Keeping Meg (Devil's Knights #6) (12 page)

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Chapter 16

Lo

“Finish up setting up this string of lights, and then I’ll grab the next strand.”

      
Remy grabbed the lights out of my hand and headed to the front of the house to finish putting up the lights on the front porch of Ma’s house.

      
We had been here for two hours, and it looked like it was going to be another hour before we got all of the lights set up. A half an hour after being here, Ma had started dropping hints that it was so close to Christmas, and her lights weren’t up yet. Meg had volunteered Remy and me to get them set up while she stayed in the warm house chatting with Ma. I was coming to find out that Meg was one hell of a manipulator. It was a damn good thing I loved her.

      
We had plans to hit up the six o’clock show at the movie theater two towns over, so we weren’t crunched for time, but setting up Christmas lights was not how I saw my Saturday playing out.

      
“You making my boy do all the work, handsome?” Meg walked out the back door and leaned over the railing of the back porch.

      
“Isn’t that why people have kids? Put ‘em to work?”

      
Meg laughed and brushed the hair out of her face. It was just under a week before Christmas, and it felt like winter had finally hit Wisconsin. “You should have a coat on. It’s well below twenty degrees today.”

      
She wrapped her arms around her middle and smiled down at me. “I already got one, Daddy Lo. I don’t need another. Unless you’re into the whole me calling you daddy thing. I read this book once, so hot. When he had her bent-”

      
“Babe, no. Not my thing,” I cut her off.

Her smile spread across her lips, and I knew she was just fucking around with me. “You sure? Anything with you always seems to be hot. We could always try it later, Daddy,” she whispered.

Her words went straight to my dick and wouldn’t you know it, I was turned on as fuck, and there was no way for me to do anything about it. I shook my head and laughed, “How the hell did we go from me telling you to put a coat on, to you calling me daddy and giving me a hard-on?”

“Because I just have that effect on you. If I said hot dog just
right, I bet I could make you hard.” She crossed her arms over her chest and walked down the four steps and came to stand in front of me. “Hot dog,” she whispered, wiggling her eyebrows.

      
“Naw, babe.”

      
She leaned in closer, her lips by my ear. “Hot dog,” she breathed out, her breath warm against my ear.

      
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “Maybe just a little. Try corn dog next time.”

      
She busted out laughing, tossing her head back. “I think the only corn dog around here is you.”

      
“You know you’re going to pay for this later, right?”

      
“I hope so, Daddy,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to my neck. She slipped out of my arms and looked over her shoulder as she walked to the front of the house. “You coming?”

      
“Not yet,” I mumbled under my breath. I grabbed the last strand of lights and caught up to Meg. “Ma doing OK?” I asked, putting my arm around her shoulders.

      
“I think so. She’s still the feisty woman that she was the first day I met her. Gravel called, so I decided to see what you boys were up to when she was talking to him.”

      
“She say what time-” I stopped in my tracks and grabbed Meg, pulling her into my side. Remy was standing on the sidewalk in front of the house talking to someone. That someone was Big A.

      
“Lo, what the hell?” Meg asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

      
“Shush,” I growled. I had no idea what the hell Big A was doing talking to Remy, but I knew I didn’t want to surprise him. “Go back in the house and lock the front door.”

      
Meg’s eyes followed where I was looking. “Who the hell is talking to Remy?”

      
“House, now,” I ordered.

      
“No,” she said going toe to toe with me.

      
I kept my eyes trained on Remy and Big A, ready to make a move if Big A tried anything. “Meg.” She finally sensed that something was wrong and backed down. “House. Lock it up.”

      
“Lo, what about Remy?” She grabbed my arm and looked at Remy and Big A. Big A held his arm out, shaking hands with Remy and headed across the street and got into a dark blue sedan that was idling. Remy waved to Big A and headed up to the house.

      
I felt Meg move to walk to Remy, but I held her close, waiting for Big A to leave. “Listen this one fucking time, Meg. Don’t move.” I loved her hard-headedness, but sometimes I wanted to fucking duct tape her to a chair to make her listen to me.

      
Her body went solid, but she at least didn’t struggle to get out of my arms. Big A pulled away from the curb and his eyes connected with mine as he tipped his head and drove off. Son of a bitch. He knew that I was here the whole time. He must have been watching Remy and me, and I didn’t even fucking know it.

      
Remy came around the side of the house and stopped in his tracks when he saw Meg and I standing together. “Uh, everything OK?”

      
“I don’t know,” Meg mumbled. “Who were you talking to, Remy?”

      
“Um, he said his name was A. He was wondering about the neighborhood. He’s thinking of moving in and wondered how safe it was around here.”

      
“Son of a bitch,” I cursed, running my hands through my hair. “He say anything else?”

      
“No. That was it.”

      
“Lo, God dammit, tell me who the hell that was,” Meg demanded, pulling out of my arms. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting.

      
“It was Big A.”

      
Meg’s eyes got huge, and she gasped. “The Assassins?”

      
“Yeah, babe.”

      
“What the hell was he doing talking to my son?” she demanded.

      
“Fuck if I know. He was probably trying to get info out of Remy.”

      
“Um, you think I should know what the hell you’re talking about?” Remy asked.

      
“Don’t say hell,” Meg scolded.

“Mom, tell me what is going on? I had no idea who that guy was, but you and King seem to know him.” Remy crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Meg or I to talk.

“I can’t tell you everything that is going on, but you just need to know if you ever see that guy headed your way again, you need to get the hell out of dodge. He has a beef with the club, and he will do anything to settle the score.”

“Settle what score?”

“It has to do with Cyn, hunny. Lo and the club helped Cyn, and that man doesn’t like that they helped her,” Meg added.

“So, someone is trying to hurt you guys, and now they might be trying to hurt me?” Fuck, I hated that it had come to this. I didn’t want the bull shit from the club to touch Meg or Remy, but now it was knocking on their fucking door.

“No one is going to hurt you. I’m going to put a man on you. He’ll keep watch and make sure nothing happens.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pulled up Leo’s number.

“Who are you going to have watch him? The club is spread thin already,” Meg said, biting her fingernails. She was beyond worried, and I was going to do everything in my power to take that worry away from her.

“Leo. I know he has more men. He’s dealing with some bull shit back in the city, but the Assassins are fucking with family now, and I’m not going to stand by and let it happen.” I swiped Leo’s name and put the phone to my ear. “Finish up the lights, Rem, and then we’ll head to the movies.”

Remy headed up the sidewalk, running his fingers through his hair, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I had done that to him, and I was pissed off at myself.

“King, I didn’t expect to hear from you today.” Leo’s voice came on the line, but my eyes were trained on Meg. She was pacing back and forth, mumbling under her breath.

“Shit just touched my ol’ lady’s family, and I do not like it. I need someone on her son at all times, but I’m spread thin.”

“Say no more. I’ll send two of my best men to watch her son. It’s only right since you have been watching over Fayth for me.”

“I appreciate it, Leo. I have no fucking clue as to which way this guy is going to go next.”

“We’ll get him. My men will be there by eight tonight. Can you keep an eye on him till then?”

I ran my hands through my hair and sighed, “Yeah. I got plans with them, although I don’t know if we’ll do them anymore.”

“Don’t let this fucker ruin your life, King. The second he thinks he’s got you, that’ll be it. Take your woman and her son out and act like everything is fine because it is. Big A isn’t going to get what he wants.” Leo’s tone had changed, the threat evident that he wasn’t going to put up with this anymore.

“Text me your men’s numbers. I’ll let them know where to go once they get into town.”

“Will do, my friend. Enjoy your family.” The line went dead, and I shoved the phone into my pocket. Enjoy my family. How the hell was I supposed to do that when I had no idea what the hell Big A was up to?

“Lo, what the hell is going on? The last you knew Big A was gone, you couldn’t find him.” Meg continued to pace back and forth, and I grabbed her, pulling her into my arms.

“We knew he was around, but we didn’t know what he was up to. We still don’t.”

“Don’t you think that maybe you should have told me that?”

“You know I can’t tell you club business.”

“When your club business walks up the steps of your mother’s house and talks to my son, I think I have a right to know!” She spun out of my arms and dashed up the steps of the porch, the screen door slamming shut behind her.

“Fuck.”

“She’ll calm down, she always does.” I whirled around at Remy’s words, forgetting that he was still outside. “I’d be worried if she wasn’t mad at you.”

“Shouldn’t that be the other way around?” I asked, walking over to Remy and picked up the end of the Christmas lights.

“No. At least not with my mom. That’s how I knew she was going to divorce my dad. She stopped caring. Stopped fighting. That’s also when she stopped being herself, too.” Remy pulled the rest of the string out of my hands and hung it on the hooks that ran along the railing of the porch.

“How old were you when your parents divorced?”

“Twelve. Although they should have divorced long before that. Dad was an ass to Mom, and she just took it. Every year she got more and more sad.”

This seemed like a lot of shit to deal with at twelve. Meg had told me her marriage had been shit but never really went into detail about it. “I’m sure your mom was just trying to do the best thing for you.”

“I know. I don’t blame either of them for what happened. They weren’t supposed to be together. They are complete opposites and not in a good way either.” He stepped back from the railing and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Is this it?”

“For today. I need to talk to your mom, and I don’t want you being outside alone.”

“I’m seventeen, King.”

“It has nothing to do with how old you are. There’s shit that’s going on with the club that seems to be spilling over onto you and your mom. There’s going to be two guys always with you until I take care of everything.”

“Does it have to do with what happened to Cyn before?”

“That’s where it started, but now it’s blown up into something else completely. Just trust me to take care of you and your mom.”

“My mom loves you, King. Don’t mess it up.” Remy walked into the house, and I turned around and leaned against the porch railing.

Life seemed to be going so well, but now everything appears to be going sideways, and I had no idea how to fix it.

Son of a bitch.

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Chapter 17

Meg

“Meg, sit down and have a drink.” Ethel pulled the tea out of the fridge and set it in front of me.

“I hate to break it to you, Ethel, but I think I need something a bit stronger than tea right now.”

“I wasn’t done yet, girl.” She walked over to the cabinet above the sink and pulled down a bottle of vodka. “Everything goes with vodka, right?”

“As of right now it does,” I smiled. She grabbed a tray of ice out of the freezer and two glasses from the cabinet. “Should I make one for Lo, or is he the reason you need a drink?”

“He’s the reason, although it’s not his fault. One of the Assassins were just out on your sidewalk talking to Remy.”

“Oh no,” Ethel gasped. She set the glasses and ice on the table and sat down next to me. “What the heck did Lo do?”

“Nothing. He didn’t want to approach him. We walked around the house and saw Remy talking to Big A. My stomach dropped when Lo told me who he was.” I grabbed two ice cubes and dropped them into my cup. “You know what gets me, Ethel? He knew.”

“What do you mean he knew?”

“He was aware that the Assassins were in town, but he didn’t tell me. This is what he has been hiding from me for weeks. I just knew something was going on, but he refused to tell me. He kept telling me it was club business, and he couldn’t say.” I dropped the other two ice cubes into Ethel’s glass and grabbed the tea. Ethel put two healthy splashes of vodka into each of our glasses, and I topped them off with tea.

“Did Lo tell you when you two started dating that he couldn’t tell you club business?”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think it was a big deal back then.”

“Did he say why he didn’t tell you?”

I grabbed my glass and took a swig, grimacing as I set the glass down. Vodka was not my first choice in alcohol. “He’s trying to keep me safe.”