CHAPTER 69

Everyone is looking at Jackie now and she's a little scared as she stands up and moves over to the Old Man. I watch Smitty get him a chair so he can sit down in front of her.

"Well you are a pretty little thing for being up shit creek without a boat or hip waders," the Old Man says to Jackie before turning serious," You got no family? Nobody can come and help you with this situation?"

"No sir, my family went away years ago and I don't want to see them again," Jackie says with a pained expression.

"And this baby you got coming, father is out of the picture as far as you're concerned," He asks plainly.

"Yes, he didn't want our child so he doesn't get MY child. And I'm not giving my baby up," Jackie says with resolve tinged with fear.

"My family doesn't give up on our young'uns, I'm an old bastard but I've kept my boy and my granddaughter safe and happy by any means necessary," He tells her taking out a similar looking patch to mine and starts stitching it onto her beat up brown leather jacket.

"Sir, I don't understand what you're talking about," Jackie asks, confused.

"From this point forward Jackie I'm Grandpa or Granddad if you want it? Here we take care of our own and I need you to understand that before you accept," the Old Man tells her softly.

Jackie is stunned and looks to me for some answer but I put the ball back in her court, it is her decision but I don't have anything for her more that I can do. I see she starts welling up and then hugs the Old Man tightly. He's a smiling old bastard and after a few moments he gets Jackie to break off the hug and stands up.

"Vicki I want you to be nice to your new cousin Jackie and help her out as she'll be staying with you for a while," the Old Man says as Vicki's face sours.

"No, not cousin. Sister," Vicki shoots back, taking Jackie by the shoulder and pulling her close.

"No she's your cousin, your Dad wasn't that much of a roamer," he says, getting frustrated.

"Well what about that girl in Santé Fe with the big," Smitty says, referencing breasts with his hands," Or the girl I met in Baton Rouge that I shacked up with for a couple of days."

"Oh for fuck's sake fine she's your sister and your daughter now get her home and settled in. and you," the Old Man says turning to me," Get your ass home I'll be seeing you at the next meeting."

I nod in acceptance and get a big hug for Vicki and a bigger one from Jackie who is tearing up again before we separate.

"I'll see you soon and you have my number," I say heading out of the shop.

I get on my bike and wait just long enough to see Jackie getting into Vicki's car with her before heading off towards home. I get in way past dinner and my footfalls go unnoticed for about half a minute before Loretta aka Mom comes flying out of Mr. Delauter's office and grips me in a fierce hug pinning my arms.

"Oh my god I thought you were serious about sleeping with the homeless," she says, still squeezing me.

"I was, I just fixed everything that needed to be fixed before it came to that," I say before she lets go and looks at me hard.

"See, it's better to just apply yourself to the problem than to throw money at it," Mr. Delauter says coming out of his office.

"Yeah except I am prepared to take whatever punishment I have to my friends. I will sleep in the shit and live in the mud before I abandon them," I say coldly.

"Hey you can be angry with me if you want but what you were doing was stalling for something better that you knew wasn't coming. You needed to be spurred back into action and if I'm hard on you for it then I'm sorry but it had to be done," Mr. Delauter tells me in a stern tone.

"Yeah well it got handled and now she's got a family and a home with people who can care for her that I trust. Thank you for 'spurring' me into action but at the same time, fuck you," I say as I hear my girls come rushing out of our room upstairs.

"Guy drop the attitude, another fight isn't going to help," Rachael says with a shove.

"No he's okay to tell me off, a little bit. Being forced into fixing the problem isn't always a comfortable thing and he made the consequences and could live with them. Some people need to learn how to do that but he gets it," Mr. Delauter says, warming up a little.

"Guy, are you okay," Kori asks, taking my hand.

"I feel drained a bit and I need to be held, can we do that please," I ask feeling weaker now that I'm with my girls than I should.

I get lead up stairs and pass my crew who are patting me on the back for fixing everything and even Ben is in his own room alone and nods to me before we get to my room and my girls strip me down to my underwear and pull me into bed where I tell them what happened and what I did to solve it. I'm getting some praise and some skeptical looks in equal measure when Natsuko pops up from the foot of the bed.

"If it was the wrong idea you'd feel horrible right now, do you feel horrible," She asks, pulling a separate blanket over herself.

Honestly I don't feel horrible for Jackie; I'm actually feeling better about it than I thought I would before I talked to the Old Man. He really took it in stride what I was asking for and honestly I can't think of many other people that I know who can guarantee the level of safety that an organization like his can give, plus Vicki is happy which will spill over to Mark and that should be a good thing. We all settled in and before I slept I remember Mr. Delauter saying 'you need to help me with a few things at my office'. Fuck me what now are the last words in my brain before I drift off to sleep.

Sure enough I'm woken up Thursday by an unfamiliar form and pulled myself out of my girl's grip to see Lily in junior business clothes and I staggered to follow her down stairs after pulling my jeans on. I get greeted by Mr. Delauter who directs me to his room where I see three plastic bags with hangers coming out of the top. I get a look at the contents and blanche at the sight, suits.

"I had them tailored to you since you're probably not going to get any taller," Mr. Delauter tells me," You work with me you wear a suit, you didn't think that I was going to let you walk around in a leather jacket in a law office where my aides make two hundred and fifty and hour when consulting alone."

It's a big business but I still don't like being out of my own clothes, I check and see there is a brown suit, gray suit and a black one. I take the brown one and get dressed up before Mr. Delauter comes back and helps me with the tie.

"You look like a professional now," He says, checking me.

"I'm a professional tool," I mutter.

"People take you seriously in your circles because you dress in a way that commands attention. In business what you wear does the same thing, however the suit is a start but it needs a few finishing touches," Mr. Delauter says, calling Lilly in.

I see her going over things like a tie clip and collar jewelry but I stop her, I don't want anything more to make me feel like someone else. Loretta sees me and is fawning over her 'precious boy' in his new suit. I honestly want to vomit right now but I figure a brown tailored suit with a darker brown tie sets the tone for being a mindless drone. I'm not allowed to take my bike as it will mess up the suit which leaves Lilly and me to ride in Mr. Delauter's Mercedes to his office.