Fiasco (Dirty Aces MC Book 6), Lane Hart [most interesting books to read txt] 📗

in from the businesses, Dev asks if us enforcers are needed for anything, Wirth brags about how well the chop shop is doing, and Silas, well, he doesn’t say much, like usual, but unlike me, I doubt he’s drowning in his own head.

It’s been almost a week since I last saw Joanna. Neither Giselle nor Katrina will answer the door or my calls. I left them both messages telling them I had put their money in their mailboxes on Sunday, so hopefully they got it. And even though I went to the playground Sunday at two o’clock, neither of them showed up with the kids.

I sat there for hours waiting, hoping they were just running late while watching all the other happy families play. That shit was even more depressing, because the one hour a week I had was the closest I’ll ever get to having a real family, and now it’s gone.

A hand waves up and down in front of my face, and then I hear my name. Well, my nickname.

“Fiasco, you with us?” Malcolm asks.

“What do you want?” I ask. “Are there any assholes who need a beatdown? I wouldn’t mind busting my knuckles up today.”

“No, we don’t have any enforcer work right now,” Devlin responds.

“That’s too bad. It would feel good to hit something.”

“Hitting shit doesn’t solve anything,” Silas says.

“No, but it makes me feel less…less like this,” I tell him since I don’t know how to explain what’s going on inside my head. It’s like I’ve lost all hope. All the good shit that was in my life is gone.

“Things are going to get better, Phillip,” Nash says from his end of the table with Malcolm. It takes me a second to realize he used my actual name. I had avoided looking at him directly until now because he reminds me of Joanna. Add to that him calling me Phillip, and it’s almost too much.

“My name’s Fiasco,” I tell him. “Don’t call me anything else.”

“Joanna said you preferred to be called Phillip,” he says.

My teeth grind together at just the mention of her name. “Well, I don’t anymore,” I grumble.

“Too bad, because I don’t think of you as Fiasco anymore,” Nash says with a shrug.

“I’m warning you, man, if you use my real name again, I’ll kick your ass.”

“You’re not going to kick anyone’s ass for using the name you were given when you came into this world,” Malcolm huffs. “We get that you’re hurting, brother. Tell us what we can do to help.”

“There’s nothing any of you can do.”

“Are you sure about that?” Nash asks.

I glare at him for not dropping it, but at least he didn’t call me Phillip.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Everything is fucked up beyond repair, just like usual for me.”

“If you say so,” Malcolm replies with a sigh. Then, they all finally leave me the hell alone.

Joanna

“Thank you both for meeting me here,” I tell the women when I walk up to them with the manilla folder in my hand. They’re both seated on the same bench at the playground. I look to the swings and see Asher pushing Sierra, being a good big brother. “I know you both are busy, and I appreciate you making time to talk on a Wednesday night.”

“It’s not like your message gave us much choice,” Katrina complains. I left voicemails for both women, telling them that unless they showed up and signed paperwork, they won’t be getting any more financial help from Phillip. That’s not exactly true since I know Phillip and I doubt anything would stop him from helping them. They don’t know that we broke up yet, though. Hopefully that works in my favor for this bluff.

“How did you get our cell phone numbers?” Giselle asks, not quite as bitchy as Katrina, but more curious than anything.

“A friend of the MC is good with finding things online,” I say with a smile.

“So, what’s this about signing something?” Katrina asks.

“I know that you both have been handling things…casually with Phillip until now because he’s been dependable. You trust him. And you should. He’s a good man. But, it hasn’t been fair what you’re doing to him, barely giving him a chance to see his children even though he gives you all he has for them.”

“You and he lost that chance when you let that goddamn dog bite my son!” Katrina yells.

“The dog had an injured leg and Asher touched it before we could stop him. Yes, he bit him, but he didn’t even break the skin. No parent can prevent every accident from happening. Has Asher ever fallen and gotten hurt while you were watching him, Katrina? What about you, Giselle? Has Sierra ever scraped her legs even though you were right there with her?”

Neither woman answers, but their lowered eyes are answer enough. “All kids get hurt at some time or another. And yes, as parents, you do everything you can to prevent as many of those events from happening as possible, but you’re not psychic. I think you can both admit that Phillip loves Asher and Sierra and that he would give his life to keep them safe. I don’t just mean that figuratively. I think he would honestly jump in front of a car or take a bullet to save them, because that’s how much he loves them. He may not have much experience with children, but he’s a great protector, and that’s a pretty good start.”

“What are you getting at here, Joanna?” Giselle asks.

“A civil attorney has been hired on Phillip’s behalf. He would let you take the shirt off his back for those kids before he would walk away, even if you never let him see them again. I’m begging you to review this document, talk to your own attorney, if you think it’s necessary, but then sign the agreement rather than take advantage of his kind heart.”

I open the folder and pull out a copy to hand to each of them. “This agreement states that Phillip will