Page 39 of The Crowing of Hell
“I’ve a headache again, and my ribs are sore,” I admitted.
“Here,” Chey replied, shaking out the bottle and handing me some tablets.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, surprised at how quiet it was.
“Kit, Finn, and Troy are playing in the yard. Brax was with you, and Rooster is at a club meeting. No doubt they’re all beating their chests and deciding what their next step will be,” Clio answered cheekily.
My jaw dropped open at the total lack of respect in her tone.
“Wow!” I exclaimed.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. This is where their alphaassholeness shows up. They think we’re too delicate to handle shit, so try to resolve the problem without worrying us. It’s fine, we let them do it. But we keep them in place when we need to,” Clio said.
“I’m not sure if I’m hearing a good or bad thing here,” I replied, grabbing a bar stool and joining them at the island.
“They’re alphas. Someone they care about is threatened, they rattle the bars, beat their chests, and generally go into uber-protective role. That’s fine, I can respect that. What I don’t respect is their need to keep us in the dark. Chance has learnt his lesson on that, but the others… cavemen,” Clio explained.
“Celt’s getting better, although he growls a lot. They’re still on a learning curve. Expect Rooster to come home, pat you on the head, offer dinner, and then tell you everything is okay and you don’t need to worry about it.” Chey giggled.
“Rooster wouldn’t dare!” I exclaimed.
“Oh, he will. See, now he has been around his brothers, Rooster’s souped-up on testosterone,” Chey replied.
“And he’ll come back all puffed up. Usually, we let them think they’re in control and then we have a meeting and decide how to proceed ourselves,” Clio explained.
“Does Rage work like that?” I asked curiously. I’d never seen it, but I didn’t spend much time there.
“Yeah. Don’t worry, Kenny, us ladies know how to hold our own. We’ve got plenty of practise and will give you lots of tips on how to handle Roo,” Chey said, winking.
“Sex works with Chance,” Clio stated baldly, and I choked on thin air.
“No, you’ve got the wrong idea. Rooster and I are… friends, I suppose,” I replied.
“Yeah, Rooster has no intention of being your mate. If you are in his house, with his kids, the most precious thing in his life, mind you, then you’re no friend. He’d have dumped you in a bunk at the clubhouse or in a guest trailer,” Chey said.
The front door opened, and a gaggle of women fell inside. I saw Tati and Thalia, and while I recognised faces for the others, I didn’t know names.
“I fucking hate shopping with these! Give me that bag of booze, I need a margarita,” a woman demanded with chestnut-coloured hair and pink, blue, and purple highlights in it.
“Bunny,” Clio said and laughed.
Bunny offered her a dour look.
“You’re always whining,” a blonde woman stated, and Thalia giggled.
“Shut it, Alice,” Bunny retorted.
My eyes widened, and I wondered if they were about to throw down.
A second blonde began laughing. “Makes a change from you moaning, Alice,” she shot back, and Alice looked outraged.
“I’ll take you down, Sallie-Anne,” Alice warned.
“They’re cousins. Don’t worry about them,” Clio muttered.
“The three of them?” I asked.
“No, just Alice and Sallie-Anne. Although Bunny is loosely family as she works at the bar, which Alice’s adoptive father owns,” Thalia explained.