branded (phantoms mc #2)

twenty-seven: in which HE gets an unexpected gift

"Every time I kiss you, baby, I can hear the sound of breaking down" –Softcore, The Neighbourhood

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Three Months before Dana's Arrest

Ghost

"Rip, the bitch is batshit crazy, and we don't need that kinda shit right now."

"Yeah, well, she was the old Prez's old lady once. We gotta treat her as such."

"It's up to Ghost."

Sin and Ripper looked up when I entered the room, glaring at each other like two fucking kids.

"The fuck's going on?" I wanted to know, because church had been adjourned an hour ago and they were still sitting in their seats.

"Zeus's old lady's here," said Ripper.

"That ain't Zeus's old lady. That's a mad fucking coyote," Sin clarified.

I scrubbed a hand down my face. "Fuck. What's she want?"

Sin lifted a shoulder. "Probably some crack."

"Come on, shithead," Ripper growled. "That's Pussy's ma."

"So? She's still a crackhead."

"Shut the fuck up," I muttered, "and take me to her."

They stood up at the same time, but it was Ripper who led me to the empty bedroom that currently held Catalina's mother. Sin had been right: The woman was a mad fucking coyote. As soon as the door was unlocked and opened, she launched herself at us, throwing her claws at our faces. I grabbed her small wrists, easily holding her at arm's length, but Jesus, the woman was strong. I pushed her onto the bed, hoping that she wouldn't snap in half as a result.

Flat on her back now, she launched into a tirade of Spanish cusswords that would've made a nun blush, but she didn't get up again.

"Nice," I said. "You gonna sit up so we can have a civilized discussion now?"

"She's tweaking, or something," Sin muttered.

"Gee, ya think?" said Ripper.

"Both of you – quiet." They were getting on my last fucking nerve. I returned my gaze to a now-upright Dana. She really, truly looked like shit. "What do you want?"

"Where's Zeus, you dumb piece of shitcake?" Dana snarled at me. "Where's my fucking husband?"

Christ, Catalina really should've been the one to tell her mother, but where the hell was she? On one of her pointless missions out in God-knows-where. Plus, there was no love lost between her and this dirty, shivering woman sitting in front of me. So, guess who had to do the damn dirty work?

"Dana," I began slowly, almost like I was talking to a kid, "he's dead. Zeus is dead."

I expected her to fly off the handle at that, and I braced myself for more scratches, but she stood up, all normal-like, and went to the window. Sin and Ripper backed away from her, clearly apprehensive.

"You got something for me?" She cleared her throat, turning around with a smile pasted on her face that exaggerated the wrinkles in her pasty skin. The smile dropped from her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, puta. I'll speak better. Do you have anything for me?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Sin was right. I didn't need this shit.

But this is Catalina's mother, the voice in my head reminded me, stopping me from doing what I really wanted to do, which was throw this woman out onto her bony ass and forget I'd ever seen her like this.