An Outlaw Valentine

by Kathryn Kelly

  Rushing through the main room, Kendall ignored the stares and snickers in her rush to get to Outlaw’s office. Instead of barging in, she knocked and waited until she heard him growl, “Come the fuck in.”

  Her heart began to pound. Although she’d seen Outlaw twice since he’d shot Johnnie, she was scared now. Those other times, he’d come to check on Johnnie. This time, she’d be with him all alone. If he decided to kill her, there’d be no witnesses.

  “Who the fuck…” Outlaw’s voice trailed off as he yanked the door open and saw her. He scowled. “What the fuck you want?”

  “To talk to you,” she said on a swallow, having never felt the fear in his presence that she did in that moment.

  Leaving the door open, he stalked back to his desk and sat.

  Kendall bit down on her lip. Ordinarily, she’d goad him, flirt with him, or berate him.

  “You comin’ in or what?” he demanded, glaring at her.

  If she didn’t find someone to help her, Johnnie would come to the club and heal, then find a house for her. He’d said their marriage was salvageable, but that was before she’d gotten him shot.

  With that in mind, she swallowed her fear and walked into the office. She didn’t close the door. Instead, she went to one of the chairs in front of his desk and folded her hands in her lap.

  He stared at her without warmth, and she shivered.

  “I’m so sorry,” she started thickly.

  His jaw clenched.

  “Johnnie is coming home today,” she said, changing the subject since it seemed he didn’t care about her regret. How many times had she said she was sorry in these past weeks? Too many to count. “He’s coming to the clubhouse, instead of home.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her.

  “I take that to mean he’ll still proceed with finding me a house, when he’s better.” Her lower lips trembled, and tears rushed to her eyes. She didn’t care. She felt completely broken inside. “Johnnie swore to me, you all did, that I could be myself and you’d still love me. You wouldn’t throw me away.”

  No response. He shifted in his seat and folded his arms.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without my husband and children. Without Meg…” Bitter anger swept over his face, so Kendall changed her mind about bringing up Meggie. “Without the family.”

  “My son part of the fuckin’ family,” he reminded her coldly.

  “I know,” she rushed out. “I’m sorry for every mean thing I’ve ever said or done to him. He got me back good and called me a giant psycho bitch.”

  An unreadable expression dropped into his face before a half-smile tipped up his lips. Humiliation settled into her stomach. If it meant having to bow to CJ to keep her family, she would.

  “I beat his lil ass for sayin’ that to you,” Outlaw admitted after a moment, leaning forward and relaxing his arms on his desk. “He gonna apologize to your fuckin’ ass, Kendall. I ain’t likin’ you, but I also ain’t puttin’ up his disrespect of adults.”

  They fell into silence again. Kendall didn’t know if she should thank Outlaw for chastising his son on her behalf or not.

  “Whatcha want from my ass?” he asked with impatience.

  What did she want from him? No, she knew she wanted his assistance. He was the only one with the power to override Johnnie’s decision to make her leave. In her panic and desperation, she’d made another mistake. She was the last person Outlaw would assist. He’d wanted her gone since they’d first met.

  Sniffling, she got to her feet and hung her head, despondency overwhelming her. She’d lost everything. Johnnie. Her children. Her friends. Her house. Even Ella.

  “Stop,” Outlaw ordered, just when she would’ve walked out his office.

  She halted but didn’t turn.

  “What the fuck you want?”

  “Nothing,” she said on a quiet sob. For so many years, she’d used her tears to get her way. Now, when she was truly heartbroken and crying, she had no one to comfort her.

  “Sit the fuck down.”

  Without question, she did as he commanded.

  “What the fuck you want? For your-fuckin-self. Your career, yeah?”

  She just wanted to matter. The past ten days, while Johnnie recovered, she’d been content taking care of him. At night, Mortician and Bailey allowed her to sleep in one of their guestrooms, while Rory and Matilda went from house to house with all the other children. Apparently, it was normal for the cousins to have sleepovers. CJ and Ryan went to the same school, the toddlers were enrolled in the same daycare, and Bunny watched the kids under a year. The women had a perfect routine, one which Kendall had kept her kids from being involved in.

  “I ain’t got time for your fuckin’ ass to be starin’ in space,” Outlaw snapped.

  She cleared her throat. “I wanted my career,” she admitted. “But I want my husband and children.”

  “Kendall, my ass gonna ask you one more fuckin’ time cuz I wanna be sure. What the fuck you want.”

  “My husband and children,” she said without hesitation. “My family.”

  He studied her, then sighed and pulled open a desk drawer. Yanking out a thick envelope and slamming the drawer back, he leaned forward and held the envelope out to her. She unfastened the clasp and pulled out the papers, then rifled through the documents, finding a deed to a parcel of land, architectural designs, and articles of incorporation for Redding and Donovan Law Firm.

  “You saved my Megan,” he said flatly, glowering at her. “Most of the shit in your hand effective six months from now and only if John Boy ain’t divorcin’ you. Except the articles of incorporation. That shit effective immediately. Brooks under-fuckin-stand, I got a special fuckin’ bullet for him if he ever fuck over me a-fuckin-gain. You realize I ain’t fuckin’ playin’. You behavin’ or next time Johnnie will be fuckin’ dead. That mean if you fuckin’ peep at club business or look at a rival fuckin’ club, I’m fuckin’ him up. Part of Brooks’ job gonna be keepin’ you outta trouble, but you both gonna have equal ownership in the fuckin’ firm.”

  The papers blurred in her watery vision. How ironic it was that Outlaw was allowing her to return to work, when Johnnie would never go for it.

  “That’s what the fuck you want the most. All this recent bulllshit is cuz you ain’t practicin’ law.”

  “I-I told you I want—”

  He raised his hand to halt her. “I ain’t Johnnie, Kendall. Motherfucker got fuckin’ blinders on. To him, you either a fuckin’ saint or a fuckin’ cunt.”

  Sidling her eyes away, she swiped at her tears. “To you, I’m just a fuckin’ cunt, right?” she said quietly.

  For a moment, he stared at her. “I fuckin’ hate you. I ain’t ever gonna change that. But I fuckin’ realize you the most fucked in the head bitch, I ever fuckin’ met. You do shit, then do more shit to try and undo the other shit.” He eyed her with resentment. “I realize you fuckin’ human. You ain’t had to tell a motherfucker where Megan was, butcha did. Ain’t cuz you like her. It was cuz you know she family, too. Maybe, it was even for fuckin’ Johnnie. I ain’t knowin’ and findin’ out would mean talkin’ to you more than I fuckin’ need to, so fuck it. Your reasons your own. However, this the first fuckin’ thing you did since I been knowin’ you that I can fuckin’ respect.”

  “Meggie suggested this, didn’t she?” Kendall said, the first glimmer of hope curling into her.

  “Yep.”

  She chuckled through her tears. “I thought so.”

  He smiled. “She mighta suggested you and Brooks get the firm, but I ain’t had to do it.”

  “I know.” She looked at the deed to the property and held it up. “What about this? How does it work?”

  “That land’ll be for your ass, if you and John Boy stay married. I started to make that for the law firm, then I realize if he divorce you, it ain’t gonna be fair to him to have you on club grounds all the time. However, if he ain’t divorcing you, you got fuckin’ land, Kendall. Like Megan. My ass
so sick of your bullshit, I could cleave you in fuckin’ two. Instead, I figure when you re-hex him and he take your ass back, you might be fuckin’ happier with land to call your fuckin’ own.”

  “But the house would still be in his name. And why didn’t you allow him to give me land? Do you have to control everything?”

  “Welcome the fuck back, Kendall,” he said with a sigh. “Why the fuck you think I got house plans. My ass willin’ to build a house for you to put that in your name, too. He ain’t did it cuz he ain’t think of it. I just want your ass to behave and I want that motherfucker happy so I ain’t got to blow him the fuck away. If I gotta step in and fix the situation, I will. It’s gonna be up to him to recognize that you a human bitch. You might got more flaws than the average motherfucker, but you who the fuck he chose.” He leaned back. “The funny fuckin’ part? You understand his ass, more than he do you. I can repay you for savin’ Megan by givin’ you a fuckin’ castle and hi-rise buildin’. Unless Johnnie get his head outta his ass, your marriage still doomed. My shit just temporary bandages to keep you two motherfuckers limpin’ along. Once that shit get ripped away and the fuckin’ ugly revealed again, your relationship either gonna live or die. Case fuckin’ closed, Kendall.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly, gathered her papers, and stood.

  “Kendall?” he called again, opening another desk drawer and pulling out a set of keys. He tossed them to her.

  Instead of catching them, she ducked.

  “Keys to your fuckin’ house. Megan thought it be best if you walk away from Johnnie before he get the fuck home. She said he asked you to fuckin’ leave and won’t even let you bring him home from the hospital, so he gotta see the consequences of his actions.”

  “But I don’t want to leave.”

  “The house fifteen minutes from here, and ten minutes from Charlotte and Brooks. Megan think your ass’ll be more humiliated if he make you leave.”

  All the happiness she’d felt fled. “If I leave, he said I can’t come on club grounds. That he’ll bring the children to me.”

  “Yeah, well, I ain’t got shit to do with that. John Boy gonna make you leave. Who the fuck know where he gonna put you? If you don’t want to make a pre-fuckin-emptive strike and get the fuck out, I ain’t got shit to say.”

  “But—”

  “By the fuckin’ way, that Ella bitch? Megan got Charlotte to talk to her. Ella’ll be your fuckin’ live-in housekeeper and cook.”

  “She’s the nanny.”

  Outlaw shrugged.

  “She agreed to this?” she asked.

  “I guess. Megan takin’ care of this shit from her hospital bed. She worried ‘bout you.”

  “She never, ever gets angry with me,” Kendall mumbled.

  Outlaw narrowed his eyes, and she winced.

  “Megan pisseder than pissed with you, but that ain’t meanin’ she ain’t rememberin’ you her sister-in-law. You family, Kendall. When the fuck you gonna get that through your thick fuckin’ head? In our family, my ass the only one who fuckin’ loathe you. Motherfuckers fed the fuck up with you, but they ain’t gonna turn their back on you, especially Megan and Roxanne. On the other hand, they ain’t interferin’ with Johnnie wantin’ you off the premises.

  She stooped and picked up the keys. Meggie had a point. If Johnnie drummed her off club premises, she’d be humiliated. But if she walked away… “Tell Meggie thank you.”

  Outlaw nodded.

  “Has the Valentine’s Day Ball been canceled?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh,” she said glumly. “Although I can’t come on club grounds…this is a club-sanctioned event.”

  “Accordin’ to Megan and Roxanne, you on the fuckin’ plannin’ committee, so it’s a fuckin’ given that your ass attendin’.”

  She sagged in relief, then hesitated, and finally smiled at him before once again turning to the door.

  “Kendall?” he called yet again.

  “Yes?” she asked with a trace of annoyance.

  “You not pregnant, huh?”

  She didn’t know how to answer that. If she told the truth, he might get angry and shoot her. If she lied, she’d have to tell another lie to cover up why her belly wasn’t starting to grow after a few weeks passed.

  “Never fuckin’ mind,” he snapped. “Your silence sayin’ it all. I already figured it the fuck out.”

  “How shocking,” she muttered.

  “One other fuckin’ thing.”

  “What now?” she huffed out.

  “The club gotcha back. You gotta learn to have ours.”

  She waited a moment longer for him to add something to that, but he didn’t, so she walked away with his words floating in her head.

  Today was finally fucking Valentine’s Day. Three and a half weeks ago, when Christopher had been searching for Meggie, he hadn’t had the ball on his mind. He hadn’t much of fuck-all on his mind. But as she grew stronger, she started with her plans all over again. Seven days ago, she’d been released from the hospital, and plans really kicked into high fucking gear.

  Seeing his Ma was fine, CJ had started acting normal again, too. Megan had made him write a handwritten note to Kendall. The letters CJ made had been crooked, backwards, out-of-shape, huge, tiny…just fucked up, but, hopefully his boy had learned his lesson.

  As Megan, CJ, Johnnie, and the entire fucking club was getting right, Christopher was searching for fucking Mystic and whoever the fuck else involved in Megan’s abduction. Except Randolph. That motherfucker Christopher had to let go.

  Megan had told him how Hopper had saved her and how she, in turn, wanted to save her son. Although he had a few fucking problems with Randolph, he’d let him live. Further, he intended to pay Hopper for what she’d did on his woman’s behalf.

  Riley had interrupted his vacation to compile the list of residences for the Imperials’ local members when Megan had been missing. Therefore, the motherfucker decided to extend his vacation and was still overseas.

  That meant Christopher had to rely on Knox and Cameron to help hunt down Mystic for him. They had a nationwide hunt going on for the motherfucker, but, so far, he hadn’t been sniffed out.

  Christopher glanced at the time. Soon, he’d have to start getting ready for the ball. Valentine’s Day was important to Megan, so it was now important to his ass.

  “Knock, knock,” Knox said, walking into Christopher’s man cave. Unable to leave Megan for too long, he conducted business from home, with the exception of church. That still took place on club premises.

  “What?” Christopher grumbled. “Unless you tellin’ me where Mystic, I ain’t wantin’ to talk to your fuckin’ ass.”

  Knox held up a piece of paper. “It’s your lucky day, Outlaw. I have a location for Mystic.”

  About fucking time. Standing from the bar stool, Christopher snatched the paper from Knox’s hand.

  “What about Randolph and his ma?” Christopher asked, distracted by reading the information on Mystic that Knox had printed out.

  “They are harder to locate,” Knox admitted. “Every time we think we’ve found them, they move to another location.”

  “It ain’t imperative that you find them. When you do, you do. They gonna live, so they can fuckin’ run the next twenty years if they wanna.”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  The cop in Knox still had a problem with Christopher’s retaliation methods.

  “Mystic is about thirty miles from here. Cameron assured me that everyone involved in this is with him. A third of the local chapter’s members.”

  Fuck! The motherfucker would be found on the day of Megan’s ball.

  Once again, he glanced at the clock on the wall. He needed to get his ass upstairs to see to his sons getting dressed and then to change into his own monkey suit. But he couldn’t let Mystic-the-motherfucker get away and, if he delayed, that might fucking happen. The motherfucker was worse than Houdini, disappearing on a goddamn dime.

  Christopher wouldn’t
be able to torture Mystic, but he’d take care of him.

  “Ima take the shit from here, Knox. Thanks for this.” He flickered the sheet of paper.

  Once Knox left, Christopher placed calls to Mutt and Jeff, the two police officers on his payroll. When they understood their roles of going to the address Christopher gave them and “arresting” Mystic, he dialed Mort, Digger, Johnnie, Val, Cash and Stretch, informing them of his plan. They’d been stockpiling shit for weeks, once Christopher decided he was going to take down the Imperials instead of seeking out peace.

  Megan’s disappearance had sidelined that. Now, the shit would come in so fucking handy.

  His plans in motion, he stood and headed across the hall to Megan’s office.

  She claimed she’d gotten behind in her paperwork. Christopher wanted her to do nothing but rest. Of course, she wasn’t listening. She didn’t complain about the reinstallation of her detail, although she wouldn’t let him plant a tracking device under her skin.

  He considered offering another baby to her, but that meant they’d have to fuck with his cock again, and he didn’t know if he wanted that. How-fucking-ever, she stayed mostly home, to make him feel better, during her pregnancies. If that’s what it took to keep her close, then that’s what he’d fucking do.

  Walking into her office, he stopped. She was asleep in her chair. His heart twisted, and he went to her, lifting her into his arms. She opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at him.

  Upstairs in their room, he laid her on the bed, then kissed her lips.

  “Christopher?”

  “Hey, baby,” he whispered. “I gotta run a errand. I ain’t gonna be long.”

  “Okay,” she responded, and fell back to sleep.

  Once he got the AKs from a locked room at the club and his boys arrive, he could ride and get his revenge.

  Arriving at the warehouse he’d briefly stored guns in, him and his boys dismounted, then got their rifles.

  Inside, Christopher found Mutt and Jeff, still in their cop uniform, aiming sawed off pump action shotguns at Mystic and six other fucks, all lined against the wall.