“Sex Piston took my appointments today. I told her I’d take hers for the next two days. I also told her we would watch the kids if she and Stud want to check out the castles to double-check that we didn’t miss anything.”
“That feels amazing,” he groaned. “I was going to have a talk with Stud tomorrow. It can wait until he gets back.”
“About Star?”
“Yes.”
“I think it’s the right decision.”
“I’m going to talk to him, but I’m going to play it the way he wants.”
Crazy Bitch straddled him on the bed, putting her weight on her knees and not on him. She edged her hands down to his shoulder blades, then his sides, working the knots and tension out of him and letting the room go silent to put him in a peaceful frame of mind. She knew when he had fallen asleep; he sank deeper into the mattress and his body became heavier.
She carefully moved over him, not wanting to disturb his sleep. Then, going back to the bathroom, she silently closed the door then showered to remove the oil.
Her sheets would be a mess in the morning. She had already changed them after their lovemaking before the pizza had arrived. The ones on the bed now were her extra set. She hadn’t gone down to the basement to do laundry in a while. It gave her the fucking creeps, so she always made sure she did laundry during the day.
Yawning, she turned the water off then toweled off, thinking about how she would wash a load before going to work tomorrow.
Returning to the bedroom, she put on a clean nightshirt then went to the wall to turn the light off. She didn’t want the sound of her voice waking Calder. He was exhausted from the ride from Lexington, and she knew he hadn’t slept since being back in town. Crazy Bitch wanted to cuddle with him, but didn’t want to rouse him.
Her mind went over the clue that Calder had read out. He thought someone was trying to stop her from winning the bikes. She shook her head on her pillow, trying to become more comfortable. Someone was trying to stop her. What Calder didn’t know was she was trying to win something more valuable than a thousand bikes. She was trying to save a town.
She woke early the next morning. The morning sun peeking in the blinds had her looking toward Calder to see he hadn’t moved.
Dressing, she put on her least favorite stretchy leggings to hide the monitor and slipped on her sneakers she would change before going to work. Picking out a teal off-the-shoulder top, she finished dressing then picked up the laundry basket. Stopping at the hall closet, she plunked down the laundry detergent onto the clothes before carrying it outside to go down two flights of stairs to the laundry room.
The light was out when she opened the door. Turning it on, she walked around the room, making sure it was empty before she hurriedly separated her clothes and started the washers for a quick wash.
Turning toward the doorway, she nearly screamed when she saw a dark figure coming into the room. When he raised his face from underneath his hat, she gave a relieved sigh.
“You nearly caused me to have a fucking heart attack!”
Her sigh might have come too soon.
Lucky furiously strode toward her. “Have you lost your mind coming down here? How are we supposed to keep an eye on you if you keep doing stupid stunts?”
Crazy Bitch folded her hands over her chest. “I made the last man who talked to me that way regret it.”
“I’m already regretting your involvement. One more thing goes wrong, I’m pulling the plug.”
“You do it, and I’ll keep trying to bring that sheriff around myself.”
“What’s it going to take to make you stop? You going to prison, or worse, being dead?”
“I’m not going to be dead. Your narcotic buddies are watching out for me. I’m not stopping. I told you when my mother died from that OD that I was going to find who was responsible for supplying her with those pills. If I hadn’t screwed up by throwing that drink at Sam, we would have been able to use him.”
“That wasn’t the only way you screwed up. You going to his office had his boss taking another look at him when two women in the office got enough courage to complain about Sam.”
She shrugged. “I told you I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t try that shit on another woman. I wasn’t going to have that on my conscience, knowing we could have stopped it from happening.”
“The Narcotic Task Force was working on getting a search warrant.”
“They get one? Fat Louise said he quit.”
“He did. When his boss was looking into the complaints, he discovered numerous prescriptions to patients he hadn’t authorized. Sam had.”
“So, arrest him. Make him tell you that he’s paying the sheriff off, too. I told you when I found his burner phone in my back seat and gave it to Shade that I would do anything necessary to help, and I’ve done everything you wanted, except when I went to Sam’s office.”
“What you did was spook him when the doctor started digging, which was what the task force didn’t want. You’re no longer a credible witness.” Lucky moved to the side when the washer stopped to put the wet clothes into the dryer.
“Those weren’t my pills, and you know it was bullshit I was even pulled over.”
Lucky nodded. “They know, but the drugs were still found, and now you have a list of charges against you.”
“I guess your buddies on the task force need to make the charges disappear.”
“They can’t just make them disappear. It’s not that simple. They have to have proof he planted the drugs in your car.”
“Then find what you need and quit pussy-footing around. Jamestown is becoming a ghost town. More people are dying every day while the drug task force tries to build a case against the sheriff.”
“They’re trying. I’m trying. This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to take Eli down. I don’t want to lose him a second time.”
Crazy Bitch opened the dryers, dumping her clean laundry into her basket and setting the detergent on top.
“You’re wrinkling your clothes.”
She shrugged, unconcerned. “I need a favor for if anything happens to me. It’s a big one. I had to take several hits being an informant—”
“I heard. That must have hurt. We appreciate your dedication.”
She shot him a nasty look. “Calder couldn’t give a good spanking if he had a gun pointed at his head. It’s not in his DNA. Don’t make me regret letting you bug my living room to keep me safe.”
“So, what’s the favor?”
“When the shit goes down, I don’t want anyone to know I was the informant. The brothers in the club won’t understand.”
“That you’re not as hard as you pretend?”
“I’m not pretending.” Tired of holding her clothes, she set the basket on the laundry table. “I tell Sex Piston, T.A., Fat Louise, and Killyama everything. We even share the clues. I don’t want them in any danger. If anything happens to me, I want them protected. That’s why I haven’t told them anything.”
“I can do that.” Lucky nodded, starting to leave.
Crazy Bitch grabbed his arm. “Make sure. But that’s not the favor. I want you to personally make sure that Calder is protected, too. No handing it over to any of The Last Riders or any of your buddies on the task force to handle. I want you protecting him. Another thing—”
“Don’t you have to go to work?”
“I’m going. I need to get something off my chest. Gavin’s ex. She’s bad news.”
Lucky stiffened. “I personally know Taylor. This is a hard situation for her.”
“You know everything about me, don’t you?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.
He didn’t say jack shit in response.
“Who do you think is the better judge of character: you or me?”
He stared back at her. She could see the conflict in his expression.
“I’m saying outright that bitch is bad news. Take it however you want. I’m only giving Viper a heads-up because the Destructors are going t
o win our bet.”
“I’ll convey your concerns to Viper.”
“You do that.” She picked up her laundry basket. “You want to go first?” She motioned to the door.
“No, you go ahead.”
She waited until Lucky was at the back of the room before juggling her clothes to open the door.
“Crazy Bitch? Take care.”
28
Crazy Bitch reclined on the couch, watching Star, Harley, and Calder play a card game. They sat on the floor as she flipped through a new magazine she had bought at the store when she had picked up food and snacks for Sex Piston’s kids.
“Why do we have to stay here?” Keri complained from the other side of the couch.
“Blame the man. My monitor will beep if I leave Jamestown.”
“The man?”
Crazy Bitch looked at her from over the magazine. “The man, the police,” she explained. “Jeez, kids don’t know anything anymore.”
“I know enough not to get arrested.” The smartass gave her a holier-than-thou look that had Crazy Bitch begging for a setdown. And she was just the bitch to do it if Keri wasn’t careful.
“I guess you’re just smarter than me.” Crazy Bitch flipped another page.
“Obviously.”
The young woman was getting too big for her own britches, but Crazy Bitch let it go. Keri knew better than to act like that when Sex Piston or Stud were around.
Calder picked up one of the cards that Star had discarded, not saying anything, yet his stern expression didn’t leave Keri.
“Or Calder,” Meri added.
“That is unnecessary, and I expected you to act better in front of your brother and sister.” Calder slammed his cards down, about to get off the floor.
Crazy Bitch turned another page. “It’s not going to work.”
The twin girls turned resentful faces toward her.
“Calder and I aren’t going to get angry and send you to stay with Skulls and Sizzle. Sex Piston told me, if you act up, to call her and they’d come back, so you’re out of luck.”
“Why couldn’t we stay there, anyway?” Meri argued.
“Because Sex Piston knows you’ll sneak out when they go to bed.”
“We wouldn’t.”
“Please… I don’t need to show you my GED certificate to know what you two are wanting to do. I used to be seventeen once, and had more hormones than sense. Sex Piston is nipping it in the bud. She has no intention of being a grandmother anytime soon.”
“Keri and I are good girls.”
“There is no such thing as a good girl. There’s only those who haven’t been tempted.”
“You’re so lame!” Meri hit her forehead with her hand, rolling her eyes.
Crazy Bitch let the magazine drop to her lap. She could take a lot from her friend’s stepdaughters; being called lame wasn’t one of them.
“Does your lollipop that you’re willing to get grounded for have a name?”
Meri and Keri shared a conspiratorial look.
“Or names?” Crazy Bitch amended.
Meri gave up pretending to be preoccupied by her cell phone. “Steven and Brandon.”
“Those names sound lame to me.”
“What do you know? You don’t even have a boyfriend.” Meri rose to sit on the edge of the couch cushion, rebelliously glowering at her.
“How many you had?”
“A couple.”
“When you’ve had a hundred, we’ll talk.” Crazy Bitch gave Calder an imperceptible shake of her head to stay out of the argument.
“You’re really going to admit you had that many?” Scorn filled the little bitch’s voice as Keri gave her sister an approving nod.
The two girls thought they could take her on? Go for it, she thought, not losing her temper. The bitches were just sharpening their claws. She was about to teach them her skills of being a real bitch.
“Calder, why don’t you take Star and Harley to the kitchen? I promised them an ice cream sundae. The jar of hot fudge is in the cabinet.” She patiently waited until the younger children were distracted before she started sharpening her own claws.
“Are they seniors, too?” she asked the twins.
Crazy Bitch knew she had them when their expressions began to look sickly.
“How old, nineteen or twenty? Older?”
“Age doesn’t matter. Girls are more mature than boys, anyway.”
She grinned vindictively. “Older than twenty? Damn, Sex Piston didn’t mention you both have boyfriends older than twenty.”
Keri nearly fell off the couch. Righting herself, she stood up. “They’re seniors in college. We met them when our class went to Eastern University.”
“You got to love higher education.” Her grin widened. “How often do they sneak down from Richmond?”
“That haven’t. It’s the first time—”
“Shut up, Keri.” Meri angrily turned toward her twin.
“Don’t worry; I won’t say anything. This is just girl talk.” Crazy Bitch tried to waylay Meri’s concern.
“You won’t say anything to Stud or Sex Piston?” Meri asked distrustfully.
Crazy Bitch knew which twin was smarter. “No, I’m all about girls getting a little something-something. So, you’ve only been texting them since you met?”
“Yes. I suppose you’re going to tell them that, too.”
“I said I wouldn’t, and I won’t.” She raised her hand in the air. “I swear. How about you girls forget about sneaking out? It’s not going to happen. I’ll get my case and do your nails.”
“Since we don’t have any other options, I guess so.”
Crazy Bitch went to the bathroom and got her nail case, taking out her favorite and putting it in a drawer before going back into the living room.
Opening the case, she settled back down on the couch as Meri and Keri started searching through the colors of polish.
“Where’s the one you’re wearing?” Keri asked.
“It’s empty. I threw it away,” she lied without regret. “This one is really pretty.” She held a sheer pink color for her to see.
“That’ll work.” The teenager held her hand out as if she was the Queen of Sheba.
Crazy Bitch worked tirelessly on Keri’s nails, enjoying watching Calder and Star eating their sundaes at the counter as Harley made a mess of his, mainly eating the Oreos and sauce on top.
“Those sandals are sharp. They new?”
Keri chewed on her bottom lip. “Yes.”
“They look like a new pair Sex Piston bought when we went shopping.”
“She let me borrow them.” Keri kept her gaze focused on her nails.
“That’s nice of her. She never lets me or any of the bitches borrow anything. She even gets pissed if we go in her closet to look.”
Neither girl filled the silence.
Crazy Bitch continued talking to fill the void. “You really should stop chewing your nails; it’s very unattractive. Older men would consider it a childish habit.” She lifted the hand she was working on to examine it closer before lowering it to finish painting it. “It looks like you’re starting to get a little wart on your forefinger. I’d get that taken care of before it spreads.”
“I will.”
“Raise your head; you can look at it later.” She finished her pinky with a final swipe of the nail polish before putting the brush back into the bottle and twisting it closed.
“You’re next, Meri. You want the same color?”
“No.” She reluctantly handed her the color she had chosen.
“You sure you want this color?”
“Why?”
“With your skin coloring, it could make your hand look yellow.”
Meri’s cheeks flushed. She had picked the same shade of fingernail polish as her top.
The girl found a different color in her case. “Is this better?”
Crazy Bitch let her pained look speak for itself, sending the girl picking the first one she ca
me to, looking at her in askance at her choice.
“Would you like me to pick one for you?” she offered pityingly.
At her embarrassed nod, she chose juicy magenta.
“That’s lovely,” Meri complimented her choice.
“I know.”
She started filing Meri’s nails after she had removed her old polish. “I see you have your sister’s habit.”
“I’m trying to stop.”
“You and Keri both have your licenses now. You should come to the shop once a month and let me do your nails. It looks like a newbie has been doing it for you.”
“I do them.”
“Oh… that explains it.”
She painted Meri’s nails as Calder helped Harley get ready for bed then put him in the spare bedroom as Star took her shower and put on her nightgown and robe.
She used the opportunity of Calder being out of the room to swipe at them further.
“You have pictures of your boyfriends?”
“Uh… no.”
“Come on, share. I promised not to tell. When I get done painting your nails, I’ll show you pictures of some of my old boyfriends.”
“All right. Keri, show her.”
Keri got off the chair, bringing her phone over to show a picture of one boy who was sitting at a desk.
“That one yours?”
“Yes. This is the one Meri likes.” She swiped her finger to show a picture of another boy sitting on a motorcycle that no brother would be seen dead on. The baby bitches made it too easy.
“They’re cute. Yours get help for that skin condition?”
“It’s usually not that bad. He said it was an allergic reaction to something he ate.”
“Then he should stop eating,” she said disparagingly. “Meri’s is much better-looking. I bet he gets all the girls in college with that picture. Of course, they don’t know he doesn’t know how to ride it.”
“He rides it all the time.”
“It’s brand new. I bet he’s ridden it once.”
“How can you tell that from a picture?”
“You can see the sales person behind him.”
“That’s his brother.”