Page 69 of Joker's Ghost
I remember only too well how he got after Derek got shot by a rival back in New York. Thankfully, Derek made a full recovery, but Joker went off the rails big time, and I’m not about to wait around until that happens again.
Cobra lights up a smoke. “Funny thing is, after you were kidnapped he kept it together, but you fell apart. He sat in the same chair you’re in now telling me almost the same thing.”
“Okay, so whatever you told him must’ve worked ‘cause he pulled me out of my funk. So spill, oh great one of outlaw biker logic.”
Cobra huffs out a laugh. “I told him to pull his head outta his ass and stop babying you. I told him to demand answers from you no matter what the fuck you said, and stay up your ass until you came clean with whatever was fuckin’ with your head.”
“A little harsh.”
“But effective.” He waves his hand toward me. “And you’re living proof.”
I digest Cobra’s words, then push out of the chair. “If for some reason this doesn’t work, I’ll tell Sheena, and she’ll make your life a living hell.” I end the sentence with a smirk, but we both know I’m right.
Sheena and my friendship dated all the way back to the bad old days when we were running cons and dealing cards at illegal games in Vegas together. Another time when some skank tried to put the moves on Joker, Sheena literally smacked the shit out of her. Our bond was tight, and we lived the phrase “ride or die.”
On the drive back to the condo, I formulate a solid plan of action. I text Derek and ask him to come home after his classes and take Deana out for dinner in their favorite spot, Shake Shack, then a movie, my treat. I add that if all goes well with Joker, I would push for Derek’s prospect patch again. After his heroic rescue against the Nomad, even the other Serpents were on Derek’s side.
I ask Mrs. Parker to keep Dakota until nine, and she also agreed. The woman is a blessing, and I planned on paying her double, maybe even triple if what I have in mind works.
Then I call Joker and practically demand he come home for dinner. I’d let him wallow long enough, and it’s time to take action, whether he likes it or not.
Once home, I begin making southern fried chicken and homemade biscuits—Joker’s favorite. I coerced the recipe out of Madeline, Boa’s wife, who owns her own catering business.Being from Tennessee, she has all her mother’s recipes, and they’re all delicious.
Her secrets are shaking the chicken and the coating in a paper bag, frying the pieces in hot, fresh oil, then letting them cool and frying them again for extra crispness. I put it all together, and if his favorite meal, along with Cobra’s advice doesn’t work, I’ll just drag him into the bedroom and fuck him stupid.
At six-thirty, I hear the roar of Joker’s Harley pipes, followed by his heavy booted footsteps as he climbs the stairs from the garage.
“Something smells fuckin’ delicious,” he says as he enters the kitchen.
I turn from the stove and smile. “Your favorite, fried chicken and biscuits.” Then I hand him a tumbler of Blanton’s, his favorite aged bourbon.
He takes the glass from me with narrowed eyes. “Fried chicken, bourbon? Did you wreck the car, overdraw the checking account?”
“In my opinion, I drive better than you, and did you forget I take care of all the finances here and at the shop? So, no, I just wanted to make a nice meal for my husband.”
He eyes me suspiciously. “And where are the kids? It’s way too quiet here.”
“Derek and Deana are eating at Shake Shack and seeing a movie, and Dakota is spending a few extra hours with Mrs. Parker.” I pick up a glass of rosé I poured for myself. “So, it’s just you and me.”
“Ohhh.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed.” I steer him into the living room.
“I’m not; it’s just I look forward to seeing them and holding my new baby girl.”
“They’ll be back in a few hours, but right now, it’s just you and me.”
He sips at the bourbon. “You pulled out the good shit.”
“And you want to know why?”
“On a random Wednesday, my wife makes my favorite meal, herds the kids out of the house, and serves me my three-hundred-dollar-a-bottle bourbon—yeah, I wanna know why.”
CHAPTER 23
DAISY
I nudge him onto the couch and sit next to him. “Because I wanted some alone time with my husband. Because at the shop, we’re both super busy, and then here, between running Deana to dance and other activities, feeding and changing Dakota, there isn’t much time for us anymore.”
