A Very Christopher Christmas (A Death Dwellers MC Novella) (14 page)

One step at a time
, he reminded himself.
 

“Considering why you’re meeting, do you think bringing Rory is wise?” Kendall swiped at her eyes. “On second thought, Meggie won’t be there, so, maybe, seeing Rory will soften the asshole and he won’t hurt you.”
 

Kendall was always scheming, something Johnnie usually admired about her. He didn’t at the moment when their lives were in such danger.
 

“I’ll call Mrs. Nosharon and explain Rory’s under-the-weather.”
 

Johnnie returned to the breakfast room and got his quietly sobbing son. Rory had been in tears the entire time and neither he nor Kendall realized it.
 

“It’s you and me today, pal,” he said, carrying Rory upstairs and heading to his nursery, where Alfred Sisley paintings hung amidst yellow and brown décor, and dark wood furniture.
 

In Rory’s closet, he searched for a pair of jeans but found pants, button-down shirts, and rompers.
 

“Even I have jeans, son.” Fuck, even
Kendall
had jeans. As soon as Johnnie talked to Brooks and figured out a way to confess to Christopher, he was taking Rory on a shopping trip
and
he was ordering a little cut similar to CJ’s.
 

 

“Sit, ashfuck.”
 

CJ pointed to a yellow chair at the lego table in the boardroom of Redding, Romain, and Stanley. Rory’s eyes widened. The play area at the law firm had been created just for their kids, but Rory rarely made use of it, since he was usually at daycare.
 

For the second day in a row, Christopher, Val, Cash, Stretch, Digger, Mort, and Johnnie were at Brooks’s office. Maintenance workers hung fresh pine and holly berry garland, and Christmas bunting around the office. The conference room table bore an elaborate floral decoration, with a wreath on the outside of the door. Because of the nature of the meeting, the privacy panels were in place around the all glass room. Brooks had yet to join the meeting. He and Johnnie had decided it was best for Johnnie to make his presentation to Christopher before the lawyer explained himself.
 

Upon hearing his explanation, Johnnie hoped Brooks survived.
 

“Why’d you do it? Why did you allow Kendall to get involved?” he’d yelled, after barging in and throwing out the client who’d been in Brooks’s office.
 

The man hadn’t needed an explanation. He’d just sagged in his seat. “She finally told you.”
 

“She had no fucking choice,” Johnnie fumed. “After you fucking failed to convince Christopher to do the deal. Before you listened to Kendall on something like this, you should’ve called me.”
 

“To say what? I’ve allowed Kendall the run of the place. She’s like a daughter to me and Charlotte. She finally feels worthy again. She has your love and support. She has her family. Friends. A career. But she’s still fragile. You and I both know it. I haven’t kept up with her status with Outlaw. She finally confessed all to me. When it was too late.”
 

Knowing Brooks had Kendall’s best interests at heart diffused Johnnie’s anger, and he’d sworn to attempt an explanation before Brooks came in to reason with Christopher.
 

First, though, they needed to situate Ryan, Rory, and CJ. Ryan had fallen into line at CJ’s order and plopped into the blue chair, but Rory seemed on the verge of tears, unlike the day in the park when he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself with CJ and Harley. Instead of moving to the seat CJ indicated, Rory looked at Johnnie, silently asking for guidance.
 

He wasn’t sure what to do and the admission shamed him. The past four or five months, Kendall rarely allowed Rory around CJ, Ryan, and the other kids. Val always encouraged Ryan to stand up to CJ. Should he do the same with Rory?
 

Digging in the pocket of his jeans, CJ retrieved a congealed lump of crumbs, identified by the color and the shape as having been a biscuit in a previous life. He held out his hand to Ryan, who snatched a small piece and stuffed it into his mouth. The two little boys giggled, while Rory stood back, uncertain, out-of-place, and out-of-sorts by the morning’s events at home.
 

Fisting his destroyed biscuit, CJ glanced at Rory, then nodded to the chair again. “Sit, Woey.”
 

When Rory didn’t move, CJ stood from his little red chair and Johnnie’s muscles tensed as he approached Rory. He wasn’t sure if CJ would fight or yell. The child did neither. He took Rory’s hand into his own and tugged.
 

“Sit with me and Wyan. MegAnn say us big boys. Her say me big boy an Wyan and Woey and Devvie.” He tugged again. “Her say be nice and quiet when ‘Law busy.” He put his finger over his mouth. “Shhh. Her say us be quiet.”
 

Rory’s face cleared a little. “Shhh,” he repeated, looking less intimidated.
 

“Uh-huh.” This time when CJ tugged, Rory allowed himself to be pulled to the table and pushed into the chair chosen for him.
 

Christopher cleared his throat, pride and satisfaction in his eyes as he smiled at CJ. “I gotta appointment with Doc Will.”
 

Johnnie was proud of CJ, too. It dawned on him CJ’s attitude was as much a result of Megan’s mothering as it was Christopher’s fathering. He’d seen both of them in action. Until now, when he saw the differences between CJ and Rory, he and Kendall always believed Megan too lenient and Christopher too unrefined to be good parents. Other than cussing and fighting at the drop of a hat, CJ was happy and well-adjusted, with charisma for days. He wore attire similar to Christopher’s, right down to his cut. Now that Megan had trimmed CJ’s hair, he truly was Christopher’s mini-me.
 

Frowning, Johnnie knew he needed to change his attitude about a lot of things. If he survived this meeting with Christopher, he’d rectify as many of the wrongs as he could. If he didn’t survive, he hoped one day to be forgiven for his mistakes.
 

“Johnnie, stop day-fuckin-dreamin’. What the fuck you called us the fuck back here for?”
 

“Do you think Megan and Bunny would mind if Rory rejoined the kids every day?” he asked, instead of answering Christopher.
 

His entire life he’d looked up to Christopher. CJ and Rory reminded him what could be…what had been between Johnnie and Christopher, until he’d fucked up. The day he’d waved a filled fucking condom in Mort’s face was one of the lowest points of his life. One of the most humiliating memories he had. And, yet…yet, Mort had forgiven him. Just as they all always forgave him.
 

Forgave each other.
 

“I know Roxy helps out too because of Harley and Lou. Will she mind?”
 

“We not the ones who stopped Rory from hanging with our kids,” Mortician reminded him, sounding disgusted.
 

Val raised his head from his phone, although he kept one eye on the screen. “Yeah, John Boy. That’s a stupid fucking question. The girls raising our kids to be close. Kendall the one who decided to put your son above our children.”
 

“How do you know it wasn’t me?” Johnnie asked defensively, not liking the bad rep Kendall had. True, some of it
was
deserved, but for the most part, she was
misunderstood
.
 

Christopher snorted and looked at his watch. “Whether it was you or your fuckin’ bitch, it still fuckin’ happened. This shit we can discuss later. I wanna know what the fuck you call an emergency meetin’ for back at Brooks’s office a fuckin’ day after we was here.”
 

Val choked and lifted his phone right in front of his face. “Fuck, Zoann trying to give me a fucking heart attack sendin’ pictures with her pussy out.”
 

“Fucking maniac,” Cash grumbled. He’d been scarce recently, spending a lot of time in Denver with his little sister, her husband, and their two kids.
 

Cash’s limited club time also was because of Ophelia and Stretch. The three of them were bound to run into each other at holiday functions, so Cash solved the problem by being absent more often than not.
 

Val’s fingers flew over the screen as he sent a response to Zoann. “Hurry up, John Boy. I gotta snap a picture of my cock to send Puff.” He looked toward the door. “Wonder if they got mistletoe. Maybe, I’ll hang it over my dick for the picture. Give Zoann another reason to kiss it.”
 

Christopher frowned at Val, then leveled a stare at Johnnie. “I gotta get to Doc Will. Something fuckin’ wrong with Megan. Her fuckin’ high-risk doctor sayin’ shit fine, but I ain’t too fuckin’ sure.”
 

Stretch drummed his fingers on the table. “Shouldn’t you make an appointment with that doctor?”
 

“Nope, cuz Megan gonna be pissed if he say something I ain’t likin’ and I fuck him up. I prefer talkin’ to Doc Will. Me and her understand each other.” Glancing in his son’s direction, he leaned forward. “Hurry the fuck up, Johnnie, so I can hit the fuckin’ road. If I’m late for the fuckin’ doctor, that shit’ll put me behind for every-fuckin-thing. This evenin’, Megan, me and the kids goin’ visit that fat motherfucker in the red suit. Megan want photos with Santa.”
 

The moment Christopher finished, CJ started singing the words to
Santa’s A Fat Bitch
.
 

They all snickered. Seeing Johnnie laughing, Rory grinned, too, while memories of his time with Megan swamped him. He wished he could talk about the days they’d had together before Aunt Patricia had been killed when he and Christopher were still close. But he had no one to reminisce with. The two people closest to him were the last ones who wanted to hear and the one who’d lived it with him thought him little better than a weak fuckhead.
 

“Megan lets him listen to ICP?” he asked instead.
 

Christopher shrugged. “She sing it to me sometimes. She don’t really know CJ sing it. He ain’t ever done it ‘round her.”
 

Jealousy surged through Johnnie at the thought of Megan singing the same song for Christopher that she had for Johnnie. He shook his head to clear the thought. What the fuck was wrong with him? She had every right to recreate each moment they’d shared together with Christopher. She told Christopher everything, so why not that?
 

“Prez, it’s not Thanksgiving yet. How you found a Santa for photos already?”
 

“We meetin’ at a private studio, Mort. Some motherfucker Zoann and Megan met through their business.”
 

“Fuck, if he any good let me know. Bailey like shit like that.” Mort glanced at Digger. “You think Bunny want to come? We can get some with me and you, too, bro.”
 

“I’m not sure,” Digger answered. “She been busy with Meggie planning the Thanksgiving dinner, the day-after dinner to eat the leftovers, and the Christmas party, but I can ask.”
 

“The Santa motherfucker gonna be at the party, Digger,” Christopher said. “He gonna be handin’ out gifts to all the lil’ kids.”
 

Digger nodded. “That’ll work if she don’t want to come tonight.
 

Christopher looked at Johnnie again. “What the fuck you want, motherfucker?”
 

“This meeting is about the arms deal with McCallister. I know you said you aren’t interested, but…” Johnnie trailed his voice off and he searched for a way to fix his mouth to lie to Christopher. Whatever else he’d ever said or done, he’d never told such a detrimental fucking lie. If Christopher ever found out…Johnnie refused to finish the thought.
 

“Fuckin’ but?” Christopher prompted at Johnnie’s silence.
 

“But Brooks took the position he did with you yesterday because I’d already accepted McCallister’s offer.”
 

Deadly silence descended as Christopher first widened his eyes and then narrowed them.
 

Johnnie glanced at the others to gauge their moods. They were collectively shocked and outraged. He understood perfectly. If he wasn’t in this position, he’d be calling for blood. As he had for Digger. Johnnie had refused to understand Christopher’s position or sympathy for Mortician. He’d refused to put himself in Mort’s place. All Johnnie had seen was Digger’s betrayal. Not the extenuating circumstances. Or how Mort’s worry for Digger’s life, his desire for his brother to be exonerated and offered a second chance, trumped even his anger.
 

Just months later, Johnnie was in the same position and he wanted the outcome for himself that he’d been too stupid to offer Digger.
 

“Come fuckin’ again, Johnnie?” Christopher exploded into the silence. “You fuckin’ accepted
after
I declined the motherfucker twice?”