I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I wanted to slit the motherfucker’s throat myself. “Why didn’t you go to the club? You know they would have protected you.” I felt Garner’s eyes on me and I knew the recorder was still on, but I just couldn’t fathom such a vile experience.
“I never could go to the club. Jesse knows how Zombie treats me and doesn’t do anything. Do you really think I look at the MC like my protectors?”
Now it was my turn to drop my head.
“Anyway, over the next few days, I couldn’t even leave the house. My body was broken. Once I was finally able to get out of the apartment, everywhere I turned was one of those men, staring at me at the grocery store. Standing behind me at the Post Office. Following me in my car. Zombie said it wouldn’t stop until I got Ronin’s gun from his closet. He said none of it would stop. None of it, until I did what he said.”
“So you got the gun?” Mr. Garner’s face had fallen. His baby blue eyes were now a dark, stormy gray.
She nodded. “Yes, I can’t believe I did it. I love Ronin like a brother. I never wanted to hurt him. But I couldn’t go through that again. I knew that he kept the pistol Jesse gave him in the closet, you know, after you two lost Baby X.”
Garner’s head snapped in my direction. My stomach had lurched into my throat, leaving the sting of bile. I released a thankful sigh when Patsy continued.
“I found it during family supper when everyone was over at the prez’s house. I slipped it out of the clubhouse after carefully putting everything back in its place. I gave it to Zombie. He waited a few nights and then made me ride with him to the Pistol King’s territory. Numar didn’t think anything of it because Zombie had used that time to befriend him. Once he got close, he said something I didn’t hear, made him get down on his knees, and pulled the trigger. Shot him Executioner style. He threw the gun to the side and we took off.”
She peered up from the table for the first time. “That’s it, that’s all I know.”
“And you’re willing to sign the statement, as well as testify before a grand jury?”
Patsy nodded. Garner shoved the recorder closer.
“Yes, I’ll testify as long as I have immunity.”
“Done. Ms. Clark, I can’t say that I approve of what you did. You aided in taking a man’s life. However, I can say that I am very sorry for all you’ve gone through. I hope we can help bring you some closure. And Ms. Miller, as of right now, all the charges are dropped against Mr. Steele. I’ll enter the paperwork immediately.”
All of the muscles in my body released, the tension melting away.
Numar was dead and Ronin was free.
CHAPTER TWENTY
(Ronin)
This is not happening. Not again.
Heat from the flames radiated all the way across the street and down the alley where the MC waited, attempting to find a lead on what the fuck happened.
Fugi’s house was nothing but a blaze. His family had been inside, but they were all pulled to safety when the Pistol Kings showed up right before the Fire Department. Who the hell would have done this? And it’s no coincidence that it’s the same scenario that happened to him eight years earlier.
“Boys, we gotta ride. Can’t get caught here. We’ll catch up back at the cabin. Haul ass,” Jesse ordered before taking off.
My head was spinning out of control the entire ride back to the cabin. Innocent people could have been killed. Women and children. This wasn’t the Executioners work, at least it better not be. I would never stoop that low as to get to Fugi through his family. That’s the cowardly way out.
“Church in ten.” Jesse stormed inside and quickly bolted back out the front door. “Fuck!”
“What’s up?” Clint’s gaze darted to me and then back to Jesse.
“Ruth just got back from making a grub run. She found Herc passed out on the couch and the girls are gone.”
I shot forward, my stance wide and rigid. “Jo?”
He nodded. “Jo, Jessa, and Patsy.”
Zombie shouldered his way through Clint and me. “What the hell are you talking about? That bitch wouldn’t go anywhere without my say so. She’s gotta be around here.”
“No, she’s gone. I’ve checked everywhere. And none of the girls have seen her anywhere. The other crews packed up and rode out earlier. She’s not here.” Ruth stood on the porch with her arms folded across her chest. Her face twisted with worry.
“I’m gonna kill that bitch!”
It was all too much. I snapped. “Is that all you can fucking think about? We’re at war. The females are missing and you’re gonna kill her for taking off? Have you ever thought, maybe she didn’t take off on her own?”
“I know she didn’t,” Zombie snarled. “She’s off with that little bitch of yours. None of this shit would be happening if it weren’t for that slut.”
I lunged, landing the first powerful lick in the center of Zombie’s face. His nose cracked under my heavy knuckles. He tried to come after me and I secured the second punch, right to the kidney. He fell to one knee, gasping. I went in for the next blow when Jesse put an end to the fight. It was a good thing because I wasn’t going to stop until I killed him.
“Enough!”
“You’re a sorry sack of shit.” I spit at Zombie through a clenched jaw.
“This isn’t gonna help find the girls.” Ruth said as her cell phone vibrated in her back pocket. “Holy shit, it’s Jessa.”
“Well, answer it!” Jesse’s usual dominating tone dripped with fear.
“Jess, where are you, honey? Are you ok?”
I examined Ruth’s expressions as Jessa talked on the other end. Her eyes glazed over as if no one else was here.
“Ok, honey. I’ll let him know. You be careful now and watch out for your sister.” She hung up and stared at Jess. “Let’s talk, babe.”
They disappeared into the house leaving the crew outside. Clint clasped my shoulder and squeezed. My blood seared against my flesh, boiling, begging to be unleashed. As if I might explode.
Jesse’s entire demeanor had changed when he stepped back outside. His dark eyes full of rage. The fear was still there, but it was different this time. He was shaken.
“What the fuck’s going on? Where the hell is Patsy?”
“Ronin and Clint, head back to Jericho with Ruth. She’ll explain everything. Stoner, stay here and get Herc up on his feet. Get everything cleaned up around here and restock the ammo, grub, and supplies. Zombie, you’re with me.”
“I’m not taking one god damn step until I get some answers,” Zombie declared.
“You’re gonna get your greasy ass in the motherfucking house! Not another fucking word!” Jesse’s voice echoed across the hills.
I didn’t have a clue what Jessa had said on the other end of that phone, but it started a chain reaction. Something was at play. All I cared about was seeing Jolene with my own eyes and making sure that she was safe.
Clint and I headed back to town, following Ruth’s Range Rover. I followed her across town, not knowing where she was headed. Surprised, I pulled into the apartment complex and parked next to her.
“Are you gonna tell us what the hell’s going on?” Clint asked the burning question before I had a chance.
“There’s someone who can explain better than me upstairs.” Ruth took off in a hurry.
My insides quaked. My head can’t keep up with this bullshit. I fought the urge to bolt past Ruth and bust down the fucking door.
“Girls? It’s me, open the door.” Ruth waited as the door crept open, leaving a small opening for Jessa to peek out.
When she saw that it was just the three of us, she quickly ushered us in, locking the door behind Clint.
“Jolene?” I asked, searching the room for any sign of her. Jessa jerked her head toward the bedroom.
That was the only invitation that I needed. “Jo?” I threw open the bedroom door. Relief flooded my body when I spotted her sitting on the bed with Patsy. “What the
fuck is going on? Zombie’s gonna be looking everywhere for her.”
“Patsy, can you give us a minute?” Jolene waited for the timid woman to leave the room. “I talked Patsy into going to the police.”
I squared my shoulders. “What the fuck? You have no idea what you’ve done!”
“It’s not like that. She told them everything. Ronin, you don’t know what she went through trying to thwart Zombie’s plan. She was abused and gang raped when she told him that she wouldn’t help him set you up. She had no choice but to go through with it, and now, she’s setting it right.”
“How’s that?” I backed up to the wall trying to wrap my fucked up head around all this bullshit.
“We spoke to Garner. He gave her immunity in exchange for her testimony against Zombie. She agreed and gave up everything she knew. Garner had no choice but to file paperwork to dismiss your charges.”
“I’m not going to court?”
Jolene shook her head, gazing at me with those knowing eyes of hers. She stood and crossed the room, leaning her head against my chest.
“It’s all over,” she whispered.
“Shit, I don’t know what to say. You know Zombie won’t go down without a fight. He’ll be looking for her. And all of this bullshit comes at a real bad time. The Pistol Kings have been hit, and they’re going to throw shit our way. Some seriously heavy shit.”
“What did you guys do?” Jolene backed away, her eyebrows furrowed.
“It wasn’t us, not this one. Shit, Jo. It was bad, real bad. They don’t need proof to wage a war.”
“What does that mean?”
I had been dreading this moment. I knew what had to be done, there was no way around it. “They already think I took out Numar. Jesse tried to have a sit down, but it was a no go. They wanted me in exchange for a peace treaty.”
“Not that they would keep up their end of the deal.”
“Exactly. And now that their president’s house was hit, they’re going to come after the club. And they do whatever’s necessary to get to their target, not to mention Zombie seeking retaliation.” I forced myself to say the words. “You’re not safe here. You have to get out of town. I would never forgive myself if you got caught in the crossfire.”
I ran my rough hands up and down her trembling arms. “This hurts like hell, but there’s no other way.”
She dropped her head, her shoulders sagging. “It’s just one fucked up mess after another. We’ll never be able to be together.”
“First things first. We have to get you to safety, Patsy too, and then take it one step at a time. I just got you back, I refuse to let you go. Not again.”
I pulled her into my arms. The feeling of her hot breath on my chest gave me chills. I knew in that moment that I would never let her go. I would never stop fighting. She was mine, always.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
(Jolene)
Ronin’s heartbeat was like sweet music thumping against my temple. His breathing had softened as he held me, his hands caressing my neck. I could have stayed in his arms for the rest of my life, listening to that sweet music.
A light rap on the bedroom door broke up the moment of perfection.
“Honey, your Pop’s here,” Ruth said. “He wants to see both of you.”
Ronin lifted me in his arms, kissing my lips softly, lingering. When he finally pulled away, my heart fell. He held my hand and we opened the door. Loud voices and crying flooded the apartment.
“What the hell’s going on?”
Pop spotted me and crossed the room in one swift motion, gathering me up in his arms. Clint was huffing and pacing the kitchen. Patsy had curled herself up into a ball on the couch, sobbing. Jessa stood off to the side smoking and taking it all in.
Ronin rested his massive hand on the small of my back. “Someone gonna tell us what’s going on?”
Clint came to a halt. “Zombie gave the Prez the slip.”
Patsy wailed louder. Ruth sat on the coffee table and attempted to comfort the woman.
“How the fuck did that happen?” Ronin snapped, causing Jesse to take a large step forward.
“What are you trying to say, son?” He bowed up in Ronin’s direction.
“Shit! Stop, both of you. I don’t know what the hell happened. Either way, we need to face facts. Ronin and I have been catching up. The Pistol Kings are going to war. Zombie’s on the loose. Patsy’s in danger, at least until after court, or until the King’s figure out her role in Numar’s death. None of the other bullshit matters. We have to figure out a plan.” I couldn’t believe this fucking mess. I fought hard to lead a normal life, not worry about being shot or raped.
Why was it killing me to think about leaving? San Diego was my home now. Why was this so fucking hard?
“What do we do now?” Jessa spoke for the first time.
“A couple of the boys are restocking the cabin. Everybody get your shit. We should all be safe there as we figure out a battle plan.”
“All of us?” Patsy asked, barley glancing up to address Jesse.
He looked at her before examining the room. “Yes, Ruth filled me in on what happened. We’ll get you up there and make sure you’re protected. Promise.”
“That’s bullshit. We can’t promise to protect her from Zombie. We may not know where he is, but he’ll sure as shit know where we are.”
“Ronin’s right, Pop. Patsy won’t be safe there.”
“Well, she’s not gonna be safe in Jericho either. You got a better plan?”
I glanced from Pop to Ronin and back again. “Actually, yes. I’m going to be leaving, heading back to San Diego. I’m not part of this life anymore and I’m just a distraction. I think it would be best for Patsy if she went with me.”
Ruth popped up from the table and rushed to my side. “Baby girl, you’d be willing to do that?”
Jessa took a step in our direction. “Jo, that’s insane. I should never have got you caught up in this bullshit. Go home and leave it all behind. It’s not worth it.”
“This isn’t your fault. I wouldn’t have changed anything that happened in coming to help Ronin. I was willing to stay and see it through, no matter how long it took. But there is no way I’m going to leave Patsy here like a caged animal. She’s the reason Ronin’s free.”
“She’s the reason he was on trial in the first place,” Clint said from across the room.
Ronin shook his head, twisting his lips. “Jo filled me in on the details leading up to the murder. I don’t hold Patsy responsible.” He glanced at her, only briefly.
We were all witnessing the pain that she had been carrying around all these years. Everything that she had to put up with from the scumbag, Zombie, was coming to head.
“Baby, I think it’s a good plan. Patsy’s one of ours and if she’s safe down in San Diego you won’t have to lose anyone to protection detail.” Ruth ran her hand up and down Jesse’s arm.
He scanned the room, tugging on his scruffy beard. “Fine.”
Patsy jumped up from the couch, crossed the room, and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, squeezing.
“I wanna go on record as saying I don’t agree with this bullshit.” Clint crossed his arms, folding them across his cut. It was the first time that I can remember ever seeing him disagree with his club. It might happen in church, but not outside of those four walls.
“Noted. Everyone get your shit and we’ll rally at the clubhouse in an hour.”
“I don’t have anything to pack,” Patsy said through a sob.
“Don’t worry about it, hun. I should have everything you need. We’re going to get on the road. The sooner the better.”
“Agreed,” Pop said as he pulled me into his arms. “It was good having you back home, even if it was a short, fucked up visit.” He planted a kiss on the top of my head before whispering, “You’re the only thing I ever did good, baby girl.”
Hot tears pooled in my sensitive eyes as I made my rounds, saying goodbye to my family. My family, the o
nly family the matters. My pop, my stepmom, my sister, my club – Ronin.
His handsome face fell as I reached in to bury my face in his chest. His own heart thumping loudly in his throat. I struggled to fight back the tears that were fighting so hard to escape.
I kissed his cheek and went in for a long hug. “X marks the spot, thirty minutes.” I pulled away, surprised to see his glossy, wide eyes peering back at me.
***
I had to force myself to drive my car around the long, bending road, crossing the tiny bridge covering the Jericho creek. The town disappeared in my rearview mirror, giving way to scenic, grassy mounds. I slowed down to a snail’s pace as the Pleasant Hills Cemetery came into view.
“Are you ok?” Patsy asked. She had managed to get her emotions under control and appeared to be relieved to be getting away.
“Yeah, it’s just something I have to do. I’m going to park off to the side.” As I pulled up and around the curve, my tummy tightened as I saw Ronin’s chopper parked on the grass. I glanced around, spotting his large frame standing next to the tiny gravestone.
My heart was in my throat as I climbed the hill, the white marker calling me closer. Neither of us said a word. I traced the headstone with my finger – Baby X. I couldn’t bring myself to put a date on the stone. How do you do that for someone who was never born?
Tears streamed down my trembling cheeks. I hadn’t stood in this spot for years, too many years. Ronin gently swiped the drops from my face, kissing each side before placing my hand over his heart. Over his tattoo. Over his own X. I used my free hand to rest his over my lower abdomen, my own X.
There will be a war. There will be casualties. I will get in my car and drive away, leaving Jericho behind with San Diego in my sights, not knowing if I will ever see Ronin again. After all these years, I had just found him, only to tell him goodbye.
We gazed at each other. No words were needed. The X said it all. Neither of us were going down without a fight. We were Executioners.
THE END… Until the next ride.
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X Marks the Spot (Executioners MC Book 1) Page 13