MC: LaPonte-Karr: Book Three (28 page)

Patches

I'm still smiling when I drop the kids off.  Fuckin Tess.  After the best weekend of my life she wakes me up with her mouth on my dick.  It doesn't get any better than that for a fuckin wake up call.  I head over to the Club to pick up the paperwork for the Associates.  I can't believe I'm an Officer.  I am proud like Rich said.  I still can't believe how happy he is for me.  I'm excited when Geek hands me the book and flash drive.  He tells me I have to go to HR for paperwork.  It's just up from the Women's Center.  Maybe I'll see Tess; she's at the Bakery today working her numbers.  I'm so fuckin glad she likes her jobs.

At HR I see Josh.  The paperwork is a fuckin job in itself.  It takes two hours to get through.  Holy fuck.  I even get a pension; Jess is the fuckin rock star of money here.  She's got everything you could think of.  I chuckle when I see the vacation guidelines remembering Pres not being able to go to work.  Once I'm finished with my mountain I get to listen to the girl explain the pay scale for Officers.  Holy shit I get paid a shitload on top of all the benefits.  I check my watch and tell her Jess takes care of my money.  She stops and lets me go.

I'm not going to have enough time to see Tess.  I run to the grocery store and get out with just enough time to put the food up and get to the school.  Holy shit it's been a full day and I'm just starting with the kids.  We swing by and get Tess.  She gets homework done while I check rooms, pull pajamas and get dinner started.  With church tonight I need to get a little extra done early for Kate.  She's got to be exhausted carrying a baby and working full time.

Ben comes in and takes over dinner.  The kids are playing in the bonus room.  I find Tess up there laughing with the girls.  "Tara and Lily your ride will be here in five minutes."  They help clean up the game and grab book bags.  I pull Tess up telling her we're out.  We need to get dinner done to make the meeting.  I check on Ben, he's got dinner covered.  We get home and get dinner cooking.  Rich comes in with twenty minutes to eat.  Fuck it's crazy today.  We kiss Tess and are off to the club.

Rich

Fuck it's been crazy today.  I swear it's a full moon; I need to check on that so next month I'm ready.  I spend the day putting out fires then get a call from Casper.  He's fuckin going nuts over his lazy ass work force.  I run to a late meeting with him handing the evaluations over.  He's pissed.  Half his fuckin uniforms failed.  The good part about me being ex-military is my training is certified and completely accepted.  He now has grounds to fire their asses.  Thank fuck!  I'm sick of doing their jobs.  My payroll will drop and my Brothers can work forty fuckin hour work weeks.

I get home with no fuckin time to talk to Tess.  I kiss her and promise to walk Max when I get home.

When we walk in a fuckin cheer goes up.  I slap Patches on the back.  He's so fuckin happy.  "Take it all in Brother.  You worked hard to get here."  He throws chin.  He goes to the meeting room while I wait for church with the Brothers.  I talk to a couple of guys I think might make the PD.  They're interested.  Fuck me.  I thought they'd have to be convinced.  I give them Casper's numbers and tell them to let the other Brothers know there's a need.  Fuck that was easy.  I grab a beer with Driscoll and Bull telling them about the fuckers in New York and the knife.  We're laughing when I notice the Brothers moving to the meeting room.  I stand against the wall.  We're fuckin packed.

Pres goes over money.  The new buildings we bought, the businesses that will need workers, the injured and sick Brothers.  The List of Needs is at the Bakery.

Finally he announces Patches as the new Officer in charge of Associates.  I whistle with the claps and yelling.  My Brother.  I hope he takes it all in.  Everyone is happy for him.  I'm so fuckin proud.  Driscoll and Bull laugh at me.  I don't give a fuck.  My Brother is a fuckin Officer.  That doesn't happen every fuckin day.

I'm getting ready to walk out when I feel Tess. What the fuck.  VP walks over to me.  Fuck!

He yells, "Patches get home.  You drive."  He pulls my dad.  Fuck Tess is in my head.  I fuckin run.  Patches is right behind me. Fuck she's fuckin scared.  What the fuck is going on.  I put my hands on my head and close my eyes.  'Tess baby what's happening?   Babe find your way to me.  What's happening?'  Fuck!  She's screaming.  They're in the house.  Max is barking.  'Babe please where are you?'  He's pulling her upstairs.  Fuck.  Patches go faster!  'Try to get away baby anyway you can, try to get away.'  Fuck she's screaming again.  'Fight him baby.' 

She's free.  ‘Upstairs the room across from us, lock the door and go to the big dresser.'  She's crying, fuck.  'We're coming babe.  Get to the big dresser, open the drawer on the left.  There's a button, hit the button then close the drawer.'  She's trying. She's so fuckin scared I can feel it.  He's pounding on the door.  Finally.  'Go in the room babe, the button is on the right, it’s red halfway up the wall, close the door'.  Thank fuck! 

We pull in; my dad is right behind us.  We all run in.  VP runs to the living room.  My dad goes to the patio I run right for the stairs.  "Up Patches."  I almost fall over the fuckin guy at the bottom.  The lights come back on.  Max is barking down stairs.  'Babe stay where you are, we're here.'   ‘Three men,’ she says.  "Three men."  I throw Patches cuffs and jump over the guy getting up the stairs as fast as I can.  My gun is ready.  I check every fuckin room, closet, bathroom.  I yell clear and go to the safe room.

'I'm here Tess, I'm coming in now.'  She's still crying.  I open the door and she's on the floor rocking.  "Baby, I'm here."  I lift her up cradling her in my arms.  Fuck her whole body is shaking.  I carry her downstairs.  Max runs to us.  I sit on the couch.  My fuckin heart is pounding.  She calms with Max.  She's got some blood on her face and a scratch down her arm.  'Are you hurt?'  She's still blank.  Fuck.  I hold her tighter.  Patches comes in and sits on the table facing us.  "She was so scared Patches.  I told her to fight him.  What the fuck?  She's so small and I told her to fight him.  Look how fuckin big he is."

"Rich, she's here.  She'll be fine.  Give her a few minutes.  Her fighting him got her away."  He's so fuckin calm.  I take a breath.  "VP and Danny have the three and one that was outside.  Peter is on his way."  I nod.  I can't believe I told her to fight him.

"Can you get a towel?  I can clean her face at least."  He lifts her chin and takes a picture with his phone.  Evidence.  Fuck.

VP comes in.  I'm fuckin ashamed I told her to fight him.  "Get it outta your head.  She fuckin fought to get away.  She wouldn't have if you didn't get through.  She hit the guy at the top of the stairs.  Saved her.  Biggest thing tonight, she got safe and you got through.  You fuckin got through."

I look at him.  Fuck I did.  I just did it. I didn’t think about it.  Fuck me.  She puts her arms around me and cries on my chest.  She was so scared.  'I know babe.  You got yourself safe babe.  You did it all alone.  You got safe.'

VP hands her tissues.  She smiles up at him. "I did it."

"You did." He smiles and walks to the door.  The cops are here.

"I used my self-defense moves to get away."  She's so fuckin proud.

"You did perfect babe."  Patches comes back with a towel and cleans her face.  He so fuckin gentle with her.

"I used my moves Patches."

"I'm so fuckin proud of you baby.  You got yourself safe.  They had Max in the pantry but you still got safe.  The police need to know who these guys are.  We don't know them."

"I know the guy I used my moves on.  He's from the sub shop, he wouldn't listen when I said I was nervous he kept using my name and called me a high maintenance bitch."  She says so matter of fact.

"You're not high maintenance, baby.  Why would he come after you?"  Patches asks her.  I look at him.  Take her so I can see who we're talking about.  He puts his arms out and she goes to him.

"Evelyn threw him out because Max started growling at him.  He was going to touch me then yelled about Max being inside."  She never stops. 'Are you still with me Tess?'  I get nothing.

"I'm going to see who we're talking about."  I tell them.  Tess is still talking to Patches.  I hear men in the patio.  Holy fuck!  Walking in I smile, four guys on their knees, hands over their heads facing me.  They're all fucked up, two are having trouble breathing.  The guy from the stairs is one of the heavy breathers.  "Woman tells you she's nervous around men, has a service dog to help her because of that anxiety and your brilliant fuckin idea was not to help her out but grow that fuckin fear in her?  Did you ever think about how she got that fear put in her?" My foot connects with his head.  He's out.  "You follow a fuckin asswipe, you deserve what he gets.  We're the fuckin MC.  You walked into an Officer's house. I'd worry about that right about now.  Not even a fuckin jail cell will keep you safe."  I walk over to VP, my dad, Ben and Peter.

They look at the guys kneeling.  "Where's the other one?" Peter asks.

"I look back, guess he fell over."  I say looking back.  My dad and VP smile.  I shrug.

"How's Tess doing?"  Ben asks looking concerned.  "We need to find out who the fuck these guys are.  They knew her name, address and her background."  Fuck.

"Evelyn threw the guy sleeping out of her shop.  He wouldn't leave Tess alone then tried to touch her.  Max growled, guy started yelling about him being inside.  Evelyn threw him out."

"All this over a fuckin sandwich and ego because he was shut down?"  Peter is fuckin pissed.

"If she gets nervous, she says she nervous around men or crowds.  She told him but he wouldn't take no as an answer.  Obviously."  I look back at the asswipes.

Patches comes back in.  Kate has Tess. "She's got some marks on her body.  Fuckin guy punched her."  He looks at the guy on the floor.  "To bad he's taking a nap.  Wouldn't mind hitting him back for her."  I smile.

Peter is talking to Ben and dad.  I walk back looking at the alarm.  I don't think we've ever used it.  I'm fuckin head of Security and didn't use the alarm keeping the woman I love safe.  What the fuck is wrong with me.  Thank fuck for the safe rooms.

"Streets got surveillance but not on high.  Never thought anyone would fuck with Pres' house.  Like takin the death penalty with no trial."  VP says behind me.

"Should have used it anyway.  She's everything to us.  She deserves to be treated like she is." I tell him.

"Peter called Evelyn; she left a message with Security.  Guy works with pussy gave heads up about him talkin shit.  He's talkin to the guy now, gettin premeditated."

"Why the fuck didn't I get the message?"  Fuck!  Rage is fuckin building; a fuckin message could have avoided all this.  My fuckin old lady wouldn't be battered.  Again!

"On your desk.  Prospect left it when you met Casper.  Thought you were still in the buildin."  He says it disgusted.

"He didn't think it was important enough to fuckin tell someone?  Fuck!"  I want to fuckin hit someone, he'll do.  Fuckin Prospects.

"Tiny's dealin.  Pres pissed.  You're right.  Can't change what is.  Just givin you what happened.  Won't happen again."

I nod.  I'm not sure that's good enough right now.  I want release.  Casper comes in pissed.

I get a drink and watch the circus.  I'm not fuckin interested in the process.  I make a list in my head.  First is getting the fuckin alarm updated and using the fuckin thing.  Patches sits by me.  PD drags the fuckin guys out, literally drags them and takes them away.  I have to get out of here; I walk over to my dad’s.  I need Tess.

Two weeks

Patches

My fuckin wife is hilarious.  We take the kids to a hotel on the Cape.  It has an indoor water park.  Tess has tried every fuckin slide and now she's on the baby slide with Devan.  She only took him from Rich so she could go down the slide.  I'm laughing because it’s for fuckin babies, a total of three fuckin feet.  She hits the bottom of the foot deep water and cracks up.  Rich takes Devan laughing his ass off.  He looks back at me to make sure I'm watching her.  I throw him chin.  Fuckin Tess.  The more comfortable she gets the funnier she is.  She's so fuckin carefree she's even calmed me down.

I do a check on Darren, Jessie, Alex and Alley.  They're shooting each other with water cannons.  Ally is a fuckin sure shot.  Aaron is with Rich.  They have a fuckin ton of Lifeguards but I'm not trusting some kid with my fuckin family.  I watch the fuckin news.

I see Rich do a time check.  He whistles and everyone stops.  I laugh.  "LaPonte team out."  The lifeguard close to him gives him a dirty look.  Rich laughs in his face pointing to his arm.  "Was a SEAL little man.  I'll hold us both under and see who the fuck comes back up you look at me like that again."  I crack up seeing the kid look away.

Tess gathers the kids making sure everyone has towels.  We have lunch at the pool restaurant.  They bring out food from the hotel restaurant.  Tess didn't want everyone eating junk the whole weekend.  I talked to the hotel manager and he fixed it for us.  We leave a big tip for the use of the table and tell him we'll be back tomorrow.  Now the fucker isn't whining.

Ben bought a beach house out here.  We're going to check it out and let Kate see the kids for a little while.  We're off to the arena after that.  Rich finally scored tickets for ice skating.  I think it's Toy Story.  They'll love it as much as Tess does.  We're leaving Devan with the 'rents and picking him up in the morning so the show will be easier to manage.

We get the kids changed and into the suv.  They're excited and loud.  Tess starts them singing John Jacob Jinglehiemer Schmidt which makes it louder but at least they're louder together.  Rich is cracking up.

Finally we're at the house.  The kids are checking out the yard and beach.  Rich takes Devan; I hold Tess' hand walking behind the kids.  Max follows, without his vest on he's running around from the trees to the kids and back to us.  He's getting big, I don't really notice until I see him without the vest on. 

Ben and Danny are on the deck watching the kids.  I'm thinking something is wrong, they're sitting down.  Neither gets up.  We climb the stairs telling the older kids to keep watch over the little guys.  We laugh when they roll their eyes.  They will, they always do.  When we hit the deck Rich asks what's wrong.  They look at each other then Ben says they had vasectomies yesterday.  Rich looks at me and we laugh hysterically.  They just watch.  Kate comes out smiling taking Devan thanking us.  We both have huge smiles.  Tess asks what a vasectomy is. We crack up again.  Kate explains it making us stop.  Fuck now I feel bad.  "Why are you up?  Shouldn't you be lying down or something?"

"We could, but we've found that if you don't move you don't hurt.  I'm glad it's a nice day; we've been out her for three fuckin hours.  I think my ass is numb."  Danny says.  We of course laugh hysterically again.

Kate smiles at them.  "I will have ten kids in less than two months.  There will not be an eleventh."  Tess smiles at her.  Ut oh.  Her eyes are laughing.  "Don't you even look at me like that Tessa Anne LaPonte-Karr."

Rich cracks up.  "When she uses your whole name you're in trouble."

Tess' face falls.  He goes over to her telling her she's not really in trouble.  "He didn't have anywhere else to go.  Ben has to help him."  She says with tears in her eyes.

Kate gives Ben a death glare and pulls her from Rich.  "I'm sorry, whatever happens, happens.  We need for that to happen without me knowing though.  Right now I can't even think of more kids."  She takes Tess in the house.

Danny is holding his balls making me and Rich hold our mouths trying not to laugh.  I look at him and we burst out laughing.  Ben is bent over holding himself. 

"Fuckin kids."  They say together clearly in pain making us laugh more.

We go into the house and check it out.  It's awesome.  Typical beach house if you’re a fuckin Kennedy.  It has six bedrooms, five bath, hardwood floors, tons of bunk beds in all but two rooms, big family room and a huge old fashioned country kitchen.  Kate absolutely loves it.  She doesn't go down but we check out the 2 guest suites downstairs.  This must have cost a small fortune.  One of the rooms has towels and bathing suits on the bed.  Rich laughs, "This one is ours."

Tess looks at me with a big smile.  I look at Rich, "Really.  They're giving us a room in their new house?"

"Yeah.  They're telling us we're always welcome here.  Fuckin 'rents."  He smiles at us.

"Fuck, they're too much sometimes.  I love this fuckin family."  I tell him.  Tess goes out and back up the stairs.  We follow.  Coming around the corner we see her hugging Kate.

Kate's smiling.  "Ben had a key made for you.  Anytime you want you're welcome, there's a separate door down there."  She looks at me and Rich.  We go and hug her too telling her we love her.  The kids come in running to the rooms, the boys claim one and Ally claims the one next door to them.  We laugh watching them try out the beds.  Rich does a time check telling them we need to go.  We spend twenty minutes thanking kissing, hugging and saying goodbye.  We tell Danny and Ben we hope they feel better tomorrow.  They don't say anything making us laugh again.  "Leave Devan here tomorrow.  Little Ben is going to be with you.  Elizabeth and Devan can play together here with me and Jess."  We get the kids in the suv and head to Boston for our show.  Fuck it took forever to get out of there; I think Kate was right making them get fixed.  They don't need any more fuckin babies.

"Wonder why they did that?"  Rich asks, not saying the word so the kids don't pick it up.

"I made a joke about Danny and Ben being grandpas.  They told Kate.  She doesn't want her kids younger than their grandkids."  Tess says so matter of fact.  I crack up.

Rich looks thoughtful.  "Makes sense.  It would be funny if a middle schooler called an elementary school kid uncle or aunt."  I crack up again.  I realize I spend quite a bit of my time laughing.  Fuck it's been so fuckin good.