Page 81 of Outlaw Xmas
Banger laughed. “You fixin’ to see Santy Claus tonight?”
Bobbing his head up and down, tendrils of hair fell over Harley’s forehead. “Ya. Brashton and me are gonna get there first.”
“You have to let the other kids go first, honey. Remember we talked about it at home?” Belle wiped his face with her napkin.
With his bottom lip out, eyes narrowed, and jaw clenched, Harley crossed his arms without saying a word.He’s Insurgents material.Banger’s chest expanded.
A woman came up to Belle while they were finishing their food. She glanced at Banger, then bent down and whispered something in Belle’s ear that made her brow crease.
“What’s going on?” Banger asked.
“Lindi’s husband wants to leave. Oh… Lindi, this is my husband, Banger, and this is Lindi.”
Banger shook her hand. “If you need a ride home afterward, we can take you.”
Lindi gave a weak smile. “That’s not it, but thanks. Dale, my husband, said he’d play Santa tonight, and now he’s trying to back out. I really don’t know what his problem is. I guess it stems back from when he was a child. He never talks about it, but he’s told me the holidays were a nightmare.” She shrugged. “He just hates Christmas, but he promised he’d be Santa. What’re we going to do, Belle?”
As the women talked, Banger’s mind went back to his Christmas past when his mother would slave for days making food for their holiday dinner, then sit glumly and pick at her meal while his dad would whisper things into his mistress’s ear and feed her. To this day, he hated his father for humiliating his mother that way.
“Daddy, can I go over to Brashton’s table? I’m finished eating,” Harley said.
Jerking his head back, the past fled and he looked at his boy. “Okay, but I’ll walk you over.”
“You don’t have to. I’m big now.”
He chuckled. “I know you are, but there are too many people, and most of them are bigger than you. That’s the deal. Take it or stay here with Mommy and me.”
Scrunching up his face, Harley pushed against the table. “Okay. But I still could go alone.”
Banger walked Harley to Hawk’s table and watched his son run over to Braxton. “Keep an eye on him for me,” Banger said to Hawk, then went back to his table. “What the hell’s going on with Lindi’s pussy-assed husband? You want me to make him get his ass in the fuckin’ red suit?”
Belle leaned in close, and the scent of her perfume lit a fire in him. “Shh… people may hear you. Dale came over while you and Harley were gone, and he told her he was just joking. Something’s terribly wrong with him.”
“Sounds like he needs someone to set him straight.”
“Well, at least he’s going to do it, so we’ve avoided that catastrophe.”
Chimes rang out from an overhead speaker and the lights dimmed a few times. All attention focused on the stage where Joseph stood with a microphone. He thanked all the volunteers and the Insurgents for making the event such a success. Congregated in the front were groups of children who fidgeted in place in anticipation of Santa Claus coming on stage to hand out the toys.
“I’m gonna watch Harley,” Banger said as he leaned in to kiss Belle’s cheek. He walked over to Hawk who was standing behind Harley and Braxton. The two men chatted until the trumpets rang out and Santa Claus came onto the stage. The children went wild, and the applause from the audience was deafening. Harley jumped up and down in place while looking behind him at Banger.
“Cara’s motioning me to come over. I’ll be right back,” Hawk said. Banger nodded and focused on the stage.
Fifteen minutes into Santa calling children up on stage and giving them their gifts, Hawk came back over, his brows snapped together.
“What’s up?” Banger asked.
“Cara spotted that Garret fuck. She said he was standing by the stage.”
Banger scanned the area but didn’t see anyone besides a few Insurgents and volunteers. “What does he look like?”
“Not too tall, wiry, longish unkempt hair. She said he’s around thirty. She’s positive she saw him. Hang tight. I’m going backstage to take a look.” Hawk disappeared into the crowd.
There were so many children crowded in the front, and an uneasy feeling took hold of Banger. Placing his hands on one of Harley’s and Braxton’s shoulders, his eyes darted around the room searching for anything that was amiss. Nothing seemed out of place.Why is the fucker here? Cara’s not the type to imagine shit.
Hawk came back over. “Nothing in the back or around the area. I told Bear, Helm, Tiny, Rags, Cruiser, Klutch, and Bones to watch out for anything that doesn’t look or feel right. I gave them a description of the jerk.”
“I feel something off. What about you?” Banger asked.
