Nasty Bastard (Grim Bastards MC Book 4) (4 page)

Boz leans against the edge of the desk, anger making his voice harsh. “Did you check the safe?”

All our reserve money is kept in a safe in a bunker out back. Only officers even know it exists, so an officer is the only one that could fuck with it: Boz as president, me as VP, Brew as Sargent at Arms, or Hack as treasurer. I know I didn’t do it, and I’d put a bullet in anyone that said one of my brothers did.

Hack nods at Boz, turning away from the computer. “Yeah, I counted it. I went over that shit four times. The count is exactly what the computer says it should be.”

“I didn’t count the money,” Brew says with a shake of his head. “I counted each bag when I placed it in the safe, but never counted the rest of it. Someone could have taken something, and I would have never noticed. Should have kept a better eye on it.”

“No way, brother. None of this is your fault. I’m treasurer; this shit is on me. If I hadn’t hit the road, this wouldn’t have happened,” Hack says, before looking down at the paper and saying, “Looks like whoever was fucking with the money stopped about three months ago.”

Boz, Brew, and I figure out who fucked with our money at the same time. We each let out our thoughts on the situation.

“Son of a bitch.”

“Fuck.”

“Mother fucker.”

Hack looks at Boz, nods, lets out a relieved breath, and says, “I’m guessing from that, y’all know where the money is.”

“It had to be Stone.” Boz pushes himself away from the desk and calmly says, “Now, we just have to figure out how to get money back from a dead man.”

Gidget
Thirty Years Old

I pull the car into the driveway of my parents’ house, a place where I never wanted to be again. Instead, I’m back to stay, back to face the ghosts of my past. At least those ghosts won’t include my dad and brother. According to Lettie, Boz’s mom, they’ve been gone for months now and aren’t expected back any time soon. Even though she didn’t say it, there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re both buried six feet under. I’m definitely not gonna miss either of them. As far as I’m concerned, they make good worm feed.

As soon as the car comes to a complete stop, I put it in park and look in the rear view mirror to my four-year old son. Parker is looking around the yard, a scrunched frown on his face. Taking the keys out of the ignition, I follow suit and look at what was once my home and will now be my home again.

The grass is high, probably up to my knees. The flower garden my mother once loved is grown over, with only a nearly smothered rose bush letting me know it was ever even there. The entire yard is full of junk: a ratty ass couch, a rusted fridge, and even an old truck missing its hood sits near the road.

“Are you sure we are gonna live here, Momma?” Parker asks, while fidgeting in his seat. “It looks like the haunted house in Scooby Doo.”

When my eyes take in the house, I have to hold in a gasp. Lettie told me the house was in rough shape, but I didn’t expect it to be this damn bad. The bright yellow paint is peeling off. The few remaining sun-faded shutters are hanging cockeyed. The roof over the porch is sagging in the center, making me wonder if it’s safe to walk under. The large picture window my mom loved so much is broken; in its place is a piece of black plastic with the Grim Bastards logo crudely painted on it. Parker’s right; it does look like a haunted house.

I know it’s a big change from where we came from—a two-story colonial with a full basement and a pool. Being a newly single mother, it’s the best I can do for now. While Richard and I were talking about a divorce, he made me a deal. He gets to keep his fancy house in his fancy neighborhood, and I get our son. If I fought for the house, he would fight for Parker. My answer was immediate; I chose Parker.

Within twenty-four hours, the papers were drawn up. I got full custody of Parker, with minimal visitation for Richard, and the minimum amount of child support that Richard’s lawyer could get away with giving me. I also got one of our four cars, the oldest of course, and a twenty-thousand dollar check to help me reestablish myself somewhere very far away from my ex and his soon-to-be new wife. There was nothing for me to complain about. I got Parker and that’s all I was worried about.

We stayed in a hotel for a bit, after leaving our beautiful home, while I looked for us somewhere else to live. Then Lettie called, informing me of the house. To me, her call couldn’t have come at a better time. It seemed like an answer to my prayers. Now, I have to wonder if it wasn’t the start of a nightmare.

So far, I haven’t touched the check Richard gave me. Somehow, the thought of using his money makes me feel dirty. It has sat in the bank account since the day his lawyer gave it to me. As far as I’m concerned, that’s where it will stay for now. I worked at the hospital until I had Parker. I had a little tucked away, so that’s what I’ve been using and will continue to use. Hopefully, that and the child support will be enough for us to get by while I look for a job. The twenty-thousand dollars will go toward Parker’s college fund.

Trying not to let my thoughts dwell on Richard any longer, I turn around and look at Parker. “It’s not haunted. It just needs a little elbow grease.”

“Are you sure, Mommy?” he asks, chewing on his bottom lip.

I nod, pasting on a fake smile. “I grew up here, remember. If there were any ghosts, I would know about them.”

He releases his bottom lip and sighs. “I’m not sure I’m gonna like it.”

“It’s not that bad. Yes, it needs some work, but it will look like new by the time we’re done with it,” I tell him with much more excitement than I feel. “We’re gonna make it a beautiful home.”

I look back at the house, trying to picture what it looked like before. It was never that great, but Mom made it a home. She did her best to keep it looking livable at least. It was hard on her, with working two jobs and raising my brother and I, but she tried and somewhat succeeded to give us a happy home. My dad never made time to help with anything. In fact, the only time he was ever here was to scream at Mom or take what little money she had. The rest of the time, he stayed at the club.

For the longest time, I hated the Grim Bastards. I thought they stole my daddy away, but it didn’t take long for me to be thankful that he was there instead of here. As I grew up, I grew to love the club, the comradery of the old ladies, and the other kids. Of course, if it wasn’t for the club, I never would have met Layton, and he would have never broken my heart, but that’s something else I refuse to dwell on.

I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the door. As I get out of the car, I hear Parker sniffling from the back seat and know this transition is going to be hard on him. I pull in a deep breath and try to push away all my insecurities, to focus on his needs. Hurrying around the car, I open his door and lean down to his seat so he can look me in the eye while we talk.

“I know this is a big change for you. You’re going to be living in a new house and a new town, but I promise everything is going to be fine,” I say, wiping the tears from his face. “I have to carry in the groceries we bought. Then, I will get you a snack. After you eat, we will bring in your toys and you can run around and play. It won’t take you long to see how much fun it will be here. How does that sound?”

He nods but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he pulls on the bottom of his shirt and wipes his nose. Not bothering to correct him, I continue with my fake smile and reach in to unbuckle his seat belt.

Patting his leg, I try my best to pretend that everything is just fine. “Climb on out, and I’ll grab the groceries.”

Parker climbs out of the car and says, “Okay, Momma, I wanna see what my new room looks like.”

It never ceases to amaze me how resilient he is. Even at four, he rolls with the punches. I really wish I could get over shit as quickly as he does, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. Turning away from him, I pop open the trunk, take a couple of the grocery bags out, and carry them up to the front of the house, Parker right on my heels. Using the key Lettie left for me under the broken flower pot on the porch, I open the front door and step inside, and let out a relieved sigh.

It’s old and worn, but at least it’s clean. No doubt, Lettie stopped by and cleaned it up for our arrival. As soon as I take in a breath, the musty smell hits me, letting me know that she may have cleaned up but it still needs to be aired out. First thing to do is open some windows and let some fresh air in.

Walking further into the house, I notice not much has changed. It all just looks a lot older now, but still the same. Mine and Layton’s prom picture still hangs on the wall, the same place my mom hung it nearly fourteen years ago. Just seeing it brings back a million golden memories. As those come to an end, I’m hit with the one memory that I want to forget. Parker’s hand grabs mine, bringing me back to the here and now.

“Is that you, Mommy?” he asks, pointing toward the picture of Layton and me. “You look like Princess Fiona before she became an ogre.”

Smiling, I swallow my laugh. “Thank you, sweetie. Let’s go get you something to eat. You can have the milk and cookies that you picked out at the store.”

As I walk into the kitchen, I can almost see Mom standing at the stove making dinner for us. I take in a deep breath, praying the tears of sorrow and frustration away. When they don’t come, for the first time since the divorce, I start to believe that everything just may be okay.

Parker follows slowly behind me as I set the bags on the table. I reach inside and dig around until I find the package of cookies and a small container of chocolate milk, then pull out a chair for my son. The image of my mother doing the same thing for me flashes in my head, and a true smile crosses my face for the first time.

I lean down and place a quick kiss to the top of his head, before ruffling his hair. “Come on, honey. Have a seat and eat your cookies while I unload the rest of the stuff from the car.”

He wearily sits down at the table, letting out a yawn. “Don’t forget to get Freddy bear.”

I open his milk and the cookies, while promising not to forget his favorite stuffed animal. “How could I forget Freddy bear?”

After waiting for him to start eating, I walk back out to the car. I pull some more bags out of the trunk and take them inside, before coming out to get our suitcases. We didn’t pack much when we left Richard’s, just enough to get us through. Parker grows so fast; there wasn’t much need in bringing everything he owned. I did make sure to fill a duffel bag of Parker’s favorite toys and comfy pajamas, so he would hopefully feel a little more at home.

After getting everything unloaded and our suitcases placed in the corner of the living room, I go back to the kitchen and see Parker standing beside the table. He has a chocolate ring around his mouth from his milk and is bouncing back and forth.

“I’m guessing by the looks of it, you need to use the bathroom,” I say with a smile, reaching out to grab his hand.

Parker quickly nods his head, so I rush him down the hall to the bathroom. It only takes a few minutes for him to get his business done and get his hands washed. After that, I take him back to the living room and start digging through our stuff in search of Freddy bear. Once he’s found, Parker lets out a shriek of excitement.

“I want to wait until I get you a new toy box, to put your toys away. For now, you can just keep them in here and take out what you want to play with,” I say, not wanting him to lose anything.

“Okay, Momma. I promise,” he replies, grabbing Freddy bear from my hands. “I don’t need any more toys anyway.”

Instead of running off to play, he takes his stuffed animal and curls up on the couch. I leave him talking to Freddy Bear and put away the rest of the groceries. By the time I’m done, Parker is sound asleep. Knowing now may be my only chance for a little peace and quiet, I dig my phone out of my purse and head out to the front porch. I sit down on an old milk crate and call Lettie.

Being the Grim Bastards’ President’s wife, she was in charge of the old ladies. She planned all the family get togethers and such. She and my mom became the best of friends. Because of that or maybe just ‘cause she’s Lettie, she always treated me like one of her own children. Even after I left for college, we kept in contact. She came to my graduation, my wedding, and even held my hand during my mom’s funeral. Now, she’s made sure Parker and I have a home.

Finally, after four rings, she answers. “Gidget, honey, did you make it home okay? Did you get into the house without a problem?”

Another smile spreads across my face. “Yeah, we did. Thank you so much for cleaning up the house.”

She grunts out a quick, “You’re welcome, and adds, “I came over earlier and turned on the air conditioner. I know the place still needs to be aired out, but it was so hot that I figured you could air it out after the sun is down.”

“I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. If you hadn’t turned it on, the place would have been an oven,” I reply, realizing how bad it would have been with no air. “I’ll let it air out while we’re sleeping tonight.”

We chat for a few more minutes, before she says, “I’m making meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner. May even make a German chocolate cake for desert. You and Parker should come over and share it with me.”

“After I get done unpacking, all I’ll feel like doing is going to bed.” I’m tempted but too tired. “Rain check?”

“That’s a deal,” she says than adds, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. I know you have a lot to do, so I’m gonna let you get to it. I love you. Call me as soon as you get time to have a long chat.”

Lettie is leaving in the morning to visit her sister in Clarksville, but we make plans for the weekend before hanging up. Then, I get busy on putting our things away. It takes longer than I expected, mostly because every room I walk into brings back memories of my childhood. Some are bad, mostly those concerning my dad and brother. Most are wonderful, time with my mother and Layton. Still as good as they are, the memories are bittersweet, knowing that both of them will never be in my life again.

Halfway through unpacking, Parker wakes up from his nap, so I let him sit in the living room to watch television until I get done.