by Erin Osborne
“We’re not fucking pussies!” he yells out, trying to kick out at me even though he’s chained to the floor.
“Then why take over our territory because it’s already established?” Slim asks him.
“Because you have the cartel in your pocket and Terror wants that hook-up,” he finally answers, hating he’s ratting his club out.
“Why does he want the cartel in his pocket?” I ask him.
“Because he wants to have help in running the girls from the states south of the border,” Hades answers me. “Among other things.”
“And you guys think the cartel is just going to start workin’ with you?” Slim asks. “That’s not how it works.”
Hades doesn’t say a word.
“Anyone check him for a phone?” Killer asks.
“Got it, it’s locked but I just need a thumbprint,” Fox answers me.
“Get it,” I respond, holding out the fuckers thumb for Fox.
Fox walks close and I know Hades wants to pull his thumb back from me.
“Either you cooperate or you’re goin’ to lose your fuckin’ thumb,” I growl out.
Hades doesn’t move a muscle as Fox gets his print to open the phone. Once it’s open, he goes in to change it up, so there’s no lock on the phone in case we need to get back into it. Fox always thinks of that shit; it never occurred to me to make sure the password was off once we got into the phone. That’s why he’s our tech guy.
“Don’t need him anymore,” Fox lets my dad know as he sets the phone down on the counter behind the guys.
“What are you gonna do now?” Hades asks.
“Well, do you have anythin’ else to tell us?” I ask him.
“What do you wanna know?” he questions back.
“Who gave the order to put their hands on my ol’ lady? Who’s pregnant with my babies,” I question the man.
“Terror told us if we saw one of the women from the club out, to give them a message. Rancor took it too far,” Hades says, trying to make it seem as if it was all Rancor’s doing.
I see his eyes shifting for the first time since I started asking questions. Now, I know he’s lying and the order came from Terror. Or himself.
“Fellas, I don’t want to talk to him anymore,” I say, turning my back on the fuck.
Without using words, I let my dad know he’s lying about the situation with my woman. He nods his head in response. Turning back around, I lay into Hades with the blade. I cut his entire body with slices that aren’t deep enough to kill him. The rest of the guys are going to get their licks in on him too.
Once I’m done, Killer steps up and takes his turn. He lands punch after punch onto Hades’ body before grabbing the lemon juice and splashing it liberally onto his body and the cuts I already placed on him.
One by one, the officers of the Phantom Bastards step up to take their shots on Hades. As soon as we’re done, my dad pours the cheap bottle of liquor we have down here over Hades’ entire body before grabbing the blowtorch and lighting it up. Hades pisses himself and begins to scream in earnest before my dad even gets close to his body. I’m sure he’s seen this done a time or two.
“You wanna fuck with the Phantom Bastards and lay hands on our ol’ ladies?” my dad questions. “Feel our wrath and we’ll see you in fuckin’ hell!”
Without hesitation, my dad lights the fucker on fire. The men who haven’t covered their faces already, are now covering their noses and trying not to breathe in the acrid smell of burning flesh.
Hades is screaming as the flames lick up and down his body. They don’t fade out until he dies from the wounds inflicted on his beaten and battered body. Now, we have more work in front of us since we have his phone. We’ll have to check out what he’s got in it and then make a plan from there.
“Church in one hour. Get a drink or whatever you gotta do and take a shower before headin’ in,” my dad tells us all as we make our way out of the basement.
The Prospects will take care of the mess and bury the body so he won’t be found. We don’t need anyone finding him and pointing the finger at us. No one will know unless we have a sit down with Terror or whoever else is currently in charge of Devils Rule. My dad will only let that slip out if the man in charge pushes his buttons too much. We know better than to admit to anything like that.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sam
WE GOT TO the Wild Kings MC clubhouse yesterday. Even though I got to hear Playboy’s voice last night and this morning, I’m missing him more than I ever thought I would. And, I’m worried as hell about him because I know what they’re doing is dangerous and could lead to him being hurt or worse. It could happen to any single one of the men I have come to think of as family.
Skylar and the rest of the women have been trying to keep us busy though. Last night, we had a large dinner when we got there. Then we spent time getting settled since none of us know how long we’re going to be here. Today, we’re hanging out and going to cook and bake in a little bit for an impromptu cookout.
The house bunnies are giving everyone a wide berth. Especially the club girls from the Wild Kings. While they don’t mind staking a claim at our clubhouse, they don’t want to piss anyone off here. Well, most of them don’t. Some of the bolder ones don’t give a fuck if the man is single or has an ol’ lady. Kareena, one of the newest house bunnies, is bold as fuck and is about to get bitch slapped by Bailey.
“I’m telling you guys, if that bitch doesn’t get the fuck away from my man, she’s going to lose every single finger,” Bailey growls out as we sit together at two tables the men pushed together.
I watch as Kareena steps in between Grim’s legs as he sits at the bar, talking to Joker, Cage, and Tank. He’s been pushing her away and I know he’s about to again when Bailey jumps up from her chair.
“Uh, oh!” Skylar says, sitting next to me and watching her sister-in-law head for her ol’ man and husband.
We watch as Bailey walks up to the bar and bumps Kareena out of her way with her hips before stepping in between her husband’s legs. She leans in and kisses him like her life depends on it. At the same time, I keep my eyes on the house bunny. She’s pissed as hell and I know is about to open her stupid ass mouth.
“Bitch, I don’t know who you think you are. Get the fuck away from him,” Kareena yells as everyone in the common room shut up and wait to see what’s going to happen.
“Skank, I don’t know who the fuck you think you’re talking to. See this rag on my back? It means the man you had your nasty, disease-infested hands on, is my fucking man. I suggest you back the fuck off and go back with the rest of the skanks,” Bailey says, keeping her voice low.
“You can’t satisfy him. That’s why he wasn’t pushing me away,” Kareena says, digging her own hole deeper and deeper.
“The fuck you say?” Grim growls out.
“Baby, I got this bitch. Cause you know I keep you extremely satisfied. Just like I did this morning,” Bailey retorts, turning her attention back to Kareena. “Now, I know you’re one of the newer house bunnies, so I’m gonna give you a little lesson. In this clubhouse, I’m the Queen bitch. You listen to me while you’re here and don’t ever touch a man who’s taken. If I see it again, you’ll be out on your ass and I’ll take it up with Slim.”
“You can’t tell me shit,” Kareena says. “As you said, I’m not from here and I don’t have to listen to you at all.”
Bailey loses her shit. She rears back and punches Kareena dead in the face. Kareena immediately begins to shriek, cry, and cover her nose as it begins to bleed.
“You better watch your back,” Kareena says as one of the other women come over to get her.
“Leave her alone,” Grim bellows out. “Bitch, you’re no longer welcome here. You don’t come in here and threaten my ol’ lady after she tells you the rules. Which you heard last night. So, I’m gonna call Slim and I know you’ll no longer be welcome in his clubhouse either. We don’t tolerate that shit.”
For a minute, Kareena stands there staring at Grim like she has no clue what he’s just said to her. When Tank and Cage go to step closer to her, she takes off. Only instead of going to the door to leave, she heads to the hallway leading to the rooms we’re staying in. Kareena doesn’t make it too far. One of the other men, a Prospect, grabs her by the arm and leads her from the clubhouse. She’s bitching and screaming the entire time.
Well, shit. This isn’t how I wanted our stay here to start. I feel like this is all my fault and I just want to disappear into the ground.
“Sam, don’t. This isn’t on you,” Grim says, seeing the look on my face. “Your men are takin’ care of shit and we’re keepin’ an eye on you until it’s done. That bitch was gonna pull shit no matter where you were.”
I nod my head at him and place my hands under the table, wringing them in my lap. Skylar places a comforting hand on my shoulder before getting up.
“Alright, ladies, why don’t we start making food while the guys go start the grills up?” she asks, trying to get everything back to normal. “Sam, you stay here and I’ll bring you out something to eat.”
“No. I’d rather be in the kitchen with you guys,” I answer as Caleb and the rest of the kids run into the common room.
“Mama!” he yells out, heading straight for me. “Look what I found.”
Caleb stops just before me and holds his hand out to show me a worm. It’s the longest one I’ve ever seen and it’s squirming around on his hand. While I’m grossed out by it, he’s so proud.
“That’s cool. Where did you find it?” I ask, feigning interest.
“Out by the playground,” he answers, a large smile on his face. “I wish Playboy and Papi could see it.”
My little boy’s face drops and I can see the sadness on his face. It’s only been a day and we both miss him so much. There’s nothing I can do to take this pain away from him.
“Me too, buddy,” I tell him, my own face mirroring his.
Tank comes over with his boys and stands behind Caleb with a smile on his face.
“What you got there, buddy?” he asks, as Caleb turns his attention to the big man.
“A worm,” he proudly answers, showing Tank his prize.
“Let’s go out and see if we can find more,” Tank says, shooting me a wink while turning the boys to head back outside.
Once the boys and Tank are out of the common room, we all burst into laughter. That’s the last thing I expected to see when they all came running inside. On the one hand, Caleb is excited because he’s with his cousins and he’s met the other kids in the Wild Kings family. But on the other one, he’s sad because he’s missing Playboy and the rest of the guys from home.
While everyone else is still chuckling over boys and the things they find when playing outside. I stop laughing and look down at the bottled water sitting in front of me. My eyes fill with tears as I think of Playboy and what he’s doing right now. This is even harder than when I left Benton Falls on my own because Playboy is out of jail and I know he’s about to do something dangerous.
“Hey, you okay?” Keira asks, walking up and sitting down next to me.
“No. I miss Playboy so much. And Caleb does too. I can’t do anything to make it better for him,” I answer her honestly.
“I know, honey. But, it will be over soon and then you’ll be back home. And, you have to look forward to having these beautiful babies soon,” she says, smiling up at me.
I nod my head at her. We sit in silence for a minute before a mischievous smile fills her face. I’m not sure I’m going to like what she’s about to say.
“So, Kim tells me you designed my new cover?” she asks.
“I did. I hope you like it. It’s my first one ever,” I say in response.
“I absolutely love it!” she says, pulling out her phone and showing me it’s saved in her photos.
“Did you want me to change anything on it?” I ask her.
“Not at all. You captured what I wanted on it perfectly,” Keira tells me. “Now, I think it’s time we reveal this bad boy to the rest of the girls and see what they think.”
“Oh, um, well, I’m not sure about that,” I tell her, my nerves kicking up at the thought of others seeing it.
“They don’t know who my designer is,” Keira says. “But, I think that may change right now.”
Keira and Cage help me out of the chair and I slowly follow her to the kitchen. Skylar is making sandwiches while the rest of the women are pulling various ingredients out of the refrigerator and cupboards to make salads and different side dishes for the cookout today.
“Ladies, I have something to show you,” Keira says, once I’ve been sat at a table and a bowl is placed in front of me.
“What’s that?” Whitney asks.
Keira pulls her phone out of her pocket once again and clicks on the gallery app to pull up her photos. Once she has the cover I designed on the screen, she turns it around to show the rest of the women standing around in the enormous kitchen. They all ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over it before Melody speaks up.
“That’s a fucking gorgeous cover, Keira,” she says as my cheeks fill with a blush.
If the women don’t know yet who designed the cover, they will if they take one look at my flaming red face. I can’t believe they actually like it.
“Well, I’d like to fill you in on a little secret. I’ve talked to my designers and they’ve given me the okay to let you all know who they are,” Keira says. “Well, kind of. I’d like to introduce you to them.”
Keira walks over to the table I’m sitting at and Kim joins us there. For what feels like forever, no one says a word. The ol’ ladies just stare at us in shocked silence.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Bailey finally asks.
“Not at all. Kim’s been the main one designing them but Sam did the one I just showed you. It’s her first-ever cover design and I think it’s kick-ass,” Keira tells them.
“It definitely is,” Kim agrees wholeheartedly.
“Thank you,” I respond with my head down.
“Sam, Kim, you both have real talent and I can’t believe it’s been you all this time,” Skylar says, bringing me over a plate with a sandwich on it.
We all sit down to eat while the Prospects come in and grab the trays of sandwiches to take outside to the men and kids. They’ll make sure the kids take a break from playing and eat. A second Prospect comes in to grab drinks, chips, and a few snacks for the kids.
Once we’re done eating, we begin to chop vegetables, boil eggs, pasta, potatoes, and mix up brownies, cake, and other delicious looking desserts. We talk, laugh, and just enjoy our time together. We’ll have to start doing this more when we get home because this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. And, it’s nice to see women from two different clubs getting along so good without the normal jealousy and all that other shit usually associated with women when they get together; we’re just a bunch of women content to be with one another.
My mind never strays from Playboy, though. I can’t stop thinking about him and what’s going on with him right now. If I could’ve talked him out of dealing with this shit, I would have. But I know he wouldn’t be the man I love if he wasn’t taking care of things and making sure Benton Falls is safe for the people of the town and his family members. None of the men in Phantom Bastards would.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Playboy
TODAY, SLIM AND I meet with Terror. We’re meeting on neutral ground and it’s only going to be him and one other man since he no longer has access to his Vice President. Not that we’re going to tell him where Hades is now. And, it’s not like he’s going to see the rest of our men there. They’ve already left and gotten into place so no one else will find them. If anything happens, our guys will have our backs and won’t let us die without a fight.
We’re meeting in an empty field on the outskirts of town. It’s not far from where Terror and his band of pussies are staying. Fox has already looked a
t the place where meeting Terror and his other man and scouted the best spots to hide. We’ve gone over every detail with a fine-tooth comb and now it’s almost time for us to leave here and head out.
“You ready, son?” my dad asks me, coming out of his office.
“Yeah. Let’s get this done so the women and kids can come home,” I answer him.
We head out of the clubhouse and make our way to our bikes. I straddle mine and wish I could talk to Sam before we leave. I’ve got a gut feeling today isn’t going to go how we plan on it going. Knowing we have the rest of our men at our backs isn’t making the feeling lessen either.
“You good?” my dad asks before we turn our bikes on.
“Just got a gut feelin’,” I respond.
“In and out,” he says, finally firing up his bike as I follow suit.
It takes us almost a half hour to get to the designated meeting spot. Once we’re there, I hear the rumble of more bikes coming in. More than two bikes like it’s supposed to be from Terror and his merry band of bitches. What the actual fuck?
Turning my head, I see him riding in with a total of ten bikes. Yeah, he can’t stick to the game plan because he knows he should fear us. So, he’s trying to show he’s the big man by bringing more than just one other guy. I guess it’s a good thing we planned for this and our men are placed throughout the area. They’ll never know what hit them.
“Slim, good to see you follow directions,” a man says, getting off his bike and walking toward us.
“You must be terror. Not surprised to see you don’t stick to your word,” Slim says; not in dad mode right now, he’s my President.
“Why should I?” Terror asks.
“Because a man who doesn’t stick to his word isn’t a fuckin’ man in my book,” Slim answers.
“The fuck you just say to me?” Terror questions as his men move closer to us and pulling their weapons on us.
“You heard me the first time. Now, I don’t want to be out here all day. What the fuck do you want?” Slim asks him.