Page 78 of Pumpkin
“Where is that shell casing now?” Lucky asked Keys.
Keys typed on his computer some more. “Harrisburg.”
Lucky looked down the table at Ranger. “You up for a little B and E?”
Ranger smiled. “Absolutely.”
“You can’t just take the casing,” Demo argued. “We need to replace it with one or somehow clean it. They’ll come down on all of us if they discover the casing is missing.”
“I don’t want you going alone,” Bulldog told Ranger.
“Ghost has gotten as much rest as you and Lucky,” Ranger argued. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
Pumpkin hated that he couldn’t volunteer to go with his club brother. But he’d barely managed a flight of stairs this morning, let alone breaking into a DEA field office.
“I’ll go,” Starbucks volunteered. “I have my four hours of auctioned labor this afternoon and am free after that.”
It wasn’t like they could break in in broad daylight anyway. Scar could, but then walls, doors, and locks didn’t seem to apply to the club brother. Pumpkin doubted he would be leaving that jail cell anytime soon, though.
“We’re hoping Toni is able to get Steel released on Jenna’s alibi and Keys’ security footage. But I still don’t want a possible shell casing out there with evidence pointing to Steel.” Lucky looked at Ranger and then Starbucks. “Leave no trace. Keys will be on coms.”
The three brothers nodded.
“Is there anything else that points to Steel?” Lucky asked Keys.
“Just the witness claiming that Steel said he’d kill Dixie. But I can’t find him anywhere.”
“Keep looking,” Lucky ordered, his exhaustion evident. “Bulldog and I are going to head back down?—”
“No!” Angel stood up. Lucky’s gaze upon her was nothing short of a glare, but Angel didn’t back down. “Lucky, you’re about to collapse. You too,” she added to Bulldog. “Both of you need to go home,shower, and take a fucking nap. There are enough of us who can go down to the station to be with Steel.” Bulldog started to protest, but Angel pointed a finger at him. “Do not make me call Abby.”
Bulldog snapped his mouth shut.
“Angel, I appreciate your concern—” Lucky started, but Angel cut him off.
“Harper is at work, but I highly doubt she would fault me if I took you home and tied you to your bed.”
Lucky let out a long sigh. “I have Stephanie.”
“And you don’t trust any of us to help take care of your baby?” Angel threw back at him. “The way you guys are breeding, there are plenty of knowledgeable babysitters.”
Bear barked out a laugh. “She’s got a point.” He made grabby hands across the table. “Give me my niece. Angel’s right. The two of you are useless to usandSteel, if you both collapse. We’ll get two people over to the station to relieve Ghost too, though I’m sure Carlos is more than capable of watching out for Jenna.”
Reluctantly, Lucky relented and passed his daughter off to his best friend. “If there’s nothing else, apparently I have a date with a shower and a bed.” He turned to Angel. “Don’t ever threaten to tie me to my bed again. You’re like my sister. It’s just creepy.”
Angel grinned widely as Cage bellowed a laugh.
The others descendedthe stairs a lot faster than Pumpkin. In all honesty, his legs would have much preferred the mattress option, but since no one in this club could keep their mouths shut, he figured itwas a bad idea because it would get back to Scotty eventually. Then Lucky would probably murder him, and that would leave Dosia as a single mom. Again. Wasn’t worth the risk, so he slowly maneuvered himself down the steps.
By the time he got down to the bottom, most of the brothers had cleared out, getting to their regular Monday jobs. Pumpkin was going to have to figure out work soon. Grumpy had already hired another CDL driver since Pumpkin had been the only one on the payroll. He swore Pumpkin still had a job when he was ready to return. With the settlement money, Pumpkin didn’t have to worry about returning as soon as he would have otherwise, but he also knew that he wouldn’t be satisfied just sitting on his ass all day.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like being a mechanic. It had its perks, but it also wasn’t his dream job. He’d fallen into the position when he’d arrived in Mount Grove and Grumpy was looking to expand his business to include towing. Pumpkin already had his CDL, it was a paycheck, and he had no other jobs lined up. Content to continue working with his club brothers, he’d stayed.
At the bottom of the stairs, Pumpkin had to lean against the rail to catch his breath. Fuck, he’d really overdone it the day before. Never thought he’d regret having a day of sex. He still didn’t, but damn, he really needed to start working on his stamina with his PT.
Yelizaveta, the club’s housekeeper, came out of the hallway just as Pumpkin was working up the energy to get himself over to the couch. Maybe a nap would do him some good. She was around Pumpkin’s age, but treated all the club members like they were her grandchildren. The fact that she supplied them with cookies only increased that illusion.
Having come to the country sixteen years ago as a Russian mail-order bride, she’d been kept secluded by her American husband. Her English was broken at best, but thankfully, Pumpkin spoke Russian. While his Ukrainian ancestry was from his father’s side, Pumpkin’s mom had taught him Ukrainian from a young age. Just because his father was a selfish ass did not mean Pumpkin should ignore his roots. In high school, Pumpkin had taken Russian, thinking the classwould be an easy A since he was fluent in Ukrainian. It wasnot, and when his mother had discovered his intentions, she’d boxed him upside the head and made him study twice as hard.
