Walk the Line (Kings of Chaos 5)

“Oh, I’m waiting for the right one, Mr. Birling. It’s hard to find a good man these days. There are so many wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

I mentally pump my fist in the air. Best friends, the people who say the things you can’t.

“Well, a man likes a woman who knows her place,” James says.

“Hmmm, some women like men who believe in equality.”

“I can tell Whit you stopped by. You guys can arrange a low key dinner somewhere maybe?”

“Is low key your way of saying cheap?” Connie wrinkles her nose.

“It’s my way of reminding you I won’t expose my daughter to the media any more than she already has been.”

“We understand,” James says as he shoots his wife a look that has her clamping her mouth shut.

Is this what I used to look like?

“I’ll make sure she calls. Teenagers have a way of forgetting how important family is from time to time.”

James chuckles. “Isn’t that the truth? We look forward to hearing from her. Come on, Connie.” He holds out his arm, and she tucks her own in it. They retrace their steps, and I show them out. The minute the door closes I rest my back against it.

“You should throw salt behind them, so they don’t come back,” Jesslynn says.

“One, that’s an old wives tale, and two, they’re too evil for anything without serious juju to work.”

“Have they been this awful the entire time since they lost the custody hearing?”

“Worse. This is tame. Funny how they manage to tamp down their attitude when you assert yourself and let them know toxic relationships will no longer be tolerated.”

“Damn I’m proud of you.”

“It was speak up or go insane.” I sigh.

“Here. You sit. I’ll make another margarita.”

“I’m not finished with the first one.”

“You will be once you sit down. Those two would drive a Nun to drink.”

I sink onto the couch and take a gulp of the margarita to combat the feeling of walls squeezing in too close around me.

Chapter Four

Freeze

I feel out of place here among the families. Stone likes to slow things down every couple of weeks and do the family fun days. It’s great for the brothers who have Old Ladies and kids, and awkward as hell for brothers like me. They all know what I do. I can see it in their eyes. It’s my job to protect them. I’d never hurt them. But they eye me like one would a wild animal you keep as a pet.

“How’s it going, brother?”

I peer up at Shadow and grin. We’re cut from the same cloth, but he’s a lot better at peopling than I am. I learned to stick to myself. He was surrounded by family and friends his entire life. It’s the whole nature versus nurture issue.

“It’s going. You know he makes us show our

faces at these things.”

Shadow laughs. “Yeah as a single man they were never high on my priority list, but I knew Bolton liked them, so it was different for me.”

I nod my head. I like Shadow. He always handles his business like a pro and keeps a level head. Those are traits some brothers lack. They get lazy, sloppy, and emotionally compromised. We got our share of hot heads and head cases. You don’t go into a club, or an enforcer position because your life was great, and your headspace is in a pristine condition. Some of them live for the gore, the blood, and the battle. I did once. Until I realized, nothing I did would change my past.