“Why the fuck you wanted to meet with me?” Mortician snarled.
Digger swallowed, rested his elbows on the table, and bowed his head, all talk of cheating and divorce leaving him. “Remember when I told you I fucked up?”
Those words lingered at the fringes of Mort’s mind, but so much shit had happened between that night and now, he’d pushed them aside. As much as he wanted to pound his brother’s face in sometimes, he loved the stupid motherfucker. “Tell me what I need to do to clean up your shitthisfucking time.”
“It’s not that simple.”
The woeful tone alarmed Mortician. “Haveyou fucked over Bunny?”
Digger’s head lifted just enough to show his shocked glance. “What? No! I love my woman. It might not seem like I do sometimes, but I adore Bunny.”
Mort sagged in relief. “Then anything else can be fixed—”
“Not when it involve Outlaw and Meggie.”
“Explainnow, motherfucker.”
“Bunny want another baby and, fuck, Mort. The house cramped enough. I can’t imagine another kid, taking up more room. When we was little, it was just us and Sharper in the house and we each hadthousandsof square feet to ourselves.”
Mort wouldn’t point out that Digger had lived in a small room at the club just fine. “What the fuck that got to do with Outlaw and Meggie?”
Digger blew out a noisy breath. “Fuck, if she would justdie.”
“And you wonder why Meggie don’t like you, fuckhead.”
“You see it, too!” Digger said heatedly. “And that little cunt smiles in my fucking face and tells Outlaw she loves me.”
“If she didn’t, you’d be fucking dead, so shut the fuck up and be grateful. I don’t even fucking know how you can fix your fucking mouth to say any of the shit you fucking say about her.”
“Easy,” he grumbled. “If she kicked it, I wouldn’t be a step away from a painful death at her man’s hands.”
“Motherfucker, you talking about one of my friends, our president’s woman, andyourwoman’s best friend. We family, so I’m ignoring itthis one lastfucking time. Say it again, and I’m beating the fuck out of you.”
Better Mort than Prez because Diggerwoulddie.
“You still not getting what I’m saying, Mort?” Digger cried in frustration.
“All I’m hearing is Bunny want another baby, and you think your house too fucking small. So, I guessyouwant the bigger house and all that bullshit about wanting to build it for her just a fucking lie.”
Shame crossed Digger’s face. “If you don’t remember when I said I fucked up, do you at least remember when I said I’m broke?”
Afraid to hear the rest, Mort lifted a brow.
“I’mbroke,” Digger said, “and Meggie might be, too.”
Mort’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at Digger, sure he’d misheard. Whatever else he might’ve imagined his brother saying, it wasn’t that. Meggie broke because of Digger…fuck, he didn’t want to consider the ramifications or the reasons of how that came about. “You broke, I can almost understand. Bunny probably gave you more control over the finances. I got to talk to that woman. ButMeggie? What the fuck that mean? ”
Digger straightened. “I’m not sure,” he rushed out. “I don’t know how many other accounts she got and how much money in them.”
Painful images of Digger’s death ran through Mort’s head, but he better understood the tension between Meggie and his brother. “Tell me what you said to get her to give you money. To gamble, I guess. Fuck, I wish Meggie…fuck!” He was about to say he wished she’d been Mrs. Outlaw when Digger approached her and just deciding they neededMeggie. “She probably thought giving you money would make Bunny happy. How much?”
He was going to have to close his fucking eyes to sign that goddamn check after he’d just spent so much money on his wife.
“Fifty thousand dollars?” Mort guessed, then leaned over and clapped Digger’s shoulder. “You did right coming to me, bro. I’ll talk to her.”
Swallowing, Digger’s shoulders slumped and he tipped his head down. “It’s not that simple, Mort.”
“Not that simple or not that cheap?”
