We all laughed at that. These guys were pure trouble, and when they drank? It was trouble and chaos. Not an easy combination. "Who wants breakfast?" I asked. They all raised their hands and I smiled. The vise around my chest loosened for the first time in almost a year.
CHAPTER 15
Static
Isat down at church and scrubbed my face with my hands. Despite taking care of Gwen and the kids last night, I was still more than a little hungover this morning. A good deed should be rewarded with a hangover free morning, but it didn't seem as though the gods of liquor agreed. And that good deed wasn't even taking care of my woman. It was not groping her while she was naked in front of me and vulnerable.
Huffing out a breath, I watched as everyone else trailed in. "Why are you looking so fucking happy?" I muttered at Hush as he sat next to me. His grin grated my nerves.
"I have a hot wife. A happy kid, who I left with Sylvia, so I don't even have to babysit because of church. And even better," he eyed me, "I'm not hungover as fuck. It's a damn good day."
The only response I gave was a grunt. It was good to see him thriving. I was glad to see all my brothers happy. Just not this morning. I should still be asleep with Gwen in my arms and this fucking headache nothing but a dream as I slept through the pain of having drank too much last night. Instead, I was here. My eyes narrowed as Butcher and Toxic walked in. "How do they never look hungover?"
"They get hungover. They aren't right now because they're still drunk. Guaranteed," Hell said, groaning as he sat next to me. His eyes were bloodshot. He must have gone back down and partied after he helped me to my room.
"You two started that shit last night," I told them. "You should have the fucking courtesy to look half as bad as the rest of us."
Smoke had his head down on the table, resting on one arm, and he raised the other in solidarity with my statement. Ricochet nudged him with a flask. Smoke picked his head up and grabbed it. He tilted it to his lips, sucking down whatever Ricochet had in there in record time.
"Whoa! Not all of it, you cunt!" Ricochet barked, making us all groan.
"We don't look as bad as you because we're not little bitches," Butcher told me. There was the faintest slur to his words.
I flipped him off.
Toxic stopped in his tracks, a slow, evil grin spreading over his face. "Hey, Prospect."
My eyes narrowed on him. I didn't like the look in his eyes. It didn't bode well for me.
"I was really surprised to see you coming out of Gwen's apartment last night," he said. He tilted his head. "Wait, no. That wasn't last night. It was around four in the morning, wasn't it?"
Ricochet's head turned as his gaze snapped to me. I started to shake my head, but fucking Toxic just continued on, fully aware of the chaos he was creating.
"And in your fucking boxers and nothing else." He let out a low whistle. "You were right about one thing." He grinned. "You don't have a small dick."
"You fucking piece of-"
"Sit down!" Lock bellowed as he walked through the door. That one made even Butcher and Toxic flinch along with the rest of us. Hush was the only one, besides Lock, who wasn't affected. Smart fucker must not have drank much last night.
Ricochet glared at me. "We're talking after this," he growled at me.
I let my head drop back, eyes closing. Fucking Toxic. I knew he was sitting over there at the end of the table with a shit-eating grin on his face. Asshole. Now I was going to have to deal with Ricochet.
"I know most of you feel like shit right now," Lock said.
Opening my eyes, I focused in on my president as he went over the plan for tonight. My head was thrumming in an unpleasant way. The beats were in time with my heartbeat and I began to count them.
"Maybe we shouldn't have Static go in with us," Hush suggested.
That was enough to pull my attention back to the conversation.
"Yeah," Ricochet said. "Wouldn't he be more useful here if something goes wrong? He's our get out of jail free card." He cut me a dark look, even as he said it.
I rubbed my temples. "Isn't the point of this that the cops shouldn't be expecting it? I'd rather go. It was my idea to begin with. Jerry's less likely to run if I'm with you. No Jerry, no plan."
Lock listened to us all, then nodded at me. "You're going. The cops shouldn't be an issue. They won't catch wind of this. And if they do? Well, we're completely fucked anyway. Rip?"
"Yeah?" Our VP was staring, glassy eyed at the wall. He'd been ignoring us the entire time before church began, but now I realized he still looked drunk as hell.