The Winter of Regrets Page 8

  “I left the car at Jo’s so I guess she does.” He looked at his daughter uncomfortably. “Now, this thing your mother says Jo has … the baby blues. Do you … have it too?”

  Kima scoffed at that. “Of course not! I’m not meaning to call Jo weak or anything, but I don’t have time to be depressed. I enjoy Josie and I was down over Hunter, but I never let it get so bad that I couldn’t deal with taking care of my family. If Jo has that, she should see a doctor, not lean on mom. Jack isn’t happy about all of this either.”

  Nailz spoke up. “Jo’s ripping all of us apart with this shit. Kima’s right; she needs to see a doctor. I’ll go with her. Hell, I’ll drag her there.”

  “I think it’s more than just blues with Jo,” said V, sipping his coffee. “She’s changed so much. Maybe my sister helping her will give her a break but … damn, she’s changed. Unless she gets help and Jean stops babying her, neither are welcome in this house. Hey, how’s Jack going to feel with his wedding coming up and Jo acting as she is?”

  John leaned back in his chair. “Jack won’t want Jo at the wedding. We’ve got Dee all upset about her stepmother coming, and if Jo’s going to be a problem, Jack will tell your mother Jo and Nailz can’t come.” He took out his lighter and played with it. “I need to drag your mother away from Jo and see if we can get Jo to the doctor. Kima, your mother has no idea she’s hurting you. She sees Jo hurting, and you’ve never needed your mother much as you grew older. She loves you and Josie. She talks about her to me all the time. I’ll make sure that you get invited to dinner this week. I love you kitten.” He got up and reached for his jacket, looking at Nailz. “You coming back to the house for dinner? You know avoiding Jo gives her more ammunition. I was thinking maybe you’d ask us to stay and we could all try to see how Jo acts.”

  Nailz grabbed another cookie. “If she starts her shit, I’ll be back.” His voice sounded tired and old.

  Kima hugged her father and gave Nailz a hug, but whispered, “You ever hit Elena or any woman again, remember I know how to shoot. I don’t want to see you hit V again either.”

  “I know you can shoot, and I promise to slow down on the drinking. I might be back to sleep on your couch, okay?” he whispered back.

  She smiled and nodded as they left. Turning to Veiko, she frowned. “Jo is going to play this as long as she can. I remember her in drama class. I never thought she was such a jealous person. As teenagers, Jo did things that I got blamed for. I usually got blamed anyway so I never ratted her out. I’ve never quite felt the same about her after your accident. It was always just Jo and me growing up. Now, I have Joy, Tears, Elena, Dusty, Dee, and Willie as friends … and I think Jo is jealous.”

  “Babe, you can’t fix people,” V said to her sad eyes. “They’re gonna do what they want, but you can make the choice not to have them in your life. You’ll be alright if I take a ride over to the Lodge? I’d like to talk to Thorn.” Veiko pushed his blond hair back and looked at his wife.

  She smiled wistfully. “Don’t be too long. I was hoping Josie would take a long nap.” She gave him a wink and a wiggle.

  Veiko knew just what Kima wanted, but he needed to see if he could get Thorn to stay in Bound for Hell MC. “Babe, club business. Later, after dinner?”

  “Yeah,” she said with a smile. “After I get Josie to bed, if I’m not too tired.” With that, she went to the table and began picking up the coffee mugs to take them to the kitchen. She heard the door shut and thought to herself, club business. Damn, she hated hearing those words!

  Mad Jack grabbed a beer from the fridge as the phone began to ring. He hated answering the damn thing and looked at it with scorn. It might mean he was going to have to go out and deal with club business and he wanted time alone with his ol’ lady. Dee was in the bedroom, so he finally relented and picked it up. He growled a “Hello?” then took a swallow of his beer, waiting for the voice on the other end to speak.

  “I need to speak to Deidra, please. This is her cousin Lacy-Jane.” The voice was soft and had a southern accent to it.

  “Yeah, hold a sec, I’ll get her.” Mad Jack covered the mouthpiece and hollered, “Dee, some Lacy-Jane is on the phone. Says she’s your cousin.”

  Dee came running out of the bedroom and grabbed the phone out of Mad Jack’s hand. He looked at her, wondering why she seemed upset. She put a finger to her lips to make sure he knew not to make any sound.

  “Lacy-Jane. It’s me, Dee. How’d you get this number? Is my dad alright?” Concern filled Deidra’s voice.

  “Ah, Dee, it’s so good to hear your voice. Whiskey’s fine, but I’ve got some bad news. You sitting down?”

  “Just tell me,” Dee retorted. “I’ve got no need to sit as long as my dad isn’t dead, in jail, or the hospital.”

  “Margo was in a drunk driving accident. She was buried three weeks ago. Whiskey asked me to call you because he’s been on a binge. He gave me your phone number. We didn’t figure you’d want to come down for her funeral and, trust me, she was put into the ground as fast as Whiskey could arrange it. I know you didn’t like her, Dee, but there’s the matter of Shanna …” Lacy-Jane let the sentence trail off.

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t have come down to her funeral. What about that baby she had? And … who’s Shanna?” Dee was confused.

  Lacy-Jane paused. “Shanna is your half-sister. Nobody told you her name? Good Lord, this family’s so fucked up! I’ve been helping Margo and her since she was born, Dee. Now, don’t you be getting mad at me, either. Margo had a lot of issues and was drinking heavily. Someone had to take care of the baby. If that damn Violet Rose had stopped her from going out to get more vodka, she might not have hit the tree and killed herself.” Lacy-Jane paused to let the words sink in.

  “Are you telling me my dad named his daughter with Margo after my mother?” Dee grew more indignant by the second. “That is sick!”

  “The baby is innocent. Violet wants to take her from me, so I need your help. You have to talk your dad into letting me keep her if you don’t take her. Violet is not able to have more children, and you know this baby will end up not being cared for. She is half your blood, no matter how much you hated Margo. I swear I’ll take good care of her, and I’m coming to your wedding. I’ll bring her with me. Dee, she’s beautiful and I was there when she was born. Margo wouldn’t bond with her, so I did.” Lacy-Jane’s voice began to plead. “I love her, Dee, I truly do. I can’t lose another person I love. You know I wouldn’t ask you for help with Whiskey if I didn’t truly need it.”

  Pulling a stool from the breakfast bar, Dee sat down. “My dad wanted a son. Of course he doesn’t want another girl. I can’t take care of a baby either. Violet raising a child, after what she did to her own daughters?” She shook her head. “How’d Margo feel about my dad naming her Shanna?”

  “Margo didn’t care about the baby. Whiskey was fooling around during her whole pregnancy. She was positive he’d be back when she had a son. I had left to go get diapers and I was trying to keep the vodka out of the house. Why Violet didn’t drive her, nobody knows. Violet says she insisted she was driving and I guess we’ll never know what really happened. Violet has it in her head that she can finally be a mother and we both know that is impossible. If you won’t help me, I’m calling Dusty and Angie to deal with Violet. Bebe is on my side and I don’t think Rebel really wants to do this. I can care for Shanna. I need to get us both away from here. I have some money from Stevie’s death. I’ll dance and I’ll get a babysitter. You need to know your sister. You know your mother would want you to.”

  Dee looked at Mad Jack, wide-eyed. “I can’t believe all of this. But … I’m glad she isn’t going to wreck my wedding. Our house isn’t totally finished, but we moved in anyway. I can ask Jack’s sister Kima about renting a cottage to you, as long as you don’t mind living in a small place. We’ll help you. I’ll get a babysitter for Shanna so you can have fun at my wedding. Are you really calling Dusty and Angie? Violet will have a fit!”
>
  “I’ve been in touch with Bebe and Angie,” Lacy-Jane answered tiredly. “I’d expect both of them at your wedding. Angie is moving back to NJ. Don’t you talk to Dusty much?”

  “I work a lot. My friend Willie and I opened a shop, W and D, Art by the Sea. I haven’t had much time to talk to Dusty and I really think memories of Maryland upset her. She’s in love, Lacy-Jane, so I leave her alone. Does she know Angie is coming here?”

  Lacy-Jane coughed. Dee could hear a baby crying in the background. “Angie wants it to be a surprise to Violet and Dusty. After the crap that went down with Bebe, I don’t know what Dusty knows. She hasn’t been here in a while. I wouldn’t tell her. Hell, don’t even tell her Violet and Rebel are coming or she might not come to the wedding. I’ve got to take care of Shanna … so can I count on your help?”

  Deidra looked at Mad Jack, who had pretty much heard what they’d been talking about, and he nodded his head in approval.

  “Yes,” she answered. “We’ll help you, but don’t tell anyone we are. Bring what you can and we’ll get the rest of what you both will need when you get here. Tell my dad he isn’t staying here but that I’ve got a place for you and the baby.”

  “Thanks, cousin. You’re going to love Shanna. I heard your dad rented a whole motel for everyone who’s coming, one that usually closes after the summer. I guess that’s best for everyone with all the people he’s bringing.” She paused. “You know he plans to bring, like, fifty or more, right?”

  Deidra gasped. “Oh my God, no. I didn’t think he’d do that to me! The wedding is at the country club. I’m going to have to tell Jack’s mother. Or maybe she knows. I’m staying out of the wedding plans. I hate weddings. Jack and I would have married quietly, but his mother wanted a big wedding for us, so … I guess she got her wish. You tell that father of mine that I’ll be calling him.”

  Lacy-Jane nearly shouted into the phone. “No, no, no … Whiskey can’t know I asked you for help! Nobody can know, Dee. Promise me. They might take Shanna away from me. You can’t tell him I told you anything if you call him.”

  Dee was alarmed by the frantic plea in her cousin’s voice. “I won’t say I talked to you. Go take care of the baby. I’ve got to talk to Jack. I’ll see you soon enough, alright? Stay safe.”

  She hung the phone up and looked at Jack with dread filling her eyes.

  “Jack, did you hear my cousin? Fifty people … Who knows who Whiskey plans to bring to our wedding?” She looked sadly into his eyes. “I’m so sorry, but this wedding is going to be a disaster. Wherever my dad goes, disaster is sure to follow. We should run off.”

  Mad Jack put a consoling arm around her. “My mother can handle anything. I’m sure she has it all taken care of. Just look beautiful, and I’ll handle your dad. Why don’t we go over and talk to my parents if you’re so upset? My mother will reach out to your dad and I’ll have a word with Darko.” He rested his chin on her head. “Deidra, three clubs are going to be present. Maybe my mother was crazy to use the country club, but she knew what she was dealing with. I’m more worried about my relatives, to be honest. The Russians and the Irish don’t always get along, but maybe they will at this wedding.”

  Dee pushed him away, then looked at him as they both burst into laughter. Both of them had totally different pictures in their minds of the bikers meeting the families.

  Finally, Dee stopped laughing. “I think we’d better go over and see what your mom’s plans are, just in case of a riot.”

  Jack grabbed her with a hug and kissed her gently. “Trust me, darling, it’s gonna be a wedding like nobody else has ever had.”

  Deidra didn’t answer, but thought to herself, it sure as fuck would be.

  “I am kind of shocked my dad didn’t call and tell me about Margo. If Violet had our number, she sure would have called. One thing I will give her is that she tried to help me when Margo was so rotten to me. Maybe because she was best friends with my mom and Rebel’s always treated me good. I think it might have really been her idea to send me to New Jersey, too. You’ve never met them, have you?”

  He shook his head. “Never went down to Maryland. Isn’t Rebel Satan’s Attitude’s national president?” He started to roll a joint.

  “No. Rebel founded Satan’s Attitude when he got out of jail. Did you know he’s originally from New Jersey? When he came out of jail, he decided he wanted his own club. From what my mom told me—and I never told anyone this—I’m not sure if I should even tell you … but Rebel was in Bound for Hell. Diablo was really his blood brother. My mother said he was Angie and Dusty’s father. I wasn’t ever supposed to tell anyone that because they were both told he was dead. He got framed for a crime and Diablo took on his family.”

  “Shit.” Mad Jack shook his head.

  She took a toke on the joint, then passed it back to him. “Of course,” she went on, “the drinking doesn’t help. Lacy-Jane’s right; Violet would not be a good mother. My mother said she couldn’t wait to push Angie and Dusty out of the house, and the only reason Bebe didn’t get treated that way was because Diablo refused to allow it. When he knew he was dying of cancer, he sent both of them to his brother Rebel. I know an awful lot I shouldn’t know. Pass me that joint.”

  Jack let her have another toke, fascinated with what he was hearing. “Tell me more about them, Dee.”

  She moved over to the couch and curled up in the corner. “I used to hear my mother and Violet talk. I’d be playing in the room quietly and heard a lot of stuff. Rebel was the love of her life, and he was supposed to go to jail for thirty years or so. They found out he wasn’t guilty after a long time in prison. Diablo wanted her, so Rebel made her agree to be with his brother. She has a tattoo across her breast with a purple rose. It’s always been there, Rebel’s Rose. Dusty hates her with a passion and I think that’s the one person besides Rebel who Violet is scared of. She’s so into the MC life it’s scary. My mother wanted me to leave it and have a better life.”

  “Your mother sounded like a great person,” he muttered quietly.

  Touched, she took Jack’s hand. “My mother would have loved you. You’re so much different from the bikers in Maryland. I know that Angie got close to Rebel, but Dusty stayed away. She had a hard time with Loco; I know that from the stories. Dusty helps Angie with her bills and got her to live in Florida because Violet is always trying to hook her daughters up with bikers. Angie had to come get Bebe to live with her because Violet was trying to push Whiskey on her. It was a bad time, happened before I left to come here. He settled on Margo because she got pregnant.”

  Jack seemed stirred by that news as he listened intently, his eyes wandering in thought. She rubbed her forehead and twisted her neck, then continued on.

  “I don’t want to think about any more of those days, Jack. Dragging up the dirt isn’t good, and please don’t let anyone know what I told you. It could be dangerous. I don’t know if Rebel ever told the girls who he really is.” She lifted her eyes. “Let’s head over to your parent’s house. I need to know what your mother plans to do with this mess.”

  “How’s Lacy-Jane connected to all of this?” asked Jack, trying to piece it all together in his mind. “I understand she’s your cousin, but why didn’t she help you with Margo?”

  “Lacy-Jane lived with us after her mother and father got killed in a bike accident. She was my mother’s sister’s daughter. She married young. Stevie got drafted and was a machine gunner in Nam. He didn’t make it back here, and Lacey-Jane never dealt with it well. Don’t ever call her just Lacy; she gets really mad if you don’t say her whole name. Margo liked having her in the house. She brought money in and she cooked and cleaned.” Dee finally got a smile on her face, thinking of her cousin’s insistent use of her full name. “We could never shorten it or give her a nickname. Only Stevie was allowed to call her Lace.”

  Jack didn’t say much to Dee, but he had stored everything away in his head. One day, that information might come in handy for him, Darko, and Nefarious
MC.

  Jo flat-out refused to talk to her doctor about her behavior, but cooled her temper down. Nailz saw an improvement in her attitude. Even Katri was behaving. Maybe, he thought, all she needed was some help and a friend. Having the Regan’s talk to her had helped somewhat, except Kima wasn’t speaking to her mother over all of the bullshit. Jean seemed more worried about Jo than Kima, and it bothered Nailz a lot.

  He ground out the cigarette he was smoking and looked at the trees he just cleared for his heavy duty equipment yard. The smell of the pine and cedar trees filled the air as he looked at the uprooted trees. He felt a tinge of sadness thinking how Hunter would have hated this. He needed to make money and had a business to pass on. It was all starting to come together. He imagined a future for his sons in this business. He sure as hell hoped Jo wasn’t going to have a daughter. His relationship with Tears had gone down the drain, and he hadn’t tried to contact her despite Jo telling him to go over and tell Thorn he was sorry for hitting him. Tramp advised that he leave it be, and he wanted his colors back as soon as possible. He felt incomplete not having them, and it bothered him more than he was telling anyone. Veiko tried to talk Thorn into coming back, but Thorn refused, and V had given up. Nailz took his name off the will and there had been no problem in doing so.

  He scuffed the dirt with his work boot and watched as the workers repaired the gas station, the cottages, and cleaned Anya’s property. They had left a nice break of trees so that in the summer you wouldn’t see much of his yard, but now in the late fall, he could see over there easily. They made a lot of noise yelling back and forth and dropping ladders, which annoyed him greatly.

  “Penny for your thoughts, Nailz.”

  Jersey had snuck up on him. He grinned at him and moved in for a hug. He and Veiko stopped around regularly, but Thrash had not come near him.