Page 12 of Faking it with the Bad Boy Bikers

“What? I helped make y’all cookies. Why can’t I shoot your gun? I’ll be careful!” She hopped off my lap and made her way around the desk to stand in front of him. “It’s not fair. Grandpa Blade was going to teach me when I turned twelve but he’s gone.”

A bolt of pain struck me and I had to turn my face to the window behind me that looked out on Devil’s Den. I allowed myself a few blinks and then looked back at Waylan. “Baby, Grandpa Blade wouldn’t have wanted you shooting a gun this early. You have to wait. And when it’s time, we’ll find someone to teach you. With a lot of safety precautions and Xanax for me.”

“But Seth is right here, Mom.”

Seth cleared his throat and frowned down at her. “Not happening.”

She put her hands on her hips. “It could happen. All you’d have to do is pull your gun out and let me have it.”

“Waylan.” I shot her a look that had her shoulders slumping as she accepted it wasn’t going to happen for her. “I think we’ve pretty much covered everything. Can we go?”

I’d already told Henry and Woodrow exactly what happened, leaving out all the depressing history. Henry had carefully moved my arm around and filled up his phone with dozens of pictures of the swelling and bruising. Beatrix was waiting on me back at the house and I felt about as comfortable in a police station as I did alone with Hammer. It wasn’t like I’d ever done anything illegal that could come back to haunt me but being around Virginia and Blade had left an impression. They weregood people who occasionally colored outside of the law. It’d instilled a healthy desire for distance from the cops in me.

“Pictures?” Seth looked at Henry and Woodrow. “She signed the statement?”

Woodrow stood up and ran his hand over his smooth hair. “You know we’ve been at the job for a while now, too, right?”

Seth grunted. “Fine. She can go.”

I stood up, just to see him hesitate and hold his finger up at me. “Yes?”

“We’ll charge the asshole and make sure he can’t touch you. Were you able to give Henry or Woodrow his real name?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know it. He was always just Hammer.”

“We’ll figure it out.” He looked down at Waylan again and his frown deepened. “You good, kid?”

“My name’s Waylan.” She sighed dramatically. “Since I can’t shoot your gun, could I maybe drive your motorcycle?”

Henry let out a bark of laughter and rapped his knuckles on the corner of the desk before standing and stretching. With his arms over his head his shirt rode up and a bare strip of his stomach caught my attention. Hello, happy trail. “She’s got gumption, I’ll give her that. How about I show you the snack machines? It’s not a gun or a motorcycle, but we’ve got candy.”

“Can I go, Mom?”

I smiled and nodded. “Go ahead. Take some money and buy me something sweet, huh?”

“I’ve got it.” Henry flashed me a slow grin which had my abdomen tightening. “Come on, little danger.”

Seth stepped out of their way and leaned against the doorway to watch me. “Maybe you should get your wrist looked at.”

I waved him off. “It’s fine. I just want to go back to Vivian’s and finish changing my oil.”

A door slammed open at the front of the station and all three of us rushed to see what’d happened. Panic strangled me as I looked around wildly for Waylan. I was on high alert after dealing with Hammer. Woodrow held out his arm to keep me behind him until he saw it was Mills standing in the open doorway.

I didn’t know what to expect from my big brother but it wasn’t anger. He scowled at me and jabbed his finger in my direction. “You’ve been here for barely more than a day and you’re already in trouble. I just received around ten calls about you being taken into the jail. What did you do and do I need to find a lawyer?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, doing my best to block his cold tone. “Are you serious?”

“You’ve always been the wild child and I guess it was stupid of me to have hope that you’d changed. You can’t come back here and start causing trouble, Nellie.” He stopped himself cold when he heard Waylan coming to stand next to me. He softened his tone. “Just tell me what happened.”

“I know who you are.” Waylan’s scowl rivaled Mills’. “Don’t care. You upset Mom. You’re a jerk.”

I gripped the top of her head and sighed. “Don’t call your uncle a jerk, Way. Even if he’s being one. Let’s go home.”

Waylan didn’t budge. “You better be nicer to my mom. Seth is going to let me shoot his gun.”

Seth groaned. “No, I’m not.”

“Are youthreateningme?” Mills didn’t look upset, he looked surprised.

---