Page 23 of Legacy of Smoke
“Poppy,” Sprout’s tone made my eyes narrow.
“Don’tPoppyme. I never want to see that son of a bitch again!”
Austin stood in the door. I picked up a hand-carved ahi figurine Mom sent me from Kaua?i to bash his head in with.
“Whoa.” Sprout grabbed it from me before I could toss it, and saved it from being shattered just like my family.
“Give me your gun.”
Sprout backed up, holding the carved fish in the air. “Hell no. No shooting your future baby daddy.”
Retch. Thank goodness for condoms. “I need that gun, Sprout.”
“Poppy, please just listen.”
I whirled on Austin’s too sensible and placating ass. “No. You listen. You are scum. A two-timing-bastard-biker asshole, who charmed his way not only intomypants but my sister’s. She’s eighteen. A baby!”
“Not technically…” Sprout started.
“Shut up.” Austin and I both stopped Sprout from saying something I’d have to murder him for.
“Why are you two here? I toldhimto leave and never come back.”
Sprout replied, “You missed work. That’s not like you.”
Ohshit. He was right. It was Monday. Fuck. My litany of swear words spewed out. “Give me a few, I’ll change and…” Then I’d have to work with Austin.Ugh. “Tell me you fired him?” I pointed at the cheating son of a bitch still hovering in the tiled section of my living room entrance.
“He has been with me the whole week. Except for last night when you two bumped uglies, but yeah. He couldn’t have fucked Lily. I swear it.” Sprout used the carved fish to make an X over his heart.
“You’re just covering for him. I know how bikers work.”
“Here.” He handed me the fish, then tugged on it. “You’re going to put this back on the table and not throw it at Smoke, right?”
“If he stays right there,maybe.”
“Damn bro.” Sprout’s eyes bugged out a little. “She’spissed.”
Austin chewed on his lip. “Yeah.”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear your voice. Bad enough having to look at you.” I wanted to slam the fish onto the sideboard butheld my temper long enough to set it down gently. By the time I finished, Sprout was holding his phone out to me. “Danielle.”
I didn’t hear the phone ring, so he must have dialed her. I took the phone, because while Sprout was an old friend, he was also sometimes a big dumb ass. One smart thing he did was marry his wife, who was a sweetheart. “Hi, Danielle.”
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Ask her where Smoke has been,” Sprout prompted.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s a big fight. You don’t need to get involved.”
“Oh no, what’s wrong? Do I need to call Ma?”
That was cute. She called Sprout’s mother the same thing Sprout did. And I’d never get that. I needed to focus. “No, maybe, but not yet. Where has Smoke been staying?”
“I don’t know about last night, is that what’s wrong? Did he sleep with one of the… girls?”
“Not exactly.”
“Is he okay? He didn’t come home with Sprout last night. I thought maybe…” her words trailed off with a squeaky non-verbal sound. The assumption would be, as a biker, and recently free, he’d be sewing his wild oats. I sent a glare at Austin.
