Judge pounds Easy on the back. “Congratulations, brother. No better time than when your woman is pregnant.” He bends down and looks at me. “Don’t know that you should be working here, though.”
“That’s what I said,” Easy replies and folds his massive arms across his chest. Judge does the same, forming a wall of seemingly impenetrable testosterone. And this makes me angry enough to glare at Easy and Judge.
“I’m perfectly fine,” I retort and turn toward the office door. “Easy, you go on now. We agreed that I’d call you.”
He shoots a finger at me. “First thing you contact the doctor. And call if you need anything.” The words are supposed to be for me, but he’s looking at Judge the whole time.
Judge nods and I roll my eyes at this preemptory activity. “I’m fine,” I repeat and leave the two behind as I stride into the office. Outside I can see the two of them still talking. Judge claps a hand on Easy’s shoulder and then Easy finally leaves.
Judge reappears. “It’s pretty smelly around here so you stay in here until you get the all clear from the doctor.”
“I wouldn’t do anything to hurt the baby and there are plenty of women who work up to the day they deliver.” I can hear my voice getting a little shrill.
“Okay, fair enough. I see that you got overly protective men all over you and you don't need one more.” He grins. “Don’t expect them to let up, though, now that you’ve got their kid in your belly.”
I make a face. “Let’s talk about what you need from me.”
The office is full of paper. There are stacks of it everywhere. A pile that is about two feet high threatens to tumble over the side and into a waiting trash bin. In fact, as I peer over the desk, it looks like there are a few that have fallen into the trash. Judge places a big palm on top of the teetering stack.
“I’ve paid all the bills but they should be filed. Last year I wasted a whole month trying to get everything in order for my accountant. That sucked so I’m not doing that again. You file everything and then start keeping track of all of our expenses and our income. If you need supplies you just take it out petty cash.” He walks over to the steel gray filing cabinet in the corner and pulls out the top drawer. Inside is a small metal box which I see holds several hundred-dollar bills.
“No lock on the money box?” I ask.
Judge slams the drawer shut. “You’d have to have a death wish to steal from me.”
Good point.
“I suspect cleaning this office up will take you at least a couple of days but if you finish sooner here's the parts catalogs for the engines we build. You should get to know this shit and the ordering process. Easy said you did some bookkeeping for the church?”
“I did all the bookkeeping for the church.”
I smile at the idea Judge the outlaw paying taxes and keeping books.
“What’s that smile for?”
“I don't know.” I shrug, embarrassed at being caught. “It just seems like taxes is something that outlaw motorcycle club shouldn't be worried about.”
Judge raises an eyebrow. “Wheels Up is my business and has shit all to do with the club. And Al Capone was taken down for taxes, honey. No man messes with the IRS.”
Judge leaves me with a pile of work and I'm grateful that there is so much of it. Concentrating on sorting the bills alphabetically, making sure that they been entered properly into the software program which fortunately is very close to the one that I used at the church, makes it easy for me to think about things other than my messed up personal life.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Michigan
“We need to take care of business,” Easy says on the phone as I'm driving back to Fortune.
“It’s about time.” I’ve been waiting to clean house ever since I saw Annie in her dad’s basement nearly flayed alive. It eats at me that the man who spawned her is breathing the same air as us.
“There’s just too much on her plate right now. Someone looking suspiciously like Annie and claiming to be her mother showed up at the house today.” I hear the clink of metal against metal. Easy must be at the granary today working out.
“We doing her too?”
“I think we ought to hold off on that but I’m not opposed because I can see Annie getting stressed out about it and I don’t like that, particularly now she’s pregnant. Let’s see how it all shakes out. I talked to Judge about having a vote over getting rid of Bloom.”
“How’d he take that?” My fingers tighten around the steering wheel. Either way, approval or no approval, Bloom is going down. I’d prefer it if we had the okay from the club but I’m killing him no matter what.
“He has no problem with it so long as there is no blowback to the club. He also reminded me that it's hard to parent while you’re prison.”
“Yeah, I guess.” I’d killed my share of men and never once had a whiff of the law on my tail. I knew how to kill and how to make sure we’d get away with it. Judge should know that too. Most of the deaths occurred because he’d ordered them.
“So one of the questions they asked me at the clinic today was whether we wanted to have a paternity test.”
Shit that had not occurred to me. I knew there were whispers around town about our living arrangements. Easy and I were not shy when we went out with Annie. One or both of us had our arm around her at all times. She’s ours and we like making our claim public. Not everyone is accepting of us but I don’t give two fucks. “What’d Annie say to that?”
“I think she rather not know. I figure any baby that comes out of her belly is both of ours.”
“Agree.”
“Good, then I think we ought to move up our wedding plans get you hitched to Annie.”
“What’s that mean for you?”
“It’s your name going on the birth certificate, I suppose, and the baby would have your last name but I’m okay with that. We can do it the other way with the next baby she has.”
“That’d get tails wagging.” I snort.
“Yup but as long as we’re okay then it don’t matter. We just all need to be on the same page. Doesn't matter to me what piece paper says,” Easy says. “What matters to me is that we take care of Annie and that we live a good, happy life with plenty of fucking and laughter. Hell, with three parents, we ought to have a passel of kids.”
“You’re not the one who has to pop them out.”
“Good point. Maybe a half a passel then. Like a basketball team instead of a baseball team.” Easy’s clearly thrilled with being a daddy. Me? I’m a little terrified. I know nothing about parenting other than not to abandon the kid. But maybe just showing up is half the battle.
Speaking of shitty parents, though. “What's the deal with Annie’s mom?”
“No clue.” He grunts and I wait for the clang as the barbell hits the posts. “Annie didn’t take it well. She nearly collapsed and begged me to take her to Wheels Up. I dropped her off there and she's promised to call the doctor. She says it’s okay so long as she stays away from any fumes. Judge got her a mask she’s supposed to wear if she goes into the garage but the office should be fine.”
I’m not a fan of Annie working. “Aren’t pregnant women supposed to be at home in their bed?”
“Yeah, you don't want to bring that up with her. If you do then make sure I'm there.”
“So you can back me up?”
“Oh hell no. I want to watch the explosion.” He laughs.
Okay, so telling Annie to stay home and lie in bed all day isn’t one of my better ideas. “I’ll be in town in about 45 minutes. When are we having church?”
“Before the mash on Friday night.”
“Sounds good.” I lean over to press the end call button when Easy pipes up.