Page 27 of Iona's Christmas
Warden turned to Etienne and me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Etienne answered as I was struggling to control my emotions.
“Join the club,” Warden demanded.
“We were going to. But we don’t like the idea of prospect,” Etienne replied.
“Well, you have known the Royal Bastards for over five years. I think all the help you’ve given us would ensure you miss prospecting. You’ve already kind of done it,” Warden said.
“That’s fine by me,” Etienne agreed.
“We’ll put it to the vote and let you know. Go back to the clubhouse and rest,” Warden ordered.
“You’ll put her six foot under?” I asked finally.
Warden studied me silently.
“Lolita will be handled,” Undertaker confirmed.
“I want her dead. She and that man were gonna kill Etienne. Warden, I need to know she’s not going to return,” I insisted.
“She’ll pay and in blood,” Warden agreed after a few moments.
I sank against Etienne. “Good.”
“Return to the club. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I’m sure Iona, Lindy and Rosalea could do with some help,” Warden said.
I nodded and allowed Etienne to plop me on his bike as he rode us back.
Iona
A huge assed tree dominated the clubhouse. Warden, Undertaker and Oracle had collected it last week, and it had already been decorated. Fairy lights hung around the walls, and we had draped tinsel everywhere. We had ceiling decorations, which had infuriated Warden when we poached Blue and Priest to hang them. The old timers had got involved and sprayed fake snow images on the windows.
Warden had complained that we had enough snow on the ground outside. We had Christmas decs outside and Lindyand I had been burning scented candles. Lindy had made it very clear that the club whores weren’t welcome to Christmas Day, although she’d invited the three service guys. Lindy had explained they didn’t cause drama and were pretty nice.
We were now wrapping in the common room and had to keep chasing the old-timers away as they kept wandering over to be nosey. The tree was going to be rammed full of presents.
Lindy, Rosalea and I had purchased everyone a present from the club itself, and then the three of us had bought gifts. That meant each person should have four gifts each so far. I did wonder if anyone else had bought anything and could only hope. We had Christmas music on as we wrapped, and I was wrapping Warden’s, a gold chain I’d bought him when Pipe yelled that food deliveries were here.
Lindy and I swapped grins and hurried out to the kitchen to open the rear door. I just prayed that everything was as I ordered it, or we’d be shopping tomorrow. A grin hit me as I saw the four huge assed turkeys, all plucked and ready to be cooked.
“Damn, girl, I didn’t realise they were so big,” Lindy gaped.
“Yeah, a little bigger than I realised,” I admitted.
We only had three ovens here. This was a problem as I’d ordered huge hams and two legs of lamb.
“You take in the food, and I’ll start getting these cooking,” Lindy said, and I nodded. The deliveries came rolling in, and at the same time, so did the old-timers. Spice looked bemused as bags upon bags of items were brought in. Pipe and Fists began emptying them and stacking the food away.
I was rather shocked that I didn’t have tell them how to unpack.
“Too many years under Lindy,” Spice admitted with a wink as he put the cartons of fresh cream I’d ordered in a line in the fridge. Next to them, he placed the Brandy Butter. Then he started organising the cheeses I’d bought.
I turned to Pipe, but he was organising all the vegetables we’d bought. The old timers were amused as the bags kept coming as one store after another delivered my orders. Not a single one had messed me about, and I planned to give them all a huge thank you after Christmas.
Once I’d marked everything off my check list, I turned to Lindy, slightly overwhelmed.
“Where do we start?” I asked. There were only four of us cooking, Rosalea, Lindy, Cécile, and myself. No way would the sisters help prepare food; they had an aversion to it like the men did.