Page 34 of Devil

With a washcloth and soap from the bathroom, I’d washed her face and hands so she could eat, but I waited for Jag and Ghost to come back from the store with some clothes and bath items for her. At least Ghost knew what to buy because Jag had no clue, like me.

I’d called my dad and talkedtohim and then called Crusher. As our Prez, he needed to know because we’d be staying in San Jose until everything was settled. I called Coast and asked for a favor, being a friend and my brother, he jumped right in. He’d set it up and wait for my text for when we were headed home.

Fucker wanted to try to sell my sister. See how he liked it when the Feds came calling and his laptop held child pornography and even a few posts where he tried to hook up with a few underage girls. All not traceable back to Black Hawk. Everything originating from him. The inmates were going to love him when he got there.

Jag had been on the phone calling in favors up until he left with Ghost. Everyone was pitching in to help me bring my sister home.

“Done, Dev.” I looked away from my phone and smiled at Neely. She hadn’t said much since we’d been in the room. We’d told her ournames,and she could say Dev, but we chuckled when she said Jags and Goss.

“Sweetheart, you wearing more of that milk than you drank.” She looked down at her shirt andswipedher hand over it as if she could wipe it all away. It didn’t matter anyway, once the guys came back with new clothes, what she was wearing was going in the trash. Nothing from her time in San Jose would be brought to Black Hawk.

“TV?” Neely asked, and I grabbed the remote and turned it on. Found the cartoon channel and she crawledup onthe bed and sat. I got up and walked over to stretch out on the other bed in the room. I closed my eyes and thought of Bailey. I textedherbut didn’t tell her about Neely. I only told her I would be in San Jose for a few more days, maybe a week.

Neely needed my focusnow,and I wanted to tell Bailey in person. My life changed with one stop I hadn’t wanted to make in the first place. I had no regrets on that, but Bailey hadn’t signed up for that, it had to be her choice. I’d give it to her, but face to face.

The knocking on the door was what wokeme,and when I tried to move to sit up, my arm didn’t move. I lookedover,and Neely laid across my arm, her head on the pillow, and her body up against mine.

I eased my arm out from under her and got out of bed and went to the door. When I opened it, Jag and Ghost came in, each with bags in both hands. They looked over at the bed and saw Neely was asleepso they set the bags on the other bed.

“I already put the car seat in the truck and got rid of the box. We got kids shampoo, soap, brush, toothbrush.An everythingbathroom related item they had. Then we bought tennis shoes, underwear, sock, pants, and shirts.” Ghost pointed to Jag. “The VP is responsible for the other charge on your credit card.” I looked at Jag and lifted a Harley bag.

“Seriously, you went to a Harley store and bought her clothes?” I shook my head. He opened the bag and pulled out items.

“Hey, she needed a Harley outfit, all biker chicks do.”

“Brother, she is three and a half.” Ghost and I laughed when Jag sneered.

“Pretty.”

The three of us looked over at thebed,and Neely was sitting up looking at the pink t-shirt Jag held in his hands.

“See, age don’t matter when it comes to biker babes.” Welaughed,and Neely joined in.

“Potty, Dev.” Neely got down from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Ghost, Jag, norImoved.

“Does she need help?” Jag asked, and I shrugged, silently praying that she didn’t. Ghost shook his head.

“She should, though, she might need help from time to time with buttons on snaps on her pants. Oh, and when she poops she still might need help with her butt.”

“Oh hell no. I’m not touching my little sister’s butt or anything down there.” Jag and Ghost burst out laughing.

“How the hell do you expect her to take a bath? It’s no different than anyone else. Dev, you are going to have to wash your sister or at least help her until she is able to do it herself.”

“This has to be wrong.”

“You’ve washed women before. Think of her as a tiny woman.” Ghost and I both jerked our heads toward Jag. “What?”

“VP, that was such a bad comparison.” Jag’s eyes got big when he realized what he’d said. “Fucking, pervs. Just the washing part of a grown woman—not the reason you wash a grown woman. Ewwww, sick bastards.”

“Dev! I poop!” I froze, and Jag and Ghost bent over laughing. “Come on, I’ll pay one of you?” Both their heads shook. “Fine, but I don’t know who this is going tobe traumatizedmore in the future when she is a teenager and remembers her brother wiped and washed her...” They laughed harder.

“Dev! I poop!”

“Coming, Neely!” I yelled, then to Jag and Ghost, “Dickheads.” Then I headed toward the bathroom. I guess Neely and I were going to learn together. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. I hoped her and my life didn’t play out like the movie.

A few days, turned into five, and I found out that living in a motel room with a little girl was worse than a thirteen-mile hike in full battle gear. I also learned along with Jag, which had been funny at the time, not so much when it was me, that with short humans your jewels needed to be protected. That only took one time to learn.

The line moved and brought me out of my thoughts and back to where I stoodto waitmy turn to be frisked. County lockup, fucking fantastic. They moved us through pretty quickly and then I was put in a room to wait for them to bring Desiree in. One of the favors asked.

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