Mortician ducked again. “You mourned my son with me, Prez. I never got to really know Tyler. You been with Rule his whole life. You don’t want to kill your boy.”
“The fuck I don’t.”
Swallowing the bile in her throat, Meggie grabbed her IV pole and got to her feet. She crept toward her husband, ignoring her pain and wooziness.
“Get back in bed,” Christopher ordered.
Kendall rushed to her side. “I’ll call a nurse for a wheelchair, so you can see Rebel.”
Meggie limped to Christopher, took his free hand and kissed it. “Mortician’s right,” she said softly. “You don’t want to kill Rule.Idon’t want you to kill him. You don’t need to know where he is. Put you gun away.”
His nostrils flared and his eyes, so long a mirror to his soul, entranced her, his pain, sorrow, and anger laid bare, there for her to see. “Get back in bed, Megan.”
“Leave Mortician alone,” she ordered. “He’s your best friend.”
Christopher lowered the gun. “I been with Reb. I ain’t wanted to leave her side. Then when they told me about her—”
“Fucking motherfucking doctors!” Mortician grumbled, still out of sight. “Came and told Prez everything the tests showed like he a normal motherfucker.”
“Rule number one is to never assume this motherfucker’s normal,” Kendall said with a sniff, jabbing her finger in Christopher’s direction. Ignoring Meggie’s glare, she went to Mortician and held out her hand. As the enforcer grabbed it and got to his feet, Meggie placed herself in front of Christopher.
Sighing, he strapped the .9mm back into the holster at his side, then sat in the chair near her bed and hung his head. “Of all the fuckin’ threats, I ain’t ever thought one would come from one of our children.” He looked as weary as he sounded. “They wantJo. They want CJ.Rebel.And those motherfuckers been wantin’you. They ain’t gonna rest until they take you from me.”
Mortician cleared his throat and glanced around. “They? ‘Cause I swear, Prez, it’s just me, you, Red, and Meggie girl.”
“Them!” Christopher raged. “Hoof-foot and his fuckin’ friends stalkin’ me.”
“You talking about Satan and his little demons?” Mortician asked, gulping. “They here?”
“Jesus Christ, both of you are fuckheads,” Kendall said, rolling her eyes. “If they want to take you from Meggie, it’ll be an angel, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah, real angels are frightening motherfuckers,” Mortician said.
“You’ve seen a real angel?” Meggie asked in surprise.
“Drawings. I’m a paster’s son, so I know how they look. I don’t fuck with the supernatural whether they filled with benevolence or malevolence. Stay the fuck away.”
“Then how…never mind,” Meggie decided. They’d have the conversation another time. She went to her husband and stepped between the ‘v’ of his thighs. He rested his head against her chest and shuddered. She slid her fingers through his hair. “It’s okay, Christopher. We will get through this as we get through everything. Together. Loving each other, our children, and our family.”
He shook his head. “No. I ain’t ever lovin’ Rule—”
“You are,” she whispered, wrapping an arm around his neck. “You do. You’re his father. You know he doesn’t deserve our scorn—”
“Rebel begged me to get him help.”
“It’s what he needs, my love,” Meggie whispered, kissing his temple. “He needs us. His mother and father most of all.”
Christopher stiffened, lifted his head, and glared at her, anger hardening his green eyes. “Why the fuck Rule did that, Megan?” His voice cracked. “Why?”
“Rule is ill,” she said quietly.
“A bunch of psycho motherfuckers walk around. They don’t try to fuck up their ma and their twin.”
“I know,” Meggie said.
“Bailey and Zoann are working to get him help,” Kendall said crisply. “You can eSign if that’s easier.”
Christopher met Meggie’s gaze, his still so tortured and tormented. Kendall slipped past Mortician and headed to the bathroom.
