Page 8 of Legacy of Smoke
I shook my head. My balls were valuable.
Her eyes narrowed. “Ah, I think I get it. Poppy is a legacy, right? Who’s Pinner?”
“A Destroyer. He’s about the same age as Sprout’s dad would be if…”
Tits nodded, understanding the unspoken. “Why haven’t I met him?”
That was easy. “He’s doing time for dismembering his daughter’s rapist.” They never found all the pieces. Rumor inside was that Pinner ate ‘em.
“Poppy’s?”
Wolf shook his head. “Naw, the other one.” His eyes traveled across the room to where a few of the older patch whores hung around the jukebox. One, a bleached blondie named Jewel, was on her knees sucking off one of the newer members. Funny, he’d been patched in longer than I had, and somehow, he was “new” when I wasn’t. Then again, he was barely twenty-six, and I was ready to shakedown my mid-thirties.
I glanced away so she wouldn’t catch me staring. The woman was almost old enough to be my mother. It just felt weird being propositioned by her. My plan was to work hard, and maybe find a cute sweet butt or little mama who’d scratch that itch instead of going the easy-sleazy route.
Wolf slapped my vest. “I want to get some air. Do you mind us riding along?”
“Not at all.” In fact, if Tits and Wolf were with me, they could run interference if her little sister showed up, and I wouldn’t lose my balls if Poppy was all alone. With me. And unbidden, again, was that fantasy image. This time, instead of just kissing Poppy, I was inside her, on a beach, in the moonlight.Damn it.
3
MENACE
POPPY
The knock on the door was too heavy to be anyone but Austin. Unless it was Wolf, with his woman, Tits, and a sheepishly hesitant Austin trailing behind.
“Good, you brought friends. I made a ham.” I’d wanted extra for Lily to take home in case she showed up. And ham kept longer than most other choices. It also could be kept warm for longer without ruining it, as I had no idea if anyone would show up when I started cooking.
“I’ll help you with the table,” Austin offered as I went on tip-toe to get the cups down. Plates and heavier objects were on the first shelf, so I grabbed two more from that stack and pointed to the glassware I wanted.
“While you at it, please pull down the Tupperware for later. I’ll send some home with you.”
Tits had already raided my silverware drawer and Wolf settled in place at the foot of the table. She fussed around him and helped me move the baked yams and green beans while Austin cut the large spiral slices into more manageable pieces for each plate Wolf handed him. In almost no time, we were all served, and I discretely checked the clock on the microwave.
“Your sister didn’t show?” Austin asked around a mouthful of ham.
I shook my head, trying not to let them see me break down.
“When did you see her last?” Wolf asked.
“This afternoon at the job site.”
He froze, beans hanging from his suspended fork. “Tell me you didn’t give her money.”
I bit my lip.
He set the fork down with a sigh. “She’s a grown woman now.”
“But she’s struggling, and I have…Besides, she needed gas for work.”
Wolf wasn’t hearing it. “Heard from Jewel she got fired again.”
Oh. “Maybe it’s a new job.”
He sent me a look that was plain to read.
“She’s my sister.”
