Read A LIL' LESS LOST (The Kingsmen Book 2) for Free Online Page B

me anyway.” Ma sat next to me and handed me a bottle of water. I had always been closer to her than pop. She understood the life and knew pretty well how to raise a kid in the midst of it. I smiled at her and nodded.
    She took that as a sign of encouragement and put her arm around me. “Did I ever tell you about the time you took off from your teacher on a school trip to the zoo in first grade?”
    I had heard the story more than once growing up. Something about wanting to see the monkeys and taking off from my group during snack time. Ma and pop found me sleeping under some bench near the monkey habitat a few hours later.
    “No... I've never heard it before.” I rolled my eyes to her and smiled slightly, clearly in no mood for stories, although I appreciated the effort.
    “Your dad and I tore that zoo apart looking for you. We looked everywhere we could think of and your dad and Chaps were getting ready to climb into the Lion Den to see of you'd fallen over the rail into it.” She spoke softly, but carried on with her recount. “The staff told us they would clear out the animals and search the area themselves but needed some time. Your pop was hearing none of it. He wasn't gonna risk you being down there and needing him, maybe hurt, scared, or worse waiting for some asshole to give him clearance to find out. They were getting ready to lower your dad in, when I found you asleep near the monkeys. You had such a thing for the damned monkeys. Even ate only bananas for a while trying to become a one.”
    I laughed. “Curious George.” My mom paused her story and looked confused. “The monkey... I used to watch “Curious George” and wanted to become a monkey,” I explained to her.
    She nodded, finally having an explanation for some long, unsolved mystery. “Your dad wasn't about to let anything get in his way to get to you, even if it meant throwing himself, literally, to the lions. I know this is hard for you and I know you're butting heads with your pop. He's older now, wiser maybe.” She sighed. “But, he's lost that edge that comes along with being young and reckless, throwing all caution to the wind.”
    I looked at my mom. She surprised me sometimes.
    “You do what you need to, when you need to. No parent wants to feel what I felt that day, but we all do at some point. You, son, you just get to feel it before you even get to meet your child.”
    I swallowed hard. Ma was the only other person who knew about the baby, finding the pregnancy test first. We agreed to keep it quiet for now. It wasn't our place to tell anyone. This was Lil's news and she was going to get to tell everyone when she wanted to. I was going to make sure of it.
    “Thanks, ma...” I kissed her cheek.
    She blushed and smiled to me. “That's what parents are for, kiddo.”
     
    ******
     
    The night dragged on, with many of my out-of-town brothers offering support or attempting to distract Butch and me. Ma had seen that Vicky was fed and taken care of. The safest place for her to be right now was holed up in the clubhouse away from these guys. This was a family 'party' tonight and not a club one, so the club mamas and sweet butts were making themselves scarce. If Vicky strolled out here, the boys would pounce like dogs in heat and the ol' ladies would finish the job that Lil's had started.
    Leo, the young prospect came running out toward Butch and me in our little circle around a fire pit. “Jay!” He was almost breathless. “Jay, you need to come quick. Shade called Vince... he's got demands.”
    Fuck... this is it. Butch was in his fifties but managed to keep pace as I raced to the clubhouse, with many heads turning to watch the sudden motion. Pops was in the boardroom sitting at the head of the table in his designated seat. The room was empty, and had a different vibe than the earlier meeting. Pops gestured for Butch and me to sit near him. Butch collapsed, staring at the cell phone on the table as if it were Lil's herself. I