Misfit (Death Dwellers MC #6) (65 page)

Meggie shifted from foot to foot. “Charlotte.”

“Hello, Meggie.”

Sighing at the imperious tone, Meggie scampered to the couch closest to where Charlotte sat in a winged back chair.

She assessed Stretch, her lip curling, before she scowled at Meggie. “I don’t recall offering you a seat.”

“I don’t recall asking for one,” Meggie snapped back, raising her hands in supplication. “I’ll get right to the point. Brooks is the club’s attorney. That means he has to represent the members if one of them is in trouble. Please allow him to do so without threat of divorce. He loves you.”

“He can represent whoever he’d like in the club,
except
your husband.” She smiled. “Unless Kendall returns to the firm.”

“That’s not happening.”

“Then I guess your husband doesn’t need my husband’s services. He’s the reason my sweet Kendall is suffering so deeply. Him and her husband, who had the audacity to give her an ultimatum.”

“Kendall is very fragile. How dare you do this to her.”

“I’m not doing anything to her, but reminding her she’s better than a bunch of filthy bikers. Smarter than a little two-bit hussy like you. How dare me? How dare any of you think you’re good enough to order her around. You should be kissing her ass for even deeming to talk to you.”

Meggie got to her feet. “It was a mistake coming here.”

“At least you’re bright enough to figure that out.”

“Right.” Meggie stared at Stretch.

Sympathizing with her desperation, he shrugged, not knowing what else to do.

Shoulders slumped, she started forward, then halted. “How much do you love Brooks?”

“Very much. Not that it’s any concern of yours.”

“Would you say you have a decent lifestyle?”

Lifting her brow, Charlotte glanced around. “More than decent.”

“Brooks must have huge policy on himself. By not representing Christopher, he’s betraying the club. You see, as uneducated and
filthy
as we are, we live by a code. One your husband’s familiar with since he readily accepts the retainer my husband pays him. I don’t recall you telling him to decline that money unless Kendall returns to work. Sooo, I guess you’ve betrayed the club, too. And, since Christopher is locked away, I’ll just have to bring my grievances to Johnnie.” Meggie smiled at her and narrowed her eyes. “Do you really want that?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would. You either pick up that phone and tell Brooks to drop everything to get my husband out of jail or I’m going to Johnnie.”

“What makes you think he doesn’t already know? How did you find out?”

“Kendall bragged to me,” Meggie answered simply.

“I must have a word with her.”

“Do that. Thank her for saving your lives.”

“Get out.”

“Call Brooks.”

“No.” Charlotte grabbed her cell phone from the table and dropped it in her lap. “Kendall
will
rejoin that firm.”

“And Brooks
will
get killed,” Meggie returned. “Kendall has had offers that doubles her pay. You’re the one blocking her. If not for your bad advice, she might be happy somewhere else right now. All you’re doing is bringing out what’s in the back of her mind. Nothing that’s good for her. If you really care about her, back off.”

“I care about her as if she were my daughter. There are times when women have to take a stand against the injustices of their husbands. I’m merely instructing her on how to do that.”

A look of annoyance crossed Meggie’s features, then she indicated the phone in Charlotte’s lap with a sweep of her hand. “Call your husband.”

“We can go through this all afternoon for all I care. Until you tell me your husband will give in to Kendall’s demands, I’m not budging.”

Stomping back to the couch, Meggie plopped down and folded her arms. “Stretch, please call Johnnie and explain the situation. Then call Cash and ask him to talk to Sloane. His attorneys might agree to represent Christopher at such short notice. Charlotte, start thinking about the outfit for your husband’s funeral.”

As she spoke the last sentence, she turned her head, allowing Stretch to see how much she hated to make such a threat. At any minute, he expected her to apologize and make a hasty exit.

“Call Johnnie,” she said in a shaky voice.

“Are you sure?” he asked. Essentially, she was ordering Brooks’ death.

Swallowing, Meggie sidled a hopeful glance to Charlotte. Seeing Meggie’s paleness, Charlotte sat unmoved. Nose reddening and panic in her eyes, Meggie waited. After a couple of minutes of silence and Charlotte smirking, Meggie’s chin wobbled and a tear slid down her cheek. “Send Johnnie after Brooks.”

Admiring her determination, Stretch nodded and got his cell phone.

Charlotte widened her eyes and straightened. “Fine! I’ll call Brooks! But know this. I don’t intend to lose where my family is concerned, Meggie.” She dialed her husband’s number, then sniffed as he answered. “Brooks?” she began.

“Speakerphone,” Meggie ordered.

Huffing, Charlotte put the call on speaker. “Are you there?”

“I’m here, Charlotte,” Brooks said in a tired voice.

“Please forgive me, darling. Of course you’re free to represent Outlaw. If—”

“Brooks?” Meggie interrupted. “Whatever you’re doing, stop and go to Christopher. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to get Johnnie’s help.”

Brooks choked. “Not necessary, Meggie. I talked to Johnnie yesterday. Now that you’ve spoken to my wife, we’re all on the same page. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“There won’t be any repercussions for Brooks, right?” Meggie asked Charlotte. “No threatening divorce or kicking him out? Nothing of the sort?”

Charlotte threw her a dirty look.

“I tried to explain the dynamics to her myself,” Brooks said, the background noise indicating fast movements. The squeak of a chair as it banged against a desk. The snap of briefcase locks. “She thought sending Outlaw a note with her demands would work in Kendall’s favor.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Outlaw shot me once.”

“Maybe, it’s time to rethink your position in the club,” Meggie said, “if you can no longer handle the tasks Christopher gives to you.”

“That’s not necessary, Meggie,” Charlotte said quickly. “I still haven’t completed my renovations.”

Meggie lifted a brow at her, then exchanged a glance with Stretch. “Right.”

“You won’t involve Johnnie?” Brooks sounded desperate.

“Not if I don’t have to.”

“Nor does Outlaw have to know about this small hiccup,” he pressed.

To Stretch’s way of thinking, this was a big hiccup. He’d threatened to leave Outlaw in jail, without the benefit of private counsel.

“Small?” Meggie repeated incredulously. “We have very different definitions of what a small hiccup is.”

“Meggie, please. Please, Meggie. If either Outlaw or Johnnie gets a small idea that you were desperate enough to threaten me with Johnnie…God! They’ll kill me, anyway.”

“I want my husband home,” Meggie said quietly. “You get him back to the clubhouse by tonight, I’ll keep this to myself.”

“It’s nearly four.”

“Not my problem. You should’ve been doing your job in the first place. Call the mayor, the governor, the president.
Whoever.
Call in every favor you have to. Do your job and
get. Christopher. Home
.”

“Give him until tomorrow morning,” Charlotte inserted, finally picking up on the gravity of the situation and losing some of her attitude. “I was out of line. Please don’t have him killed.”

“That was never my intention,” Meggie said with some regret. “I came here to talk to you. Honestly, I never considered telling Christopher or Johnnie until our argument.”

“Then it was just a threat?” Charlotte asked, hope springing in her eyes.

“No. My husband’s freedom is on the line. If I have the choice between him or anyone else, it’s always him. I’ll do whatever is required of me to protect him and save him.” She lifted her chin. “I
don’t
lose where my family is concerned. Good day, Charlotte.” She looked at Stretch. “Let’s go,” she said, and stalked away.

A blanket of clouds covered the night sky. Any minute, Christopher expected rain to fall. The air blowing through the a/c in Brooks’ Benz smelled damp. In the two days since he’d killed assfuck and was moved to solitary confinement, he’d had a lot of time to think. Moments where he thought he’d be in for a while. He’d ache for Megan, wanting to see her and touch her. Hear her voice.

One day longer and he would’ve given in to his need to call her. Not trusting motherfuckers not to use conversations against him, if they were recorded, Christopher refrained. Recorded conversations could also be used to break Megan, and that he wouldn’t risk.

Being locked away was a hazard of the job, one he’d always sworn never to put himself in for Megan’s sake. That he had, pissed him off all the more. After her performance in the interrogation room, Christopher knew Megan would make him proud, even if he had major prison time ahead.

He’d resigned himself to another night in jail and without Megan in his arms, when he’d heard his name called and expected a variation of the shower shit. That hadn’t been the fucking case. He’d finally made bail.

Walking out into the breezy night, Christopher found Brooks waiting for him, with no goddamn explanation as to why the fuck his ass hadn’t had fucking freedom in a fucking week.

“Seven goddamn days,” Christopher snarled, settled in the passenger seat, finally controlling his temper enough to talk, as the lawyer glided to a stop at the traffic light. Brooks seemed as if he hadn’t slept in fucking hours, with big ass bags underneath his eyes.

“You wanna fuckin’ tell me why the fuck I sat in fuckin’ jail a motherfuckin’ week?”

One hand on the steering wheel, Brooks pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow, driving off when the light changed. “It’s good to hear you still have a voice.”

“Don’t fuck with me,” Christopher growled, tired from the ordeal, hungry for Megan and wired from being
free
. “What took seven fuckin’ days, Brooks?”

Brooks’ hands shook and he clutched the steering wheel tighter. “N-n-now, Outlaw. I-I-I ran into an issue and needed to s-see to it. O-once th-that was taken c-care of, it w-was a br-breeze to get you out.”

“You a lyin’ motherfucker.” Brooks should know better than to try and play him. “You wouldn’t be in this motherfucker sweatin’ like a pig
or
stutterin’. I want the fuckin’ truth.”

“Outlaw, I-I swear I’ll work your case all day every day, pro bono. It was j-just a m-misunderstanding.”

Lying fucking motherfucker. He might be a dead motherfucker if he kept pissing Christopher off.

“What the fuck the misunderstandin’ had to do with?”

“Outlaw,
please
. Don’t hurt me.”

“It must be bad as a motherfucker if you already fuckin’ pleadin’ for your life and I ain’t even knowin’ what the fuck happened.”

Silence…and then…Fuck him.
Did that motherfucker just sniffle like a bitch?

“I-I’ll t-tell you. Just d-don’t hurt me.”

If he could’ve been out sooner, the motherfucker did well to sniffle. “Depends on what fuckin’ reason you give my ass.”

If he said something he didn’t like, Christopher would give him a reason to fucking cry. Scream. Holler. Any of the above. However, assfuck
was
driving and if Christopher scared him too much, he’d lose fucking control of the car and crash.

“Calm the fuck down, Brooks, and talk with fuckin’ sense.”

“Can we get back to the club first?”

Seeing Megan was more important than fucking up Brooks, so he didn’t argue. “What the fuck ever.”

The rest of the ride passed in silence. The closer Christopher got to the club, the more his anticipation rose. His kids were probably asleep, but Megan should be awake.

Brooks turned off the main road and onto the dead end street where the club was located. At the gate, the headlights shone on the chrome in the parking lot and Christopher had never been so glad to see the clubhouse as he was in that moment.

Halting, Brooks rolled down his window.

Stretch leaned into the car. “Welcome home, Outlaw.”

Christopher nodded. “How Fee doin’?”

“She’s home,” Stretch answered, then stepped aside so Brooks could drive in.

He heaved a breath in relief as Brooks pulled into a parking space. Getting out, Christopher started for the door. Before he reached it, it flew open and Megan bounded out in a blur of motion, barreling into him. Automatically, he lifted her into his arms, breathing in her scent, nosing her hair. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she rained kisses on his face, ignoring his griminess. He out-smelled motherfucking Slipper.

“I have food for you,” she murmured. “Steak, potatoes, and corn.”

Just thinking of the days they’d been apart, hurt. Having her in his arms was the best feeling in the world. Being inside of her was even better. He had cum backed up to his ears, he needed to fuck her so bad. “I’ma fuck you all night. My ass starvin’ for you, baby. I gotta talk to Brooks while I eat, then we goin’ home,” he said, carrying Megan into the clubhouse where Johnnie, Mort, Cash, Val, and Digger greeted him.

The only other bitch around was Kendall, glaring at the back of Megan’s head, before transferring it to Brooks.

Christopher set Megan on her feet, stealing another kiss.

“I’ll get your plate.” Megan nuzzled against him, then nodded to Brooks. After a brief hesitation, she hugged him. “Thank you for bringing my husband home.”

“You threatened to have him killed,” Kendall snarled, “what did you expect him to do?”

Christopher stilled at Kendall’s accusation.
What the fuck that meant?

“What?” Johnnie said, as clueless as Christopher.

Megan narrowed her eyes in warning at Kendall.

Sweat suddenly appeared on Brooks’ forehead. He glanced at the door. “Kendall, it’s okay.”

Ignoring Megan’s growing anger, Kendall continued. “It isn’t! The club queen can’t throw her weight around.”

“What are you talking about?” Johnnie demanded.

Ex-fucking-actly. Christopher wanted to be clued the fuck in, too. “Baby, what she mean?”

“Sit down, Christopher, and I’ll explain,” Megan promised, shooting daggers at Kendall. “Promise me you won’t hit Brooks. Or kill him.”

“Stop with all the drama, Meggie,” Kendall said, not getting his girl’s unspoken message. “You all want to know what she did? She interfered in Charlotte’s marriage. She never would’ve divorced Brooks. She just needed a way to force his hand to force
his
hand,” she said, throwing an accusing glower in Christopher’s direction and pointing at him with a trembling finger.

Megan looked as if she wanted to knock the fuck out of that fucking finger. Christopher tried telepathy to encourage her. It didn’t fucking work.

“Kendall, shut up,” Megan said. “Let me explain it before you get Brooks—”

Fucked the fuck up.

Not that Kendall cared. She continued talking. “No. I’m not bowing down to you. This is the last straw, Meggie. You threatened Charlotte of all people.”

Who the fuck was Charlotte not to be threatened?

“Shut up. I’ll threaten
you
to get Christopher out of jail.”

What the fuck? Megan really needed to fucking explain this shit to him. “Uh, baby—”

“You have to have your way,” Kendall continued, ignoring Christopher, as much as Megan was. “You had the audacity to go to her house and demand Brooks move heaven and hell for Outlaw.”

“Kendall, gorgeous—”

“She’s an idiot, Kendall,” Megan snapped, as lost in the bitch battle as Kendall. “Furthermore, you, her, Brooks, or anyone else, will
never
hold Christopher’s freedom hostage. You want your stupid junior partnership back at the firm? That’s
your
business. When Charlotte threatens to divorce Brooks if he represents Christopher, that’s
my
business.”

“You threatened to tell Johnnie,” Kendall screamed. “He would’ve tortured Brooks for not doing his job.”

Silent, because talking sure the fuck wasn’t helping, Christopher took in everything to get a bead on the situation.

Brooks went from red to yellow to white and back again as Megan and Kendall spoke of shit that might lead to his fucking gruesome death.

Christopher reached for Megan, but she jerked away, shocking the fuck out of him. “MEGAN!”

She elbowed him, mad little motherfucker that she was. “If Brooks is stupid enough to play with his life for betraying Christopher,” she continued, “who am I to interfere?”

Johnnie put his arms around his bitch. “Kendall, let’s talk,” he tried.

“You little fucking bitch,” Kendall said around a sob, jerking away from Johnnie. “You’re as ruthless as Outlaw. You’d see me completely alone.”

“Stop calling me names,” Megan warned. “Whether you know it or not, I was trying to save their lives, Kendall.”

“Liar. You were trying to get your husband out of jail.”

“I shouldn’t have had to try. Brooks is on the payroll for a reason. If he can’t do his job, he needs to find another one. You would’ve done the same for Johnnie if you’d been in my position.”

“Doing the same thing would mean I’d have to threaten someone with Outlaw.”

Megan glared. “They’re club brothers. They’ll look out for each other.”

“Have you grown a cock? If not, you’re not a club brother. Charlotte was looking out for me.”

“At the expense of my husband and that’s
never
happening. Her life or his? I choose him. Brooks life or his? Him.
Your
life or his.
Him.
”

“What about Johnnie’s life? Mortician’s? Your
children’s?
You’d sacrifice them for
him
?”

“Not my children. No. Anyone else? Yes. I’d sacrifice myself if it meant saving Christopher.”

“Because you’re stupid,” Kendall sneered.

“Kendall!” Megan yelled. “Stop! Okay? Listen to yourself. We’re not going down this road again.”

“If I want to, we will.”

Megan growled in frustration. “I didn’t go over there to threaten her. I went there to ask her to take the threat away so Brooks could get Christopher out of jail. She wasn’t very nice. I did what I had to do and I was prepared to back up my words with actions.” She started ticking off items on her fingers. “If Brooks didn’t get on the case, I was telling Johnnie. If he didn’t have Christopher home
tonight,
I was telling Johnnie
and
Christopher. You let the cat out of the bag. Not me.”

“Charlotte made me see you for what you really are,” Kendall sobbed.

“Omigod!” Megan covered her face with her hands before scowling at Kendall. “
Fuck
Charlotte,” she snarled, entertaining the fuck out of Christopher. Heaving in a breath to calm herself, she placed a hand on Kendall’s arm. “Please come with me while I get the food together.”