“No, Lucas. I have apartof you. Like I had a part of Daddy. He loved me. Adored me. But the club came first.Youlove me. Adore me. But the club comes first.”
“For the last two fucking years, your motherfucking office came first!”
“As if you fucking cared,” she bit out. “You were happy. It freed you to devote even more time to the club.”
Mort opened his mouth then snapped it shut before he said something he truly regretted. He drew in a deep breath and started over. “I offered to leave the fucking club if it would make you happy,” he reminded her.
She slammed her palms down on the table. “But thenyouwould be unhappy. I don’t want that. I love you. I want you happy too. I just want Harley right. I want her back.”
“She not stepping foot in that fucking house until she learn some fucking respect. We let her back now and next she’ll try to kickmyfucking ass.”
“It’s easy for you to make that decision because you’re satisfied. You think nothing of ignoring me or not making love to me. It doesn’t bother you that Harley isn’t there to talk to because the boys fawn all over you. Just like Outlaw’s sons hang on his every word, Lou and Kaleb do the same with you.”
“I did it with K-P too, Bailey.”
“You had a fuckhead for a father and a mother gone too soon. Our boys aren’t in that position.”
“I’m going to talk to them again.”
“It won’t do any good,” she said bitterly. “They areyoursons.”
Mort didn’t need to ask what she meant. He already knew. Unfortunately, itwasbecause of Meggie. It was because she’d gone through the fire first and she was still devastated. Prez’s marriage was still feeling the effect of his sons’ introduction into club life.
Bailey’s issue was slightly different, though. Lou and Kaleb’s attitude hadn’t changed too much. Hershad because of her miscarriages and Harley’s behavior.
“What you want me to say, Bailey?” Mort asked tiredly. “You don’t want me to leave the club. You don’t want to call Harley down and tell her she was so fucking wrong to not only fuck a dude but then try to pass off the kid she thought she had in her as another motherfucker’s.”
Bailey stiffened. “Go ahead throw it in my face that I was wrong and you were right about that little fuckhead.”
“You beating yourself up enough.” Mort glared at her. “Why fuck withyourguilt?”
More tears filled her eyes and her lips trembled. “You’re enjoying my pain.”
“I’m not. I want to help you. You need to help me help you. Help me help us. I’m not excusing you making Harley think she was right in her unfairness and meanness. She turned into a entitled little cunt and you helped her to do it.”
Bailey’s mouth dropped open, and indignation marred her face. Mort was too outraged to care.
“You didn’t give me one fucking say in what Harley did. Knowing she thought she might be pregnant mean knowing she fucked. I’m waiting for the day that motherfucker turn eighteen.” To prove his point, he looked at his watch. “Five hundred seventy-one days, three hours, two minutes, and thirty-seven seconds.”
Her eyes widened.
“His cock going first,” he continued viciously. “If the motherfucker bleed to death before I cut his fucking fingers and hands off, it won’t be my fucking fault. He should’ve ate more liver to build up his blood.”
Uncertainty wrinkled her brow and she searched his face.
Mortician scowled. “I’m not fucking joking. Harley my baby girl and it’s fucking killing me what that motherfucker did to her.”
“He didn’t force her,” she said dully.
“Motherfucker would already be dead if he had.”
“CJforced her hand,” Bailey spat. “He ignored Harley. Turned against her and started dating other girls.”
Mortician hadn’t asked Bailey out to discuss teenage bullshit. He’d wanted to talk about them, but Harley stood in the way. She was clouding Bailey’s reason. Suddenly, Mort wished Bailey were pregnant. It would give her something else to focus on other than Harley. She couldn’t get it through her head that her approach to Harley’s behavior wasn’t right.
“Bailey, for the last motherfucking time,Harley turned CJ down. I didn’t appreciate the way he ignored her either in the days after his birthday party and I offered to talk to him. Harley told me no, so I gave her pointers.Shedecided to go off the deep fucking end because a motherfuckingteacherassigned CJ and Molly to work together.”
“He also went to Prom! In turn, that forced Harley to lie to us.”
