time. Not like me. He had his family and then his daughters. He shares a bond with Lowell. But then he met Lana, and she wasn’t like the other women. I heard the honeys asking what was so special about that particular blonde stripper. Was Bronco just tired of fucking bunnies and decided his newest baby mama was special?
No, it wasn’t a choice. I didn’t know that before, but I do now. Bronco never chose for the next hot woman to be his wife. Lana is special to him. Just like Pixie is for me. I don’t know why she digs into my mind and puts happy thoughts where only darkness usually lingers. Pixie has a gift. That’s why she can be mine after less than a week.
“In fact,” Bronco says as we hear our club brothers coming down the stairs, “why don’t you bring Pixie and the crew over here tonight? We’ll be out late, and they can crash in the guest rooms. That way, they’re not alone in the cul-de-sac with half-finished houses.”
“I bet they’d like that. Even just ordering dinner rattles them. And I know Dove really enjoyed spending time with your girls.”
Bronco smiles easily whenever his daughters are mentioned. “Summer has big plans for Dove. Teenage crap that I don’t get, but I think they’ll have fun together. And the chaos of so many people together will distract Lana and Pixie from what we’re doing.”
Our bonding moment ends once our club brothers fill the basement. Each of these men has someone who’ll worry tonight. The community might seem normal from the outside. Yet, every person in the Executioners’ sphere will know we’re going to war.
PIXIE
Anders’s departure puts me in a sour mood. I’m afraid of someone hurting him. What if Wyatt is with him? Will Anders be safe? I should have told him what I heard in the restroom, but I was afraid to upset him before his important biker club meeting.
To distract myself from worrying about my giant sequoia, I decide to take Future to the wondrous world of “Up.” Mama frets downstairs as I open the gate and walk just behind the boy. Dove stays in front of our brother. We’re prepared to catch him if he tumbles. With each step, his bright eyes grow wider.
“Up!” Future squeals with delight.
I keep my hand at his back when he steadies himself at the top step. Dove prepares for him to run. On one side of the walkway are two bedrooms and a bathroom. On the other side are two more bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a big empty room. Before seeing Bronco’s house, I didn’t know why Anders built a place so big. Now, I understand he was copying his president, and Bronco must have known he would have many daughters.
Future doesn’t run. Instead, he kneels down and presses his face between the bars in the railing so he can see Mama below. Waving up at him, she begs Future to be careful.
“Don’t fall, my blessing.”
Future smiles bigger and starts exploring. Dove explains what each room here is used for at Bronco’s house. This one belongs to the baby. This is Desi’s purple room with a bed covered in a curtain. Then, we move over the walkway to the other rooms. This is Sidonie’s pink princess room. This is Summer’s cool, teenage room. And finally, there is the playroom.
“It’s filled with toys and dolls and so much stuff,” Dove says, sounding overwhelmed. “Why do they need so many things?”
“People in the outside world like to collect things. It gives them something to do.”
Dove nods as Future runs around the empty room. “Do you think this could be a playroom?”
“For you?” I ask, sensing my sister still owns a child’s heart.
“I’m too old for toys.”
“Says who?”
Dove shrugs. “People.”
“You aren’t so much older than Desi and Sidonie, and they play with toys.”
“Summer doesn’t.”
“That’s only because she played so much when she was little that she got bored. You never had all those toys. That’s why you wouldn’t be bored yet.”
“I don’t think I’m supposed to play.”
“Dove Yabo,” I say, holding her by the shoulders, “you are a Dandelion. That means you can play with toys when you’re Mama’s age. Or you can never play with them at all. You choose, not a rule made by others.”
My sister smiles softly. I already know she’ll wipe her face before her fingers make a move. No matter how many good or bad events happen in her life, she can’t free herself