Misalliance (Death Dwellers MC #4.5) (15 page)

She looked between Meggie and Kendall, then narrowed her eyes and nodded thoughtfully. “Offering some advice to Meggie.”

The tone of her voice almost made it sound like a test, although Kendall had no idea why she’d quiz her on anything. “I heard,” she admitted coolly. “This is what I mean, Meggie. He controls every part of your life. He’s
never
going to let you work, so either you walk away from him or stop pretending to have your own brain.”

“Fuck off, Kendall,” Meggie growled. “Don’t get into the conversation if you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Without another word, she turned on her heel and stalked away.

“Wait here,” Roxy ordered, throwing Kendall a look of exasperation. When she returned Harley-free and hands on hips, she studied Kendall, and then headed to the dishwasher. “If I was you, I’d stop fucking with Meggie. That little girl doesn’t curse, and, yet, she just told you to
fuck off
.”

Kendall sat on a stool. “The truth hurts.”

“No, stupidity hurts.” She yanked open a cabinet and began stacking the clean plates inside. “You didn’t take one fucking thing I said to heart.”

“I did, too. Obviously, you were wrong. You said she was happy. She isn’t, if she’s disagreeing with the asshole.”

She slammed the door shut and rounded on her. “Outlaw isn’t an asshole to her or to me. Since you’re in the man’s house, I suggest you keep your damn opinions to yourself.”

“It isn’t
his
house. It’s Meggie’s. The title is in her name. Just another way to control her.”

“What the hell are you going on about now? How is putting the house in her name controlling her? As I see it, she has the power. She can put him out anytime she wants to.”

“Oh, please. He’s giving her everything without her having to lift a finger. He knows she won’t walk away from such an easy life. That’s why he does it.”

“You know what, sugar? Your ass did right staying the fuck away. I got through to you that night, but Meggie just set you off, no matter what I say or she does.”

“His manipulation of her sets me off!”

Kendall ears perked at the opening and closing of the door, but anger gripped her. She didn’t care if Bunny heard the argument or not.

“He abuses her. I know because I was abused too. That’s why I can’t tolerate the asshole. I look at him and I know in a few years she’s going to be worse off than her mother. If he lives. If he doesn’t, she’ll be lost. Like
my
mother, who tried to commit suicide for the first time, after my father got killed. She couldn’t live without him. That’s Meggie arguing with that asshole just to be able to work. That’s why he doesn’t like me. He didn’t spurn me in Hawaii for
her.
He didn’t fuck me because he can’t handle me.”

Roxy’s eyes widened at the exact same moment she moved, and Kendall’s hair was yanked so hard she stumbled. The accompanying growl left no doubt in her mind that Christopher gripped her.

“Let her go, Outlaw,” Roxy demanded, the insertion of her body between Kendall and Christopher saving Kendall’s life. “You don’t hit no damn women.”

“I ain’t hittin’ her,” he snarled in a low, furious voice as he tightened his hand in her hair. “I’m killin’ her.”

Kendall trembled.

“You’re not killing her either,” Roxy said in a frantic voice.

“The fuck I ain’t.”

“Let me talk to her.
Please
.”

Instead of complying, he shoved Roxy away, spun Kendall around, and grabbed her throat.

“I’m sorry,” she managed, truly afraid of him, for the first time in a long time. If ever. “I’m sorry.”

Frantic, Roxy grabbed his arm. “Jesus, don’t do this.”

He tightened his fingers around her throat.

“
Christopher
,” Roxy begged. “Meggie wouldn’t want you to kill Kendall.”

A tiny flicker of humanity settled into his eyes at the mention of Meggie’s name.

“She needs you,” Roxy persisted.

His nostrils flared. “She already fuckin’ pissed cuz I wanna launder money through her and Bitsy new company.”

The first words he’d spoken in minutes shocked Kendall to her core.

“That and
this
are two separate things.”

“
That’s
her gettin’ fuckin’ mad cuz she pregnant.
This
me protectin’ her from this cunt’s spite.”

“Kendall’s pregnant, too, and John Boy is happy again. You said it yourself over breakfast.”

“They’ll be fuckin’ happy in hell to-fuckin-gether.”

Yes, because he was fully prepared to kill Johnnie, if he killed her. He didn’t care what he had to do, to protect Meggie.

“I’m sorry, Christopher,” Kendall managed.

“Don’t fuckin’ call me by my fuckin’ name, you miserable fuckin’ bitch.”

“Don’t do this for anybody’s sake, but Meggie’s,” Roxy pleaded. “You’ll devastate her.”

He released a frustrated growl, and shoved Kendall away, thrusting his fingers through his hair.

Roxy sagged against the counter and closed her eyes. “Go talk to Meggie, Outlaw,” she said in a weak voice. “Calm yourself down. Let me take care of this one.”

He took a step towards Kendall, and she cried out, shielding her head. She didn’t trust him not to hit her. “Megan ‘round this motherfuckin’ house, plannin’ a fuckin’ baby shower for you, and you still actin’ like a fuckin’ psycho cunt.”

“Meggie’s what?”

He reached for her again, but Roxy grabbed him, and this time, he didn’t use his superior strength to outmaneuver her.

“I don’t fuckin’ want you near my girl
ever
fuckin’ again. I want you fuckin’ off clubhouse premises in an hour.”

“Please, no! I’m so sorry. I misunderstood what I heard.”

Instead of speaking again, he walked around her and headed out the door.

Turning to Roxy and seeing her fury, Kendall burst into tears. Surprisingly, the woman drew Kendall into her arms, and clucked to her in sympathy.

Christopher “Outlaw” Caldwell stalked up the staircase to the third floor, and down the hall to the bedroom he shared with his wife.

He’d started the day off fucking furious, simply because of the arguing he and Megan had been doing for two fucking days. She wanted something, separate and apart from the home health care business, for him to use for any laundering he wanted to do. It was a fucking pain in the ass. They already had a company in place for her and Zoann, so he didn’t see the need to go through all the bullshit to start another one.

Now, he’d walked in and heard that psycho bitch and her bull-fucking-shit. He hadn’t told Megan about the episode in Hawaii because of the two little motherfuckers she carried. Seeing Johnnie content again, he’d decided he’d let the shit go.

Those girls needed to get the fuck along, so he and Johnnie could get the fuck along. If they kept being pains in the asses with their bullshit, shit eventually would go sideways between him and Johnnie, and
never
get back on fucking track.

But, no, that cunt couldn’t let that shit go. At first, Christopher thought she’d been talking
to
Megan. There would’ve been no saving her fucking ass, then.

Despite how much he enjoyed having his brother happy again, Christopher’s policy remained firm. Fuck with Megan and you were buried. Case fucking closed.

Not finding her in their sitting room, he headed to the bedroom, stopped, smiling at her as she curled up on their bed. She was nothing but belly, just like she had been with CJ.

When she’d been pregnant with CJ and Patrick, he hadn’t carried around this fear of her dying. He’d been able to go about his business and act effectively as the club president and her husband.

Now, he wanted to keep watch over her, to assure himself he wouldn’t lose her.

He needed to get the business of Sharper and that motherfucking Digger resolved. He owed Sharper for K-P’s death and for helping Logan to rise from the dead.

And for turning Big Joe into the merciless, strung-out girl killer he’d become.

Motherfucking Sharper. He’d taken Big Joe from him and K-P away from Mortician. True, Sharper hadn’t been the one to scalp, skin and gut K-P, but he’d been the motherfucker who’d got Logan back.

He was responsible for Digger betraying them.

Christopher grunted, hating the fuck out of Mortician’s brother. He hated the fuck out of himself, too. That motherfucker—
Digger
—had left Megan to die.

And, yet…Christopher clenched his jaw.

Yet, the man had saved Bailey’s life. He’d
chosen
her life over his brother’s and nephew’s. His loyalty had been to Mort, who’d always looked out for his kid brother.

Christopher hated that he understood Digger’s actions. He hated that he would’ve done the same thing if faced with similar circumstances.

He scowled at Megan.

Interfering little motherfucker
.

Her constant whisperings over the reasons for Digger’s actions well and truly fucked with him. Despite his demands to shut the fuck up because his orders had been given, she kept at him.

But the brothers grew restless. They wanted answers and justice. Pre-Megan, shit would’ve been taken care of weeks ago. Normally, she disassociated herself from whoever he absolutely
had
to fuck up. Ignorant fucks like that fucking deputy, who didn’t give a fuck about their lives.

Digger’s death, though, would be something different. Megan would know because Bailey would know.

Both girls understood club dynamics. They knew the code of the club ruled, and Digger had broken trust.

To save Mortician
!

Running a hand through his hair, Christopher’s gaze swept over his wife again.

He’d been fucking half-assing on finding Digger, allowing Mort to give phony reports. He’d let that motherfucker get away with meeting Digger the night Harley had been born.

Since Mort was on his honeymoon, Christopher had backed off with the tracking. He hadn’t put a device in their luggage as he had on Mort’s bike and phone. He had the same on Bailey’s car and phone.

For one week, he’d had Val put cameras in Mort’s and Bailey’s house. He’d ordered it removed after half a day. One because Mort couldn’t keep his dick out of his wife and that wasn’t something Christopher wanted to see, and two, he’d heard Mortician and Bailey’s conversation over dinner.

“We could reach out to him when we’re in Europe, Lucas.”

Christopher didn’t need to be told who
he
was, although Mortician played dumb.

“Who, girl?”

“Digger.”

He’d gone still, before swigging from his pint of green vodka, then tackling his food. “What the fuck you talking about, Bailey?”

“The way you were staring at Harley just now…I look at her, too, and think of my dad. I would give anything for him to see her-”

“K-P see her,” Mortician said gruffly. He glanced at the baby as she lay in a bassinet close to them. “And just because you thinking about Kitchen Bitch, don’t mean I’m thinking about Digger.”

She lifted a brow.

He scowled.

Even now, Christopher smiled at the evidence, happy to see Mort as ensconced in pussification as he was.

“Fuck, fine. Yeah, I was thinking about that motherfucker. Thinking how the fuck could he do this to me? To Prez? He could’ve come to him or me. He could’ve went to John Boy. Johnnie would’ve written a fucking how-to manual on fucking up Sharper. Fuck, he could’ve even gone to Val. He took you, man, and just left Meggie girl to be killed. What the fuck is wrong with that stupid motherfucker?”

“Maybe-”

“I’ll tell you what the fuck wrong with him. He tired of fucking living. He tired of
my
fucking ass being alive. Prez like a fucking brother to me. Been more fucking loyal than my fucking brother. But I’m acting like a bitch and having fucking nightmares about killing Digger stupid fucking ass. I hate that motherfucker so fucking much, Bailey.”