Crazy Bitch reclined on the couch, watching Star, Harley, and Calder play a card game. They sat on the floor as she flipped through a new magazine she had bought at the store when she had picked up food and snacks for Sex Piston’s kids.

“Why do we have to stay here?” Keri complained from the other side of the couch.

“Blame the man. My monitor will beep if I leave Jamestown.”

“The man?”

Crazy Bitch looked at her from over the magazine. “The man, the police,” she explained. “Jeez, kids don’t know anything anymore.”

“I know enough not to get arrested.” The smartass gave her a holier-than-thou look that had Crazy Bitch begging for a setdown. And she was just the bitch to do it if Keri wasn’t careful.

“I guess you’re just smarter than me.” Crazy Bitch flipped another page.

“Obviously.”

The young woman was getting too big for her own britches, but Crazy Bitch let it go. Keri knew better than to act like that when Sex Piston or Stud were around.

Calder picked up one of the cards that Star had discarded, not saying anything, yet his stern expression didn’t leave Keri.

“Or Calder,” Meri added.

“That is unnecessary, and I expected you to act better in front of your brother and sister.” Calder slammed his cards down, about to get off the floor.

Crazy Bitch turned another page. “It’s not going to work.”

The twin girls turned resentful faces toward her.

“Calder and I aren’t going to get angry and send you to stay with Skulls and Sizzle. Sex Piston told me, if you act up, to call her and they’d come back, so you’re out of luck.”

“Why couldn’t we stay there, anyway?” Meri argued.

“Because Sex Piston knows you’ll sneak out when they go to bed.”

“We wouldn’t.”

“Please… I don’t need to show you my GED certificate to know what you two are wanting to do. I used to be seventeen once, and had more hormones than sense. Sex Piston is nipping it in the bud. She has no intention of being a grandmother anytime soon.”

“Keri and I are good girls.”

“There is no such thing as a good girl. There’s only those who haven’t been tempted.”

“You’re so lame!” Meri hit her forehead with her hand, rolling her eyes.

Crazy Bitch let the magazine drop to her lap. She could take a lot from her friend’s stepdaughters; being called lame wasn’t one of them.

“Does your lollipop that you’re willing to get grounded for have a name?”

Meri and Keri shared a conspiratorial look.

“Or names?” Crazy Bitch amended.

Meri gave up pretending to be preoccupied by her cell phone. “Steven and Brandon.”

“Those names sound lame to me.”

“What do you know? You don’t even have a boyfriend.” Meri rose to sit on the edge of the couch cushion, rebelliously glowering at her.

“How many you had?”

“A couple.”

“When you’ve had a hundred, we’ll talk.” Crazy Bitch gave Calder an imperceptible shake of her head to stay out of the argument.

“You’re really going to admit you had that many?” Scorn filled the little bitch’s voice as Keri gave her sister an approving nod.

The two girls thought they could take her on? Go for it, she thought, not losing her temper. The bitches were just sharpening their claws. She was about to teach them her skills of being a real bitch.

“Calder, why don’t you take Star and Harley to the kitchen? I promised them an ice cream sundae. The jar of hot fudge is in the cabinet.” She patiently waited until the younger children were distracted before she started sharpening her own claws.

“Are they seniors, too?” she asked the twins.

Crazy Bitch knew she had them when their expressions began to look sickly.

“How old, nineteen or twenty? Older?”

“Age doesn’t matter. Girls are more mature than boys, anyway.”

She grinned vindictively. “Older than twenty? Damn, Sex Piston didn’t mention you both have boyfriends older than twenty.”

Keri nearly fell off the couch. Righting herself, she stood up. “They’re seniors in college. We met them when our class went to Eastern University.”

“You got to love higher education.” Her grin widened. “How often do they sneak down from Richmond?”

“That haven’t. It’s the first time—”

“Shut up, Keri.” Meri angrily turned toward her twin.

“Don’t worry; I won’t say anything. This is just girl talk.” Crazy Bitch tried to waylay Meri’s concern.

“You won’t say anything to Stud or Sex Piston?” Meri asked distrustfully.

Crazy Bitch knew which twin was smarter. “No, I’m all about girls getting a little something-something. So, you’ve only been texting them since you met?”

“Yes. I suppose you’re going to tell them that, too.”

“I said I wouldn’t, and I won’t.” She raised her hand in the air. “I swear. How about you girls forget about sneaking out? It’s not going to happen. I’ll get my case and do your nails.”

“Since we don’t have any other options, I guess so.”

Crazy Bitch went to the bathroom and got her nail case, taking out her favorite and putting it in a drawer before going back into the living room.

Opening the case, she settled back down on the couch as Meri and Keri started searching through the colors of polish.

“Where’s the one you’re wearing?” Keri asked.

“It’s empty. I threw it away,” she lied without regret. “This one is really pretty.” She held a sheer pink color for her to see.

“That’ll work.” The teenager held her hand out as if she was the Queen of Sheba.

Crazy Bitch worked tirelessly on Keri’s nails, enjoying watching Calder and Star eating their sundaes at the counter as Harley made a mess of his, mainly eating the Oreos and sauce on top.

“Those sandals are sharp. They new?”

Keri chewed on her bottom lip. “Yes.”

“They look like a new pair Sex Piston bought when we went shopping.”

“She let me borrow them.” Keri kept her gaze focused on her nails.

“That’s nice of her. She never lets me or any of the bitches borrow anything. She even gets pissed if we go in her closet to look.”

Neither girl filled the silence.

Crazy Bitch continued talking to fill the void. “You really should stop chewing your nails; it’s very unattractive. Older men would consider it a childish habit.” She lifted the hand she was working on to examine it closer before lowering it to finish painting it. “It looks like you’re starting to get a little wart on your forefinger. I’d get that taken care of before it spreads.”

“I will.”

“Raise your head; you can look at it later.” She finished her pinky with a final swipe of the nail polish before putting the brush back into the bottle and twisting it closed.

“You’re next, Meri. You want the same color?”

“No.” She reluctantly handed her the color she had chosen.

“You sure you want this color?”

“Why?”

“With your skin coloring, it could make your hand look yellow.”

Meri’s cheeks flushed. She had picked the same shade of fingernail polish as her top.

The girl found a different color in her case. “Is this better?”

Crazy Bitch let her pained look speak for itself, sending the girl picking the first one she came to, looking at her in askance at her choice.

“Would you like me to pick one for you?” she offered pityingly.

At her embarrassed nod, she chose juicy magenta.

“That’s lovely,” Meri complimented her choice.

“I know.”

She started filing Meri’s nails after she had removed her old polish. “I see you have your sister’s habit.”

“I’m trying to stop.”

“You and Keri both have your licenses now. You should come to the shop once a month and let me do your nails. It looks like a newbie has been doing it for you.”

“I do them.”

“Oh… that explains it.”

She painted Meri’s nails as Calder helped Harley get ready for bed then put him in the spare bedroom as Star took her shower and put on her nightgown and robe.

She used the opportunity of Calder being out of the room to swipe at them further.

“You have pictures of your boyfriends?”

“Uh… no.”

“Come on, share. I promised not to tell. When I get done painting your nails, I’ll show you pictures of some of my old boyfriends.”

“All right. Keri, show her.”

Keri got off the chair, bringing her phone over to show a picture of one boy who was sitting at a desk.

“That one yours?”

“Yes. This is the one Meri likes.” She swiped her finger to show a picture of another boy sitting on a motorcycle that no brother would be seen dead on. The baby bitches made it too easy.

“They’re cute. Yours get help for that skin condition?”

“It’s usually not that bad. He said it was an allergic reaction to something he ate.”

“Then he should stop eating,” she said disparagingly. “Meri’s is much better-looking. I bet he gets all the girls in college with that picture. Of course, they don’t know he doesn’t know how to ride it.”

“He rides it all the time.”

“It’s brand new. I bet he’s ridden it once.”

“How can you tell that from a picture?”

“You can see the sales person behind him.”

“That’s his brother.”

“His brother’s name is Jonathon.”

Keri’s face scrunched as she turned the picture, trying to see the person in the background. She sat back down when Calder came back into the room, ignoring them to clean and wipe down the counter.

“Hand me my phone. I’ll show you the pictures of mine.” Crazy Bitch held her thumb down as she opened her cell phone, going to her photos. “Scroll through those bad boys.”

Keri sat down on the floor next to Meri as they stared at the pictures.

“That’s a good picture of Uncle Calder,” Keri complimented her uncle.

“He looks damn fine. Keep scrolling.

“That’s Sam. I brought him to Star’s birthday party.” She hated him now, but he was good-looking.

“That’s Jace,” she continued, smothering a smile at their faces.

“He’s one of dad’s friends.”

“Yes, he is. He’s mine, too.”

“Who’s this?”

Each photo showed men who would stroke any woman’s fire.

“That’s Joker. He had a big gut, but he was still smoking hot.”

Keri stopped when she came to a face she recognized. “That’s Shade.”

“That was wishful thinking.” She finished Meri’s nails, closing the nail polish to put it neatly back in the case. Holding out her hand for her phone, Keri placed it in her hand. “I can show you the rest another time. It’s bedtime.”

“I wanted you to paint mine.” Star jumped up after putting the cards back in the box.

“I’ll do yours tomorrow night,” Crazy Bitch said, closing her case as Star looked at her wistfully. “Come on; you can help me open the couch.”

Star got a kick out of tossing the cushions off. Crazy Bitch then let her pull the strap that would open the full-sized bed.

“Can I sleep here?” Star pleaded.

“No, me and Calder are sleeping here. You’re sleeping….”

Meri’s face fell as if she had wrecked the sweet used car Stud and Sex Piston had surprised the twins with when they had gotten their licenses. “I thought me and Keri were sleeping on it.”

“You’re a guest. I can’t have my guests sleeping on the couch. Time to go beddy bye. You all have school in the morning, and Calder and I have work.”

“That’s right. I’ll pack your stuff into your room for you.” Calder gave her an amused smile as he passed them to get the twins’ suitcases that they had deliberately left by the door in the hopes of being able to go to Sex Piston’s parents’ home.

When the twins huffily went into the bedroom, Calder hooked an arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward him. “Sorry my nieces are being such brats.”

“I’ve dealt with worse.” She lay her hands on his chest. “We have any ice cream left? I’m in the mood for something sweet.”

“You’re sweet enough.” He kissed her then went into the kitchen. “Step into my parlor,” he teased.

She sat at the counter, admiring his easy familiarity with her kitchen. “You know, you’re very sexy when you’re waiting on me.”

He sat a bowl down, scooping in ice cream then dousing it with hot fudge sauce. “Am I as sexy as the other men on your phone?”

“There’s no comparison; that’s why you’re my screensaver.”

“You deserve whipped cream for that answer.” He gave her a generous splat on top of her sundae.

She took a generous spoonful of her ice cream, letting the gooey deliciousness slide down her throat. There were two things she was thankful for. Ice cream was one, and beer was the other.

Calder tossed the empty ice cream container away, coming to sit on the stool next to her. “You really not saying anything to Stud or Sex Piston?”

“Of course not. I swore. You heard?”

“They won’t be happy if they find out you knew.”

“You going to tell him?” She spooned another spoonful of better then sex ice cream into her mouth.

“Yes.” Calder eyes narrowed on her rapturous expression.

“Then that solves that problem. I swore; you didn’t. It kills two birds with one stone.”

“What would you have done if I said no?” His Adam’s apple bobbed when she licked her spoon. She loved teasing him. It was like putting out cat nip in front of Manson.

“I would have told Star to tell on them.”

“You have a very devious mind. You know that?”

She stared down at her melting ice cream. “Does it scare you?”

“There isn’t much in life that scares me anymore. Prison has…”

Her spoon halted halfway to her mouth when his eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”

“Where’s your notebook with the clues?”

“In my bedroom.”

“Get it.”

She went to the bedroom door, knocking. “Can I come in?”

A minute later, she set the notebook down on the counter in front of him.

“The ground beneath me is frozen. No kings or queens live here. You can enter my gates, but unless you have an invitation, you won’t be allowed to stay and rescue the damsel.”

“You think of something?”

“The ground beneath me is frozen, which could mean no one wants to be there, not even kings or queens.” His voice rose in excitement. “You can enter my gates, but unless you have an invitation, you won’t be allowed to stay…. We thought the castle Greer was referring to meant buy tickets for tours or booking a room to stay the night.”

“It isn’t?” she asked, staring down at the clue then looking back at Calder. “What else could it mean?”

“An arrest warrant is a kind of invitation. Or it could be the sentence the jury hands down. What do you think?”

She gripped his strong thigh. “I think you’re on the right path.” Crazy Bitch pointed at the word frozen. “Frozen could mean frozen in time, and no one wants to be there!”

“You have to get approval for some prisoners, too!”

They smiled each other, and then she leaned forward and kissed him. “Killyama may have nabbed the rich one, but I got the smart one!”

“What?” He frowned.

“Never mind. Who do The Last Riders and the Destructors know in prison?”

Their enthusiasm waned as they started thinking of all the people they knew were in prison.

“It has to be a woman.” Crazy Bitch stared at the clue, seeing damsel.

“Let’s google prisons in Kentucky. I was in the Grange. I can’t think of anyone… Candi. The damsel could be her.”

“She’s no damsel.” She snorted. “Let’s look at the prisons.” She took out her cell phone, putting in “prisons in Kentucky.”

She scrolled down the list as Calder looked on.

“Fuck.”

“What?” Crazy Bitch paused.

Calder laughed. “Kentucky State Penitentiary, it’s nicknamed ‘the castle.’ Greer has sent us chasing our tails, looking for castles, when it was just a nickname.”

“It’s a maximum and supermax security prison. Who in the fuck do we know who could be there?”

Calder shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’ll call Stud and tell them to head back tomorrow. Maybe he knows.”

“Go ahead and call Stud. I’m going to get ready for bed.”

She left him to make the call, showering and getting changed in the bathroom. She had grabbed a nightshirt when she had gone into the bedroom for the notebook.

Calder took over the bathroom when she came out.

She turned out the lights, leaving the light on in the kitchen so Calder would be able to see. Setting her alarm, she then snuggled down under the sheet, seeing the light under her bedroom was off.

“You need anything before I lie down?” Calder asked when he came out of the bathroom.

“Just you.”

The light went off, and then she felt the bed dip as he snuggled against her back.

“My neck is much better. I wanted to thank you this morning, but you were already gone.”

“I didn’t want to wake you up. I knew you were tired.”

He slipped his hand around her waist. “It’s nice having a house full of kids, isn’t it?”

“It’s a blast.” She yawned, nestling her ass into his cock. “Only boys.”

“Star is a girl.”

“No more girls,” she said drowsily, feeling him smiling against her neck.

“We’re going to count Star as our first?”

“Of course,” she mumbled, hearing the subtle opening of her bedroom door. Instantly rising up onto her elbow, she said, “Alexa, light on.” The kitchen light turned on, shining into the living room. “Can I get you girls anything?”

“Uh… no, we were just going to get something to drink,” Meri said as both girls went to the kitchen, coming out seconds later and heading toward the bedroom with bottled waters.

“If you girls need anything, don’t hesitate to wake me.”

“We won’t,” Keri said as they were about to close the door.

“Oh, Meri, those jeans are too tight to wear in school. I hope you packed another pair in your suitcase.”

“I did.”

The door slamming had her lying back down. “Alexa, lights off.”

“You could have told me you can do that in the kitchen, too.”

“Now you know.” She thumped her pillow, scooting her ass backward until she felt a hard body behind her. “Night,” she muttered, closing her eyes.

“Good night.”

It felt as if she had just gone to sleep when she heard the soft chiming of her cell phone. Sitting up in the bed, she rolled over onto her back, unintentionally waking Calder.

“Something wrong?” He raised up to look at her in the dark.

“No. Go back to sleep. I got this.”

“Got wha—”

The creaking of her bedroom door had their heads turning.

“Need more water, girls?” Crazy Bitch asked, not bothering to turn the lights on.

The bed shook with Calder’s laughter when the door slammed shut.

Reaching for her phone, she reset her alarm.

“You going to do that all night?”

“They’ll give up after a couple hours. You see why I don’t want more girls? They give you sleepless nights.”

“If we have boys, they won’t give us sleepless nights?”

“No, they’ll be giving some other girls’ parents sleepless nights. I’ll be sleeping like a baby.”

“Isn’t that sexist?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. No daughter of mine will be a hump post for a randy, hormone-fueled, blue-balled little motherfucker.”

“If you do end up having a daughter, are you going to say that to her?”

“Of course. Why not? I have plenty of experience with the little fuckers. Did I ever tell you about the men I killed?”

“You mentioned it, yes.”

She tucked her sheet around her, making sure Calder had enough for himself. Stretching her hand out, she double-checked the alarm was set. Those little fuckers from Eastern weren’t going to score on her watch.

“You still want to talk about having kids with me instead of going to sleep?”

“No, I don’t think I do.”