Page 24 of Scythe's Salvation
“Well, well, well, it sounds like things are progressing,” she teases. “Y’all had breakfast at the clubhouse, he took you to lunch, and now he’s bringing dinner over? That’s three dates in one day. He’s fast-tracking you!”
We dissolve into a fit of giggles at her words. “You’re being silly. Whatever’s going to happen will happen.”
And I’ll be here for every delicious, delectable second, that’s for damn sure!
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Scythe
I stopby the pizza parlor in town and pick up three pizzas—cheese, pepperoni, and a meat lover’s supreme, breadsticks with marinara sauce, some wings, a two-liter bottle of soda, and one of their pans of brownies for dessert. I’ll swing by and grab some vanilla ice cream to top the brownies once I convince Tamara to warm them up. Whistling, I manage to stow most of the stuff in my saddlebags, then strap the pizzas down in the top box. I’ve got several Harleys, but this one is one of my favorites for the fact that it’s bigger and has the carrier which can be removed once I can get Tamara on the back of my bike.
As I ride toward her house, making the pit stop to buy some ice cream from a pimple-faced teen at the local convenience store that’s a step up from the normal ones but not quite as awesome as a Buc-ee’s, I think about what Selah told the club earlier before I left.
It seems that Timmy boy’s wife is well-aware of who Tam is; she booked her for a massage and then stood there making smalltalk afterward. My poor woman had no clue she was basically consorting with the enemy. As Selah told us,Portia Joneswas in Tamara’s safe space, likely lulling her into sharing small details of her life. She and Hawg were headed over to the suite to make sure no listening devices were left behind, and also put in some better security since the way they found out was by hacking into Tamara’s Ring camera system. While that worked in a pinch, I want her better protected, especially since weknowmore of those scumbags are still roaming the earth, just biding their time.
Because of everything we’ve learned about those fundamentalist fuckers, I think Tamara would fit the criteria of what they’re looking for as far as becoming one of their breeders, considering the fact that she had her son at such a young age. Well, the joke’s on them because that willneverhappen on my watch, and I happen to have quite a few brothers who will have my back. Not to mention the fact that the majority of the Cedar Creek folks have special abilities that will help us fuck up their world.
Since all the IT stuff is way above my lowly Enforcer paygrade so to speak, I won’t worry about how that part of the investigation and search is going. I know that when any of the three Tornadic Trio find something, it’ll be shared with the rest of us. I snicker at my nickname for Hawg, Beast, and Selah, but it’s the truth. They have the ability to decimate and blow a person’s life apart just like a rotating tornado. By the time they’re done fucking with someone’s financials and background, it’s as if they lived in a mobile home that was completely destroyed, sometimes not even leaving them with their name.
“I’m here for all of it,” I mutter as I slow down to pull into Tamara’s driveway. The house she owns is a smaller-sized farmhouse, complete with the extended front porch, andI grin when I see the rocking chairs and porch swing, as well as multiple hanging plants. It’s inviting and homey, and I can definitely see myself settled on that porch as Tamara and I watch Chance and our future children playing in the front yard.
Now to get her on the same page. My woman is understandably skittish, which has me beaming with pride. She isn’t like some single moms who have a revolving door of men around their kids. While my memory has faded over time, I remember seeing that while growing up. Shaking off those thoughts, I park my bike, shut it down, hang my helmet from the handlebars and then swing my leg over and stand. Before I can even start getting stuff out of the saddlebags and from the top carrier, the front door swings open and Chance comes running out, flying down the stairs so fast my heart skips a beat.
“Scythe! You came! Mommy said you were bringing dinner over, can I help you carry stuff?” the little boy asks as he reaches my side. I grin because he barely paused to take a breath while he was running toward me.
“I got a lot of things, buddy. Do you like breadsticks?” I watch his eyes grow wide as he nods. “What about… brownies? With ice cream?”
“Really?” he breathes out on a whisper. I feel confident that he doesn’t go without, but it sounds like what I brought might be a special treat or maybe one he hasn’t had before but heard about.
“Yeah, really. How about you carry the bag with the ice cream in it? The rest is in boxes, and they stack up, but they might be too hot for you to handle.”
I won’t say that they’d probably be too heavy; he’s still obviously growing, but he’s only five and three boxes of pizza alone wouldbe heavier than he’s used to. “You’re right. Mommy might get upset with us if I burn myself.”
“Well, we don’t want that to happen. We’ve got pizza, wings, and breadsticks to demolish before we eat brownies with ice cream,” I reply. Hearing his little boy giggle has me grinning because it’s such a carefree, innocent sound.
Ever since Cedar Creek decided to stay in Roanoke for the time being, those giggles ring out frequently in the clubhouse. Even the brothers who don’t have kids have gotten involved with those old enough to run around. There’s a lot of good-natured ribbing going on now during the early evenings when several of the brothers go down to the dock with RiffRaff and fish. Seeing the younger girls trying as well is heartwarming. We’re not a club who says a female can’t do something just because they don’t have a dick. If they’re interested and want to learn, someone will teach them.
And while I’m sure sometimes Brick wishes it wasn’t so chaotic, his ol’ lady is in her element. Considering how she was raised, her love languages are acts of service, quality time, and physical touch. It’s nothing to see her snuggling with not only her own daughter, but also some of the older kids as she reads to them. As a club princess who was thought to be dead, she was so isolated that sheneedsthe connections she’s built, and Brick gladly gives her those things.
I don’t blame him. I know I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that Tamara maintains her independence while showing her that I’ll always have her back and take care of her and Chance until my last breath. As I follow Chance up the stairs, I see her smiling at the two of us as she holds the screen door open.
“Chance, you didn’t listen to me, buddy,” she chides. “You’re supposed to wait for me to answer the door, not fly out of it all willy nilly.”
“Mommy, I heard his motorcycle, so I knew it was Scythe,” Chance replies.
“Still, you need to remember the rules,” she admonishes. “Now, I’m not sure what’s in all of those boxes, but the smell is making my stomach growl.”
Chance giggles and I chuckle as she holds the door open wide for the two of us. I follow Chance to the kitchen, admiring the clean yet lived-in home I’m striding through. It’s obvious that it’s a home, not a house, and I’m eager to move things along a little bit more so she knows I’m serious about my intentions.
She already has plates down and in no time at all, we’re sitting around the kitchen table in her cheery, sunny kitchen, feeding our faces. “This is good,” Chance mumbles as his mouth is full.
“Do we talk with food in our mouth?” Tamara asks. When he slowly shakes his head, she sighs. “It’s okay, but just so you know why it’s important, I don’t want you to swallow something wrong and choke, buddy.”
He finishes chewing, swallows, and then says, “I forgot, Mommy. But I don’t want to choke either, so I’ll try not to forget again.”
“That’s all I can ask for,” she says.
