Page 19 of Playing for Keeps

All I need to do is convince my family to help me look good in front of Lola and her people. I line up my parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents outside before the Rawkfist club guys arrive. Lola messages to warn she’s twenty minutes away.

I’m running out of time to get my beloved family to agree not to embarrass me!

“What is this?” Pa-Emmett asks when I silence everyone with an exaggerated “shh” noise.

“I’m asking you all to behave.”

“No,” Tuesday says while West shakes his head.

“I will behave very meekly like a sexually satisfied raccoon,” Alexis offers, immediately winning a grin from my brother who thinks she needs him to wrap himself around her body.

“I will also behave in a well-banged manner,” Tuesday announces and reaches for Bullet.

Roxie frowns at her stepmom before looking up at me. “I won’t embarrass you.”

“Of course not. You’re a sharp kiddo.”

I feel the fifteen-year-old about to go super Nova teenage bitchy on me, so I turn away and focus on my brother.

“No embarrassing pictures.”

“Too late. I already have one of you covered in your own shit. Looks like you’re about to lick it off your fingers,” West says and shows me how the photo is his phone’s wallpaper. “This needs to be shared with the world.”

“Holster that shit,” Court demands, sounding like a wild beast.

Auntie Justice nearly faints from his macho exuberance. She brushes her pixie bangs from her face and fans her pink cheeks. Despite my serious mood, I can’t help grinning at the sight of my aunt swooning next to him.

“Thank you, Uncle,” I tell Court, batting my eyes for his benefit.

After giving me an eye roll, he explains to everyone, “This isn’t any woman and her family showing up today. The Suns are coming, too. If you treat this dumbass,” Court says and juts his thumb at me, “like the dumbass he is, those shithead club fucks won’t respect him. Then, when he tells them to heel, they’ll push back. That harms the club and puts our family at risk.”

West looks between Court and me before giving Alexis a quick glance. She rewards his attention with a big smile.

My brother decides he can’t give up a giant opportunity to bring me down to his loser level. “Naw, I think the Suns will see a lot of themselves in this shit-covered loser.”

Court glances at my dad, hoping he’ll get us in line.

“Charleston is run by crazy fuckers,” Pa-Emmett grumbles, having once worn the Charleston patch. “They are Nazi rapist monsters.”

The women all scoot closer to their perspective men, and the jovial mood takes a nose dive into a dirty toilet.

“But they’re lazy,” Emmett adds and shrugs at Court. “I don’t see them putting much effort into controlling our little part of West Virginia. Our club and the Blood-Red Suns should be enough to keep them away. But if Duke decides to bail on the state and head to Florida, Rawkfist might be in trouble.”

“See?” I say and look around at everyone. “It’s important for you not to embarrass me.”

“Yeah, but you also need to not embarrass yourself,” Court mutters and swipes West’s phone. “No gross pictures. No stories about Val’s wild dick adventures.”

“So, we have to act boring?” Tuesday asks and turns to our mom.

Ma-Poppy has been oddly quiet today. I worried she might be genuinely upset over meeting Lola. However, I’ve started to suspect she’s saving up all her gasps and sass attacks for when our guests arrive.

Pa-Emmett leans down to check if his wife is conscious when she remains silent.

“She’s just plotting,” he says and shrugs. “Nothing I can do about that, but you boys need to behave.”

For some reason, Pa-Emmett ends his order by pointing at Ike as if my cousin is the troublemaker.

“Don’t pitch your attitude this way,” Auntie Journey mutters, protecting her boy and flexing her primo, buff arms. “Your kids are the worst drama llamas in the family. Well, assuming Justice’s kids aren’t in town.”

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