Page 108 of Parrish

Chapter Thirty-four

Jack Parrish

Sometimes I stare at the bulging vein in Wolf’s forehead and I wait for it to explode. Today might be the day.

“Parrish, a word,” he growls.

He might be in charge of my club now, but I’m still the fucking man in charge of this house and I don’t jump at anyone’s command. To prove that point, I pour a refill and lift the empty coffeepot in the air.

“Nico,” I summon, ignoring the tick in Wolf’s jaw.

“Ah, shit,” the kid mutters, stepping around his father. “You rang?”

“Put on a fresh pot, will you?”

“Do you wax the floors too?” Riggs quips as Nico takes the empty pot from my hands.

Wolf snatches the coffeepot out of his sons hands and slams it down on the coffee table.

“A word,” he repeats. “Now!”

“For fuck's sake, Jack, just give the man his say before this standoff turns into a pissing match,” Pipe hisses, clasping his hands together in prayer.

“Fine,” I grunt, pushing back my chair. Slicing my gaze towards Wolf, I point a finger at him. “Only because your son makes the shittiest coffee I’ve ever had,” I add, rising to my full height. Taking a sweep around the table, my gaze settles on Arrow.

“We’re not finished here,” I tell him.

He nods, and I turn to the kitchen, leading Wolf and the rest of my brothers away from the dining room. Keeping my back to them, I make my way to the sink and start to rinse out the pot. Wolf steps next to me and shuts the tap before slamming his other hand down on the counter.

“What the fuck is going on with you?”

Tossing the empty pot into the sink, I turn to him and narrow my eyes. Before I can rip into him, he beats me to the punch.

“We haven’t heard from you in days, since Pipe peeled a gun out of your hand at Junior’s grave. You got your daughter watching your son for days on end, your wife in the hospital and now, you’re running a fucking motel out of your house,” he shouts, jutting his thumb over his shoulder towards the dining room. “I’ll say it again, what the fuck is going on here?”

“First off, not that it’s any of your fucking business but I’ve been by Lacey’s house to check on Danny every fucking day and I took him to see Reina yesterday. Don’t fucking tell me how to be a father when it took you forty-eight years to become more than just the guy who writes a bunch of checks to his ex-wives.”

It’s a low blow, and he flinches at my words but ask me if I give a fuck. He’s overstepping and now so am I.

“As for my wife, well…” I got nothing.

No fucking defense.

Nothing but a gaping hole in my fucking chest.

“I’m handling it,” I lie. “As far as the fucking motel, I gave a man my word and I don’t go against my fucking word. Scout called me after his old lady got ambushed and asked if I’d give his guys a place to lay their heads while they took care of business. I didn’t get a chance go tell him the dynamics of our club have changed and I knew better than to drop them on your doorstep, so they’re staying here until Reina is discharged from the hospital.”

Recovering from my asinine remark, Wolf raises an eyebrow as he crosses his arms against his chest.

“And then where will they go?”

“I didn’t get that far,” I say. “They just got in a little while ago and we didn’t discuss what their plans were. I’m not sure how long they’ll be here…”

Hell, I’m still not sure why they are even here but I leave that shit to myself.

“If it’s only a matter of days, I won’t have to figure out an alternative. Danny is good at Lacey’s and there is no set date for Reina to come home.”

“We got rooms upstairs from Kate’s,” Riggs offers, earning him a glare from Wolf.

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