Carmine (Rage MC: The Prospects #7)

Chapter Three.

Molly

A fter the others took their leave, I was left staring at those who remained. Aurora broke the awkward silence first.

“Right, if I know these guys, they’re hungry. And I bet you haven’t eaten Dr Balfour-Cherlyn. I’ll go make some lunch and get coffee on,” Aurora suggested, smiling.

“Please call me Molly. You say that name, and I look for my mother. I’d rather not have that nightmare. Um, I’m not sure what food I have. Honestly, I tend to eat rations when out in the field and only have basic dinners at home,” I responded.

Aurora offered a horrified stare and scarpered up the stairs.

“Oh boy. If your cupboards are empty, you’ll kick her mom instinct in,” Klutz said with a smile.

“Should I do something?” I asked, wondering what.

“No, Aurora is happiest when she’s mothering someone,” Klutz answered and took a seat. “So, what can we do?”

“I have the presentation remaining from last time. But I need to update the figures and get all the printouts and put them together.”

“Put us to work, Doc,” Carmine muttered as he stared at me.

I wondered if something was on my face and ran my hand over it. Finding nothing, I let Carmine’s strange behaviour go and started writing a list of everything I needed. Once done, I opened my laptop and began working.

◆◆◆

Hours passed before I was tapped on the shoulder. Aurora stood smiling as I jumped in my chair and gazed at her wide-eyed.

“How we doing, Doc?” she asked.

Stiffly, I stretched and rolled my shoulders.

“Only this final part remains before assembling the packs. What’s the time?”

“Seven. You’ve been working for hours. At least you ate the sandwiches I made you,” she replied.

“Hell, I didn’t know I had salad.”

“Sorry, Doc, you didn’t. But I went shopping, and you now have cupboards full of food and the fridge is loaded up, too. I checked your freezer and saw you had a little meat and also bought you a load of that,” Aurora said with a happy smile.

“Oh, how much do I owe you?” I asked, looking for my rucksack. That’s where my wallet was.

“Nothing. I love doing shit like this. Please don’t insult me because I got a lot of joy from this,” Aurora replied.

That felt wrong, but I accepted with a begrudging nod.

“I bought steaks out to grill tonight, and I’ll bake some potatoes. But I’m just checking, is there any food you hate?” she questioned.

“Asparagus.”

“Yeah, I hate that, too. But anything else goes?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think you’ll be done within the hour?” Aurora asked.

I looked around and nodded. “About an hour and a half. We need to assemble the packs and check they are in the correct order."

“Okay, I’ll get food on. I’ll leave you in peace, Doc,” Aurora said.

“Molly,” I replied lamely and bent my head.

Honestly, the two men with me were quite helpful. They had arranged the papers, printed reports, organised printouts, and put the packs together. The diagrams were updated, and I’d uploaded the historical and most recent data. The escalation chilled me.

Laccoliths did not erupt. But something was happening in the Black Hills, and I feared a volcanic eruption was pending. Maybe not along the dramatic lines of a volcano, but I fully expected the laccoliths to spew lava. If the laccoliths followed my predictions, it would be an unprecedented occurrence. There’d never been evidence of lava flowing from them. But just because it hadn’t taken place in the past didn’t mean it couldn’t now.

The entire thing was a conundrum that drove me insane. My teaching said they could not explode. But my data claimed differently. My peers disagreed. Laccoliths couldn’t erupt. The only other horrifying possibility was South Dakota was about to have its first live volcano form. That was an event I did not wish to witness, as Rapid City would become the modern-day Pompeii.

The chance of a new volcano forming was low, but it did happen. The seismic pressure predicted wasn’t strong enough, but who knew? A sudden big quake, and up pops a volcano.

Worried, I shuddered and turned my attention to my work.

◆◆◆

Comfortable, I pulled the blanket around my shoulders as I sat back and relaxed. Aurora and Carmine were arguing about the best ball player, while Klutz watched with an indulgent smile. I’d no idea what, or rather, who, they were talking about, so kept quiet. However, it was fun watching. Aurora balled up a napkin, threw it at Carmine, and ordered him to get her a glass of wine.

Carmine jumped up and headed into my kitchen before returning a few moments later with Aurora’s drink, and surprisingly, he handed me one, too. Everyone was sat around my fire pit, which also doubled as a barbeque. The night was warm, but the blanket was my comfort blanket, and I loved snuggling with it. Klutz was at one end of my garden sofa with Aurora’s feet in his lap.

She’d kicked her shoes off and had plopped them on him. Klutz had grinned and began massaging them immediately.

When we had finally emerged from the study, with everything done, we’d found what I called a feast waiting for us. Aurora had grilled corn, baked potatoes, made fresh slaw, and cooked four steaks. She’d also prepared some sort of spicy salsa salad. There were even desserts in the shape of strawberry meringues and cream.

Carmine had lit the citronella lamps to keep the bugs away, and Klutz had opened a bottle of wine for Aurora and me. Now they chatted happily, including me in their conversation, but understanding I was shy.

“So, how did you become a volcanologist?” Carmine asked, his eyes alight with curiosity.

“Honestly, I had little choice. My parents are well known and very respected in the community, so as their child, I was expected to follow in their steps,” I replied.

“Damn. That had to have helped when you were torn down, that they supported you,” Carmine said.

Amused, I snorted. “They attended the presentation and were the first to stand and rip my work apart. They were amongst my loudest detractors and a big reason I was fired.”

Carmine, Klutz, and Aurora stared at me in horror.

“They did what?” Carmine exclaimed.

“Mother and Father disowned me straight after that meeting. They’d no intention of being connected to the laughingstock of our community. We’ve not spoken since Father told me I was an insane disgrace.”

That had occurred, and I saw no reason to conceal it. They could look it up, anyway. My parent’s comments were online for everyone to see. As was their reaction.

“You’re joking?” Carmine asked.

“Nope. My parents didn’t wish to be related to me.”

“Holy crap,” Aurora breathed. “What a pair of assholes.”

“I can’t disagree with that assessment,” I replied with a rueful grin. “But I have my baby girl, and we’re fine.” I reached down and petted Mya.

“When did you get Mya?” Klutz wondered.

“Three years. She got me through some dark times. Mya and I have no secrets between us,” I said with an indulgent smile.

“Can I ask? What about friends? Did nobody stand with you?” Carmine inquired.

“No friends, only those within my community. And they all turned. It was like dominoes. I don’t like to think about it too much, it sent me into a spiral I didn’t expect to recover from. Buying Mya was an act of desperation. Somebody to love me no matter what. And Mya and I have bonded.”

“Everybody needs someone,” Carmine said.

Aurora and Klutz exchanged a weighted look. “Yes, we all need love, Molly. No shame in finding Mya. You should see the pets Rage has. There are all sorts, including two donkeys.” Aurora laughed.

“Yeah, but only Chance ended up with Poppy. The asshole takes Poppy for a walk while riding his Harley.” Carmine chuckled.

“What?” I exclaimed, and Mya moved. Quickly, I petted and calmed her down.

“Poppy’s a Great Dane and is huge. Even for her breed, Poppy is massive. Chance decided he couldn’t be bothered to walk her ten miles, so he rides his bike slowly,” Klutz said, laughing.

“Is that allowed?”

“Yeah. Chance does it on their land, but it’s freaking hysterical. Clio, Chance’s old lady, makes sure he walks Poppy three times a day, so he does two three-mile stretches and a four. Poppy needs a lot of walking, or she’d be very destructive,” Klutz replied.

“Mya does, too. She follows me everywhere. But Mya’s been getting agitated around the Buzzard Roost area, so I left her here today. A dog’s nose is really sensitive, so she was clearly picking up on the hydrochloric acid smell.”

“I’m a vet. Mya probably picked up the scent, which would have distressed her. You made the wise choice,” Klutz said, and my eyes widened.

“You’re a vet? Do you have a practice?” I asked, interested.

“Yes, I recently bought into a practice run by Calamity’s old lady, Rosie. We own a sanctuary for animals but also have a private veterinary. Calamity has opened a haven for underprivileged teens to give them a useful craft on the same land. He’s got nine staying there at the moment, and we’re hoping to see it grow,” Klutz answered.

“What’s that involve?”

“Calamity takes in kids the system can’t be bothered with. Then, he finds them an apprenticeship and provides a roof over their head and three meals a day. Calamity ensures the job pays them minimum wage at least so they can save and buy things they want. It’s the first year Calamity has done this, so we have got our fingers crossed for him. We’ve taken one teen on at the practise and another at the sanctuary. Both boys had an affinity with animals,” Klutz explained.

“That’s a worthwhile endeavour,” I said, nodding in approval.

“Certainly trying to make it one. All the prospects helped chip in to ensure Calamity’s dream come true even though some of us are brothers now,” Carmine added.

“What’s the difference?”

“A prospect strives to become a full-fledged brother with a full cut of earnings, a right to vote and the ability to wear colours. A prospect handles all the scut and often the tedious and boring jobs. With Rage, because they once got infected with filth, they have candidates for two years who work towards prospects. If the candidates pass, we transition into prospects,” Klutz explained.

“But if you are a Legacy like me, we move straight to prospect because the brothers already know our personalities,” Carmine said.

“Legacy?”

“Yes. A prospect born to a brother or adopted by one. Rage is rare, blood doesn’t mean a thing. If a member claims you as his child, you are his, irrelevant of blood ties. Drake took me on at eighteen, so I’m his son. It’s simple thinking, but to those of us who gain a father, it means the world,” Carmine continued.

There were a couple of things there I wished to unpack. I picked the first. “No women allowed?”

“No. Rage is a men’s only MC. Some MCs are now mixed, and others are either pure men or women,” Klutz said.

“How do you feel about that?” I asked Aurora.

She grinned at me. “The old ladies formed their own club, and it really pisses the older brothers off. Because they want to know what is happening and we tell them it’s old lady business. Jeez, I lost track of how many times the older gen spouted ‘it’s club business’ as a way of shutting us down. They hate it when we parrot it back.” Aurora smirked at Klutz, who smiled.

“Older gen?”

“Men like Drake, Ace, Apache, Texas, Axel, and so on. Klutz and the present generation are younger and more open-minded, although they can be pig-headed.” Aurora laughed.

“Rage has changed a lot lately. We realised we were holding onto the past and letting it colour and direct us. So, Drake, the second and third gens, all made changes. The funny thing was Axel, he’s a founder, first generation of Rage, led the way in finding a new path,” Carmine said.

“Sounds a little complicated,” I admitted.

“You get used to it,” Aurora reassured me.

“And you were adopted?” I asked Carmine and then felt awkward. “Sorry, was that too personal a question? I don’t always get social niceties.”

“You’re fine. Yeah, Phoenix took me in when I was fourteen, and when Mom married Drake, he adopted the lot of us. Give Drake his due; he never flinched once,” Carmine replied with a bark of laughter.

Klutz and Aurora joined him while I looked puzzled. Clearly, I was missing something.

“You don’t know?” Aurora inquired, seeing my confusion.

“What?”

“I have seventeen brothers and sisters,” Carmine said, dropping a bomb, and I stared at him open-mouthed.

“How many?” I gasped in horror.

“Seventeen. I’m one of eighteen kids.”

“Wow,” I exclaimed.

“My brother Micah is eldest at twenty-seven and is a mechanic for Rage’s brother MC, Hellfire. Micah is now called Fanatic and is a car nut. He designs and builds some amazing stuff. Then there’s me. I’m twenty-six and play ball. Tye is the same age as me, and he plays Ice Hockey. Jodie, the first of the girls, is twenty-five and an actress, and Serenity is twenty-four and a model.

“Next up is Harley; he’s twenty-three and a blacksmith and has a shop on Rage. Cody is twenty-two and learning how to run The Trusts to ease some of the burden on Mom. Christian is twenty and working alongside Cody. Jared is eighteen, attends college and is heavily into kickboxing. Aaron is seventeen and in his final year at school, but he plays football. Eddie and Tony, the twins, are twelve.

“The next set of twins, Timmy and Scout, are eight, and then Jake and Garrett, who are also twins and aged eight. Finally, we come to Dante, he is a little shit, and he’s seven, and Peyton is six and adorable,” Carmine said.

My eyes widened in surprise. “How the hell do you keep them all straight?”

“Practise. Mom had Micah, Jodie, Christian, Jared, and Aaron when she moved here. As you can tell, she’s English. So are those five. Once here, she discovered me, Tye, Serenity, and Harley living on the streets and took us in together. Mom never once baulked at having four more kids because we came as a package. Next, we found Cody, and Mom snatched him up.

“It’s legendary amongst us that Mom was delivering Christmas gifts to a care home, and Eddie marched her little tush up to Mom and declared Mom hers. So along came Eddie and Tony. Then Mom got a call about Timmy and Scout and that they needed specialist aid to help them live, and my mother made it happen and took them on. Months later, she claimed Jake and Garrett.

“Mom next gave birth to Dante and Peyton, Drake’s their biological dad. And that’s where Drake really proved blood doesn’t matter to him. We are all his kids. Drake didn’t make us adopted kids go the route of candidate. Although Tye and I are having to do a four-year prospect term because we’re away so much,” Carmine explained.

“Holy shit.”

“Yes, it’s overwhelming,” Aurora agreed.

“I can name all the cousins,” Carmine proudly stated, “and their ages as well.”

“Cousins?” I asked, feeling faint.

“Oh yeah, once Dad found Mom and they fell in love, all the brothers began falling too. In the space of eight years, all but Slate, Ghost, Tye, Harley, and I have got their soul mates. Which means Rage went from zero children to sixty-nine, and we’ve got more to come; there’s four old ladies pregnant at the moment.” Carmine grinned at my shocked look.

“In eight years, you’ve gained all those kids?” I demanded.

“Yeah, and about half are adopted,” Klutz explained.

“That’s insane.”

“Get-togethers can be Hell on Earth. The good thing is I’m no longer one of the older teens, and I don’t have to watch the brats anymore. When the Legacies and Princesses get going, there’s often bloodshed.” Carmine chuckled.

“Huh?”

“Okay, the children, as a whole, are called Hellions if they are under…” Carmine glanced at Klutz, “Say sixteen.” Klutz nodded. “And then they separate into Legacies, the sons who may join the club like their father. Princesses are the girls, and they’re treated as precious. But they war. Eddie leads the girls, and despite Dante only being seven, he heads the boys. And they fight.”

“Let’s be honest. The girls kick the boy’s asses every time, but they don’t learn,” Klutz admitted.

Aurora laughed. “That’s an understatement. Dante will start shit, and the Princesses end it. We’ve had homemade cattle prods, improvised cells, they’ve been tied to trees and frozen in plaster.”

“What?” I asked as my mind boggled.

“Plaster of Paris. The princesses filled an old pool with it and pretended it was theirs. Naturally, Dante decided to interfere, and all the boys ended up in various positions solid as a rock because Eddie added a fast-setting agent to it,” Aurora explained.

“Holy shit!”

“Eddie will either be president one day, or she’ll be a master criminal. We can’t make up our minds. If she is paired with Davy, Aria, and Alyssa, it’s even worse because the four of them just, well, let’s say they’re pure evil. Eddie comes up with an idea,” Carmine laughed, “and the other three develop it.”

“And Eddie’s twelve?” I asked, recalling Carmine’s words.

“Yeah. Eddie won’t make sixteen if she keeps pushing Dad’s buttons. But Dad spoiled her for eight years, so it’s on his head. Mom warned him, and Dad didn’t listen. Now, Mom refuses to get involved and leaves discipline down to Dad. I mean, Dad really tried, but he’s made a rod for his own back. Eddie can argue the toss with anyone,” Carmine replied.

“Wow. And she is not punished for arguing?”

“It depends. If she’s arguing, fine, if Eddie’s being disrespectful, then no. Sometimes, Eddie’s pushed too hard and ended up in real trouble. Like when she dyed the brother’s hair because they told her no. Eddie found herself in deep shit over that, and rightfully so. My parents believe in letting kids find and reach their full potential, but they make sure boundaries are in place. Disrespect, dishonour, rudeness, greed, and so on are not tolerated within our family.

“And even if Mom and Dad didn’t chastise, my uncles would. We all discipline each other’s children because there’s so many of them, we can’t have an eye on our own kids all the time. But nobody uses physical punishment. We find more creative ways, like cutting the lawn with a pair of scissors to a certain height or raking up leaves every day for a month,” Carmine explained.

“Do you have your own family? You said our own kids,” I asked.

“No. I meant my brothers and sisters when I said that. But for the parents who have multiple youngsters, watching them is a task,” Carmine explained.

“We all help out. We babysit for each other and have sleepovers. There’s always someone around, which is fantastic. Axel, Rage’s only founder remaining, he’s grandparent to them all,” Klutz added.

“I can’t imagine living like that. I was an only child and homeschooled as my parents dragged me around. When I got to be too much of an effort, they packed me off to boarding school. I rarely came back after that. I had the odd Christmas at home, but my mother and father were often away,” I said.

They looked at me in horror.

“You grew up in boarding school?” Aurora whispered.

“Yeah, and I didn’t fit in there. I was an academic, always studying and… well… I didn’t fit in,” I replied with a shrug.

“And that’s why when you were chased out of your team, it hurt so much,” Carmine surmised.

“Yup. I thought I’d found a home, a place I could be myself, and instead, they were worse than the girls at school.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Aurora offered, placing a hand on my leg and then removing it.

That tiny comfort gesture meant everything. No one had ever offered me comfort before.

“Well, stick around Rage. We’re always adopting people,” Klutz said with a wink.

Honestly, despite how frightening the Hellions appeared, Rage seemed a very nice place indeed.