Steel Infidels Christmas Read online

  Sam and Rocco walk into the kitchen carrying two big cardboard boxes filled with casserole dishes covered with aluminum foil.

  “Damn!” Sam interrupts. “It’s cold as a witch’s titty outside tonight. Where do you want this stuff? We need to go back to the car to get another load. How long have you been cooking for this party, Aunt Leona? Six months?”

  “All week,” she answers. “Set the boxes on the counter. Start unloading, girls. The way you’re all standing there with your mouths hanging wide open, you’d think you’ve never stepped foot in a kitchen before. Sam, be sure to try some of my sweet potato casserole with the pecan streusel topping. I made it especially for you since I know it’s your favorite.”

  Sam’s blue eyes light up. After putting the box down, he wraps his big arms around her for a tight hug. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” he says, giving her a big loud smooch on the cheek.

  “I love you too,” she replies with a laugh. “Now turn me loose and get the bottles of hooch out of the car trunk. I didn’t want to put them on the front seat in case the police pulled me over for speeding. My old foot can be a little heavy on the pedal. They gave me a warning the last time, but they said it wouldn’t happen again. I brought an extra bottle just for Lila. I remembered how much she enjoys it. Don’t forget it when you go home tonight.”

  Sam’s face splits into a mischievous grin. His eyes lift to meet mine over her head. “Oh yeah, Lila loves your apple brandy. Be sure to pour her a shot as soon as she gets here. She’ll probably want two. She talks about your hooch all the time.”

  Sam’s wife, Lila often tells the story of how she was initiated into the Steel Infidels with a trial by burning fire. With the fire being the homemade apple brandy made by Aunt Leona. Lila says it felt like flaming gasoline sliding down her throat the first time she drank a shot.

  At the time Lila was working undercover with the ATF investigating the Steel Infidels When Sam caught on to her, he cooked up a plan with Aunt Leona to make her life a living hell. The two of them tortured poor Lila until Sam fell head over heels in love with the badass hacker. The next thing he knew he was the daddy of twin boys.

  “How are the little twin devils doing?” Aunt Leona asks him. “I haven’t seen them since Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “They’re doing great,” Sam says. “I can’t say the same for their preschool teachers over at the church. The boys are raining hell and havoc down on them every day. They put on a Christmas play this week. Both were dressed up as sheep in the Bethlehem stable. When they started getting hot up on stage, they began stripping off their clothes. First the sheep ears came off, then the sheep head. When they unzipped their costumes and stripped down to their Batman underwear, Lila jumped up on stage and dragged them both off before they whipped anything else out and showed it off to the crowd.”

  “You’re paying for your raising, Sam,” Aunt Leona says with a chuckle. “You’ll get through it. The same as your mama did.”

  “That’s what I’ve been told by countless people,” he agrees. “We were hoping they’d calm down a little after they got out of the Terrible Twos. I swear to God, they’re getting worse. They’re like wild hyenas running around the house. Lila has cameras set up in every room so she can keep an eye on their mischief. By the end of the day, she’s too exhausted to move. I never hear her complain though. She sees the twins as a challenge that she needs to conquer.”

  “Just let them be boys,” she says, waving a hand at him. “If they get to be too much to handle, put them outside and don’t let them come back in the house until dark. That’s what your mama used to do with you.”

  “They’re only three years old,” Sam reminds her. “That technique seems a little harsh.”

  “In that case, it’ll work even better. You’ll see. That’s a good age to teach them. When are the ladies and children arriving?”

  “Lila is swinging by in the van to pick up Kendra and Josh,” Sam says. “Buying a huge passenger van was the best thing we ever did. Jesse, Trish and Missy should be here any moment. Toby and Maggie too.”

  “Did I hear someone mention my name?” Jesse’s deep voice bellows from the hallway outside the kitchen.

  My older brother and Prez of the Steel Infidels walks into the room followed by his pretty wife, Trish and their young daughter, Missy. His tall, massive body dwarfs his much smaller wife.

  Missy turns loose of Trish’s hand and runs straight to Sam. He grabs her and tosses her up high in the air. She squeals with delighted laughter. Sam is definitely the favorite uncle in this family.

  Never in a million years would I have guessed that the wild lady’s man who screwed a different girl or two every night would turn out to be the ultimate family man.

  Sam surprised us all. No one more than me. No doubt, it was all due to Lila’s steady influence.

  “How’s my favorite girl?” Sam asks Missy.

  “Good,” Missy giggles. “Do it again.”

  Sam tosses her up again and again until Missy is laughing so hard she can barely catch her breath.

  “And who is your favorite uncle?” he asks.

  “You!” she squeals.

  “What about me, Missy?” I tease. “Don’t I count?”

  “When it comes to the kids, you and I run a far second and third compared to Sam,” Jesse says. He reaches over to clasp my shoulder. “Merry Christmas, brother. Can you believe the club made it through another year?”

  “Barely, but we’re still standing,” I reply. “The businesses are doing great and we’re all healthy. That’s the best we could ask for.”

  I reach over to give Trish a quick hug. “Aunt Leona might need your help supervising the Sweet Butts,” I say, waving a hand toward the tables set up behind me. “She can be strict at times. She’s already sent one girl running for a sweater to cover up.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m on it,” Trish says with a quick smile. “If I can work as a beer girl at a biker rally, I can certainly handle a MC party. I know how to hustle. Leona and I will whip those girls into shape in no time.” She moves off to join the group of girls unwrapping the food and lining it up on the tables. “I’m here to help,” she calls out to them. “What can I do?”

  “Everything okay?” I ask Jesse. “You seem serious for a Christmas party, like something’s on your mind.”

  Jesse motions with his head for me to move out into the hallway away from the ears of the girls.

  “Trish got a call this afternoon from the Florida prison where her brother has been transferred to,” he says. “They might be letting him out on parole before the end of the year.”

  “They’re releasing him? Fuck! Why?”

  Jesse shrugs. “The prison is overcrowded, and he’s been on good behavior. There’s word on the street that he might be working with the feds or giving up info on the Liberators for time off his sentence. It’s not a done deal, but a real possibility. Apparently, there’s a special Christmas program where they’re more lenient than usual around the holidays. Maybe they’re trying to get their numbers down before the new year starts.”

  “He firebombed a crowded bar in Panama City with all of us inside,” I say. “It’s a miracle we weren’t killed. How can they let him walk? I figured we wouldn’t have to worry about him for a long time.”

  “The asshole has to be turning on the Liberators or their suppliers,” Jesse says. “Maybe both. He must be. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “Has he tried to contact Trish?” I ask.

  “No, and he’d better not,” Jesse says with a frown. He crosses his massive, tattooed arms and leans back against the wall. “If that fucker comes anywhere near her, he’s a dead man. The only reason he’s still alive is because he’s her brother. Otherwise I’d taken him out a long time ago. Believe me, I wanted to.”

  “Is she worried about him coming after her?”

  “If she is, she’s not letting me know about it,” he says. “Trish has changed a lot since then
. She’s not the same naive girl who allowed her abusive brother to control her life. If he tries to come around her now, he’ll be in for a big surprise. When she walked out of the hospital that day and left him there, she was done with him for good. There’s no way she’d let that bastard come around Missy.”

  I glance back through the kitchen doorway at Trish and shake my head slowly. While I wouldn’t call Trish the MC’s weakest leak, she’s by far the kindest, sweetest person in the group. Not like my wife, Kendra who would beat someone’s ass in a heartbeat if she even got the slightest hint they were threatening the MC.

  “I hope she keeps feeling that way,” I say. “Trish has a big heart and he’s her family. He knows how to push her buttons and manipulate her. Blood is thick.”

  “We’re her family now,” Jesse says firmly. “The only family she has.”

  “Should we let the rest of the club know there might be a problem?” I ask.

  “Not until we know for sure if he’s been released,” he says. “There’s no need to put a damper on the party. It’s bad enough that Trish knows it might be a possibility. No reason to tell the others yet.”

  I nod in agreement. “If nothing else, we need to up our level of guard. Maybe put an extra prospect watching the door of the clubhouse until we know for sure what’s happening with Ty. We’ve had a damn good run the last couple of years. No shootings, arrests or murders. Life has been easy. Something tells me the Steel Infidels might be due for a change.”

  “Whatever comes our way, we’ll be ready for it,” Jesse says. “We’re stronger than ever. The MC has the best group of men we’ve ever had. We’ve chosen well with the new members, especially the Raging Cajuns and Youngblood. Not to mention the prospects that can easily step up if they need to. I have one hundred percent confidence in our crew. Anything that comes our way, we’ll face it head on.”

  “The only problem is there’s more at stake now than ever before because of the kids,” I say. “Our wives and children are our Achilles heel. Things were different when it was just us to worry about.”

  A hard punch suddenly lands on my upper arm. “What the fuck are you two doing out here talking business?” Sam asks. He drapes an arm around mine and Jesse’s shoulders, pulling us all closer together. “Don’t you fuckers know this is a party? Where’s the Christmas spirit? Now that we’ve gotten Aunt Leona squared away, it’s time to drink. Who is up for a little shot drinking contest?”

  “I can drink you under the table any day of the week,” Jesse says. “Game on, little brother! Let’s do it!”

  Chapter Two

  Kendra

  Kendra (Flint’s wife) and Lila (Sam’s wife) on the way to the party...

  “Thank God we’re finally here.” I let out a loud sign and turn to Lila when we reach the clubhouse. “This has been an interesting ride. I would say a fun ride, but then I’d be lying through my teeth.”

  Lila is behind the wheel of a huge passenger van that’s big enough to transport the entire motorcycle club. I wouldn’t be surprised if her and Sam are planning on adding to their family at some point soon.

  “Driving the twins around is always a fun ordeal,” she replies, glancing over at me. “I’ve learned how to completely tune them out when I’m driving. Otherwise they would be too much of a distraction.”

  “I can’t believe it was my idea to put on the sing-along Christmas tape for them,” I say. “I’m not sure I have any hearing left. I thought Josh could be loud sometimes. He’s nothing compared to the twins. Next time remind me to wear headphones.”

  “Welcome to my life,” Lila replies with a patient smile. “One of these days, they’ll all be grown up and we’ll miss these times. Or so I keep telling myself. The truth is, I’m not sure I’ll remember much. My life is a blur. I rarely get more than a few hours a sleep a night since the twins think it’s fun to prowl through the cabinets at midnight.”

  “What on earth are they doing in the kitchen in the middle of the night?” I ask.

  “Who knows?” she replies with a laugh. “They like to wander. I’ve been in a zombie daze since the day they were born. It’s great though. I love being a Mom. It’s the best thing in the world.”

  She cuts the ignition and steps out to open the passenger door of the van. The twins, Trevor and Travis are already struggling to break out of their car seats.

  “Hang on a minute, boys!” she warns them. “Be patient. I’m undoing the belts as fast as I can.”

  “Need any help?” I offer when Trevor grows frustrated with her attempts to unfasten the belts fast enough. He’s pulling at the straps and kicking wildly. When she gets one strap unbuckled, he turns into putty and immediately slides straight down in the car seat until the strap is caught under his neck.

  “Stop it, Trevor!” she tells him. “You’re going to strangle yourself. Be still five seconds then you can go play in the clubhouse.” She grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him back up with one hand while she deftly unhooks the second strap with the other.

  “My God Lila! How do you keep these boys alive and safe?”

  “Believe me, it’s not easy,” she says, shaking her head. “If I didn’t have Sam, I couldn’t handle them. It takes us both running ninety miles per hour to chase them around. We’ve got it down to a science now. The two of us are like a well-oiled machine. Sam is deep in the trenches with me on everything. Give me a hand with Travis if you don’t mind.”

  I lean over the other twin and unbuckle the belt holding him into the car seat. He immediately squirms loose and darts under my arms for the open door.

  “Travis!” Lila yells. “Don’t you dare run off! Grab him, Kendra!”

  I reach out and grab the hood of his coat before he escapes. “Ha! Got you!” I say to him. He twists and struggles to get loose while I hold on tight. “Dang! He’s strong for a little kid.”

  My son, Josh is calmly watching the ruckus with the twins from the back row of the van. He reminds me so much of Flint. He’s on the quiet side and smart as can be. No matter what’s going on, I can tell that his little brain is always churning, taking it all in.

  Sometimes when I look at him, I can see Flint so clearly. His green eyes, his dark hair, the careful, thoughtful way he goes about doing everything. When Josh grows up, he’ll be the spitting image of his father.

  “I’ll help you out in just a second,” I tell him.

  Josh nods without saying a word. He’s slightly intimidated by the twins’ boundless energy even though they’re quite a bit younger. I can’t blame him. They’re like two F-5 tornadoes in little bodies.

  “Your daddy is already here,” I tell Josh. “When we go inside the clubhouse, go see if you can find him for me.”

  “Okay, Mommy,” he says, nodding.

  We finally manage to free all three kids and unload them out of the van. I’m already feeling frazzled and exhausted while Lila is as cool and collected as ever.

  Josh runs ahead while Lila and I each take a firm hand of the twins to keep them from disappearing behind the clubhouse into the woods. No one wants to spend Christmas Eve playing hide-and-seek in the dark. The Steel Infidels have been called to Lila and Sam’s lake house more than once to help search for missing boys. We know what they’re capable of.

  Once we step inside the door of the clubhouse, we turn them loose to run wild. Every person here knows it’s their shared responsibility to keep an eye on the kids. None of that ‘oh, I didn’t know I was supposed to be watching them’ thing. If the kids are in the house, everyone is supposed to keep an eye out. Otherwise too many bad things could happen in a clubhouse loaded with guns, alcohol, knives and God knows what else.

  With thirteen Steel Infidels, several patch members, four wives, a ridiculous number of Sweet Butts and Aunt Leona helping to watch them, hopefully we can keep the kids safe for one night.

  The twins take off running and head straight for the pool table where Rocco and his younger brother, Donny are playing. Before the two men know wh
at’s happening, one of the twins leans over the pool table, grabs the cue ball and runs off with it with a devilish giggle.

  “Damn it!” Rocco yells. “You come back here with that ball, Trevor right this minute.”

  “That’s not Trevor, dumbass,” Donny tells him. “Travis is the one that stole the ball.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” Rocco turns to argue with his brother. “I believe I know the twins apart. I’ve babysat them at the shop plenty of times. I’ve been around them more than you have.”

  “Obviously, you don’t know the difference between them because you called him by the wrong name.”

  They get into a heated conversation about the tiny, almost imperceptible differences in the boy’s appearances while the twins run to hide behind the bar with their stolen cue ball.

  “No matter what, they’re both little shits,” Rocco grumbles good naturedly. “I’m going to start calling them Little Shit One and Little Shit Two. Then it won’t matter if I get their names wrong. Maybe I’ll even order t-shirts with the names printed on the back.”

  Donny shoots a worried glance our way. “You’d better shut the fuck up,” he mutters in a low warning. “Lila will come over here and drop kick you to the floor.”

  “I’m not worried about Lila,” Rocco replies with a chuckle. “She knows they’re little shits too.”

  “Can you imagine what they’ll be like when they’re old enough to ride?” Donny says with a touch of pride. “The twins are going to light this town on fire.”

  Rocco rubs his thick beard and chuckles at the thought. “And all this time the people of Bardsville thought we were the bad guys,” he says. “Just wait until those boys hit sixteen. The town won’t know what hit them.”

  I glance over at Lila to see if she’s listening. If she can hear the conversation as clearly as I can, she doesn’t let on. Josh spots his cousin Missy on the other side of the room and makes a dash for her. The two have been close ever since she was born. I’m glad they have each other for company since the twins are so tightly bonded together.