Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 107823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“Guess we gotta believe the story she’s tellin’ us ’til we find out otherwise.” Trip found Shade in the group. “What d’you think, since she’s been stayin’ with you and Chelle?”
Shade jerked up one shoulder. “Don’t got any reason not to believe her. Says she don’t got anywhere to go and she’s worried she’s gonna be out on the street.”
“We ain’t gonna let that happen. She don’t need to be worried about that.” Trip’s response did not surprise Easy.
“Chelle tells her that just about every damn day. Says she can stay as long as she wants with us.”
“And what d’you think about that?” Trip asked him.
“Don’t think it’s smart. Don’t mind her stayin’ for a few weeks ‘cause Maddie and Josie did so well helpin’ Jude adjust. But after that…” Shade shook his head.
“What’s the worry?” Trip asked. “Another mouth to feed, clothes, and everythin’ else that has to do with a kid?”
Shade sighed. “No. Ain’t that. Know we all chip in to take care of our own.”
“She ain’t ‘our own.’ We need to decide on that first, don’t we?” Dodge asked.
“Still wanna hear what Shade’s concern is,” Trip told the bar manager.
“Jude.”
Chapter Three
Jude?
Everyone stared at Shade confused.
“They’re both fourteen,” he said, as if that should explain everything. “Not sayin’ they’d…” Shade shook his head again. “But give them a coupla years, ain’t riskin’ that. She got nowhere else to go, then okay, we’ll deal with it. But if we can figure out somethin’ else, think it would be for the best. I trust Jude, he’s a damn good kid, but you know how teenagers can get. ‘Specially when their hormones are all over the place. Prefer not to have that temptation a bedroom away. For either of them.”
Trip scrubbed a hand down his beard. “Yeah, get what you’re sayin’. Didn’t think about it like that. Same concern Judge had with Ry stayin’ in the house with Saylor. The easy fix was giving him his own room in the bunkhouse but we can’t do that with Gabi.” He glanced around. “Anybody got any ideas?”
“What about Crash and Liz? Maybe they’d take her in as their house mouse. Enroll her in school down in Shadow Valley,” Cage suggested.
“Ain’t she too young to be a house mouse?” Dodge asked.
“It would get her away from Hillbilly Hill and the memories of the shit she went through,” Judge answered.
“But would it really? They’re up here a lot. ‘Specially now that Rush is here,” Trip said. “Liz wants to spend time with her sister and nephew. Can’t blame her for that since Stel and her are tryin’ to make up for lost time.”
“But are they gonna be up here as often after Crash knocks her up?” Rook asked.
“We don’t know that’s gonna happen.” Trip lifted a palm. “And fuck if I’m askin’. That’s their business. I could reach out to Zak and see if anyone down there needs a house mouse. But fourteen’s a bit young, really, to be one. My guess is the Angels’ prez will say the same. She needs the chance to be a kid and have the opportunity to grow up in a safe environment. Apparently, that group home wasn’t it. And we all know the Guardians of Freedom certainly wasn’t, either.”
“Hear me out for a sec,” Dodge started. “Who outta all of us could relate to what happened to her up on that mountain better than Red?”
Silence descended around the whole group.
“Fuck,” someone finally muttered on the other side of the room. It could’ve been any of them because they were all thinking it.
“Yeah, not sure if that’s gonna work,” Trip said, flipping off his black ball cap and raking his fingers through his hair. “They just took on three kids under five.”
More silence. Because all of them were thinking that, too.
“I’m gonna repeat that slowly. Sig and Red just took on three young kids.” Trip raised both of his eyebrows to emphasize everything he didn’t say out loud.
Easy couldn’t keep track of who was saying what in the rush of conversation that followed, because too many of his brothers started putting in their two cents and it became hard to track.
“Yeah, not sure they should be addin’ a fourteen year old to the mix.”
“Sig helped Red.”
“But Red helped Sig. She could help Gabi.”
“But can she?”
“Gabi could help with the three little ones. Not like a house mouse but more like an older sister. And while she does that, they give her some stability,” Judge finally said.
“We’ll all give her some stability,” Trip corrected the sergeant at arms. “Remember it takes a fuckin’ village.”
“Prez, you worried about the kids bein’ too much for Sig?” Rev asked.
“Don’t need him spiralin’ back down to the bottom,” Trip answered. “So yeah, I’m worried. Red helps keep him at the surface but what if she starts slippin’? She slips, he’s gonna slip and they’re both gonna tumble back into the dark abyss.”