Page 1 of Outlaws' Single Mom
1
LASH
“I'm freezingmy fucking balls off. If I wanted to deal with this shit I could’ve stayed in Montana.” Jackal rubs his hands fast over the thighs of his jeans to warm his fingers.
A gust of wind sends fallen leaves and street trash skittering over the road. I tug on the cuffs of my long-sleeved t-shirt, pulling them farther down my hands. Shit, I wish I’d worn something thicker than just my cut over it. Gate duty in the cold is brutal. It’s hard to stay warm when there’s nothing to fucking do, and at the right angle, the wind blows straight through our station and cuts to the bone.
“It's November. Did you expect a tropical breeze?” Stiff shrugs, looking smug in his leather jacket withhis boots propped up on the top of a box. He twists the lid on the coffee thermos and pours what’s left into his mug, knocking back what must be sludge by this point and probably takes like battery acid.
“Fuck off. It was almost seventy degrees a couple days ago,” I grumble. “Not our fault the weather can’t make up its fucking mind. And you know the rules. Whoever finishes the coffee, has to make a fresh pot.”
He laughs and gives me a half-assed salute. “You wimps want marshmallows in your hot cocoa, too?”
“Yeah. Yeah I fucking do. The whole point of hot chocolate is marshmallows.”
Stiff’s boots hit the ground and he snorts. “I’m not making you fucking hot cho?—”
“You were the one that offered,” Jackal points out, looking up. “And Lash is right. Who doesn’t like marshmallows?”
“I was fucking kidding! Where would I even find it?”
“I bet one of the girls has some. Check Bonnie’s old apartment,” I suggest.
Stiff cringes. “No way. Grimm’s crashing up there and he’s an asshole. I don’t know why Prez puts up with his attitude.”
“Same reason I put up with your snarky ass.”
He flips me off, but we all know it’s true. This life has a way of forging bonds that go way past friendship. I know I can trust Stiff and Jackal to have my back because it’s been put to the test. We’ve stood shoulder to shoulder and waded through blood together to get where we are. Whatever happened between Hellfire and Grim hasn’t been enough to erase their history.
“Yeah, well, you’re getting coffee and you’ll fucking like it. I’ll buy the first round later.” Stiff gets up,accidentallysmacking my shoulder with the thermos on the way past.
Jackal puts the puzzle book down and narrows his eyes at me once we’re alone.
“What?” I ask.
“What crawled up your ass and died?”
“Oh, fuck off.”
He stares at me, waiting.
I sigh. “It’s not a big deal. I got a call from my little brother. Eric’s getting married.”
“And that’s a bad thing because…?”
“For the last however many years we’ve been doing our best to ignore each other, but now that they’re getting hitched, his fiancée’s decided he should reach out to his family and I’m the best he has left.” I gesture at myself, head tattoos and all. “We grew up like feral rats in a meth lab and now he’s a fuckingaccountant. What am I supposed to do? Turn up in a rental suit and say ‘How do you do?’ “
Jackal grins. “Shit, I’d pay good money to see that. Can I be your plus one?”
“Oh, man.” I put my hand on his knee and look him deep in the eyes. “I’m so sorry if I’ve been giving you the wrong signals, but you’re not my fucking type.”
He shoves my hand away with a laugh. “I’ll try to contain my disappointment.”
I’ve got no reason to be defensive about my life. I live how I want, in a place that appreciates me for who I am. Booze, women, bikes, no punching a clock or sitting at a desk. The Outlaw Sons gave me a home and a place to belong and figure my shit outwhen I wasn’t sure it was worth it to keep going. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my brother. If he’s looking fornormal, I’m fucked, because I don’t even know how to pretend to live in his world anymore.
“Seriously, Lash. It’s not like the world is ending and it’s your last chance to see your fucking brother. Weddings are just costume parties people throw to celebrate signing a piece of paper. Make an excuse if you don’t want to deal with it, or take one of the sluts with you and get drunk off your asses on his dime.”
“Maybe…”
