Free A LIL' LESS LOST (The Kingsmen Book 2) by Tara Oakes

recon mission, out to take back what was ours.
    Clink and Butch stalked off to prep their bikes and arm themselves. We would definitely be outnumbered, and outgunned but we had the element of surprise on our side. Tiny hung back, the two of us finally having a chance to talk since I he left the hospital lobby yesterday morning. He looked beat, worn, raw. This was weighing heavily on all of us, and the sooner we could put an end to it, the better... for all of us.
    “How's Marie handling this?” I asked my brother half-heartedly, while slipping my hands uncomfortably into my pockets. Tiny's mom was always a critic of mine. Everything about me, my life, my family... was everything she despised. Still, the woman must be torn to shreds by this. Lil's was the only person to stand by Marie and put up with her dysfunctional shit.
    Tiny shrugged, inhaling deeply to recoup himself from the wear. “Just about how you would expect, bro.... I had to practically restrain her from calling the cops. I left Leo to keep an eye on her. Man, if we don't find her soon, there's no telling what my ma will do.”
    Hmmm... our plan was a bit shaky and there might actually be a way for Marie to inadvertently help this out. I ran my thumb over my chin, trying to piece it together. It could work, it could help.   It killed me to have to rely on outsiders for help, but Lil's safety was more important than my pride at this point.
    “I say we let your ma have at it then. When I give the word, we have Leo let her call in a tip. Let's see if the pigs can muck things up a little bit and give us a diversion when we need it.”  Tiny nodded, following my train of thought. “You alright; bro? You good with what we're doing here?”
    He had always been a wingman, a follower, trusting my judgment. But it had never had to do with matters so personal and close to him before. “I'm good, Jay... we do this, then we do it together.”
    I grabbed the big guy and pulled him in. He was my brother, in every sense of the word. We may not have the same DNA, but he and Lil's did, and that was close enough for me. We patted each other hard. “We're gonna get her back, Tiny, I swear it.”
    A loud voice called in our direction, interrupting our bro moment. “What the fuck is this? You two need a room?” My pops was walking up fast, barely giving us enough time to step back from each other awkwardly and throw in some macho coughing and grunting.
    Tiny nodded over to Vince and then me, “I'll get my shit straightened out and check in with Sunny.” His girl was busy with ma taking care of some of the small kids, and had been asking for Tiny for hours. We all thought it best that she stay here and not go to Marie's with her man. Marie wasn't a fan of Sunny's. Some of the names she had called her would make even Butch cringe, and he was the most used to her hateful venom.
    Pops pulled up a seat near me and sat wide, dragging from his smoke. “You ready for tonight, son? I'm taking you and Dewey with me. I want to be there before them, scout the place... make sure it's not an ambush, you know?”
    I reached out for the cigarette and he handed it to me casually. I took a deep drag. I hadn't smoked a cig in years. Lil's had hated it, so I gave it up for her and never really picked it back up again after. But today, I needed anything that would help calm my nerves. I handed the shrinking smoke back to pops and blew out the airy vapors slowly, imagining some of the stress escaping with it.
    “Yeah... I'm ready.  I'm gonna take a ride first and drop off the stripper at the bus. Send her on her way before Lil's gets back here. I don't need another beat down on my hands, you know?”
    Pops nodded, breathing in his nicotine and squinting his eyes at me. “Good thinking. Your ma's been bitching at me ever since you brought that chick back here yesterday. Doesn't like the idea of a whore mixing in with the ol' ladies and kids.” He blew rings of smoke in front of him.