Barber Shop Ink - Book 3: Riverworth

by Penny Blush

  “Boss, what about the other guy? How did you get away from him?”

  “The bitch pussed out. He just punked out once we crossed the bridge haven’t seen him since.”

  “I’m glad you’re safe Boss, see you in a few.”

  “Eric, I want the bar stocked, the drinks cold and the girls hot.”

  I cranked up the volume on the radio and let victory seep into my veins. I planned on partying hard. Then I would shake things up. I would let the world know there was a new king in town. I will rule with an iron fist while making so much money it will make Scrooge Mc-Fucking-Duck jealous. Not going to lie, I will pile my money on my bed and then roll around on it. Naked.

  I took the next turn taking the long straight road that headed past the building supply company towards the safe house.

  “What tha fuck?”

  Off in the distance I could see that stupid motherfucker in black leather who had been helping Morningstar.

  That fucker needed to know who the fuck he was dealing with. I’m the Grim-Fucking-Reaper. I am not a patient man and won’t stand for bullshit like this stupid dick thinking he could stop me by standing in the middle of the road.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I laughed. “Why won’t you die?!”.

  Was this guy a fucking cat? I must have shot him half a dozen times by now, but he just wouldn’t go down. And now he was standing in the middle of the road.

  “Just you? What, no great and powerful Morningstar?” I yelled through my shattered driver side window. The asshole just stood there staring at me. Well, I assumed that he was staring because he still had his helmet on. “Where did you leave your girlfriend? Dead by the side of the road.”

  The man raised his arm and fired a shot hitting the front of the car steam billowing from under the hood.

  “Missed me ya dickhead!”

  The man fired again the bullet hitting the windscreen.

  “Ahhh Fuck!”

  That was fucking close!

  Okay, I am done with this piece of shit. I lifted my foot kicking out the now useless windscreen.

  “I got rid of your girlfriend, you stupid fuck and now I will get rid of you!” I roared.

  I planted my foot on the gas pushing the pedal to the floor, lining the fucker up. The coward just kept shooting at me as I barrelled toward him, the bullets ricocheting off the hood, sparks flying with each pop and zing. One bullet flicked off the hood and hit me in the chest, knocking the wind out of me I gritted my teeth, gripped the steering wheel tighter and planted my foot to the floor.

  “Die you motherfucker!”

  Just as I was about to hit the guy when the chicken-shit dove out of the way. I looked over my shoulder making sure I kept an eye on that douche, so I could circle back to him.

  “Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha what a …. Oh Shit!”

  Chapter 48 Jupiter

  “Are. You. Serious?”

  “Yes, Jax. Just like that,” I replied for the hundredth time.

  I had called Memphis to let him know I was okay and that it was over. He was disappointed I hadn’t video called but was still happy to hear my voice.

  I told him, then Jax when he snatched the phone putting it on speaker, so he could hear too. I told them I still didn’t have my laptop and the camera on my phone got damaged during the fight with Vex’.

  Memphis was pissed that I wasn’t hopping the next flight home, but he understood when I said with everything that had happened it would be best to lie low and stay at Charlie’s for a while. I skipped the details about all my injuries and the fact that I made what he went through with his beating look like a walk in the park.

  I told them what had happened with Vex, well, a sanitised version. And Jax, being Jax was fixated on one particular part of the story.

  “So, it just popped off? Just like that. Can they really do that? Heads I mean can they just pop off?”

  “His did.”

  “Well, bugger me,” Jax laughed.

  After Apollo left me on the footpath to chase after Vex and I called Malcolm for help.

  “Malcolm, where,” I coughed and groaned because speaking fucking hurt. “Where are you?”

  “Morningstar, where are you? Are you okay? You sound hurt.”

  “I’m fine. I may have a few bullet holes and I may or may not have bounced off a car – twice. But, all in all I’m fine. I’m on the corner of Peach and Fairfax.”

  Within moments Malcolm pulled up in a black SVU, jumping out leaving the vehicle running.

  “Hey Kid, you’ve looked better,” Malcolm said crouching down to help me up.

  “Hey Oldman, you’ve never looked better.”

  “Let’s get you back to Charlie’s and have your boo-boos looked at.”

  “Ahhh Jesus-Motherfucking-Christ that hurts!” I screamed as Malcolm hauled me to my feet and all but carried me to the SUV.

  “What hurts?” He asked concerned.

  “Every-fucking-thing,” I groaned clipping my seatbelt as Malcolm ran around to the driver’s side. “We can’t go back to Charlie’s at least not yet. We need to find Apollo and back him up if needed.”

  “Kid, you need medical attention,” Malcolm said using his dad voice on me.

  “No, we need to help him and then I’ll get a Band-Aid or two.” I shifted in my seat groaning in pain.

  I wasn’t kidding when I said everything hurt. I don’t think there was one patch of my skin that wasn’t bruised. Despite my riding leathers I still had road rash from the crash and then getting hit by the car. I had some broken ribs, a couple bullet wounds and more than a few cuts and grazes.

  “Where to Kid? Do you even know which way they went?”

  “Vex, has a safe house not that far from here. You just cross over the nearest bridge and then it’s like ten clicks down the road past that big construction supply place. They have a ten-minute head start.”

  I hadn’t even finished speaking before Malcolm took off following my directions. We turned down the straight-away that lead to the safe house. I saw Vex’ Audi stopped in the street with Apollo standing in the middle of the road with his gun aimed at Vex.

  It all happened so fast.

  Apollo fired at Vex. Vex took off in a cloud of smoke and screeching tyres. There was nothing we could do but watch as Vex lined Apollo up and gunned straight for him. Malcolm kept driving until we were almost on top of them.

  At the last-minute Apollo dove out of the way, rolling and slamming hard into a corrugated iron fence. Malcolm slammed on the breaks sliding to a stop. The SUV had barely come to a complete stop before Malcolm jumped out running over to make sure Apollo was okay.

  Vex’ manic laughter could be heard echoing through the night. I looked up at the Audi seeing Vex looking back in the side mirror. He hadn’t backed his speed off at all. Vex was too busy concentrating on what was happening with Apollo. He didn’t notice the flatbed truck pull out of one of the industrial lots. It pulled straight across the road and the driver jumped out and ran.

  In the reflection in the side mirror I saw the moment Vex looked up and realised that he had sealed his own fate. He mouthed the words ‘Oh, shit’ and then slammed full speed into the flatbed.

  It wasn’t like in the movies, there wasn’t some huge fiery explosion. The vehicle just stopped – Suddenly. Buried almost completely under the flatbed of the truck.

  I opened my door and slid out of the SVU. I took a moment to gain my balance, then slowly limped towards the truck my arm wrapped around myself holding my ribs in place.

  The street was silent.

  No one came out. None of the early morning workers came to see what had happened or to offer help, it was just quiet. The only sounds in the still early morning light were the sounds of my shuffling feet and the ticking and pinging of the dying motor.

  I came up alongside what remained of the Audi that stuck out from the truck, a spark flew making me flinch. I knew I couldn’t stay long. If a spark caught, then it wouldn’t take long before th
e flames licked the petrol leaking from the ruptured fuel tank.

  Then things would get Hollywood.

  But, I needed to see. I needed to see with my own two eyes that Nicholas Vex was dead.

  I needed to know this was over.

  I needed to know Vex was no longer a threat to Memphis or my family and I needed to be able to tell Georgiou that Gianni had been avenged.

  Where the driver’s seat had been, was now crushed completely under the truck. There was no way that Vex would have survived. But, the clincher, the thing that solidified his death, that there was no coming back from was his severed head sitting in the back seat.

  “It’s over,” I whispered out loud as I turned and shuffled back to Apollo and Malcolm.

  Behind me I could hear the hissing of sparks as then the tell-tale whoosh as the sparks ignited.

  Malcolm came to help me the last few feet back to the car and lifted me back into the passenger seat.

  “You okay?” I asked Apollo slumped in the backseat.

  “I’m fucking fantastic,” he groaned. “Nothing that a hot shower and a shot of whisky won't fix.”

  “You’d feel a lot better if you took your helmet off, you know,” I suggested. With all his injuries although not as bad as mine that thing must have felt like it weighted a tonne.

  “But then you’d know my true identity and we can’t have that now can we.”

  “Whatever Bruce Wayne,” I sighed rolling my eyes and even those hurt.

  After I got patched up I would sleep for a week.

  Malcolm swung the car around just as the flames met the leaking fuel. The flames raced along the ground until they met the fuel tank and exploded.

  “Rot in hell you bastard.”

  Chapter 49 Jupiter

  “How’d your phone call go?” Malcolm asked as I came shuffling out of the bathroom.

  “Good. They were pissed that I’m not coming home straight away but were glad it’s over.”

  I climbed back into bed trying and failing to stifle a moan. Charlie had wanted a doctor to see to me as soon as I walked through the door. But, I put my foot down - hard. I refused to see anyone until I had taken a long hot shower and called Memphis.

  I needed the time I took to shower. Washing the blood, grime, smell of exploding car and the remains of Morningstar away. I needed time to fall apart and put myself back together.

  I was so mentally and physically exhausted that I didn't even have the energy to cry. Once I was thoroughly clean, my skin scrubbed red raw, I lowered myself to the floor of the shower and just let the hot almost scalding water flow over me.

  “You okay?” Morningstar asked.

  “I honestly don’t know,” I replied resting my cheek on my knees I was hugging to my chest.

  “You will be,” she said with determination.

  “How do you know?” I asked a tear sliding down my cheek.

  “Because you’ve already done it once. You’ve survived much more than this and were stronger for it.”

  “I don’t know if I can do it this time,” I whispered.

  “Bullshit,” Morningstar snapped. “That’s just the pain and exhaustion talking.”

  “Can’t you just let me wallow for a moment?” Aggravating cow.

  “No. Wallowing leads to dwelling. Dwelling leads to being stuck in mope-town. Besides you have been wallowing on the shower floor for a good hour.”

  “I have?”

  “Yes, you have. Now get your ass up and out of the shower. Put your big girl panties on and call Memphis. I know you’ve been putting it off,” she was so smug.

  “I hate you,” I grumbled, using the shower wall to haul my ass off the floor.

  “No, you don’t, you love me. Now suck it up buttercup and get moving.”

  “I thought you were leaving once Vex was dead?”

  “So eager to get rid of me. Love you too,” I could practically hear her eyes roll. “I can’t go yet. You still need me.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  I followed her instructions, turned off the shower, dried myself, got dressed, sat on my bed and called Memphis.

  “They?” Malcolm asked, “I thought you were calling Memphis?”

  “I did! But Jax was with him and as soon as Memphis said my name Jax snatched the phone from him to put it on speaker, so he could hear me and I wouldn’t have to repeat myself.”

  “Here drink this,” he said handing me some orange juice. “Doc will be up in a few. Said you can’t eat anything yet, but you could probably use the sugar.”

  “Don’t you need to get home?” I asked propping myself up on my pillows.

  “Not until I know you’re okay,” he said sitting on the end of my bed, keeping me company until the doctor arrived.

  Between Morningstar, Jax and Malcolm I was overflowing with guardian angels. There was a soft knock on my bedroom door.

  “Are you ready for me Miss Jupiter?” Doc Collins asked.

  “Come on in Doc.”

  “I’ll leave you to it,” Malcolm said standing giving my foot a squeeze in comfort before leaving the room.

  “Let’s see how many barbie Band-Aids we need,” he said placing his doctor bag on the bedside table.

  “I keep telling you I like the Ironman ones.”

  This was the same conversation we had had since the first time I met him after the attack in Scarlet. Doc Collins was a sweet man who reminded me a little of Santa Claus with his snowy white hair and beard, rosy cheeks and kind eyes.

  “You know if you hold your breath, you will pass out.” Doc said as he examined my ribs to see if there were any displaced fractures. If I did was royally screwed because apart from not healing correctly a displaced fracture I could shift and puncture a lung.

  “Yeah but screaming blue-bloody-murder in your face isn’t helpful either,” I hissed through clenched teeth.

  “Well, young lady you are a very lucky girl. There are no displaced fractures and no clean breaks. You no doubt have multiple hairline fractures along with bruised and torn rib cartilage. It’s going to hurt. You would have been better with a break.”

  “Perfect.”

  “I could sugar-coat it for you if you want but it will hurt like a son of a bitch for a while. You need to remember to breathe deeply – Yes, it will hurt but you don’t want to get into the habit of shallow breathing. You will run the risk of getting an infection and that will just make your recovery longer.”

  “Yes, Doc,” I grumbled.

  I tried to remember to take deep breaths as he checked over the rest of me, patching up the bullet wounds and various scrapes and cuts. When the Doc was done, he opened my bedroom door to let Uncle Charlie know we were finished.

  Uncle Charlie stuck his head in the room looking to me to see if it was okay for him to come in. I nodded. He sat on the end of the bed listening to Doc Collins explain all my injuries and what my healing and recovery time would be.

  “Six weeks! I can’t be here for six weeks. If I don’t get home soon you will have a furious giant and my overprotective cousin beating down your door.”

  Memphis would erupt and Jax would be on the next flight with him, so he could make sure that Uncle Charlie hadn’t convinced me to stay. They would turn up here, find out that I was injured, that I had lied to them and then they would tear the world apart. Uncle Charlie would be dead and if the boys weren’t in jail or a shallow grave by the end of it they would bundle me into a plane, Memphis on one side Jaxon on the other. I would be stuck between them like a fugitive being escorted home by the fucking air marshals. If all of that happens I wouldn’t be surprised if I got home to find a fucking tower that I will be trapped in until the end of.

  “Jupiter, Honey, you were shot, beaten and hit with a car. Twice. You’re uncomfortable laying in this bed, there is no way you will cope with the long flight home, even if Doc Collins here drugged you up to your eyeballs.” Charlie said patting me on the shin trying to get me to see reason.

  “But, you don�
�t understand. I have to get home, I’m getting married!”

  “Honey, you’re banged up and bruised you need time to heal. I know you’re probably suffering from shock, but have you seen yourself? You’re covered in cuts, scratches and bruises. You have stitches and road burn and you were shot three times.”

  “Oh, my God,” I cried as the magnitude of the situation hit me. “How am I going to explain my bruises and the bullet wounds. Memphis may have nothing to do with this life but he’s not an idiot, he will know. He will know I risked my life. He will know I was in danger. He will know I lied.” I buried my face in my hands and hissed as my hand brushed the burn mark on my cheek where a bullet grazed my face. “What am I supposed to do about this?” I pointed to my cheek. “I have a fucking bullet burn on my goddamn face. Memphis knew there was a possibility that I could get hurt but he will flip his shit over this. Which means he will blame himself because this all started from of his Pops’ debt.”

  “No Honey this was all because of Vex. May he absolutely not rest in fucking peace.”

  “Memphis will put all the blame on himself and what he doesn't take Jax will.” I sobbed the pain exhaustion of it all catching up with me bringing with it my damn tears. Uncle Charlie and Doc Collins shared a look. “What? What’s that look about?” I asked swiping angrily at my tears.

  “There… may… be something we can do but it’s not exactly…” Doc trailed off.

  “Not exactly what?” I asked urgently.

  “Umm, legal in this country or approved by any government agency, well, anywhere. But, I know that it works.”

  “What? What is it!” I demanded to know what they were being cagy about.

  “There’s a drug that promotes rapid healing. But,” Doc said holding up a hand for me to stop when I went to demand they give it to me. “But… it has side effects. It knocks you on your ass and you will sleep for at least eighteen hours per day. You may hallucinate or have extremely vivid dreams. Your heart and breathing will slow right down. You must have someone monitor you at all time especially while you sleep to make sure you keep breathing and that your heart doesn't stop. Someone will wake you every six hours to take the medication. You can’t skip a dose, or you’ll have to start again, which will only mean you'll have to stay here longer.”