Page 4 of Sleeper

It was nice to see the brother he had become. I didn’t see much of him since he’d been patched in and was proud of what the fucker had made of himself. He did some grunt work behind the bar with me years ago. In fact, that was when Ghoul gave him his road name. I was happy to have him back at the club. We got to see brothers from other chapters every now and again, but usually it was because we needed the extra bodies because shit was headed south. Having him here for a visit made me happy.

The familiar tone chimed on my phone, and I grabbed it before she called. “What’s up, baby Belle?”

“Dad is on one again,” my younger sister sighed out, no doubt hating she had the make the call as much as I did.

“How long has he been gone this time?” I hoped she hadn’t tried to wait for him to come back home.

“A week.”

“A fucking week? Is that what you said, Isabella?” I barked, knowing I heard her clearly, but didn’t want to believe I had. My sister was oddly mature for her age. Sometimes I forgot that, but the lack of panic—given the situation—in her voice reminded me.

Belle had seen a lot of shit she shouldn’t. I thought that was the reason she seemed older to me. I protected her when I was able, but there were times when I wasn’t. For example, the past week she’d been alone, and I had no fucking idea until now. Perhaps if she had been born into a semi-normal family, she would react like most of her peers who were approaching their dreaded teens. Maybe both were wrong. Baby Belle was a force to be reckoned with anyway I looked at it.

“Yeah. Can you come get me?”

“Give me twenty to wrap up a few things and I’ll be there. Lock the doors and don’t open them for anyone. You hear me? A fucking week,” I mumbled to myself, running my hands over my freshly shaven head. I didn’t even give her a chance to respond because I was so fucking pissed that our father thought it’d be a good idea to leave a kid alone for a week. Granted, she wasn’t your normal ten-year-old, because me being me, knew the evils that lurked in this world so from a young age, I’d taught her everything I could about self-defense. However, she wasn’t big at all, more of a sprite, so even knowing how to hurt someone enough to get away might not be enough to save her.

“Is everything okay?” Jingles asked in a truly concerned tone, scooting his beer bottle to the edge of the bar as he stood.

“Yeah. No. I don’t know. My piece of shit Dad swore the last time he’d never bang the needle again. But what is he out there doing?” I bellowed as I glared at Jingles, even though I wasn’t angry with him.

His shoulders rose and fell while his face flushed.

“Fucking banging the needle! I don’t give a shit about what he does on his own time but leaving my sister at home by herself for a fucking week is damned ridiculous!” I yelled and my sides shook I was so pissed. The biggest part of any extra money I earned went into his bank account. I wanted Belle to have more than I did coming up in the world.

“I’m sorry, brother. That shit sucks!”

“Hell, yeah it does, doesn’t it?” I forced myself to speak in a calm tone. This was in no way his fault and I was being a dickwad by taking it out on him.

“I’m sorry, man. I don’t mean to be a dick. Family shit, ya know? I have to go, but unless you have a place to stay already, any of the rooms in the back are yours for the taking for as long as you need. But I wouldn’t go in Sac’s room and avoid Ghoul’s too while you’re at it. There’s some questionable shit in there, and that’s on a good day.”

Ghoul was losing his grip on things a little more each day along with his sanity. He has never been the sanest character in the world, but the more his old lady got lost, he let himself get lost right along with her. I didn’t have an official old lady to bring that kind of drama. There was too much that came down on me from my immediate family to really entertain the idea of dealing with someone else. A lot of my brothers had old ladies, but Sac was excluded from that number. There was no hope for him, but maybe his weirdo princess was out there somewhere, wrecking just as much shit as he did. Maybe one day that chaotic, fucked up individual I called brother would fall in love, but I doubted it. He was just so out there.

“I can ride along, if you need help carrying her stuff,” Jingles offered, nodding toward the door.

“I’m sure you want to relax and get settled in.”

“Nah, it can wait. Someone has to keep you in line, brother.”

“Thanks, Jingles. It really is great to have you here.”

3

SLEEPER

“It’s gone!” Belle frantically tossed a couch cushion over her head close to my feet and it landed in the floor. She then did the same with the two that were still in their proper place. “It can’t be gone, Tony. It’s all I have left of her,” she blurted out, tears streaming down her face.

“Wait. Hold on. Tell me what you’re looking for, Belle, and I’ll help you find it.”

“Mom’s locket. It’s gone. That good for nothing Jezebel took it when she was here with her addict mom. ItoldDad she took it, but he didn’t believe me. He swore that he stashed it in the couch to keep it safe and I stupidly believed him. I. I. I don’t have any of her now, Tony.”

Jingles cleared his throat, making his presence known as he walked through the open door, and into the shitstorm my dad left behind.

“Who are you? Never mind. It doesn’t matter as long as your hands work.”

Jingles blankly gazed at her.

“Well, do they?” she asked, her foot now tapping to some invisible beat as she waited for my brother to answer.

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