Instead of taking us back to dad's house, Shank leads us back to the club house. Its vacant outside, aside from the prospect watching over the bikes. I dont know if I have it in me to argue with him about taking us home. All I'm looking for is a bed.
Shane seems happy enough, though. His energetic ass flounces out our car and right over to Mikey and Sydney who are playing in a sand box. "Mom, can I play?" He asks me. I nod. Should be easier to sleep with him occupied.
"He has great manners." Margo stands beside me as we watch our kids. I laugh at her comment but I can't help but agree.
"I don't know where he gets them from. Sure as shit isn't Shank." I don't think I have ever heard him use manners. He just demands shit.
"Probably from his Uncle Kale." Margo says softly. Her eyes are watery when I glance at her.
"Kale?" The name sounds familiar.
"Shanks brother. Blood brother. He died the day Shank was released." She wipes at her eyes. That's right. I saw it in his file once. I forgot all about him having a brother.
"What happened?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "Its not my story to tell. But I'm sure Shank would love to tell you all about how I killed his brother." She snaps then stampers off towards Lynol.
My jaw slacks. Killed his brother?
"Missy?" Shanks large hand is on my shoulder. I turn to look at him and close my mouth.
"What did she say to you?" He's suddenly angry, face scrunched up in a scowl.
"What happened to your brother?" I ask him. He freezes and I watch his face get even more hard than before.
"What did she say?" He snarls in my face. I back away from him, away from his his hand growing tighter on my shoulder.
"Nothing. She told me to ask you." It's not a complete lie.
"He's dead. Thanks to her. Now Mike has no fucking father because Lynol didn't put that bitch in her place and let her call shots." Shank spits. His nostrils are flared and his eyes are dark with anger.
"What happened?" I ask softly. I've never had his anger directed at me before and I don't think hes intending to be an ass to me right now, he's just really upset.
"Lynol picked up the wrong fucking stray off the streets." Is all he says before stalking off into the clubhouse.
I follow him.
"Shank!" I call after him. He ignores me.
"Shane Robert Travis!" I yell. He stops dead in his tracks and a few of the others look our way. I watch as he turns slowly to face me then gets in my face.
"Talk to me." I plead with him.
"You're not my old lady, Missy. You're just a prison clause I knocked up. I don't have to tell you shit!" His words are low but they still echo in the silent room. All the oxygen leaves my lungs and my heart drops. I know my face is red because it's hot. Why would he say that?
"Mom?" Over my shoulder, I see Shane just standing there watching the two of us.
"Yeah?" I face away from a still glaring Shank.
"Are you ok?" He asks. I give a little laugh.
"Yeah, baby. Why wouldn't I be?" He walks over to me and I lift him up. He starts wiping my face and his hands are wet as he holds them up for me to see. Shit.
I wipe my face too. Damn.
"I'm fine. Just tired. You ready to go back to grampas for the night? Tomorrows a big day for us." I lie. He nods.
I set him back in the floor. Everyone's still silent, trying to look like they aren't watching.
"Say bye to your father, Shane, and meet me at the car." I walk out, still wiping at my face. I hear his little feet behind me. He didn't say bye to Shank at all.
"Can we drive the big truck?" Shane asks excitedly as I head towards the car.
"I don't think I can drive that, honey." I answer honestly. He pouts.
"I'll follow you. He can ride with me if that's ok?" I hear a voice behind me. I spin to find the guy from the other day. The guy I danced with. I scan and see Shank leaning against the door of the entrance to the club house. He glares at us.
"Thanks..." I trail off.
"Schiz." He offers out a hand. I shake it with a polite smile.
"Thanks, Schiz."
Schiz follows me with the uhaul to dad's house and I invite him in for dinner. Its the least I can do for him stepping in where Shank should have been. Shane takes Mr. Jingles back to his room while Schiz and I sit at the counter in the kitchen.
I have a glass of wine and he cracks open a beer. Against my mental efforts, my mind wonders back to what Shank said to me earlier. What was that? He just blew up. Spent all last night saying sorry and how he was selfish then explodes and tells me me and my son are nothing more than a mistake.
"Missy?" I shake my head and turn to face Schiz. He's watching me. His green eyes boring into me.
"Sorry." I run my hand over my face, exausted. He shakes his head with a small smile playing on his pink lips.
"Shank didn't mean what he said. His brother, Hook, is a touchy subject for all of us." He says softly, covering my hand with his big one in comfort.
"What happened?" I ask him. I really wanna know. He exhales.
"Lynol found Margo 7 months pregnant and brought her home. Fell in love with her and Sydney. But Margo came with a controlling cop as an ex husband who wouldn't take no for an answer. He said if she didn't come home, he'd bring the law down on us hard. But Lynol wasn't hearing any of it. So Margo made the call. Everyone voted and she met with her ex to go back with him to avoid the cops for the club. And it went south. Kale was collateral. Horrible to say but. Ed got shot too. I think Shank is pissed his brother is dead and the best way to deal at the moment is to hate Margo." He shrugs at the end.
I take a deep breath.
"A woman took a club vote?" I ask totally blown away. That's not a woman's place. He nods with a look that says, 'I know, right?"
"It was not an ordinary event. She acted as President since ours wasn't thinking clearly." Schiz guzzles the rest if his beer. To be perfectly clear, he shouldn't even be talking to me about this. Its club business and I'm not an old lady. And even old ladies don't always know shit about club business.
No wonder Shank is mad. A woman who didn't know her place got his brother killed.
"Kale thought of Margo as a brother, though. Like I said, it was unusual circumstances. She did a lot for the club and she knew that's what was best right then." He tries to justify her actions.
"If Lynol wasn't thinking straight then the vice President and the Seargant at Arms should have stepped in. That wasn't her place at all. I would be pissed too. Maybe Kale would have made the same choice but Shank doesn't know that. That's what he needs to hear. That Kale loved the club and it didn't matter who called the shots, he would have been there regardless." This shit would have not have flown in my brothers club. What the hell?
"You know quite a bit about club life." He grins. I roll my eyes.
"My brother is the president of the prodigys. I've been with him the last 7 years." I admit before getting up to start dinner. Looks like frozen pizza tonight. Shane will love it.
As soon as the oven beeps, he comes bounding out and jumps in to the stool next to Schiz. I place a plate of pizza in front of the both of them and munch on a piece myself, my mind going back to the whole Kale thing.
It is un freaking real that the club listened to a woman. Even if she was an old lady. Mind blowing. Schiz said they all voted but still they followed a girl. Then I remember the predicament he said they were in. Risk the law and going to jail away from their families or she goes back to her husband. All that over one lady?
I envy that love. Lynol loves Margo. So much he risked the club and every brothers freedom. That is a fucked up situation. She loves the club just like a brother does and made a decision that needed to be made. Even if it wasn't her damn place to do it. And that's what pissed off Shank. A woman calling the shots got his brother killed. But they would have made the same decision otherwise and Kale probably still would have went because of his love for Margo and his love for the Club. Shank needs to realize that too.
My phone buzzes and I look at the screen. Its Shank. Speak of the devil.
"You not finished telling me how much of a mistake me were?" I answer. He exhales heavily on the other end. I'll admit, that was childish to say.
"I'm sorry I blew up like that. Even Shane was mad at me. Wouldn't say bye." He grunts. He still meant it.
"Its true. Not like you wanted to get me pregnant and be stuck with us forever. Shit happens. What do you want?" I snap.
"To apologize and see if you wanted help getting your shit into storage tomorrow." He answers. I take another bite of my pizza and take my time chewing on it before answering.
"Schiz already offered." I lie. His name catches his attention. He sends me a smirk. I bat my eyelashes innocently back. He probably thinks I'm up to something. Maybe I am.
"He's not the father of our child so he has no reason to be there." Shank snaps at me. Back to mad again. What is his deal?
"And I'm not your old lady so you can't tell me what to do outside the club house." I argue.
There's silence for a long time before he finally speaks. "You're right. Can I at least have Shane tomorrow while you do what you have to?" He asks defeated.
"I'll ask him and let you know." I hang up on him. I don't know what I expected him to say when I said I wasn't his old lady. To argue that I was? Something more than his baby mama?
I should have thought this move through. Then again, I didn't have much choice and this move wasn't for me to get back with Shank. It was for Shane to know his father.
I down the rest of my wine and pour a second glass.
"Shane, you want to spend the day with Shank tomorrow?" I ask my son. He wipes the pizza sauce off his face with the back of his hand.
"Will you be there?" He asks me. I hand him a napkin to wipe his hands.
"No. I have to put out stuff in storage and start looking for a job and us a new house." I explain to him. He nods but doesn't answer my question. Well, I'm not gonna push him.
Later, I walk Schiz to the door while Shane goes and takes a bath.
"So do you really want my help tomorrow?" He leans against the door frame of the front door with a sexy smirk. I laugh.
"You don't have to." I offer him a way out.
He steps closer to me, entering my personal space. I don't back away, but look up at his handsome face. "I'll help. What time?" He lifts a piece of my red hair and tucks it behind my ear. I blush, not trying to hide it because I'm so white, there's no use. Part of me knows I should step back or push him away, but I've had too much wine to think clearly.
"I want to start as early as possible, so about 8?" I say.
He nods and smirks a second longer before leaving on Shanks motorcycle he pulled from the back.