Page 56 of Tav

Chapter 16

Tav

Waking early, I decide it’s better to get up rather than lie in bed thinking of everything that needs to happen over the next few days. Marx and Gus outlined the plan, and it makes me feel a little more relaxed knowing that Gus had a part in it. Not just because he’s my brother, but because he’s always headed up any dangerous jobs we’ve had to take with Tombs Security and we’ve never lost a man.

Wandering through the quiet clubhouse, I come to a stop in the kitchen when I see Pixie’s brother leaning against the countertop, sipping from a cup.

“Hey man, trouble sleeping?” I ask, heading to the coffee machine, pouring myself a cup.

“Nah, it’s my turn to check on the rescue,” he answers. I’m pretty sure this one is Dom. He’s slightly quieter than Vic and Chris.

“Lovely?”

He snorts before bringing his cup to his lips and taking another swig of coffee, “No the baby gator.”

The shock of his words causes my mouthful of coffee to go down the wrong way, leaving me spluttering and wheezing, tears running down my face.

“For the love of fucking God and all that’s holy do not let my sister find out what you’ve got,” I manage to croak out.

“Find out what?” Chewy says from the darkness, through the dining hatch.

“Holy shit! How long have you been there?” I demand, because I need to know it was after what Dom said.

“From when you said ‘Don’t let my sister find out’. Find out what?” She turns her large eyes on Dom whose gaze flits to mine.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Look at the time! I gotta go somewhere,” Dom says, emptying his cup into the sink and then whispering “good luck” to me before hightailing it out of here.

“Nothing,” I assure Chewy. “What are you doing up this early, anyway?”

“I wanted to make sure everything is double-checked and ready. It’s the first time the MC has been split, so I want to make sure all our people are safe,” her disembodied voice says until she walks through the door to the kitchen.

She pulls a bottle of water out of the fridge, takes off the lid and guzzles the water down, like a thirsty toddler. She’s always drunk water like this. I try to fight a smile as I take another sip of the coffee that will hopefully calm my nerves and wake me up.

“Are you worried, little sis?” I ask, watching her a moment longer.

She frowns at me, then rolls her eyes like I asked the dumbest question in the world. “Of course not. I trust everyone here. What I don’t trust are all the other factors. Hammer will always be an unknown. He’s nuts. We also don’t know what type of relationship he has with Royal or the cartel.”

That’s a good point.

“True. But I trust the intel, and I know you and Wire wouldn’t send us in to an ambush,”

“Damn straight,” she says, taking another long drink, then slamming her bottle on the counter with a long “ahhhhh”. “I’m going now. I’ll talk to you before you ride out.” With that she leaves the room, in the abrupt way she does everything, and I try not to chuckle at her.

I finish up my coffee and think about making myself breakfast, but before I can fully open the fridge door to see what’s in there Mama Debs slams it shut and tells me to get out of her kitchen.

“Good morning to you too, Mama Debs,” I drop a kiss to her cheek and chuckle when she mumbles about people messing up her kitchen.

“You go get your family up, and I’ll make breakfast.”

“Yes, Mama,” I draw it out like I used to do to my own mom, and then have to dodge the twisted up dish towel she flicks my ass with.

Laughing, I make my way down the hall. Stopping to peek into my room, I notice Pixie is already up, so I head down to the kids’ rooms, surprised to find all four Landry kids in the same room, the two big kids in camp beds next to their siblings.

My Ol Lady is sitting on the floor between the two twin beds. The Littles are both lying on their sides, looking at their mom, the big kids sitting up in their beds so they can see her too. She’s mesmerizing, softly speaking to them, rubbing their foreheads, leaning to kiss Elio on his perfectly coiffed hair. I don’t know how she senses me in the doorway, but she does. Her soft eyes meet mine and she grins, warming me from the inside out.

“Are you going to join your family or are you going to stand there watching like a creep?”

I lean on the door jamb, crossing my arms over my chest.

---