Chapter 11

Tav

" H e sounds like he's dying," whispers a little voice. I'm pretty certain it's Cove.

"He could be dying." whispers another voice. This time Jovie.

"Do you think we should do that mouth-to-mouth thing?"

"Ew, no way! His mouth stinks!"

"Shhhh! We don't want to wake him up," Cove's voice says, so close to my face that I feel her hot breath on me. "Ew gross,"

"See? I told you he stinks in the morning," What the fuck? Is that Rider?

I'm not sure whether to argue that my morning breath isn't that bad or pretend I can't hear them and wait for them to get bored of watching me. I contemplate this while the two little voices and one big voice dare each other to get close to my mouth. Making a show of rolling closer to the edge of the bed on the side they're standing on, I open wide and huff a big, pretend yawn in their direction, hitting them with the breath that they think is so toxic.

Three kid voices squeal, so I'm guessing Elio has been here the whole time, too. Opening my eyes, I'm greeted with them all holding their noses.

"Aw come on, it's not that bad!" Immediately after I say that I have to think back to make sure I brushed my teeth before bed. I do not want these kids smelling what I did to their mother last night.

"Tav, it's very, very bad," Elio says, with a serious look on his face.

"It's fu- ah fudging bad dude. You should get that looked at." Rider catches himself before dropping the f-bomb.

"Oh! Maybe you should see Mr. Switch! He's a doctor. We met him this morning when we went to see Niko," Cove says, eyes wide. Looks like Switch has made a friend.

"There's nothing wrong with me, kids. I'm as healthy as an ox. But I need breakfast." I turn to Pixie and see that she's not in bed. Huh, she must have gotten up early to check on the kids. "Have you guys eaten yet?"

"No, that's why we're here. They didn't want to eat without you," Rider says with a shrug.

"How did you end up hanging out with the kids?"

"Blanche brought her two out into the dining room early this morning, then got called into some business with Wire and the girls. Jovie's been hanging with us, waiting for you to wake up before we all get some grub."

"You have so many nose hairs," Elio whispers, staring up at Rider, his head tipped right back.

Cove tips her head to look at him for a moment. "You look like Shrek. But when he's a man."

Jovie also looks up and then nods in agreement. Tipping my head, I can kind of see it. Square jaw, longish hair.

Rider splutters, "The ogre?"

"Yeah! He lives in a swamp!" Cove says, clapping her hands.

Rider gapes at them, their smiling faces looking up at him like he's the best ogre they've ever seen. My snorting has him glaring at me.

"Let me get up and I'll get you lot some breakfast. Shrek, do you mind walking them out to the common room while I get sorted?"

Rider squints at me before ushering the kids out of the room while I laugh. I wait for the last of them to leave before throwing the covers off, sitting on the side of the bed, scrubbing my hands up and down my face, trying to remove the perma-smile on my face from last night. I've waited months for Pixie to get on the same page, and I think we are there. She's accepted that she's my Ol Lady and I'm her Ol Man. but that's just the beginning. I want it all.

I go to my chest of drawers, pull out some jeans and a tee, throw them on, and then add my cut over the top. I'm working from the clubhouse until I know that the threat to Blanche and the kids has been neutralized. I pick up the few things lying around, put them in my hamper, tidy, and make the bed, and then make my way out. Hopefully, the kids are still giving Rider shit.

Walking into the common room I see all three kids are sitting at the table, however, they are leaning so far over it while they talk to Rider sitting on the other side, that they are pretty much on top of the table. Judging by the excitement on their faces, and the scowl on his, I guess they're still trying to convince him of this Shrekness.

Looking around the room I find Sage sitting with Switch deep in conversation, Niko sitting quietly next to her on the couch.

"You know, a month ago I would never have imagined that we would have one kid here, let alone this many," Wire says, coming to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me.

The three younger kids have ditched Rider and started a conversation with Fox and Nitro. This continues for a beat before they all turn their heads creepily slow to look in Rider's direction.

"Um, why are you looking at me?" He points to his chest and then runs his hand through his loose hair.

The kids, Fox and Nitro all look at each other and burst into laughter.

"He does look like man-Shrek!" Fox laughs, pointing at Rider, who looks none too impressed.

Standing in a huff, he stomps past the kids and their continued laughter until he's standing toe to toe with me and Wire.

"Sort your kids out. Words hurt you know!" he hisses and then heads down the hall to sulk.

"Come on kids, let's get you fed, yeah? Your mom will be back once she's finished doing important stuff with Remy and Chewy." I swivel to look in Sage and Niko's direction, tipping my head to the kitchen to indicate breakfast, the big kids both giving me thumbs up. Taking that as a sign that they'll be up soon, I usher the Littles to the countertop where Mama Debs is serving, Wire following with Jovie in his arms.

That's their morning routine. Wire has breakfast with his little girl every morning. Watching them gives me a warm feeling in my chest as I join them.

"Hello my little pepi , what are you all in the mood for this fine morning?" Mama Debs coos as she leans over the bench, looking at Cove and Elio, Wire already carrying Jovie's pancakes to her place at the table.

"You say funny words, Mama Debs," Cove giggles.

" Ae , that's because I'm from very far away and we say different words sometimes. Pepi means babies," Debs replies with a soft smile.

The kids coo over her food and all decide to have whatever Jovie is having. Ushering them back to the table, Cove sits next to me with Elio on the other side.

"Little people," Chewy greets as she and my Pixie walk into the dining room.

Usually she would say "little person," in greeting to Jovie, but seeing as there's more of them, she's adjusted her wording. My sister may be all in with Rhodie, but I don't think she will ever go down the route with a dog and 2.5 kids. She doesn't dislike children, she just doesn't like them enough to be adding to the population anytime soon.

Pixie drops a kiss to the kids' heads, then mine as she walks down the line before heading to grab breakfast for herself. The older kids are down the other end of the table with the prospects.

"Niko looks better today," I mention to Pixie as she sits down next to me.

"Hmm, I think he's feeling a little too good. He's been grilling Takoda and Jimmy about prospecting," she grumbles before shoving a bite of pancake in her mouth, closing her eyes and groaning. "Holy shit, these are divine," she whispers almost to herself.

She takes another bite and I have to adjust myself under the table because those moans are hitting me square in the dick.

"Those are mommy's happy noises! That's the sound she was making last night when Tav was giving her a back rub," Cove loudly announces to everyone before chewing on another mouthful of pancake, oblivious to the fact that her mother is choking on her pancakes and I've spat my coffee all over the table in front of me.

"Is that right, brother?" Marx's voice says before his laughter rumbles out of him.

"Yeah, I, ah, had a bit of a sore back," Pixie says with a blush rising on her cheeks. I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my side, kissing her on the temple as she tries to hide her face, before she gets over it and remembers she's my Pixie, sitting bolt upright and flipping everyone the bird.

The door swings open, bouncing off the wall. All our heads snap toward the doorway, alert and ready for anything. Until Pops comes wandering through the door chatting to … Officer Martin. What the fuck?

"As you can see, Officer , it's time for breakfast. Is there anything I can get you? Pancakes, waffles," Pops lowers his voice, "A bullet?"

"A what now?" Officer Dickwad's head snaps towards Pops who is smiling maniacally at him.

"A coffee, officer. What did you think I said?" Pops answers, looking about as innocent as Dayz when she does that stare-y eyed thing.

"Yes, fine. Coffee would be great." His beady eyes look around the room as if noticing us all for the first time. He's full of confidence and I have no clue what the hell Pops is playing at.

"Marx, I'm sure you don't mind that I invited Officer Martin in for breakfast. With the weather getting colder I thought I would give him a nice reprieve from sitting in his car watching us," Pops says with a smirk on his face, "You know, this could be a great time for us to get to know each other."

Marx raises a brow at Pops and then must buy into Pops's nutso plan because he nods his head. "Well, DRMC, let's welcome Officer Martin to breakfast."

Pixie whispers to Cove and Elio, who stand, taking their plates into the kitchen. Sage and Niko flank them and Jovie as they head in to Mama Debs.

"Take a seat, son! They ain't gonna bite!" Pops chuckles, placing his hand on Officer Dickwad's shoulder and shoving him into a seat at the table. He shuffles into the kitchen and gets busy making a coffee while the rest of us stare at our guest.

"Here you are, sir. I guessed how you'd take it." Pops says on his way out of the kitchen, before plopping a coffee cup down next to Officer Dickwad, a little of it sloshing over the side.

Dickwad takes a sip, grimaces, and places it down, jerking slightly when his gaze raises and he's met with my sister staring at him across the table.

"Hi."

"You're the security woman."

"Maybe."

He narrows his eyes for a moment, as if wondering whether or not he should double down. From the few interactions we've had with him, I know that he's not going to let my sister have the last word or look cleverer than him.

"You're Tuesday Tombs. Owner of Tombs Security, with your brothers, August, Jules, and Tav,"

Chewy smiles her most disarming smile. As a child, our mom worked hard using facial expression flashcards, books, and movies to help her learn how to interact with people socially. For the most part, Chewy is happy with how she is, but when she wants to, she masks her autism. I remember a time when Chewy started middle school and us boys being creeped out by her non-Chewy behavior. So much so that Mom had to sit us down and explain that the things that come naturally to us - interacting, reading non-verbal signs, fitting in - were things that Chewy had to learn by rote. It takes a lot out of her to mask all the time, which is why as she got older she just stopped trying to come across as "normal". Although when she wants to, she can tap into her prior training and become the most charming person you'll ever meet. Throw in the fact she's small with the same tanned skin as the rest of us, giant whisky-colored eyes, and pretty, well, it means that chubby, balding pink men like Officer Martin will be eating out of her hand in no time. Well played Pops. Well played.

"Oh OK, you got me! Wow, you are fantastic at research," she beams across the table at him, clapping her hands in front of her before leaning forward and resting her chin in her hand. "What else ya got?"

He takes another sip of his coffee before leaning back in his chair with a smug look on his face.

"I know your pops is a Vietnam vet, highly decorated."

"Officer Martin, have you been looking into us?" Chewy says all flirty-like and then caps it off with a little giggle.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Fox and Nitro both mouthing "What the fuck?" to each other. A laugh bubbles up, so I bring Pixie's hand to my lips, dropping a kiss on the soft skin to hide my smirk.

"I had to run background checks when all that business with your grandfather went down," he answers, taking a long pull of his coffee and then placing it down on the table with a thump, Pops taking a keen interest in his movements.

"Oh, of course, Officer. I'm so glad we have men like you helping keep Rose Grove safe. I bet Sergeant Davies loves having you on the team," she beams up at him, and I know the moment she sees his face darken slightly after the mention of Davies. It's clear the sergeant is a thorn in this man's side. "So, did you grow up around these parts? Is that why you take such an interest in keeping all the residents safe?

Chewy starts running her finger along the tabletop, veering close to where Officer Dickwad's hand sits. She looks at him through her lashes and he leers back at her. Looking around the room, I can see my brothers are all dumbstruck by what's happening in front of them. Not the least that Chewy is behaving like a club girl, all flirty and interested, but that Pops invited the cop that's been watching us to breakfast.

Dickwad stares at my sister before his eyes drift down her body, stopping for far too long on her boobs. I mustn't have been the only person who noticed because Rhodie lets out a growl over my shoulder. Chewy turns to look behind her, her friendly flirty smile dropping back to the usual impassive face we're used to. She rolls her eyes before giving Rhodie a wink and plastering the smile back on her face, then turning back to Dickwad.

She tips her head to the side. "Officer Martin?"

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

Pixie's inhale of breath is the first thing to alert me that something isn't right. Well, another thing in this whole weird scene.

"I was asking if you grew up here," Chewy smiles encouragingly.

He shakes his head as if trying to clear his mind, "Oh, um, yeah. Fuck, was there something in this coffee?" He frowns down at his cup.

There's a grumbling noise but this time it isn't coming from Rhodie, it's coming from his big brother who is trying to hide the pissed look on his face.

"What's wrong, Officer? Is the coffee not agreeing with you? Maybe you have a sensitive stomach? I tested it myself and it was fine." Pops picks up the cup and takes a big gulp before slamming it on the table with a big "ahhhh."

Dickwad looks at his cup for a moment before his eyes roll back and he flops forward, face planting into the table with a thud.

"That worked a lot quicker than I thought it would," Chewy muses, "How much did you put in?"

"A double dose. I didn't know how long everyone would act normally for," Pops answers her, shoving Officer Dickwad's shoulder. We watch as he melts off the table onto the floor.

"What in the fuck do you two think you're doing? What about ‘no torture and no murder' do you not understand?" Marx roars, hands on hips, towering over my grandfather and sister.

"Look kid, I'm off that fucker. I keep seeing his ugly ass face all over the place and I'm over it." Pops takes another swig of Dickwad's coffee, swishing it around his mouth a little.

"Ah, Pops, should you be drinking that?" Judge asks, looking concerned.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm used to this stuff. It won't knock me out, but it will definitely give me a chill vibe as the youth say.," He winks as if he hasn't just told us that somehow he's immune to being roofied.

Pixie's eyes have been darting back and forth, taking in the scene. She leans into me, her lips brushing against my ear. "Marx wasn't joking, was he?"

I pull back, my brows pinched, trying to figure out what she means, "Joking about what?"

Her big, dark eyes bore into mine. "About the torture and murder. Chewy and Pops aren't, um, ‘normal', are they?"

A laugh bursts out of me at her wording. "No Pixie, not at all."

Blanche

I watch as the brothers all talk amongst themselves, probably waiting for Marx's orders. He's pinching the bridge of his nose and I'm pretty sure he's doing the same breathing exercises I've noticed Tav's brother doing. Before Marx can even find the words, the door opens again. "Shit, what now?" he grumbles, turning to the doorway.

My head swings in the same direction, waiting for the next whackadoo thing to happen. When Pops led Officer Martin into the common room I almost died.

"Just us!" Ana coos, holding hands with Gus, "And look who we found!"

A beautiful older black woman walks in behind them, her hair in intricate braids piled on top of her head. She's in a power suit type thing, but instead of black, it's a lovely purple color.

"Hello my favorite- oh hell no! What about ‘stay out of trouble' do you all not understand? Why the hell is there an unconscious officer on the floor of your clubhouse, Marx!" she says, with all the sass of a pissed-off mother.

"Hey Momma," Wire says, walking to the beautiful woman and dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey baby," she replies, before hitting Marx with the death stare.

Chewy holds her hand up like she's in class. "It wasn't him, it was me and Pops."

The woman's head snaps toward Pops. If the feeling of your balls shriveling up into your body had a human form, it would look a lot like Pops right now.

"Sidney Tombs! What did I tell you?"

"To stay out of trouble," Pops mumbles.

"So what's this?" She indicates toward one of Rose Grove's finest, out cold on the floor.

"That's not trouble. He just drank the wrong coffee. Besides, the guy is an utter asshole AND we're pretty sure he's connected to the trafficking, so I was just going to ask him a few little questions. Nothing more, nothing less." Pops shrugs, looking as if he's gained a little confidence in that spiel.

"You do know that accusing an officer of the law of being part of a criminal enterprise is pretty bloody damning, right? And incredibly hard to prove. Are you sure? Do you have any evidence?" She looks toward Marx, who weighs up his options.

"There is a high likelihood he's involved. We have evidence that he's currently working with Hammer." Marx's eyes flick to me and I give him the barest of nods. "We also have reliable intel that a baby is to be sold in the next week. She's safe for now, but we need to shut this down," he answers truthfully.

Wire's mom pushes her lips out, squints her eyes, and huffs a breath. She stands in the middle of the room, hands on hips, looking very formidable. "If I ignore whatever this is," she waves toward Pops, Chewy, and Officer Martin, "will you guarantee that you'll put a stop to this nonsense? Taking babies is hitting too close to home. Hell, I helped out two scared kids yesterday who were almost plucked right off the street!"

"Hold up!" I yell out, "A boy and a girl, the boy had been pistol whipped?"

Her head snaps in my direction. "You know them?"

"They're my babies! Thank you so much!" I rush up to the woman, wrap my arms around her, and squeeze her tight. "Thank you, from one momma to another," I whisper to her.

"Anytime, Mama, anytime."

We pull apart and Wire pulls his momma into his arms. "Thanks, Momma, those kids are Tav's family."

"Psh, I would have done it anytime, anywhere. I tried chasing those assholes down, but lost them when they hit the outskirts of town."

Wire forcefully pushes his mother back from him, staring at her. "What do you mean you chased them down? They were armed! You could have been killed"! Wire carries on berating his momma while she rolls her eyes at us.

He keeps ranting until Remy steps forward and loops her hands around him, resting them on his stomach, leaning her forehead into the middle of his back.

Wire's momma smiles at Remy before turning to Marx. "I mean it, Marx. You need to get onto these assholes who think they can come into our town and take our babies. But try to do it in a way that won't blow back on you all. I'm an old woman and don't have the time to be bailing a clubhouse full of grown men out of jail,"

Marx huffs a laugh, "Yeah, got you Momma,"

She spins toward Pops who snaps to attention, "Sidney, is this plan of yours going to result in another arrest?"

His eyes dart toward Chewy before his shoulders slump. "No ma'am. We'll be sending him on his way unharmed and in one piece after he wakes from his little nap."

Her eyes narrow as she assesses the old man, chewing the inside of her lip. When she comes to a decision, she nods once. "Good. Now where's my grandbaby?"

"Come with me Gigi, I'll take you to her," Remy's dad Flack answers, indicating down the hall. I met the suave older biker earlier this morning when he popped in to say good morning to his daughter.

I have to admit, I find this place more and more surprising. There is definitely more of a family vibe than I was expecting. There were things I knew about the MC. I wouldn't be worth my PI license if I didn't run background checks on the members, even if they aren't nearly as in depth as what the Tombs family can do. I knew that Marx and Rhodie were blood brothers and Rhodie and Rider had been best friends since childhood, as their fathers were original MC members. Almost all the members are vets. Wire was in Rhodie's unit, Judge and Tank were both stationed at the same place at the same time. Fox and Nitro have been best friends since childhood and served with Switch, and Remy's people all patched over just recently after disbanding their MC.

"So, am I right in believing that there will be no torturing or murdering of this guy then?" Rider asks, indicating Martin.

"Unfortunately not, BUT we have a plan. We're going CIA style," Chewy says, rubbing her hands together. "Boys, to the Rev Room!"

I lean in to Tav, "Do they have an S the brothers looking relaxed, Pops and Chewy whispering to each other, Rhodie attaching Officer Martin to a St. Andrews Cross.

"It's hard to say. Given that we can't beat, maim, or kill him, this is new territory. But don't worry, I'm sure the team has something up their sleeves."

"Rhodie, soundtrack please, babe," Chewy asks sweetly before Rhodie drops a kiss on her lips and a pat on the ass.

The brothers all groan, and in no time music is being piped into the room.

"Is it getting hot in here?" Pops asks, with a twinkle in his eye as the opening beats of Nelly's song start pumping.

"Everyone, keep your fucking clothes on!" Marx bellows over the snickers.

"Good gracious ass is bodacious," Chewy sings under her breath while she opens Officer Martin's mouth and squirts something inside. Forcing his mouth shut, she rubs his lips all around. "Just gotta get all the Midazolam soaking in."

"Oh shit," Switch curses.

"What? What's shit? Can one of you fuckers explain to the rest of the room?" Marx grumbles, giving death glares to Chewy, and then Switch.

"Midazolam is one of the drugs the CIA was banned from using." Switch answers in his booming voice.

Marx does that thing where only one brow raises. "Why?"

"Because it's unethical to use truth serums on prisoners," Pops says with glee. "Lucky for us, we aren't the CIA."

Chewy takes the top off a tiny bottle and holds it under Martin's nose until he comes awake with a jerk. Instead of cursing and yelling and struggling, though, he seems dazed and confused.

"Well, there you are! How are you feeling, buddy?" Pops croons.

"I feel funny. Fuzzy. Tired. My mouth is so dry and I'm a little worried."

"Bingo," Chewy whispers, fist bumping Pops and turning to look at our prisoner. "Officer Martin, do you know who I am?"

"Yes, you're the youngest of the Tombs family. You were diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum when you were 8 years old. You graduated high school and college early. I think you're behind the disappearance of some of the major players in the trafficking game, but I can't find any proof."

There are a lot of raised eyebrows around the room, and the tension at how much he knows about Chewy is uncomfortable. He's been doing his research. Chewy, however, doesn't even blink an eye. In fact, she looks downright giddy that he knows so much about her.

Clapping her hands together and rubbing them with glee, she smiles, wide eyes twinkling.

"Let's get this party started, shall we?"