“What do you wanna do, VP?” Clint adjusts his cut.
I stare through my best friend as if he weren’t standing there. I’m at a loss. I’ve exhausted all avenues. This bastard was my final option.
Ruth’s blood is on my hands.
I rip my gaze away and scowl at the Enforcer. “Go back in.”
My words send the wounded man squirming on the ground into a frenzy.
As Herc settles his heel into the enemy’s gut utilizing all his weight, my cell rattles in my pocket.
If it were anyone other than Jolene I would send it to voicemail, but not with the dick move way I ditched her this morning. I’m already in the shit house. It’s never too soon to start kissing ass.
“Hey darlin, I know you’re pissed, but seriously just give me a second to…”
She spews shit I thought I’d never have to hear come from her mouth. The kind of shit that only comes from deep inside the club.
My dense chest heaves as I tuck the phone away. “Cut him loose.”
Everyone stops and whips their heads in my direction except for the mangled body, whose eyes are both now swollen completely shut.
“What’s up, brother?” Troy jumps on his sled.
“No time. We’re headed to Jericho.”
We ride without stopping. If I could will this fucking bike to move faster, I would. The fear in Jo’s voice is seared on my soul. I can’t handle it. There’s nothing in this world that can bring me to my knees like that sound.
I’ve only heard it once, the night she was lying on the singed grass surrounded by ash and burning splinters of wood.
The night we lost our baby.
My small town calls me home. I zip through the stoplights and ignore the traffic signs.
Clubhouse.
Jolene.
My only thoughts are on repeat.
I wouldn’t have wasted the time circling around to the back, but I knew the door was already open.
I fly off my sled. I can hear my brothers speak, but tune them out.
“Jolene!”
“In here”
My pulse races, pumping scores of frenzied blood though my heated veins.
I spot her and don’t stop to assess the situation.
I can’t get my hands on her quick enough. My mind is blank, and my body moves on automatic pilot until I snake my arms around her trembling frame, lifting her off the ground, holding her tight like a scared child with a stuffed animal.
Just like that, all the stifled emotions sending me reeling.
Mist fills my eyes as I bury my damp face in her neck. “I thought I wouldn’t make it in time.”
She strokes my neck. “I knew you would.”
“What the fuck?” Clint stalks through the Clubhouse.
“You girls alright?”
“We’re whole,” Jessa responds with a shaky tone.
“It’s Brad.” I turn back to the crowd, planting Jo back on the floor, but refusing to let her go.
“The homeowner dick guy?” Troy cocks his head.
“Yep. Jolene confirmed it.” A visible ripple shudders through Jessa.
The boys start poking and prodding at what’s left of the nasty, stinking body parts. None of us notice the light rap on the front door, not until the person pounds on the locked gate.
Everyone in the room draws their weapons, females included. The moment I have to prepare for battle means I have to take my hands off my woman and that sends fury to not only deep in my gut, but my dark, dusty heart, and that has become a whole new level of danger for me and any mother fucker who decides to cross my path sideways.
I’m ready.
More ready than I have ever been.
I’m tired of taking shit. I’m tired of playing it safe. Fuck, I’m tired of playing goddamn games.
“Stand down,” I order.
Without a plan, I rush the door, not giving the unsuspecting dick on the other side a chance to react. Elbow high, shoulder braced, my 357 bolstered against skin.
My itchy finger feathers the warm trigger.
If it hadn’t been for the way the body dropped to the sidewalk, rocking in the fetal position, I would have fired.
The heap mumbles. “No. Not again. I don’t wanna die. Please,” she sobs. The figure is a woman.
Ruth.
A buzzing sensation fills my insides. My chest swells to find her alive. Seeing her now, I must admit, I didn’t think it would happen.
“Fuck. Ruth, it’s me. Ronin.” She doesn’t hear me as she continues to cover her ears, swaying back and forth.
I bend down to her level, gently placing one hand on her back.
“Ruth,” I whisper.
She peers up at me, her bloodshot eyes are distant and lost. Her weathered, sagging skin is covered in scrapes and bruises. It’s obvious that she’s lost weight as I scoop her up in my arms, carrying her inside.
“Lock up.” All stares are locked on me until they realize it’s their matriarch in my arms. The crew jumps into action.
“Holy shit! Is she ok? Put her over here!” I bolt across the bar, swerving around the pool tables and the long L-shaped bar top, careening the way to the cot in the storage room.
“What do you think happened?” Clint helps, holding her legs in the air while Jessa slips a blanket over the stretched canvas.
“She looks like shit.” Jessa adds a blanket for extra padding.
“There’s no doubt she’s taken a beating.” I kneel on the cement floor and take her rattling, bony hand in mine. “Ruth, honey, can you hear me?”
The older woman fights to pick her head up from the wadded-up towel being used as a pillow. Her eyes roll, the whites engulfed with red veiny threads before her skull crashes back down, thudding twice.
Jessa falls to her knees on the other side of the cot. “She’s on some heavy shit.”
“She ain’t gonna be answering no questions blitzed outta her fucking gourd.” Troy’s hands are crusted in Brad’s blood from bagging up the body.
“What do we do?” Jo’s ashen face glances up at me.
I know without question that they all want to call the old man. It’ll tip my hand if I refuse. And with Ruth out of commission, she’s not giving any answers.
“We’re gonna have to leave the body.” I twist, facing Troy. “Make sure you bleach the place and put the bag in the freezer.” The soldier confirms with a grunt. I continue. “We’ll take Ruth back to the cabin. I’ll get in touch with the Prez. Clint, you call Stoner and have him get his hands on some medical supplies. Tell him to be ready, but don’t let him know who it is yet.”
I lift the broken woman in the air, attempting to be gentle. Ruth moans, her loose neck causes her head to roll as I rest her across the back seat of the Suburban, covering her up the blanket.
“The stench is enough to make you gag.” Jolene comes up behind me, her arms wrapped tightly around her tiny waist.
“Whoever was holding her sure as fuck didn’t take care of her. She’s close to dead from an overdose. She’s hasn’t been fed. And she doesn’t look like she’s bathed since she’s been gone. Wait until I get my hands on this sorry fucker.”
I help my girl climb into the back of the SUV where she cradles Ruth’s head in her lap. “Straight to the cabin. No stopping. Got me?”
Jolene straightens her neck. She pops her lips before drawing the plump bottom one in with her teeth.
She nods.
I close the door, preparing for the next stage of battle. And this one is going to bring down the fucking house.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
(Jolene)
The silence is deafening. Jessa darts her gaze from the road to the rearview mirror, taking in the horror scene.
The wrinkled skin around my mother’s pinched eyes is grayish yellow. There are old and fresh gashes.
I massage her arm, drawing the flannel sleeve up over her elbow. My heart stalls. I hold her limp arm in my hand, flipping it over, looking at her flesh. Needle ma
rks.
Searing heat invades my chest. I feel the stinging tears rise before they spill down my cheeks, trailing my neck. My pulse thumps against my aching skull as I lean my head against the window. The streetlights disappear, giving way to the regal, forest trees whizzing by. Ruth groans in pain as we pull off the Highway and maneuver the stumps and roots for the remaining ten miles.
The boys are backing in their bikes. Pop flies out the front door, followed by Stoner, who has a black bag strapped to his back.
Ronin takes two long strides, reaching my door first.
“Move!” Pop shoves an elbow into his ribs.
“What the fuck?” Ronin eyes stir black. He cuts his gaze from Pop to me. I shake my head, silently pleading with him to let it go. His chest fills like a like a barrel before he releases the air.
“Give her to me!” Pop reaches in to scoop her out of the car.
“Pop, no. You can’t move her like that. Just give us a second. We’ll get her settled inside.”
He snaps his face upright, locking his stare on mine.
Using my fingertips, I graze his rough face. “It’s going to be ok, Pop.”
I swear, in that moment, I will never forget the fear in my father’s eyes.
He steps backwards, stumbling, unable to break his gaze away from his old lady.
“Herc.” I give the big teddy bear the go ahead. For being a giant, he moves with gentle ease, carrying his queen with the utmost care.
Stoner is at his side barking orders. “Yeah, that’s good. On the right side, there so I can use the table.”
He lays out his gear and begins to survey Ruth’s battered body.
Jessa and I plant ourselves at the opposite side to stay out of the way. Ruth’s boys line the wall.
“Everybody out.” Jesse points to the door.
“What the hell are you talking about?” It’s Clint’s turn to challenge the President.
Pop lurches across the room, landing toe to toe with his Sargant at Arms. “You got something in your fucking ears, son? I said, get the fuck out! No one in here that doesn’t have to be. Stoner, that’s it.”
“Pop, please.” An invisible vice strangles my windpipe.
“Get her outta here.” He shoots a glare at Ronin who stoops down at my side.
“Come on, darlin.” He coils an arm around my hips.
Jessa does the same on the other side. My body goes limp.
“We need to get her to bed.” My sister’s words echo in the distance.
“Why is he doing this?” I know the words came from my mouth, but I don’t remember saying them.
“It’s alright, babe. Just let me take care of everything.”
The two of them help me climb into bed, stripping away my pants, unhooking my bra, and tucking the covers around my trembling body.
Jessa disappears, and I hear a light commotion.
Ronin’s weight causes the bed to dip. “Here, drink this.” He pours a generous shot of brown liquid.
Propping myself up on my elbow, I swallow hard to get it all down in one drink. The burn leaves a fiery wake from the back of my throat all the way to the center of my belly.
“Mmmm…” I press my head into the pillow.
I barely notice when the weight lifts from the bed, heavy boots trod away.
Barely.
***
The room is dark. Moonlight streams in through the cabin window. My foggy head is still in pain, running rampant with emotions.
The nagging pit in my empty stomach reminds me of my father’s insane reaction.
I fly out of bed, stopping briefly to regain some strength in my wobbly legs as I set out to find Ruth.
“Where is she?” I ask. The kitchen is busy, everyone in a morning rush.
“Want some coffee, hun?” Bonnie holds the pot in the air.
“No, I don’t want any fucking coffee.” I twist my mouth, scanning faces.
“Hey, now.” Jessa takes hold of my shoulders, backing me out of the room. “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did we?”
“I just want to see Ruth.” Hope bubbles deep in my core. My eyes round. “Have you seen her?”
She shakes her head and it fades just as fast. “Pop’s been locked in there all night. Stoner said she’d been knocked around some.”
“Raped?” I ask in a whisper, scared to utter the word.
“No.”
I release a huge sigh. “What a relief.”
A sad expression falls across her face. “I wouldn’t say that just yet. Looks like they haven’t fed her anything but heroin since she’s been gone.”
I collapse, not caring that the wall is there to catch me.
Heroin.
The marks on her arms.
“They turned her into a fucking junkie.” I speak the words to myself.
I ignore Jessa and march to Pop’s bedroom, knocking once before barging in. I knew he wouldn’t bother locking the door because no one would dare defy his orders.
I find him in the chair on his phone.
Ruth is on the bed. From the first look, she appears to be sleeping.
“Ruth?” I peel the hair back from the side of her face. “I’m here, Ruth.”
Pop slams his cell down against the TV tray he’s using as a desk. “Jolene, you need to go. And don’t make me tell you again, little girl.”
Jessa pries Ruth’s eyelids open, revealing the stark white orbs rolling around. She’s no better now than she was when we found her.
“How is she not coming down off this stuff yet?”
Pop cuts his attention to Jessa. “Get her the fuck out of here!”
“You want her gone, you do it!”
He lunges, slicing the back of his hand through the air, preparing to make contact with my sister’s cheek, but I step in the way.
My Pop’s hand comes crashing down, splintering the bone, sending me to my knees, shooting excruciating pain radiating up through my legs.
“OOooo!” I wail. I flatten my palm against the inflamed area, peering up at my father through damp lashes.
“Oh my god, Jo, please,” he begs, crouched at my side.
Still in shock, I recoil. Unable to speak, I swallow back the vomit piling in my mouth.
“Get away from her.” Jessa guides me up from the floor, ushering me to my room, away from snooping eyes, and locks the door.
Realizing I haven’t seen Ronin all morning, panic floods my gut. “Where are the boys?”
“Pop sent them on some errands.” She stops fidgeting with the blankets and stands upright, planting her hands on her pointy hips. “Damn, can you imagine if Ronin had been here?”
“What the fuck was that?” Instant tears spill down my throbbing face.
“Get some rest. This shit is far from over.”
Her words send icy chills up my spine. A shudder ripples through my core.
Far from over.
***
I’m jolted awake from a fleeting dream, the soothing images wisp away like a warm breeze.
It takes a few seconds to remember where I am. The spasms in my jaw serve as a quick reminder.
Chaos travels from the far end of the house. Ronin’s deep, baritone voice booms, echoing the pounding of his marching footsteps down the hallway. I try to get out of the bed, but he beats me to it. The door flies open with Jessa on his heels, her head peeking out from underneath his python-sized bicep.
I see his huge frame grow rigid as his gaze lands on my purple cheek.
I predict his next action before he makes it, sending my sister flat on her ass into the hall wall, knocking down the knick-knack shelf.
Billy stares at me.
“Go!” I shout.
I skirt the corner just in time to see Ronin’s size thirteen boot bust through Pop’s bedroom door, never even trying the knob.
Pop is in the same chair, his neck crooked, sleeping until he’s jarred awake by the sudden explosion.
Ronin jerks him up from the seat, leaving h
im dangling in the air as he slams his President into the log beams. Pop’s head bounces off the wood.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Ronin smashes his solid fist through my father’s face.
“Herc?” I plead, waving my arms wildly through the thinning air.
He gives one shake of his enormous head.
“Clint?” My wet, round eyes beg.
“Sorry, honey. This is between them. This is beyond fucked up.”
The boys disappear. Jessa grips my arm, digging her nails deep into my flesh.
My heart thuds in my chest like a petrified rabbit fleeing its prey.
“Ronin, STOP!”
He freezes. His arm drawn back. His face hard as stone. My father hangs limp with Ronin’s other hand cinched around his throat. His head is unrecognizable. A bloody mess.
“You’re going to kill him. Let him go.”
He doesn’t look at me or speak. He simply releases his grip, allowing the Executioners’ President to fall to the floor in a broken heap. I’ve never seen the feral look in his eyes as he stared straight ahead, marching out of the room.
He storms out of the house and disappears into the woods.
“I got him.” Clint clasps my shoulder. “Patsy, get our girls some coffee.” He gives his old lady a firm kiss and went in search of his brother.
Tammy hands me a mug. I sip the hot liquid, inhaling the steam. My brain is spinning out of control. A quiver spills java all over the table.
“Shit,” I say, jumping up.
“Hey, I’ve got it.” Bonnie moves in with a dish towel, sopping up my mess.
Patsy sits opposite of Jessa, eyeballing us both. “Look, we don’t know what’s going on, but this is shit we ain’t never seen. This is new territory for all of us. But we’re here for you. You let us know what you need, and the Bitches got you.” She reaches across the table, resting her hand over mine.
Jessa follows. Then Tammy. And Bonnie. And so on.
My nose crinkles as I work to hold back the water works. The hole in my chest has been replaced with warmth.
“A bitch knows nothing,” Tammy says.
“For Ruth.” Bonnie’s voice cracks.
“For Ruth.” Jessa and I speak in unison.
With a new respect for my sisters, we start doing what Ruth would do, holding down the fort. Groceries need to be restocked. Firewood needs to be cut. And let’s not forget about the Clubhouse. That’s a huge source of our income. There’s going to need to be cleaning, renovations, and interviews for a new bartender.
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