Puck’s Property by Monique Moreau
ChapterNineteen
Ava should’ve realized that, despite Puck’s promise to seek help, it wouldn’t be as easy as she’d anticipated.Weeks passed without him contacting someone on the list of therapists she’d texted him after the incident at the clubhouse party. Each time she brought it up, he blew her off with an excuse that he was too busy with the bar or hadn’t had time to call. Blah, blah, blah.
Sunday morning rolled around, and they were lounging in bed, eating waffles she’d made with an old cast-iron waffle maker she’d picked up at a yard sale. Puck insisted on feeding her himself. She was licking maple syrup off his forefinger while trying to think of a way to broach the subject one last time, when her eyes fell on the front page of the Poughkeepsie Journal that Puck had picked up from her front stoop. The headline news stated: “Inmates Run Major Heroin Fentanyl Ring out of Duchess County Jail.”
A roar flooded Ava’s eardrums. She surged over the plates and cutlery on the bed, leaving a clattering of china in her wake. With trembling hands, she rattled the newsprint open and read aloud, “Inmates are running a drug ring out of Duchess County Jail in the City of Poughkeepsie, selling crystal methamphetamine, heroine, and fentanyl supplied by ex-convicts, according to the Department of Corrections, Office of Special Investigations.”
Her eyes glanced through the rest of the article, and she read out the details of the bust and the drugs they found hidden in Kingpin’s cell. Raising her eyes at Puck, a smile tugged at her lips. “You did it.”
“We did it,” he amended, grinning at her.
Shaking her head, she said, “No, it’s you. I’ve been trying to keep him in jail for the past three years, but you did it. He’s going to be put away in a federal prison. Probably Green Haven Correctional Facility, since that’s the maximum-security prison closest to here. This wasn’t a little slap on the wrist for a simple possession charge. This is a bust. We’re talking about conspiracy to distribute. If it’s drug trafficking, it’s a felony. Hopefully more than one.”
Throwing the paper to the side, she flung her arms around Puck’s neck and tackled him to the bed.
“The plates. The maple syrup,” he said with a laugh as she straddled him and pinned his arms to the bed.
“I don’t care. We can clean that up later. I want to celebrate.”
A twinkle entered his eyes. “Yeah? How you gonna congratulate me? All those hours spent kissing that bastard’s ass…” He gave her an exaggerated pout and fake sniffed. “It was so hard on my soul.”
“Oh, yeah? That’s not the only thing that’s hard,” she teased as she ground herself on his thickening cock. She leaned over, rubbing her hard nipples against his chest when there was a ring at the door.
Puck glanced past her to the door of the bedroom. “Expecting someone? If an old boyfriend has the guts to show up at our doorstep on Sunday morning, expect me to kick his ass.”
With a chuckle, she replied, “Oh, hush.” Scrambling out of bed, Ava grabbed her robe and threw it on.
“Yeah, and your ass is going to get a paddling after the ambulance takes him away,” he shouted behind her as she hurried out of the bedroom door.
Peeking out of the peephole, she saw Abby standing on her doorstep, lilting over to one side as she maneuvered a big plastic carrier in her grip. Loki was stomping up the walkway behind her. In the past few weeks, they’d spent much more time together. Ava even joined Sammi and her for “brunch” last Sunday. Although it had turned out to be more about Abby plying Sammi and Ava with drinks since she couldn’t have any because of her pregnancy.
Flinging the door open, Ava greeted her friend. “Hey! What’s going on?”
“Hiya,” Abby replied with a sheepish smile on her face. “I’m assuming you didn’t get my texts from last night. Should’ve figured you were living the honeymoon phase of a new relationship.”
Waving her and Loki inside the house, Ava admitted, “Sorry, I haven’t checked my phone since I left the office yesterday. What’s going on?”
“Well, I found a new furry friend after dinner last night. I don’t know what kind of karma I have hanging around me, but I have a knack for finding abandoned animals.”
“A knack, or you go behind the dumpsters of every damn restaurant we visit to see if there are animals living out of cardboard boxes?” Loki teased.
Abby gave him the stink eye. “It’s not my fault if I worry about helpless baby animals exposed in the wild.”
Loki snorted. “Poughkeepsie is not the wild. It’s not the Serengeti up in here.” His hand draped over Abby’s shoulder as he looked down at her fondly. “I see you, Pixie. You can’t stand to have any living being suffer.”
“Hell, you must be feeling her fo’ sure if you’re gracing my doorstep at ten fucking a.m. on a weekend. What in the hell is wrong with you?” boomed out Puck from behind Ava.
Ava’s hand flew out to her side and smacked Puck in the belly.
“Oww! Fuck, I’m just telling the truth,” he groused from behind her. “Loki would be taking out his knives if I showed up at his house this damn early in the morning.” He eyed Loki with a smirk and went on, “Oh, wait, I forgot. You’re living the life of an old married man now, even if you can’t lock her down. You’re so washed, you probably don’t fuck in the morning no more.”
“Puck!” Both Ava and Abby exclaimed at the same time. Only Loki chuckled in response.
“Sorry for bothering you guys so early, but Ginger isn’t happy with this little one in the apartment. The scent of another cat was driving her crazy, and it was too painful to watch her get stressed out. She’s very sensitive.”
“Don’t apologize to that asshole,” Loki ordered. “We’re here, so we might as well leave the thing with him.”
Puck held up his hands, palm out in a halting gesture. “Whoa, people, hold the fuck up. What exactly do you think you’re leaving here? This ain’t your place. This is our place. Our home. We didn’t ask for savage animals to be thrown on us.”
Abby bent down and opened the animal carrier. Out hopped the smallest, cutest little calico kitten.
“Oh my God!” Ava shrieked as she dropped to her knees and scooped up the tiny animal. The little sociable thing wasn’t scared at all. She cuddled into the crook of Ava’s arm and began purring instantaneously.
“Aww, fuck. Look what you’ve done, you useless motherfucker?” Puck spat out at Loki as he stared him down with a death glare. “Why you gotta do me like this?”
“If you really gotta ask, then you’re dumber than I thought,” Loki shot back at him.
Ava looked up at Puck with glistening eyes and pleaded, “Please, Puck, can we keep her? She’s adorable.”
“Ava.” He growled in a low authoritative pitch. “Be serious, we’re always working. The thing will tear this house apart, alone all day. You know we’re never home.”
“That’s not true! Outside of work, we’re always home,” she argued. It was so sweet and cuddly…and it could help him. Holding up the little kitten in the palms of her cupped hands, she thrust it toward Puck’s face. “Look at her, baby. Please,” she said in a low, husky voice. The kind she knew incinerated his resolve.
“No,” Puck repeated, turning a cold, narrow-eyed gaze on Loki. “This is your fault. I don’t know what kind of payback this is, but you best believe I will get you for this. You’ll be crying like a little bitch by the time I’m done with you,” he vowed.
Ava sighed. Puck’s stubborn streak was coming out. She hated when he dug his feet in. Inhaling deeply, she drew on her reserve of patience.
“Go ahead, do your worst, asshole. You think you can scare me? Oh, fuck no. You can’t make me ‘cry like a little bitch,’” Loki mocked in a high-pitched voice.
Ava bent down and covered up her laugh in the little kitten’s fur. “What’s her name, Abby?”
“She’s like a patchwork quilt of colors, so I called her Patchy. If you don’t like it, you can change it to whatever name you think fits her best.”
“Patchy,” Ava rolled the word on her tongue. “That sounds—”
“Fuck no. No cutesy name like that. Nah, that’s a biker cat, and a biker cat ain’t gonna be called Patchy. The cat should be something like Stryker or Rider or…or…”
“Patchy?” Abby finished for him. Ava hid another giggle in the kitten’s fur. “I was thinking that Patchy works for a biker as well because it’s a derivative of the word ‘patch,’ like when a biker patches into his club,” she quickly improvised.
Puck observed her askance, but Ava knew he didn’t stand a chance when she blinked up at him with her wide-eyed doll-like innocence. Cocking his head to the side, he inspected the kitten. Then his squinty eyes rapidly jetted back to Abby as if trying to catch her in a less guiltless expression. But she still held the same wide, open look on her face.
Patchy elegantly sprang out of Ava’s embrace, hopped over to Puck, and rubbed between his jean-clad legs, her tail swishing back and forth.
“She can help with the panic attacks. Did you know that petting a cat or dog can lower your blood pressure?” Ava said casually. A soft, cuddly little fur ball like Patchy could calm him down right away, should he get riled up.
Puck’s face paled, and his eyes bulged out. She groaned inwardly. Shit, she’d outed him. Biting down on her bottom lip, she held her breath.
“You get panic attacks? Since when?” cut in Loki, his eyes sharped on Puck. “Wait, was that what happened at the club party the other night?”
“No, asshat, I don’t have fucking panic attacks,” Puck snarled. “Don’t jump to conclusions. This isn’t a Chopper situation.”
Chopper situation?
As if hearing her silent question, Abby turned to her and explained, “Since you’re practically family, you might as well know about Chopper. He was Loki’s younger brother, who came back from Iraq with PTSD. He killed himself a few years ago.” Reaching for Loki, she tucked herself under his arm and squeezed his waist. “It’s not a secret, but…”
“It’s a sensitive subject,” finished Ava. She caught the stricken expression on Puck’s face before he covered it. “I understand.”
“Why do I not believe you, Puck?” Loki hissed. “You know what letting shit fester does to you. To your family. If you think I’m not going to get in your face about it, think again. Already let one good brother die. Not gonna happen again. Not on my watch.”
“Christ, Loki, back the fuck off.” Turning to Ava, he declared, “And you. You need to learn to keep your mouth closed.”
“Puck—”
He slashed his hand in the air. “Baby girl, we’re not airing our dirty laundry right now.” Sending Loki a warning look, he went on, “Yeah, alright, I admit I’ve been on edge since getting out, but I’m dealing with it. Ava gave me a list of people that I can go see and,” he swallowed before biting out, “talk about this. Satisfied, Dad?”
Loki gave him a long look and then turned to scrutinize Ava. “Alright,” he accepted with a slow nod of his head, “but to get me off your back, you gotta take the cat.” He cracked a grin. “To seal the deal, you know?” Angling his head, he gave a chin lift to the cat snuggling in the crook of Puck’s arm. “God knows fucking why, but she’s taken a liking to you. She must have a thing for assholes.”
“’Course she likes me. What pussy doesn’t?” he huffed out.
Ava rolled her eyes.
Giving Patchy’s spine a long stroke down, he grudgingly acknowledged, “I suppose that’ll work. Anything to get you off my fuckin’ jock.”
Ava let out a breath of relief.
Clapping her hands together, Abby yelled out, “Yay! This is so happening! I’m so excited.”
Puck pointed at Ava and warned, “Don’t think you’re out of the woods yet. Haven’t begun dealing with you yet.”
Ava happened to glance at Abby and caught her quick little wink, which had luckily gone unnoticed by Puck.
“Great!” said Abby. “I had a feeling this would work out, so we stopped by and got kitty litter, food, and a bunch of toys before coming here.”
Puck turned to Loki. “Is this what your life is like every fucking day? Being steamrolled by someone half your size?”
“Yup,” Loki replied proudly, hooking his thumbs in the front pockets of his black jeans.
“So pussy-whipped,” Puck muttered under his breath as he dropped on a bench near the front door and pulled up his boots.
“Heard that, motherfucker,” Loki said, his hand on the door handle. “Wait and see. That shit’s gonna happen to you soon.”
“No it won’t,” Puck volleyed back.
“Yeah, right. Don’t make promises you can’t keep ’cause you’re gonna look like more of a fool the day she hands you your ass while you’re on your goddamn knees beggin’ for forgiveness. Can’t wait for that day,” he finished with a hint of glee in his tone.
Ava commiserated with Loki’s sentiment. Even she sometimes wanted to see him brought down a peg or two. Abby waved Ava over as she moved toward the kitchen. “Come on, let’s have coffee while these guys set everything up. Knowing them, it’ll take them a while to figure out how to put the litter box together.”
“I heard that,” hollered Loki from outside the open door.
Abby rolled her eyes as she walked toward the kitchen. “It’s not like I was trying to keep my voice down.”
Ava gave Puck a sidelong look. Catching the frown on his face, she hurried behind Abby. Anything to get out of his way because she had no doubt they were going to have it out once Loki and Abby were gone. He was going to blister her ass for this one.
Abby stopped and linked her arm in Ava’s and murmured, “Don’t feel bad about it, Ava. You’re a social worker. We’re more comfortable talking about these kinds of things. It’s Puck’s hang-up, not yours.”
Her shoulders drooped. “I know, but I spoke without thinking. I can sympathize that he might be upset. He’s the guy who went to jail. He doesn’t want to be known as the guy who came out of jail with a problem. It slipped out.”
“Sure, it did. You’re comfortable around us, and I’m a social worker, too. At work, we talk about clients all the time to bounce off ideas and get feedback.”
“I rarely make mistakes like that, though. I’m so careful with my clients.”
“Well, he’s not a client. Not anymore. He’s your old man, and it’s your right to worry about him,” she replied firmly.
“Yeah, I wish you could remind him of that on your way out,” she joked, casting a last worried glance at Puck before turning the corner into the kitchen.
