Page 178 of Scatter the Bones

“Sorry I missed it,” Dex says.

“Same.” Rooster nods. “I got there right after, apparently.”

I lean in, voice low. “Can we maybe not talk about it too much? She’s worried what people’ll think.”

“Uh, that your ol’ lady has more balls than most men?” Wrath arches an eyebrow.

“She just…” I scrub my hand over my jaw. “She doesn’t want anyone thinking she’s a psycho.”

“You mean awesome?” Murphy throws in.

I let out a short laugh. “I told her that’d be everyone’s reactions.”

Rock stares at me for a beat. “I get what you’re saying, Jiggy. That’s why we called officers in first.” He shoots a glare toward Z’s empty end of the table. “You know Z and Grinder will be impressed too.”

I nod. No doubt. No one’s ratting her out. Even if they did, the guy’s nothing but ashes now. Not a trace left. No proof he was ever in upstate New York.

We discuss the bits of information we did get out of the tweaker. While we’re going back and forth on that, Z, Grinder, and Hustler join us.

“Well, good morning,” Wrath says, pointedly staring at his wrist.

Z rolls his eyes and pulls out the chair next to Dex, instead of his normal seat. Grinder stands behind him and Hustler paces between his usual chair at the end of the table and one closer to the middle.

Wrath gives them a short, quick version of events and when he’s finished, Z and Grinder are staring at me slack-jawed.

“That’s some woman you found, Jigsaw.” Grinder nods with respect. “Now I’m even more impressed she didn’t slice those girls up after the way they went after her at our clubhouse.”

“She’s not…she’s not like that,” I say carefully. “I mean,ifthey’d laid a hand on her, they might not have gotten it back, but otherwise…”

“She’s a sweetheart,” Dex finishes.

“Yeah.” I nod.

“She actually baked us bread.” Murphy shakes with laughter as he goes over that portion of the story again.

“You got a crush on Jigsaw’s girl?” Wrath jokes.

Still smiling, Murphy shakes his head. “No, I’m thinking we should ask her to prospect.”

Unlikely, since she doesn’t ride.

Wrath throws me a look, arching a brow.

I nod at him and raise my hand to catch Z’s attention. “I doubt she wants to prospect, but I want to give her my property patch.”

“Who didn’t see that coming?” Hustler cackles and rubs his hands together.

“Her father going to be okay with that?” Teller asks.

I turn and glare at him. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” I shrug. “What the fuck’s it matter, anyway? She’s only gonna wear it when she’s at one of our clubhouses.”

“True.”

“Obviously, she has my vote,” Rooster says.

“Big surprise.” Hustler covers his mouth and laughs between his sausage fingers.

“Shut up,” Grinder snaps, then focuses his stern gaze on me. “I’m ready to vote her in too.”

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