Splint, Spazz, and Tiny entered the room moments later and took their seats without a word. Copper snorted and shook his head, but didn’t call them out.
“Sorry for the late-night call. This is Mackenzie Moore and her daughter, Brinkley,” Copper introduced. “She’s Oliver’s stepsister and Roy’s stepdaughter, but more importantly, she came to the clubhouse to ask for protection for herself and her daughter.”
That had us all straightening and leaning forward on our elbows. “From what?” I asked.
Copper gave Mackenzie an appraising look as he rubbed his chin. “She won’t say until we’ve agreed to help her. Now, y’all know how I feel about helping damsels in distress, but I thought this warranted a club vote.”
He said it like he despised helping women, when we all knew good and damn well it was the opposite, so he either knew something we didn’t or he was trying to see if she’d cave.
She didn’t cave, not exactly. She sniffed and took in a shaky breath. “It doesn’t have to be both of us, but it has to be Brinkley. I can’t let anything happen to her.”
“Does this have anything to do with Oliver?” I asked and slapped my palm on the table causing her to flinch. The baby stirred in her arms, but thankfully, didn’t wake. I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “I’m still a bit jumpy.”
I glared at Copper who was leaning back in his seat with an unreadable expression on his face. He glanced around the room and asked, “Well? What’s it going to be, brothers?”
“You fucking serious, Prez?” Batta blurted and made no attempt to hide his disdain.
“Hold on a minute,” I said and tried to keep my voice neutral. “You never answered my question.”
I watched her carefully as she shifted in her seat and glanced down at the bundle of pink in her arms. One lone tear slid down her cheek while she chewed on her bottom lip. Whatever it was, it was enough to make her fear for her child’s life, as well as her own.
“She’s got my vote,” I announced. The vote moved around the table and unsurprisingly, every brother voted to help the girl and her baby.
“Protection granted,” Copper said. “Now, who are we protecting you from?”
“I’m not sure,” she whispered.
I pinched the bridge of my nose in a weak attempt to keep my frustration to myself. Copper sighed loudly while the rest of the brothers looked on in confusion.
Bronze leaned forward and met her eyes. “Listen, sweet cheeks, we’re here in the middle of the night and we’re willing to help you. But, if you don’t start talking, that offer will expire in about two minutes.”
Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. “My name is Mackenzie. Not ‘sweet cheeks’.”
“Noted, sweet Mackenzie. Talk,” Bronze returned.
She huffed and rearranged the little girl still peacefully sleeping in her arms. “I try to keep to myself and stay away from my family because most of them are into drugs and other stuff, and I want no part of that. But I’ve always been a sucker when it comes to my younger brother, Tristan. His dad just died, and he asked if he could stay with me for a couple of days. Him and Mom haven’t always gotten along, and I figured things were probably pretty bad over there, so I let him stay. Then, my stepbrother, Oliver, was arrested. I guess Mom told him Tristan was staying with me and gave him my phone number because he called my house. I didn’t know it was him at first, because Tristan answered the phone, but I thought it was strange when he kept talking because no one should’ve been calling my house to speak to him. So, I listened to his end of the conversation and I think I heard something I wasn’t supposed to hear. Tristan knows I overheard it, but I don’t know what any of it means.”
“What makes you think you weren’t supposed to hear it? If Oliver called from jail, that conversation would’ve been recorded and anyone could hear it,” Copper told her.
“Because he said, ‘You really should’ve minded your own business,’ before he slapped me a few times and shoved me into Brinkley’s room so hard I fell. I got up and went for the door, but he did something to it so I couldn’t get out. He said he’d deal with me when he got back. When I heard him leave, I climbed out the window with Brinkley and started making my way here,” she explained.
“Why’d you come to us?” Copper asked.
“Because I’m not stupid. I’ve lived in this town long enough to know the Blackwings aren’t the bad guys. Plus, you guys were looking for Oliver, and it sounded like Tristan was involved in whatever got Oliver arrested.”
“Tell us what you heard,” I said trying to sound calm.
“He was really mad about something Oliver lost. He kept saying asshole and slamming his fist on the counter. Then, something about not being able to finish the job he was paid for and that someone, I think his boss, was going to be pissed when she found out.”
“I see,” Copper said. “And where does Tristan work?”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t. He hasn’t worked in months. That’s one of the things him and Mom fight about.”
“All right, this is what we’re going to do. You and Brinkley are going to spend the night here at the clubhouse in one of the empty bedrooms. We have one of those pop-up baby beds we’ll get set up for you. Do you have everything else you need for her for tonight?”
She nodded quickly. “Y-yes, I do.”