hear another excuse,” I cut him off from telling me some bullshit. “It takes two seconds to type ‘I’m busy,’ so I know you’re not dead somewhere, no longer breathing.”
“Tam.”
“Mammoth, I’m dead fucking serious. I’ve been here, pacing the floors like a wild animal and thinking the absolute worst. I was about to drive back to the compound.”
“I’m sorry, princess.”
“I never used to worry, but ever since…” I draw in a deep breath, hearing his growl on the other end. “Just take a few seconds so I don’t prematurely age from stress. Got it? Because right now, I’m so pissed…”
“My mom’s here,” he blurts out in the middle of my chewing him a new asshole.
I stop moving and scrunch my face. “Your mom?”
“She just showed up out of nowhere and knocked on the door. At first, I thought you were back, being all cute, not following directions.”
It wouldn’t be the first time I just showed up at the massive steel doors of the Disciples, looking for someone. But I’m trying to be better and more in control of my actions and my mind, not letting myself assume the worst every moment of every day.
“But then I saw her, and it was like someone sucker-punched me right in the gut.”
“Is she okay?”
“She is now, but she wasn’t. She’s in some shit, and if anyone shows up asking for her, you don’t know where she is.”
“Whatever you want and need me to say, sparky.”
“You know nothing.”
I nod to myself. “What am I supposed to know?”
“Good. I won’t be heading back tomorrow. I need to stay here and sort shit out with her. She got into some trouble, and she’s hiding from the cops.”
Well, okay. Those aren’t the words I thought he was going to tell me. From everything I know about her, she doesn’t seem like the criminal type. “Bring her here. I can hide her,” I offer.
“No. She has to stay at the compound with the guys until I get shit straightened out.”
Oh boy. From what Mammoth has told me, she isn’t much of a party girl and likes to attend church regularly. I’m pretty damn sure being surrounded by a bunch of dirty-ass bikers will be a bit of a culture shock.
“Want me to come back and keep her company?” I ask, hating that he pushed me out the door.
“Let me sleep on it. It’s been a long day, and I’ll be thinking more clearly in the morning, yeah? Just go to class and at least see what you missed.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I can do that.”
“She’s pretty upset right now, and she’s not sure about the guys. I’m sure she’d rather spend time with you, but I need to get my head straight and figure out what we’re going to do before I make any decisions.”
“She shouldn’t be sure about them,” I say, laughing on the other end, picturing her meeting Morris, Tiny, and the guys covered in tattoos, facial hair, and leather. Totally isn’t Jessica’s scene, and she probably feels like a fish out of water right now.
“You know what. Can you come after class tomorrow? I wouldn’t feel right leaving her at the compound without me.”
“Someone have their eye on her already?” I tease him.
“Morris was a little too sweet.”
“Ah. You don’t trust him around her?”
“He trusted me with you, and look how that turned out.”
I bite my lip, trying to stop myself from laughing. “Point taken. I’ll head your way tomorrow after my last class.”
“Bring some shit for a few days if you can.”
“Done. I’ll see what I’m going to miss on Friday, so I don’t fall further behind.”
“Also, can you grab some clothes and whatever women use for my mom? She showed up with nothing except the clothes on her back.”
“Sure. What does she like to wear?”
“She likes sundresses, and she’s a size small. Maybe a robe and a pair of pajamas. You know, the ugly kind with the matching pants.”
I roll my eyes. “I got it. I’ll bring her some toiletries too.”
“I hate asking you to do all this, but I don’t want to ask the—”
“Don’t you dare ask those skanky bitches.”
He laughs for the first time during our conversation. “They’re not all bad.”
“You’re right, but they’re not trustworthy,” I concede, even though it almost kills me. “But I’ll take care of your mom. No one else. Got it?”
“Got it. I gotta go. Sleep well, princess, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too,” he says before disconnecting.
9
Mammoth
I’m barely awake as I grab a cup of coffee from the kitchen and stalk toward the bar area to have a seat. But when I walk into the main room, I’m not alone…and neither is my mother.
Morris is next to her, body turned, knee touching the side of her thigh. They’re talking, and he’s full of smiles, while she watches him in sheer fascination.
“Fucking bullshit,” I mutter into my mug as a growl climbs up my throat, escaping before I take my first sip.
I catch Morris’s eye, and he quickly shifts his body into a new position.
Smart.
“Mornin’,” Morris says, acting like I didn’t just see what I saw. Words will be had, but not until we’re alone so I don’t embarrass my mother.