Page 39 of Remiss
“Fuck Meggie!” the man roared. Thumper, if Mort guessed correctly, a motherfucker too old not to know better. “This is her fucking fault. Digger talked to me about how she got Bunny to desert him.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Mortician’s snarl came from deep within him. Although Cash’s words didn’t sink into Thumper, he hoped his did before he shot the fuck out of that motherfucker. “Our wives got free fucking will. Meggie can’t make them do a motherfucking thing.”
“Meggie make them doeverything,” Thumper spat.
“Motherfuck you, Thumper,” Val yelled. “It’s bullshit like that that helped drive Meggie to the fucking edge. We all know Outlaw a fucking Psycho Stalker Wildman. She handle him, but withallyou motherfuckers breathing down her fucking neck, disrespecting her, making her feel unappreciated, and fucking with CJ in addition to the way Outlawalwaysfuck with her, it’s a wonder Meggie didn’t leave before now. Fuck Meggie? How about motherfuck Outlaw.”
Thumper jumped to his feet and stalked to Val. “Say that to his fucking face.”
“Motherfucker, if I get to my fucking feet, I’m knocking you the fuck out,” Val growled. “Back the fuck up.”
Before Thumper responded, Mort’s phone rang again. When he forced himself to look at the screen, he didn’t recognize the number. Normally, he’d allow it to go to voicemail, but given the unusual circumstances, he answered and put it on speaker.
“Uncle Mort?” Axel whispered.
“Ax!” a chorus of voices rose up.
“Where Zoann, Ax?” Val asked, staring at the phone as if it was a lifeline.
“It’s the middle of the night, Uncle Val. How am I supposed to know where she’s at?”
“Put her on the phone! Please. I miss my woman.”
“That’s notmyproblem,” Axel huffed. “That’syourproblem. Nobody made Aunt Zoann come with us. Uncle Mort—”
“Stop taking up for your momma,” Thumper ordered. “I thought CJ was bad always siding with Meggie. You just as bad and forget you got a cock. You got a cock? Hang with the bros.”
“Thumper–” Mort started, ready to shoot the fuck out of him and beat Digger a little more for putting bullshit into his head about Meggie.
“Listen up, you fucking fake bunny rabbit,” Axel yelled. “Leave Momalone. That goes for you, Dad, Uncle Digger, Uncle Cash, and Uncle Johnnie. Unlikeyoumotherfuckers,I’velearned my lesson. I’m tired of saying that. If I gotta say it one more time, I’m dousing a shuriken in gasoline, setting it on fire, and throwing it at a motherfucker, starting with you.”
Thumper opened his mouth, but Mort finally had enough. Axel had called for a reason and perhaps, if Thumper shut the fuck up and stopped antagonizing the kid, they’d get answers.
“Everything okay, Ax?” Mort asked, throwing Thumper a warning glower. He was the only motherfucker who’d opened his fucking mouth. “Meggie asked you to call me?”
“Mom’s mad,” Axel revealed. “I’m calling cuz you gotta talk to Dad before that motherfucker fucks up anymore.”
Mort pressed his lips together, refusing to agree with Axel’s assessment in front of half the fucking club. Val had already gone off and said more than he should have.
“Meggie must be really hurt if she still mad.”
“Dadjustmade Mom mad again,” Axel said in disgust. “But when she stops being mad, she’s going to cry again. Talk to Dad!”
“Who are you talking to?”
Meggie’s exasperated voice reached Mort, and he’d never been so glad to hear her as he was in that moment.
“Nobody, Mom! Gotta go—” Axel started on a whisper.
“Who is this?”
“It isn’t Uncle Mort, Mom,” Axel said. “I swear.”
Smiling, Mort shook his head as laughter floated up around him.
“Mortician?” Meggie said after a moment.
“My attorney said to plead the 5th,” Axel cried before Mort spoke. “A man never gives up his witnesses.”
