“I'll worry enough for both of us, and I'll stay inside. I promise.”
“Even if James calls and wants to see you, you stay here. If I need you to go to the bar, I'll send someone for you. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Alright, I'm going. Go back to sleep.”
“We both know that's not going to happen.”
“For me, try. Just lay here awhile, relax. Get up in a while and make yourself breakfast. Rent movies on the cable and spend the day lounging in bed.”
“I'll try.” Amelia knew that she wouldn't sleep, but she didn't want to give him any reason to worry. “Lock up behind you?” She grinned when he rolled his eyes. “Be careful out there. Stay whole.”
“You too, smart ass.” He leaned down over the bed and kissed her properly. It took extreme control not to just pull him down onto the bed with her, but Amelia let him pull back. “Love you.”
“Love you.” Her voice cracked as she spoke the words. “Go. I'm good.”
He went. She'd known that he would. And she was okay with that. She knew what Nightshade meant to him. It didn't mean that she wasn't scared. She was terrified that this would be the time he wouldn't return. One of these times would be. Even the thought of it made it hard to breathe. Amelia remained on the bed, on the spot still warm from his body. The scent of him brought her some comfort, so she shut her eyes. Against all odds, she did fall back asleep to dreams that were full of violence and pain.
Chapter Seventeen
In their history with The Millers, the meetings had always taken place in locations chosen at random, warehouses in bad parts of town or somewhere out of the way so no one could hear any screaming. This time they'd been summoned directly to a house. A big fucking house with a big security gate and armed guards who gave them the stink eye as they entered.
“What the fuck?” Train looked over at Royal.
“No clue. Play it cool. All of you,” Royal replied. He looked around. “This ain't the time or place to get into it, but I know that you've all lost your faith in me. That's an issue for another time. Right now I need you all to trust me. No matter what goes down, trust me.”
Danny hated that he immediately wondered if Royal had inside information about this meeting. If he knew that they were walking into a trap. If shit went sideways or if he ended up crossing them, Danny would kill him, regardless of the consequence.
“Looks like they're waiting on us,” Buster pointed out. “Probably not good to keep 'em waiting.”
“Probably not good any way you slice it.” Danny started for the door with his brothers. They'd face whatever was on the other side as they always did, together.
The door opened before they reached it. The man who answered wasn't a Miller; he was tall and lean, with eyes so dark they seemed to be black. “Come with me.” His voice was gruff, as if he wasn't used to using it. They followed, through a huge foyer and a well furnished living room that Danny was sure was called some pretentious shit that actually meant living room.
The bald-headed man led them to a door, down a flight of stairs to a large basement. He continued walking to another door and they entered what could only be described as a torture chamber. “What the fuck?” Danny hissed the words under his breath as he looked around.
The walls and floor were covered in plastic. Yards and yards of thick plastic favored by movers and murderers everywhere. Mark Miller was in the center of the room, suspended from the ceiling by thick silver chains. There was a silver stool beneath his feet but Danny was pretty sure that hadn't been there. The man was bleeding from no less than a dozen deep, oozing slices. None of them were in fatal areas, or he'd have already bled out.
Someone was having fun with him.
They all stopped. No one spoke or reacted to what they were seeing. Even Rock and Edge didn't flinch. Even Train, for whom this room was like a trip to Disney, remained passive. The door shut behind them. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Danny was less prepared for the sight of Joseph Miller than he'd been for seeing Mark that way. The once handsome man was now pretty much a walking bandage. Only parts of his face could be scene. The reports of his condition had been exaggerated, but Danny didn't think by much. “Hello.”
“Good to see you, Joseph.”
“You weren't meant to see me again, Royal. At least, not on this earthly plane.” Joseph looked over at Mark, disgust and disdain obvious on his face. “You see, Mark had other plans. Plans that he didn't think I was going to find out.”
At Joseph's nod the bald man moved forward; he kicked the stool from beneath Mark's feet. The man howled with pain, a sound that was going to stay with Danny for the rest of his days. “Why do I get the feeling that we're not up to speed here?”
“Because you're not. You see, Mark wasn't very happy with the way that I was running things. He wanted to take a more active role. He decided that the best way to go about it would be to burn my fucking house down.” He nodded again and the bald man struck out with a bat. The sound of a rib breaking cut through the air like a knife. “And if that weren't enough, he then sold things which were never meant to be sold so cheaply or carelessly.”
“That's fucked up.” Train spoke up. “Sorry, but is that a pear of anguish?” Danny felt a chill roll down his spine as Train and the bald man grinned widely at each other.
“Indeed it is. Go on, take a look,” Joseph suggested. “Take it out for a spin if you'd like.” The situation was just getting stranger and stranger. Danny was glad that their weapons hadn't been taken. He wasn't glad there was only one door to the room, but if the situation went to shit and they couldn't take out Joseph and his bald buddy, maybe they weren't meant to walk out.
“You're in an awfully good mood, considering the circumstances,” Royal observed. “We're sorry to hear about your trouble.”
“I bet you are. Mark was using you, dealing with another crew behind your back. You've heard of them, I think. The Wild Cards.”
“They were wiped out years ago,” Royal replied.
“That is true but now, they're back. They're quite ambitious, just like Mark was.” Joseph shook his head sadly. “You've really lost your edge, haven't you, Royal? It gives me pause. Makes me wonder if Mark had a point about finding some new blood to work with.”
“Nightshade is solid. Always has been. Always will be.” Royal spoke with pride. His words were true, or at least they had been. Danny was even starting to wonder about the strength of the brotherhood, when it was being eaten away at by hard feelings and distrust.
Joseph didn't look very impressed. The situation was definitely starting to feel like it was going to shit. “You are a brotherhood, like links in a chain? And a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And I believe that you are that weakest link, Royal. After all, you don't even know what's going on in your own home.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Royal reacted by standing up straighter. The look in his eye suggested he was close to losing his temper. Danny didn't even want to think what would happen if he did.
“It means that your Old Lady has been fucking around behind your back. Turns out, it's been going on for months.” Joseph Miller stood his ground even as Royal got right up in his face.
“There's no way.”
“Yes, there is.” Joseph looked over as Mark screamed. “Ah, it seems that Train is a quick study.” A smile crossed over his face. “If you don't want to believe me, perhaps you will believe the man who has been sleeping with your wife. He's right here. Right now.”
“None of my brothers would do that.”
“I didn't say it was one of your brothers. In fact, it was actually mine.” All eyes went to Mark Miller, who was whimpering like an animal stuck in a trap. “Back off of him for a minute, gentlemen, let him speak.”
“Fuck you.” The words were mumbled, but Danny understood what Mark was trying to say without any teeth and a face so swollen it no longer looked human. “Fuck you.” Joseph nodded and
the bald man picked up the bat again. “Okay. Okay.” The man sobbed, snot running down his face. “I love her.”
“Motherfucker.” Royal lunged forward, but the bald man moved with speed that defied his size. “Get out of my way.”
“I need you to focus right now, Royal. Mark is going to die. Trust me, my friend here is very talented. So right now, I need you to put a lid on whatever you've got going on and focus. I'm not big on second chances, but I'm willing to give Nightshade one.”
“What's the catch?” Buster questioned. Danny was glad that someone had asked. There had to be a catch. Joseph Miller wasn't the forgiving type, as evidenced by his brother hanging from the ceiling.
“Missy dies.” Joseph replied without hesitation. “See, Mark's telling the truth. He loved her, which is why he conspired with her to kill a woman and child. He conspired with her to burn down a house full of our own fucking merchandise because she was in a fucking snit. He even told her to take the gun from your safe, use it on your man and then return it.”
Danny's head was spinning. Pieces were falling together and the picture was even more damning to Missy than it had been already. Royal's protection was null and void. She'd burned the stash house, killed a brother and planted evidence that led straight to Royal.
The room was silent except for the occasional whimper from Mark and a slow dripping like a leaky faucet. Except it wasn't a faucet. It was Mark's blood. The life was literally draining from him right in front of their eyes.
“Is that a problem?” Joseph cleared his throat. “Because if it is, none of you are walking out of this room. Your families and associates won't be spared.”
There was another long silence. Finally Royal spoke. “It's not a problem.”
“Good. Contact me when it's done.”
The bald man stepped forward, finally speaking for the first time. “I'll see you out.”
There was nothing to do but leave. They left, walked back to the trucks in silence. It was Train who spoke first. “He's a fucking psychopath. He'll do what he said. He'll do worse if you don't keep your word.”
“Do you think I don't fucking know that?” Royal snapped. “Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious. I need to get home. I want to hear this from Missy's mouth.”
“We'll all hear it.” Buster spoke up. “Because you aren't going on your own. This is a fucked up situation and there's only one solution that's going to keep all of us breathing, and you know that just as well as we do. This is bigger than just you. This is the about Nightshade, about the future. I will be damned if we get wiped out and the fucking Wild Cards take over.”
“Why don't you just call for the vote, Buster? Bet you'd get my patch now.”
“I don't kick a brother when he's down, but if you feel like giving it up, no one is gonna judge you,” Buster replied. “You know what needs to be done, Royal.”
“You're right, I do. And I don't need to hear any more from you. Let's just go.”
Danny rode to Royal's house with Ace and Edge. The younger man was in the back seat, his fingers tapping against the leather seat over and over again. It was the most annoying sound in the world, but it gave Danny something else to think about. It took only a few minutes to reach the house. Immediately it was obvious that something was wrong. The front door was open.
Royal was to the door first. There was no real surprise in that. Danny followed at a more leisurely pace. Inside the house there was no sign of blood or a struggle. Royal bounded up the stairs, gun in hand, and came back down a few minutes later.
There was a piece of paper in his hand. “She took off. Somehow she got word about what had happened with Miller. She's long fucking gone.”
“Give me that.” Buster snarled the words. “I swear on everything, if you found a way to tip her off, I will end you with my bare hands.” It wasn't an idle threat. Royal knew it. They all knew it. There hadn't been a vote, but it was clear Royal's reign was over.
Even Royal knew it. He suddenly looked years older than he had just hours before. His posture was that of a defeated man. “You want me out? Fine. I'm out.” Danny drew in a deep breath as Royal slid his cut off of his shoulders. He handed it to Buster. “Now, all of you get the fuck out of my house.”
<#<#<#
Danny shut the front door softly and toed off his boots. It was just about twelve hours since he'd left, but if felt like a lifetime. After Royal had resigned and kicked them out of his house, they'd returned to the bar and voted on the change in leadership. Buster was now their leader. It was only after the vote, after he'd had several rounds of drinks, that Danny realized Royal being gone meant that he and most of Nightshade were now unemployed. He'd only have Nightshade income to support him and Amelia. Most months that was just about enough to cover his mortgage. They still had to eat, use electricity and put gas in the Oldsmobile. And Amelia deserved more than just a getting-by existence.
He followed the sound of the television to the living room. Amelia was on the couch. Chopper was on the floor. The dog thumped his tail and remained stretched out on the floor. “Hey.” Danny sat down on the edge of the couch, placed his hand on her hip.
Amelia's eyes fluttered open, a smile curved her lips at the sight of him. “Everyone whole?”
It was a loaded question, which Danny chose to answer as vaguely as possible. “Everyone is breathing.” At least, everyone was breathing for now. “What are you sleeping on the couch for?”
“I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting. There wasn't anything good on television.” She shifted on the couch, sat up and stretched. Danny sat back, and she moved next to him, laid her head on his chest.
“You want me to find a movie?” He felt himself relax as she did.
“No. I should get up, make you dinner. It's later than I realized.”
“Time flies when you're sleeping... wait, I mean resting,” Danny teased. “How about if I order us dinner instead? Chinese. And then maybe we can watch a movie.” The idea of a quiet night at home, just the two of them, was suddenly what he needed.
“Alright, we can do that, but first, tell me what happened today. Don't look at me like that, it's written all over your face. Something happened. Something that you're not telling me. And I don't like that. It makes me all kinds of pingy inside, so just tell me.”
“A lot of shit happened today, Amelia. Too much. I don't even know where to start,” he admitted.
“Try the beginning,” she suggested as she shifted her body so she was no longer sitting next to him but straddling his lap. Her hands moved to his hair, pulled out the band holding his hair back. Danny shut his eyes as her fingers moved against his scalp. “Is any of it about James?”
“No, Monroe is still in the wind. Missy is, too. Maybe he got to her.” Danny realized that James killing Missy now would really make life easier for Nightshade. He was also pretty sure that James would survive, because Royal wasn't going to kill him, not now after what he knew. “Long story short, Missy's been cheating on Royal with Mark Miller. And she is the one who burned the stash house and she was the one who killed Earl and set Royal up for it.”
Her hands went still in his hair. “And she's in the wind?”
“Someone tipped her off that Mark Miller was being suspended from the ceiling in his brother's house for attempting to kill him. Joseph Miller knew everything, told us all everything. Told us that Nightshade can have a second chance once Missy is dead.”
“Hanging people from the ceiling aside, I think that I like this Joseph Miller guy.”
“He's as crazy as his brother. Hides it better. When we found Missy wasn't at the house, things got tense. Royal gave up his patch.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah. Gave us his patch and kicked us out of his house.” Danny sighed. “We took a vote. Buster has the presidency now. And I know that you've got questions, but can we just leave them for tonight? I'm tired, Amelia. I just want a night in with my wife.”
“I'm not your wife yet,” she pointe
d out with a sly smile. “What do you say we go and fix that tomorrow morning?”
“Kind of hard to make a wedding in less than twelve hours. Don't you want a pretty new dress?”
“Nope. I just want you. Is that a problem?”
“No, of course not.” It wasn't a problem. “I thought that you wanted to do the real wedding thing this time around.” The first time they'd taken the vows, it had been a quickie courthouse wedding with only Buster and Earl as witnesses.
“I did, but why wait?”
“We wait because you want a wedding. You were excited about it. Besides, I was kind of looking forward to seeing you in a wedding dress and seeing what you'd wear under it.” Danny rested his hands on her hips. “I want to do it right this time. I haven't been able to do anything else right.”
“What are you talking about?”
Danny hadn't realized what he was talking about until the words left his mouth. “I promised you so many things, and I haven't delivered. Everything just keeps turning to shit no matter what I do.”
“Shut up.” She pushed at his shoulders lightly. “That's not true. That's not true at all. Well, the everything keeps turning to shit part is true, but it's not because of you. It's life. It's messy. Things can't always be wrapped up with a neat happily-ever-after bow. And the shit storm isn't going to be forever either, but even if it was, I'd still be right here because I'm with you. And it doesn't matter if we get married tomorrow or never, nothing changes anything between us. Nothing.”
“I love you.” Danny moved his hands to cup her face.
“You'd better,” she teased as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. “You mentioned Chinese food?”
Danny chuckled. “Go on and call the order in. Have them deliver it. Get whatever you want. Get two orders of that crab thing.”
“The crab rangoon? It's not that hard to remember the name, Danny.” She rolled her eyes at him.
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