Page 22 of Moonshine Lullabies

They started talkin’ but it was about school, so I let it slide for now, an’ after a minute, I realized she was helping so I said no more.

“We’re goin’ out to check one o’ the stills,” Hex murmured to Cor a moment later, stopping to bend and give her a kiss. She nodded and he and Collier went out the back while Chainsaw cursed over by the front door, shakin’ a hand, and suckin’ a knuckle while Axe laughed at him.

I exhaled. The sheer amount of people and the cacophony of sound that came with the rowdy bikers living it up in the living room and their video games was getting to be a lot. Alina came over and leaned back against the counter, putting her hand over mine where I held the kitchen knife as I sliced through onions.

“You okay?” she asked, and I sniffed.

“Yeah, I’m cuttin’ onions.”

She laughed and asked, “I get that’s why you’re cryin’nowbut I mean, with everything. You alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah, ain’t nothin’ out here. Family’s had wars with poachers and other fishermen before.”

She took her hand away and said, “Yeah, but last night was a little different.”

I nodded and then shook my head. “Yeah, but no, at the same time. Out here in the country, it’s just a different way of life, is all.”

She nodded but still looked worried and I could appreciate that.

“I’m fine,” I told her. “Just worried about Tate. Always knew this day would come, eventually. God forbid our parents ever find out.”

“They won’t. Tate ain’t stupid and neither are we,” John-Paul said from behind me, making me jump. He opened up the fridge and got out a beer.

“Yeah, but the kid he popped in the mouth knows and that means it’s on the wind and you know these parts.”

“Shit, I didn’t think of that,” he said, pulling the tab on the can.

“They find out, they find out. Ain’t worth borrowin’ trouble that ain’t happened yet.”

“True dat,” he said, taking a drink and wandering off back into the living room.

“Anything I can do to help?” Alina asked.

“You know how to make a roux?” I asked.

“Ah… I either under do it or overdo it. I can’t seem to perfect it.”

I smiled. “Well, then, you gonna learn. Get that butter over there to meltin’.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said with a grin just as Tate wandered off back to his room.

“Oh, I’ve got to learn this,” Cor said, and she went to stand between me and Alina.

“More the merrier,” I said. “But you in the kitchen, you gonna work,” I declared a little louder and chased Bennie right on outta here where he was closing the fridge from grabbing a beer of his own.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Collier…

I was draggin’ ass by the time we got done with the still and makin’ sure everything was doin’ what it was supposed to be doin’. After, I had to make some decisions on whether it was worth it to have Hex run my ass past a store to pick up some fresh clothes or whether I should ride all the way back into the city to throw some of my shit into a bag.

I opted for the former and ran into a big box store to grab some fresh jeans, a pack of socks, a pack of boxers and a pack of tee shirts. I was good for the whole damn week and then some for a little under a hundred bucks. That shit worked for me.

I mean, it wasn’t anything special, literally just a six-pack of black, gray, and maybe a blue tee shirt in there, a pack of six boxer briefs, and a ten pack of socks, but that was more than enough for me. I even grabbed a pair of sweatpants on clearance to serve as something to sleep in.

Hell, it was probably more than all the shit I had put together back at home. I was something of a minimalist like that. The jeans I had on were definitely still serviceable, but the tee I had on was old and had holes. Anybody else would probably call it iffy but to me it was still good.

By the time Hex and I pulled back up at the house, there was a new front door but Cor’s car was gone. So was La Croix, Saint and I couldn’t tell who else’s bike, but it had to be somebody’s because the pres wasn’t supposed to go anywhere without at least a two-man wrecking crew with him.

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