Page 13 of Property of Madman

This is what they’ve been missing the entire time I was married. A man who isn’t scared to play with them. Who will remember the things important to each of them and make them feel valued. John was always good at looking at the report cards and handing out cash as a reward, but he never truly noticed or paid attention to the day-to-day assignments or the projects that interested my kids.

After tossing each kid in the deep end of the pool a few times, he’s back at the grill, checking the temperature. River jumps inthe pool, having swim competitions with his siblings, allowing them to randomly win.

Maybe the ranch is good for him. However, I still worry he’s messing things up by not going to college right away. I don’t want him to look back and realize he’s made a mistake by waiting.

“I told the kids about the snakes. Of course, the boys want to go see them, but they’ve promised me they won’t go out there without you.”

“Shit, didn’t think about that,” Gavin mutters. More to himself than me, and I quietly laugh. With us staying longer this trip, he’s going to learn even more about what it’s like to have curious kids around all the time. I hope he’s as ready as he claims. He’s never given me a reason to doubt his word before, so I won’t start now.

Chapter 7

MADMAN

Idon’t know what it is I’m expecting exactly when we all make it into Church, but it isn’t a few of my brothers sportingblack eyes. “The fuck happened?” I grumble. The first two aren’t saying shit, but I have a feeling it’s over a nurse and someone not getting to escort her to Chicago. One thing around here, no matter who you are, if you talk shit to another brother and they don’t like it, you may take a fist to the face over it. And you?” I direct at War.

He sighs, “Found a chick down the street. When I asked her to come with me, she got spicy.”

Havoc mutters beside him, “Crazy bitch threw hands damn near the minute we approached her.”

My brow raises. “Yet you seem fine.”

He shrugs, “I’ve dated crazy chicks before, I know to stay the fuck out of their swinging range.”

The brothers around the table, including me, all chuckle. “War? Who the fuck was this woman?”

“Got her tied up in the barn on the northwestern corner.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. Why am I just now hearing about it?”

Havoc interrupts, “She got loose the first time, so this fucker was building her a cage to sit in. Then you called Church, so we figured we’d bring it up with everyone around.”

My fingers move to massage my temples. This is the last shit I need going on right now, on top of everything else. “Audrey andher kids are here. We can’t have caged women on the property now, let alone at any time. Do you know how bad for business this is if anyone finds out?”

“Or if the Sheriff gets a random warrant?” Brass huffs, shaking his head.

I meet his gaze with a nod. Glad one of us here besides me gets the severity of this. “Did you happen to get any information out of this newly acquired prisoner since you had plenty of time to build her a cage, rather than bringing her to the clubhouse for questioning like any sane person might do?”

War drinks deeply from his bottled water, and I notice it isn’t only his eye that’s been hit, but he’s got scratches on the side of his neck. The brother looks like he was attacked by a feral cat, not a female.

“Was the woman big or at least muscular?” I continue speaking, glancing between him and Havoc, since he was the obvious sidekick in this cluster fuck.

War mumbles, “Probably about four-eleven if I had to profile her.”

I can’t hold back, a burst of laughter flies free. “Four-fucking-eleven? How in the hell did she reach so high to get your ass in the face and neck?” The brothers are quietly rumbling with laughter while War and Havoc stare on, stoically. They don’t find this situation funny, and frankly, neither do I, but it’s so goddamn ridiculous I have to laugh over it.

He coughs, which is fake as fuck, but he’s trying to cover what he’s saying. “She, uh, got me when I tried to lift her over my shoulder.”

Havoc supplies, “He took an elbow to the face, then she got him with her nails. Damn near took our brother to the ground. Thought I was gonna have to go in for a minute and tap him out so we could collect her to bring her in for information.”

Slasher slaps the top of the table, gravely commenting, “Fucking hellcats. You don’t know until you know. Those women are like trying to tame two full-size men.”

“Christ,” I mutter under my breath. These fuckers, I swear. Big dumb asses some days, that’s who I’ve got watching my back. This is exactly what I mean when I say it’s the same as being a manager, never knowing what you’re going to get. Give them a full-grown man wielding a machete and they’ll take him down no problem, even snap a neck or two if needed. Put a tiny sprite in front of them and you’d swear they were wearing oven mitts when they try to even touch her.

“Reign, head back with these two and see what info you can dig up once these fuckers manage to get some information out of her.”

“These hands are for love, Prez,” War tries, and the brothers chuckle. I just shake my head.

“Bullshit, War, I’ve seen you lay out a man for looking at you wrong.”

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