by KJ Dahlen
Talon waited in complete silence.
“So it seems you did good kid. Jack was playing us against each other and that’s never a good thing. You did me right, so I’ll give you a chance to talk to Jethro. Just make it quick and clean. Death can get so messy sometimes.”
Talon nodded. “I just need to ask him why before I do the deed.”
Jonny paused before he threw down his cards. “Sometimes, the why just isn’t important you know, kid? Once the bullet is fired the why doesn’t matter so much. The guy is just as dead.”
“It wasn’t only my Dad that died that day,” Talon reminded him. “Four of our men died and the whole MC has the right to know why.”
Jonny stared at him for a long moment before he nodded. “You might not like the answer you hear, that’s all I’m saying kid.”
Talon thought about what he was saying then frowned. “You know the why, don’t you?”
Jonny picked up his cards again but didn’t say a word. “Get your answers and get the fuck out of this place. Right now, you’re living here on borrowed time. The Dogs aren’t the only ones in here that want you dead, you know. You’re a threat to the Bratva too. Those bastards don’t take orders from anyone and they don’t necessarily obey the rules of protocol. They might figure they got too much to lose if you walk out of here alive.”
“What do you mean by that?” Talon frowned at Jonny.
Jonny shook his head. “Let’s just say Dimitri’s deal with Hammer isn’t as legit as it should be. He likes to live the good life and that maybe his bosses don’t know about his under the table deals. Now I’ve told you all I’m going to, like I said you’re living here on borrowed time. After your conversation with Jethro, you run out of time.” Johnny raised his evil gaze up and grinned at him.
Talon got to his feet and turned to walk away.
Jonny called out to him, “You’ll find Jethro in the infirmary. Better get there soon, if you know what I mean.”
Talon continued to walk away. Will stepped in behind him and they made their way to the infirmary. Talon nodded at the guard and Will stood guard at the door.
Talon walked slowly down the row of cots lining both sides of the room. Men lying there didn’t dare move or even breathe as Talon walked past them. Everyone knew who he was and what he was here to do. Then he got to the last cot on the isle.
There, lying on the bed was an old man.
Jethro Williams was the name of the cart at the end of the bed. Talon stared at the man who laid there on the bed in front of him. He was a shell of a man. Talon remembered him as being a much bigger man, but then the only ever other time he saw him was a week after his father died. Whoever this was in front of him was not the man he remembered. He pulled the curtains around the old man’s bed to give them a little privacy for their chat.
The old man opened his eyes and glared at Talon for a moment. Then he closed then again and turned his head away. “What the fuck do you want kid?” Jethro’s voice was little more than a whisper, a raspy, pain filled, old whisper. Almost like the man had seen too much death and was tired of playing the game of life.
“You’re Jethro Williams?” Talon asked. “Funny, I remember you as a much bigger man.”
Jethro snorted. “Yeah, ain’t life a bitch?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Talon demanded.
“Some fuckin leukemia,” Jethro volunteered. “Only got weeks or maybe days to live before this fuckin cancer takes me.”
Talon’s heart hardened. “That’s too fucking bad for you then ain’t it?”
“What the fuck you want kid?” Jethro wanted to know.
“I want some fuckin answers from you before you die.” Talon snarled.
Jethro opened his eyes a slit and stared at him for a moment. “Answers about what?”
“My father’s name was Bullseye and you killed him in an ambush when I was a kid. I want to know why he and four other men from the Princes of Hell MC died that day. And why you let two others walk away.”
Jethro turned his head and opened his eyes to glare at Talon. “Why? What difference does it make now? It’s been too many years kid. Why don’t you just let the past live in the past?”
“Because I want to know why my father had to die that day!” Talon growled.
Jethro stared at him for a long moment then asked, “Are you sure you want to know why your daddy died and two others walked away?”
Talon nodded.
“Then maybe you should ask the two that walked away.”
Talon paused for a moment before he said, “Hammer is dead and Digger won’t say why. That’s why I came to you.”
Jethro sat there for a moment then nodded. “Ok, I’ll tell you why. Hammer tried to make a deal with the Dogs. He was getting in deep with the Bratva and needed some fast cash. He begged and pleaded with our President Recon for help. Only problem was our Pres at the time didn’t like the Russians, especially that Dimitri bastard. I hear we still don’t so that wouldn’t do your man Hammer much good. We did however want a clear path through your territory for our drug shipments. As long as we got through without any trouble we were cool, but our President wanted something more from Hammer. He wanted Bullseye’s head on a stick. Seems there was no love lost between our President and your old man. Something that went back to before you were born. Recon never said what that something was and nobody dared ask him either. Recon was more than a little crazy back then.”
Jethro coughed and couldn’t seem to stop so it took several minutes for him to catch his breath.
Talon waited through it.
Finally, Jethro began his story again, “Recon told me to hold a gun at your dad’s head while his men held one at the other three men. He made his demands to your father’s face but your father never blinked. Recon demanded passage through your territory but your dad told him to go fuck himself. Recon looked over at Hammer and then your dad looked over at the old bastard. He saw Hammer agree to his demand. He had such a look of betrayal on his face. Then Recon nodded and I pulled the trigger. And I never saw Hammer or Digger even flinch. They just stood there and watched their friends die for nothing.”
“What do you mean for nothing?” Talon wanted to know.
Jethro shrugged. “His deal was already made with Recon. Our President wanted that confrontation with Bullseye for another reason.”
“Do you know what that reason was?”
Jethro nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think I do. With Recon dead now, I don’t think that reason exists anymore, but I’ll tell you anyway. You see Recon was in love once upon a time. The woman he loved was named, Connie. I think you know who Connie is don’t you kid?”
Talon was stunned. Connie had been his mother’s name.
Jethro nodded. “Yeah, you know who she is alright. Anyway, Recon thought she belonged to him. Only thing is he forgot to tell her. Then she went and fell in love with your dad. Recon was really pissed. Then after your dad died that day, he found her again and dragged her back kicking and screaming all the way.”
“I know just after my dad died my mom disappeared. One day, she was there and the next day she was just gone. I never knew what happened to her after that. Hammer claimed me and I lived with him until I prospected for my patch.”
Jethro sneered. “Now that’s funny kid. Since Hammer was the one who set your dad up to die. I may have pulled the trigger but him and Digger set the whole thing up.”
“How long was my mother with Recon?” Talon growled.
Jethro shrugged. “Not long enough. Recon used her, thought she still cared for him but then he found out different. He found out that she never loved him and that the only man she did love was the man he had murdered weeks before. They had a hell of a fight that night. Shit, I though he was gonna kill her that night. Next thing we know, he gets up the next morning so hung over he can’t see straight and your mom is gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean she was gone?” Talon demanded.
“She was gone,” J
ethro stated. “She ripped off a brother’s bike and was just gone. We located the bike somewhere near Kansas City but we never did find her.”
“How long ago was this?” Talon’s hand tightened into fists.
“Hell, kid it’s been almost twenty five years now, wasn’t it? Since your dad died and your mom ran off.” Jethro grinned and then the coughing started again.
Talon stepped closer and wrapped his hand around Jethro’s throat. “Tell me the rest of it you old bastard.”
Jethro stared him down. “What makes you think there’s any more?”
“Because you got a certain look in your eyes that tells me there’s more.” Talon snarled.
Jethro smiled and it was pure evil Talon saw in his eyes then. “Yeah, there’s a little more to the story. You see Recon never kept his word about something. Hammer came to him looking for the big bucks to pay the Russians with but he didn’t exactly leave with the cash he thought he’d get.”
“Go on,” Talon ordered.
“After your dad and other men died, Hammer asked for the cash. Recon laughed and told him to get lost. He wasn’t paying a traitor. Said he wouldn’t give that damn Russian one red cent of his money. Told Hammer to watch his back cuz Dimitri wasn’t above sticking a knife in it just for fun. Dimitri was nothing more than a two timing bastard who was cheating not only the men who owed him money but he was cheating the Bratva out of their cut of his action too. Recon told him that the two of them shared at least one flaw, they both, Hammer and Dimitri looked out for only one person, themselves and to hell with everyone else. Then he told Hammer he’d have to pay for his ticket to hell just like every other sinner, with his own damn blood.”
“And how did Hammer take the news?”
“Like the mealy mouthed coward he was. His good buddy Digger had to haul his ass out of there before he got them both shot.” Jethro shook his head. “You see by then, Digger was nothing more than a used up junkie under Recon’s thumb. It wasn’t long before Recon cut him off and Digger had to turn to the mob to get his whack. Word on the street was Digger began running product for the mob after that.”
Talon’s grip tightened and he watched as Jethro fought to be able to breathe. He leaned closer to the struggling man. “You tell Recon when you see him in hell I hope he’s there a very long time. You both deserve all hell has to give you.”
Jethro whispered, “Go ahead. I— wanna leave...”
He watched for a moment longer as the light began to fade from the other man’s eyes. His fingers tightened even more. Then Jethro stopped breathing altogether.
Talon looked down at the old man and he knew he was gone. He had found out what he wanted to know and he finally had the answers he needed. Now all he had to do was get out of this fucking place. In one piece, he hoped.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Talon walked out of the infirmary slowly. He realized he had gotten his answers about why his father died that day but he still had questions left to answer. From what he learned today, both Hammer and Digger betrayed their MC. Big time betrayed.
What hurt the most was Hammer’s attitude after his father died. It was like he never acted any different at all. Oh, he cried when they put his dad in the ground but he never looked guilty. As they didn’t know who did the shooting, the Princes were never able to go after the ones who did it, but now Talon found out that was just another lie. Hammer and Digger had known from the get go who shot their brothers that day. It hadn’t been an ambush like they all thought, it had been a set up all along.
Talon’s footsteps echoed in the hallway on his way back from the infirmary. It wasn’t until he rounded the corner and saw the blood that he became aware of the danger he was in. Talon stopped on a dime and carefully scanned the area. The blood he saw looked as if someone had been dragged to a spot around the corner.
Talon crouched and lifted the shiv from the top of his left sock. Looking around again, he finally noticed Will was missing. He wondered if the blood on the floor was Will’s blood. Still crouching, he made his way closer to the corner leading down another hall.
There peeking around the corner he found Will. Laying on his back in a pool of his own blood. A pool that was growing minute by minute. Talon crept closer, close enough to see the pulse in the other man’s neck. It was still beating even though the pace of his heartbeat was slowing. Will was still alive.
Going even closer, Talon found the gaping slash in Will’s side. He also found bruises on Will’s hands and face. Whoever did the stabbing didn’t just walk away untouched. Will had put up a fight before the fucking coward stabbed him.
Just then, he heard footsteps rushing his way. Moments later, four guards came around the corner and skidded to an abrupt stop. One of the guards contacted someone on his radio while the other three rushed to aid the downed man.
Talon backed away and placed his hands on the wall.
Moments later, more people joined them and two of the carried a gurney. They loaded Will onto the gurney and rushed him to the infirmary. One of the original guards came over and asked Talon, “Do you know what happened here?”
Talon shook his head. “I went to the infirmary to see if I could talk to one of the men in there and when the guard wouldn’t let me in, I came back and found him like that.” He looked down the hall toward the door leading to the infirmary but couldn’t see through it. “Do you think he’ll be ok?”
“Hell, I don’t know. But you have a visit from your attorney.” The guard escorted Talon to the visiting room where Peter Willis was waiting. This man was the Princes’ attorney and a damn good one.
Peter looked up from the paperwork in his hands. He saw the look on Talon’s face and frowned. “What is it?”
“A friend of mine was shanked while he was standing guard over me a few minutes ago,” Talon replied as he sat down at the table with Peter.
“Shit like that happens more than we think in a place like this.” He shrugged it off with little concern. Then Peter smiled. “Well, I hope you got your evidence or whatever the fuck you came here to get. We got your release. You are out of here in one hour.”
Talon nodded. “And Devin? Is that rat bastard in custody yet?”
Peter shook his head. “The cops can’t find the little weasel. But old man Stevens had his cameras all set up and they had the pictures of Devin running away from his place. Old man Stevens is so confused. He tried to claim Devin wasn’t the man who broke in his house but the cops had the photos that told a different story.”
Talon grinned. “Ain’t that a kick in the head for Devin?”
Peter nodded in approval. “When they found his phone and gun a short distance away, thrown under the dumpster, they all but locked the case down to mistaken identity. The Judge had no choice but to issue the order to release you from custody.”
“Good, I’m more than happy to get the fuck out of this place.” Talon got to his feet and walked with Peter over to the door.
Peter showed the guard the paperwork in his hands and they waited for the verification they needed to get Talon freed.
Three and a half an hours later, Talon walked out the front gates with Peter and drove away, leaving the stench of prison behind him. They had been delayed getting out of there due to the fact the Russian man who attacked him the first day in his cell had been found dead in his cell shortly after Will had been found. The medical examiner had declared the Russian had died two hours earlier than Will’s stabbing so Will was cleared and Talon had an alibi for that window of time. That left Talon with even more questions.
Before he left, he did inquire about Will and found they had transferred him to the nearest hospital for treatment. It was tough to kill a Prince, especially one that was a mountain of a man like Will. He did his duty by the MC and he would live to see another day.
Earlier that same day...
Fiona woke up to the sounds of her son playing quietly on the floor beside the bed. Glancing at the shaded window, she found the sun was up but
barely. She was tired enough to roll over and close her eyes again but Bret was awake and she knew he’d be hungry. She groaned slightly.
Bret popped over the edge of the bed and grinned at her. “Morning mama bear.”
Fiona grinned back. “Morning, sweet baby bear. Come on back to bed and cuddle with me.”
“But I’m hungry,” Bret whined.
“It’s too early to start making a mess in the kitchen kiddo. This isn’t our home. We have to follow the rules here,” Fiona told her son.
“But Talon told me that if I needed something I should just ask a prospect. He said they would get me whatever I wanted anytime I wanted it,” Bret reasoned. “Can I go find a prospect?”
Fiona groaned again. She had been there when Talon told him that. She resigned herself that she’d get no more sleep that morning. But she did need a shower and as long as Bret was with a prospect he’d be ok. “Ok baby bear, go and find a prospect and stay with him until I get out there. I’m going to grab a shower and I’ll come find you after that ok?”
“Yes mama,” Bret shouted happily. “Maybe I’ll ask the prospect for waffles this morning. It feels like a waffle kind of day.” He grinned
Fiona stared at his face. His grin was so like his father’s. “Behave yourself out there and don’t get into trouble. I’ll find you when I’m done,” she called out but by then Bret was already gone.
Fiona got up and made her way into the shower. As the warm water rushed over her, she couldn’t help but pray Talon would make it back to her. She wasn’t dumb enough to think the MC didn’t have their fair share of enemies beyond those gates. She also had no doubts about just how the prison system worked. No one was safe inside the thick walls that housed them. She prayed several times a day that Talon would walk out of the prison in one piece. She only hoped he’d get what he needed and come home very soon.
She shut the water off and dried herself. Pulling on jeans and a shirt, she went in search of her son.