Page 30 of Risk
As soon as I hit the floor of the cellar, I’m rammed by a vivacious boy who has tearstains on his face. “Mom, I was so scareded. Nana said it was going to be okays, but the noises were so loud and scary that I peed my pants. I thought the bad peoples were going to get me.” The last part is said low as if he were ashamed of losing control of his bladder.
I bend down on his level and ask him, “Wanna know a secret, Phoenix?” He nods his head so I tell him. “When we got here, I almost peed my pants too. That’s how scared I was.”
“You were?” he inquisitively asks.
“I was,” I reconfirm. “Do you need me to run upstairs and get you a change of clothes?”
“No. I keep a dresser down here with outfits for the both of us. I update it every time he hits a growth spurt,” Mom announces. Her eyes turn into slits as she takes in the way Risk has his hands on me. “You two know each other? Care to tell me why you never mentioned that to me when I told you about the man who helped me when Phoenix sliced open his hand?”
“It’s a long story, Mom. One I’d rather not discuss in front of tiny ears,” I explain.
“That explanation better be coming soon, McKenna. My house has just been shot up and I’m not in a good mood. I want answers, I deserve them.”
“You do, and I’ll tell you everything once we get back to the clubhouse where it’s safe,” I say. “And a bottle of tequila.”
“So mote it be,” Risk mumbles, making me giggle underneath my breath. He’s always tried to force something to come to fruition by incanting that phrase. “Alcohol will be needed.”
“That’s not a good sign,” Mom surmises, giving me a skeptical look. “Tonight, McKenna. I want to know everything once this little one gets a bath, some food, and crashes.”
“Okay, Momma.”
“She said ‘Momma’, that means this is bad-bad,” my mom says in a hush tone.
“Worse than anything you could anticipate,” Risk contributes. “Don’t worry, we’ll ply you with antacids and liquor.”
“Fuck,” Mom summarizes.
“Nana said a bad word,” Phoenix whispers, cupping his hands over his mouth.
“I’ve earned that swear word, kiddo,” Mom tells him, walking over to us and ruffling his hair. “I’ll put a dollar in the jar later as long as it hasn’t been shattered.” When Mom swivels on her feet, her face turns vehement. “And you’re also going to tell me why your wrists are wrapped and I see blood seeping through.”
“Dragon was right, your mom’s not to be trifled with,” Risk tells me as I lift Phoenix in my arms, plop him onto my hip, and begin making my way upstairs.
“Like mother, like daughter.” I toss over my shoulder.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Risk
When we got backto the club, things rapidly progressed. Croatia, McKenna’s mom, has become besties with the spirits—friendships that are typically formed once you reach the bottom of a bottle. We’ve been giving her cups of coffee between each shot so that she isn’t bedridden tomorrow with a hangover. She kept her mouth tightly sealed while McKenna spilled her guts to her but the entire time a frown marred her face. You could see the difference in her facial features and how she was taking the news as it was told to her. She’s a very expressive woman who would be bad as a poker partner.
When my woman wrapped up the history between her and Marshall, Croatia looked spent. She walked up to the bar, asked for the entire bottle of cranberry vodka she’d been working on, and took it back to her seat with her where she poured it into her cup without any soda to mix it with. McKenna shot me looks of concern, but in my current mental state, I’d prefer joining her mom as she drowns out the pain, so all I can do is give her a half smile.
“Y’all are married?” Croatia asks, twirling her glass around in her hand as she looks from McKenna to me.
“We are,” I verify.
“So I take it that means you’re Phoenix’s dad too,” she presumes more than asks.
“I am,” I corroborate. “In my defense, I didn’t know about him until earlier today, which is why I haven’t been a part of his life.”
She emits a tempered snort, no amusement laced in it whatsoever. It hits me in the chest like a torpedo. I don’t want my mother-in-law to judge me before getting to know me. That’s happened my entire life and it never gets easier to digest. “My daughter doesn’t always make the right decisions, Risk. She calculates everything and weighs the pros and cons. If there are any negative connotations, she usually makes the most calculated choices and they aren’t always in the best interest of everyone.” When McKenna goes to protest, making a gargled sound in her throat, Croatia holds up her hand and stops her. “In this case, I think my daughter did the right thing. Phoenix is alive because of her, you are alive because of her, so I think we all need to cut her some slack. Her back was up against a wall and she didn’t see any way to escape.”
“Thank you, Mama,” McKenna whimpers.
“I’m not saying I agree with those decisions, McKenna. If you had come to me we could’ve done something different. You wouldn’t be living the life you are and Marshall wouldn’t have a stronghold over you. I have connections you’d never dream I do, and I would’ve walked through fire to save you.”
