Pops

by Screaming Mimi

  “You promised me to him, I told you anyone but him. How could you promise me to this sick fuck?!” Michael sat on his bike, looking mildly bored with my outburst.

  “You’ve been his since the day you were born, sorry cupcake, nothing I can do about it, he’s claiming you. Now be a good little cunt and get on your old man’s bike so we can get this over with before you make more trouble for me.” My confusion mounts; I’d never caused trouble for him, my whole life I stayed out of his way. How could I possibly be responsible for making any trouble for him when I wasn’t even involved with his club? Something wasn’t adding up, I needed to get to the bottom of this mystery, before I was forced to marry Vinnie. I shivered just thinking about it.

  “Come on, let’s go already.” Vinnie came after me, and for a split second, I thought about running, but I needed answers to the thousands of questions going off in my head.

  “Fine, but I need something to wear other than just my shirt. I’m freezing my tits off, and I know they are your favorite part of a woman. You willing to risk not having them on my body by the time we get to where we are going?” Not that I was planning to let him near them, but he didn’t need to know that part. He seemed to think it over for a few seconds before nodding his agreement.

  “Here, it’s the best we got.” Vinnie handed me an old fleece pull over that smelled like pot, cigarettes, and other unsavory things. It made me cough, but at least it was warm. I didn’t get to enjoy the warmth long before he was pointing to his bike. Dutifully I waited for him to get on before placing my foot on the peg to lift myself onto the back. He reclined back, rubbing his back against my front, I fought to keep my stomach from rebelling against me. Even with clothes between us, it was too close for my comfort. My mind kept playing back all the women I’d seen him with over the years, bruises would litter their bodies, from black eyes to red welts on their thighs from his belt. I was pretty sure they had worse under their clothes, but I was never brave enough to ask.

  Sometimes they just stopped coming around, and no one asked where they were. When I was younger, I figured they got tired of being beaten and left, but now I was convinced Vinnie made sure they couldn’t leave him, ever. Maybe I should have made a run for it when I had the chance, but I needed to find out what the big damn secret was that they were keeping from me.

  We seemed to rumble down the highway for what felt like forever, and my ass was feeling it too. My ass was numb, my thighs were aching, and my feet felt like they were coming apart. I dreaded the moment it came time to get off the bike, and wanted to beg to stop, all at the same time.

  We were veering off the highway and I noticed the sign on the exit, Chicago. Why the fuck were we in Chicago? Michael’s clubhouse was nowhere near Chicago, no one I knew was anywhere near Chicago so why the fuck were we going to Chicago. There was more going on than Michael just wanting me back in the fold, something told me I wasn’t going to like what we found in Chicago either. Whipping through the back roads of Chicago, I couldn’t tell where we were going or how we were getting there, which would make getting away harder. Before I knew it we were parked outside a small bar name Delaney’s Irish Pub, nothing fancy, just a four-leaf clover used for the dot on the “i”. It didn’t look intimidating. It just looked like your average Irish pub, but the change in the demeanor of all the guys could be felt as they parked. Once we stopped the feeling in my ass returned, but I needed help getting off the bike so I didn’t topple over. That meant Vinnie having to put his hands on me, blech. Michael walked over to me with a grim look on his face.

  “When we go in here, you will keep your mouth shut, no matter what, or I’ll make sure to pay your boyfriend a little visit. You are to act like a happy bride in there, anything less and you know what could happen to your friend Bliss. You wouldn’t want that right? Do you understand?” I wanted to scream at him that there was no way I could pretend to be a happy bride, but for Bliss and Castor’s safety I would do whatever it took.

  “Yes, I understand, but what I don’t get is why. Whose in there Michael? Whoever it is scares you, don’t they?” He pulled me toward him until our noses touched; I wobbled unsteadily on my feet after so long in the seat.

  “Just do what you’re told, don’t worry about who’s in there.” When he let me go, I stumbled into Vinnie who put his arm around my waist; I tried to shove him away.

  “Remember, be a good girl or your friends will pay the price.” Vinnie whispered in my ear as we made our way into the pub. Something niggled the back of my memory, I had a sense of being in this pub before, but I couldn’t remember when.

  Chapter Eight

  POPS

  I have no destination in mind when I fly out of the coroner's office. No rhyme, no reason behind where I’m headed. My goal is to get as far away from there as possible, like if I go fast enough and far enough I can outrun that shit. He was my friend, my brother in arms, and I let him down. I should have sent someone to guard his back, someone to help keep him safe, I fucked up, and he paid the price.

  Flashes of a different time and place run through my mind, a time when I depended on the man next to me, just like he depended on me. We saw the best and worst of each other during our short stint serving, but nothing could change what we saw while we were in. Things changed when we got out though, I started seeing headlines with the men that I served with in them, suicide beside their name. That’s when I started the club; it was a place for them to come, to feel like a part of something again. They came to be a part of a family, a brotherhood who would have their backs, and I’d failed our brotherhood.

  I failed Gargoyle, and now I had to pay the fucking piper. The last time I’d had to deliver bad news to the club was when Matt’s mom was found. She hadn’t gone far when she ditched her kids and husband; no she’d stuck around town, partying with a bunch of lowlifes. It was a few years after she’d left them, when she was found. They’d finally gotten things on a sort of routine, it wasn’t perfect, but it worked for them.

  Originally, Matt’s dad, Gene, was going to stay in and retire at twenty, but when his wife, Molly, up and left the kids while he was deployed he had to change his plans. He could have stayed in, his parents were willing to keep the kids for him, but there was no way he was leaving his kids without both parents. We’d met years before while I was still active duty, when I found out what happened I knew he’d need support, so I invited him to join the club, he’d been dubbed Breaker from the moment he joined. The day I had to call them about Molly still made my stomach ache, she was a worthless piece of shit as far as I was concerned, but she was the kid’s mom.

  I called them all over, told Breaker I had some information I needed to discuss with him. Matt was around ten at the time, the other boys were probably four and five. There was no easy way to tell them, nothing was going to soften the blow, when the dust settled they took it better than expected. Breaker held the two younger boys as they cried, while Matt calmly walked out the backdoor. It wasn’t until we heard shouting that we realized he wasn’t taking it as well as we originally thought. I left Breaker with the boys while I went outside to console a distraught Matt. I found him beating his fist against a tree, his knuckles already bleeding from hitting the bark. Pulling him into a hug, I let him scream, kick, and punch it out all while telling him it was going to be all right.

  That had been years ago, and it was not even one of our own guys. How the fuck was I going to tell them we’d lost one of our own? I’d start with Crusty, Holland’s dad, he was my right hand man, and he’d be able to do it for me. I couldn’t risk going home; I needed to find Bethy before those assholes did something to her I couldn’t fix. Pulling over to the side of the road, I pulled out my cell phone, my hands were shaking a little. Fuck, this was hard.

  “What’s up Pops?” I couldn’t get the words to form; it was like peanut butter was stuck to the top of my mouth. “Start talking old man, or I’m getting on my bike and heading to wherever the fuck you are.”

  “Shit
, don’t do that, I can’t be responsible for that shit, Holland might kill me.” What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just tell him what the fuck had happened? Besides the fact that I wasn’t certain exactly what happened, except that Gargoyle was gone.

  “You’re talking out your ass; tell me what the hell is going on. Did you find your hot little piece yet?” I growled into the phone. “Oh there he is, the asshole we all know and love. Spit it out.” This was why he was my right hand, there were times when I needed someone who made me calm the fuck down.

  “We lost him, we lost Gargoyle; the fuckers shot him. I fucked this one up brother.” I’m close to losing my shit.

  “Shit, what about your girl? Is she...?” He makes a gruff sound like he’s trying to clear his throat, yeah buddy I know how you’re feeling.

  “No, I don’t know, she was in the motel room with Gargoyle. That’s all I know for sure. I think he gave her his wallet though. I can’t be sure until I get ahold of Digital, he’ll be able to track it, if she has it. I need you to tell the guys, you think you can do that for me. I’d do it, but I need to be on the road finding Beth.”

  “Do what you gotta do man, I’ll hold down the fort here, don’t worry. This isn’t your fault; place the blame on the right shoulders, those fuckers who shot him.”

  “I will, thanks Crust, I owe you big time brother.” Hanging up, I feel like shit for putting this all on him. Bethy needs me though, so I’m going to suck it up and drive on. Phoning Digital, our resident computer guru, I swear the guy spoke computer or some shit.

  “Hey Pops, what can I do you for?” I give him what I know about Gargoyle’s tracker in his wallet.

  “Old dude seriously had his wallet low-jacked.” He chuckled to himself. I kept quiet, he’d know soon enough, and then he’d feel like shit. Right now, I needed him focused on the task at hand.

  “Yeah, I just need to know if it’s still working, and if so where it’s headed.” I can hear him typing away at keys while humming some stupid pop song in my ear. He was one of our younger guys, just got out of the service last year, didn’t talk about his time in, but I got the feeling his story wasn’t pretty. He slept at the clubhouse most nights with a gun under his pillow. Wasn’t the first head case we’d dealt with, and it wouldn’t be the last.

  “I’ll do you one better Pops, I’m sending you the GPS information to your phone, you’ll be able to track it directly from your phone with the app. Anything else I can do? You need back up?” The kid was eager to prove himself, to show us he could be “normal”, not that we expected normal, but he needed “normal” for himself.

  “Nah, I’m good, but Crusty might need some help later on with some shit. Thanks kid, I’d be lost with all this computer shit without you. Later.” As soon as I hung up there was a text message from him with the app and GPS information to plug in. I plugged in the information and boom, there it was, a tiny dot flashing on my screen. It wasn’t moving, but it wasn’t at the motel either, which meant Bethy had the fucking wallet. I’ve never been so happy to find out my girl had another guy’s wallet in my life, I sent up a thank you to Gargoyle for his quick thinking. He probably just saved my girl’s life, it had cost him his, but he went out a hero.

  BETH

  The bar became quiet as we entered; so quiet I could hear everyone breathing, it was freaking me the fuck out. I still had this strange feeling I’d been here before, but I didn’t remember ever being in Chicago for the life of me. Michael looked over at the bartender and he nodded his head in the direction of the back room. Vinnie pulled me closer to his side as we made our way to a back booth hidden from the view of the general public.

  There were five men sitting around the table, the guy in the middle reminded me of some Italian mobster don. He had the suit with the hat, and even the slicked back hair. I half expected someone to pull out a damn Tommy Gun any minute. It was almost laughable, if it wasn’t for the fact that Michael seemed extremely nervous around these guys. I began to wonder what they might have on him to cause such fear, but the bigger puzzle was how I fit in to all of it.

  The man in the middle started eyeballing me like he saw someone else in my place, his lip curved up in a smile when he reached my face. If Michael intended to give me to these guys as payment for something, he had another thing coming. Mr. Mobster don whispered amongst his fellow mob guys, they all looked me over before nodding their approval. I was beginning to feel self-conscious with all the attention that was aimed towards me.

  “Come closer, let me get a better look at you, the light over there is hard on my eyes sweetheart.” Michael glared back at me when I didn’t move fast enough. “Don’t worry we don’t bite. Michael, why is she so frightened? What have you done to her?” The man’s tone brooked no argument, it was either answer him or pay the price, and I got the feeling the price would be his life.

  “She’s just shy, isn’t that right Beth?” Michael looked at me imploringly, as if my answer would be what kept him alive. There was a small part of me that wanted to see this man end Michael's life, but unlike Michael, I didn’t want any more blood on my hands.

  “Leave us!” Mobster man only raised his voice an octave, but all of Michael’s men exited immediately. When Michael and Vinnie tried to stay one of the mini mobsters came out from behind the table to escort them outside. Michael gave me one last fleeting look that said ‘say something wrong and my friends would pay the price’.

  “Ok, they’re gone, come sit sweetheart, I have a feeling you have many questions for me.” Yeah, like who the fuck are you was on the tip of my tongue, instead I went with a much milder way to phrase it.

  Sitting down across from the men, I felt like I was in an interrogation room, one wrong word and I was toast. “How about we start with who you are? Michael told me nothing on my way here.” Mob boss dude seemed quite perturbed by this fact, but he masked it quickly. The guy sitting right next to him didn’t do so well; he slammed his fist down on the table before cursing Michael and his stupidity.

  “Sorry little one, Lucian gets a little excited when things aren’t done his way; he’s young, he’ll learn. I’m saddened you do not remember me Bethy, I used to sit you my lap and tell you stories. That is until she took you away from us, from me. I’ve been trying to get you back ever since. I’m your grandfather Beth, my name is Gino, your mother was my daughter. This has been a long time coming; I’ve had to threaten your father to get him to cooperate. I know you love him, but he’s kept you from me for too many years. Now he says you are marrying his second in command, is this true Bethy?” I’m so stunned, words won’t even articulate in my mouth, this man...is my grandfather. When he says I’m supposed to marry Vinnie I want to scream “no” with everything I have in me, but I’m too afraid of what they will do to Bliss and Castor. I bow my head as I swallow my response and nod.

  “I need to hear it from your mouth sweetheart, because the stories I hear about this man, they aren’t pretty. If they are forcing you to do this, tell me now and I will have my men eliminate them all.” I’m trying to get my breathing under control before I let out a sob; I can feel the tears pooling in my eyes. Fuck, I need to keep it together, or Michael will hurt those I care about. My whole body is shaking, then I feel a hand reach out for my own, and I grip it with all my strength.

  “He’ll hurt my friends.” I whisper only for his ears; he nods in understanding as I look into his eyes. Covering my mouth as soon as the words are out, I know I’ve sealed my fate and my friends, whatever happens from here on out is completely my fault. Gino pulls me in for a hug and whispers everything is going to be alright.

  “Whatever happens, play along. I don’t plan on putting your friends in any danger if I can help it little one, but there is no way in hell I’m letting you go through with marrying that Vinnie.” He continues to hug me, as Lucian goes outside to call Michael and his crew in.

  “Thank you Michael for bringing me my girl back, I owe you so much for this act of kindness. Beth tells me
she can’t wait to marry Vinnie. When is the wedding? We’d all like to attend, hell I’ll help pay for the event. It should be a grand affair; she deserves the best. Don’t you agree Michael?” I turned in time to see Michael’s face turn three shades of red in anger, only to smile at Gino and nod.

  “You said we’d do a quickie wedding on the way back home, I’m tired of waiting.” Vinnie visibly shrunk back from Lucian’s scowl. “But whatever my baby wants, my baby gets, ain’t that right Lizzie.” Vinnie tried to get my attention, but I refused to look at him. I just smiled.

  “Come, stay at my place, I have plenty of room for all of you there. I’ll get your cousins together and they will plan a spectacular wedding for you. They love planning things, and it will give Bethy a chance to meet the rest of her family. Then it’s settled, come with me Bethy you can ride in my car on the way home so we can catch up. You and your men can follow us on your bikes. Lucian, if you would please grab the car and bring it around front for us we’ll be leaving. Come sweetheart, I want to hear all about your life, don’t leave a single detail out.” And just like that, Gino had managed to get me away from Michael and his men without even a scuffle, whatever power this man had, it clearly made Michael bow down to it.

  Sitting in the back of the big black Lincoln, I kept listening as Gino gave instructions to Lucian, who was sitting next to him. I sat across of them waiting for them to finish. I knew Michael was going to die, I knew I had basically just signed his death warrant; I didn’t want more blood on my hands. “I’m sorry little one, we are ignoring you. I meant to introduce you earlier; Lucian is your uncle, as well as Dominic who is driving us. Things took a bit of a twist; don’t worry though I’m going to take care of everything with the help of your uncles.” I wasn’t sure how to take all this new information I was getting; my brain wasn’t processing it fast enough.