Page 8 of Joker's Ghost
“You sure? You hate going there with all those women looking at you like you’re a prime steak.”
I roll my eyes, although she’s not wrong. The women picking up their kids either look at my rumbling Harley, scrolling tats, and the scar running along my jaw like I’m part of the freak show at the circus or like I was a prime steak.
“Yeah, it’s fine, and Deana will be surprised to see me.”
“True. She’s your number one fan.”
As close as Derek and I are, the relationship I have with my little girl is something I didn’t know existed. We’d originally thought Daisy was having a boy, but Deana was the best surprise ever. While Derek and I have more of an equal relationship, I love pampering my daughter and treating her like a princess.
I jackknife off the bed, do a quick cleanup in the bathroom—the last thing I need is the dance moms smelling sex on me. I pull on my jeans, t-shirt, and cut, then nod toward the closet. “What was so important you risked falling off a chair seven months pregnant?”
“That box has the Halloween costumes in it. I wanted to go through it and see what I could use for our costumes.” She smiles. “You are going to make an amazing bootlegger.”
A cold chill zips up my spine. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.”
“Are you kidding? You’ll be perfect.” She waves her hand over me. “You already have the outlaw attitude. We just have to dial it back a few decades.”
“We’ll see.” The last thing I want to do is disappoint her, but I also didn’t want to conjure up any bad juju to make Warrior’s prediction come true.
“And no more getting up on any chairs. You needsomething and I’m not here, call Derek, and if we’re both not here, you wait—patiently.” I emphasize the last word which earns me a dirty look from my wife, but I don’t give a shit if it keeps her from falling on her ass or worse.
“Yes, sir.” She gives me a fake salute and a smile saying she’ll do exactly what she wants.
On my way through the kitchen, I try again to shake off my doom and gloom mood as Derek finishes off the last of his sandwich.
“Are you gonna be home for the rest of the afternoon?” I ask him.
“Yeah, I have a night class after dinner, but I’ll be home till then. Got a shitload of reading to do.”
“Check in with your mother and make sure she’s not doing anything stupid, like getting up on chairs or carrying heavy shit.”
“Sure, of course.”
I grab up the keys to Daisy’s SUV and head for the garage. Deana would be disappointed I didn’t bring my Harley, but I still couldn’t shake the lingering cloud of danger hovering in my head.
First order of business at church tonight would be to formulate a solid plan to catch the rogue Nomads in the act and get rid of them.
CHAPTER 3
DAISY
After Joker leaves, I dress, then look through the box, pulling out odds and ends of random costumes we’ve used over the years. Since so many of the members have kids now, the club started having Halloween parties for them in the afternoon. Later, when the kids go home with babysitters, the adults party.
Over the last few years, the event has grown to include other surrounding clubs in the area. The Serpents go all out with decorations and games for the kids, along with late-night entertainment and plenty of booze and weed for the adult after-party.
I pull out the fedora hat that would look great on Joker and complete his gangster vibe very nicely. I’m not surprised he resisted because we go through this every year. He hates the idea of dressing up, yet once he gets there, he’s usually the last to leave.
Last year, we did the Roman Empire, and he dressed as Marc Antony, and I dressed as Cleopatra. He looked so damn hot in his gladiator costume, we barely made it home before we were ripping each other’s clothes off.
I stroke my belly, imagining what our latest addition will look like. Little Deana is all dark hair and ebony eyes like Joker, but perhaps the new baby will look more like me.
We’d decided against knowing the sex, especially since the last time, the technician got it wrong and told us we were having a boy. I’d worried Joker would be disappointed, but he told me afterward he secretly wanted a girl all along. He wasted no time spoiling her, and Derek became her big protective brother, which Deana loves.
Derek pops his head in the bedroom. “Dad said I should keep an eye on you.”
“Your dad worries too much.”
“I know, but you know why, and you also know Dad when he gets something on his mind.”
