Jesus Christ.
Mort had invited Tyler to live at the clubhouse, but the kid had declined, wanting to stay with Digger on their European adventure. Because that’s what he was good at. Bullshit and adventures. The promise of a grand adventure had ended in disaster. He’d promised something similar to Little Man. But Digger was determined to have a different outcome. Since Sharper was supposedly Tyler’s father, Mort had backed off, wanting the best for the son whom his ex had insisted wasn’t his.
Maybe, Tyler had been doomed from the start. Maybe, the kid was better off wherever he’d gone. Digger had been raised in the church, so he believed in heaven and hell, right and wrong. Judgment Day.
Tyler had been just a child, though, guided by corrupt adults. His soul could be saved, so he’d find the redemption in death that he never would’ve found in life. Grief swept through him and he heaved in a breath. He’d failed Mort’s son. He couldn’t fail Outlaw’s kid.
Footsteps resounded just beyond his hiding space. Little Man squirmed and Digger swore Sharper and Osti stood right on the other side. If he abandoned his position now to check his theory, he believed he’d come face-to-face with them.
“I can’t find him,” Sharper growled in frustration, confirming their close proximity.
Since Digger heard them, they’d hear Little Man if the kid whined.
“He’s here. Car and candles give him away,” Osti responded.
Digger’s weapon pressed against his side. If he went out blazing, he might hit them, but he’d be firing blindly. Whether the candle remained lit or not didn’t matter. The area not touched by the fire’s glow was dark. And, if Sharper and Osti returned fire, Bunny and Little Man’s life would be endangered.
The kid whined and wiggled.
“Shhh,” Bunny whispered, still too loud to Digger’s way of thinking. “Please, keep quiet, CJ.”
“MegAnn,” Little Man murmured.
“You heard that?” Osti asked.
“Quiet,” Bunny pleaded again.
“That,” Osti said sharply.
“Mark, if you’re here, come out,” Sharper ordered. “We need to get a move on. I need medical attention. I’ve been shot.”
Not fucking bad enough. It seemed as if nothing could kill his father. Not that anyone had ever really tried.
“This is the first place Outlaw will look.”
“Unk, maybe, they on the grounds somewhere.”
“Or, maybe, they’re in another part of the house,” Sharper countered. “Perhaps, we overlooked their hiding space as we overlooked the key at the clubhouse.”
Key? What fucking key?
They couldn’t mean a physical key. Could they?
“Peyton got Megan Caldwell, Uncle Sharper,” Osti said, backing Digger’s theory that she was the key.
“Mark!” Sharper boomed out. “I’m giving you sixty seconds to come out and turn over the woman and that motherfucker Outlaw made. If you don’t, you’re as dead as they are when I find you. One…”
As Sharper counted, anticipation hung in the air. The panel shook as if they knew Digger hid in the wall, but couldn’t find the entry point. Any moment he expected the wall to open.
“We’re going to get Outlaw,” Osti taunted, as Sharper reached twenty. “And you. Once we retrieve the information we want, we’re going to kill him slowly. After he watches his twins and whoever else loyal to him, die. We have a bullet waiting for his oldest son. We’re too impatient to let him watch us shoot the kid. Hear what I’m saying, Marcus?” he yelled, as Sharper got to sixty.
“You stay behind,” Sharper instructed. “Find Mark, kill him, that cunt, and the kid, then meet me at the safe house tomorrow afternoon. We need to get out of the area.”
Footsteps faded away, but Digger felt no relief. Osti lingered in the house, maybe in the room, awaiting him to reveal himself so he could murder all of them. Digger had tipped his hand by staying put, but he’d had no choice.
“He’s sleeping,” Bunny said so softly he couldn’t pick up on any fear she might have over the conversation they’d overheard.
Digger wanted to warn her to hold him tight because he’d become dead weight as he slept and there was no room for Digger to turn and take him from her, but he couldn’t risk it, so he nodded in acknowledgment and remained silent.
As the time passed, he lost track of time. The growling of his stomach came and went and returned with vigor. By sheer willpower, he ignored the need to piss. Judging by the wetness on his back, Little Man wasn’t as disciplined. Bunny shifted her weight, but kept silent other than to whisper soothing words to Outlaw’s son. The one time she leaned her head against Digger’s shoulder, she felt overly warm to him. However, he didn’t comment since she held her shit together and helped Little Man to remain calm.
Just as his lids began to droop, the smell of smoke hit him.
“Fuck, we gotta move, Bunny.” Digger pressed against the panel, gauging the warmth. He found it hot, so he hesitated. When he opened it, he could be met with a wall of fire.
However, if he remained in the fucking space, they’d burn to death for sure. Easing the panel open, he found thick smoke clinging in the air.
Bunny gasped.
“Get down low,” he said, not voicing the thought that Osti might be lying in wait to shoot them down as he smoked them out.
Halting at the bedroom door, Digger pulled Little Man from Bunny. As long as they were Osti-free, it would be easier for him to get the kid to safety. In the hallway, Digger started toward the front door, but fire consumed the living room, flames licking the walls and climbing up. It was so fucking hot, sweat popped off of him and the intensity of the temperature threatened to melt his clothes off.
Momentarily disoriented, Digger’s coughing fit allowed the fire to close in on them. Little Man gripped Digger’s shirt, coughing just as bad.
Hanging his head, Digger swayed, still on his knees, one hand clutching Outlaw’s gasping son and the other on the floor. The crackles and pops hurt his ears and the acrid smoke burned his throat.
Determined to push on, backtracking to the room filled with smoke, but not on fire yet. His hand felt along the wall. Instead of plaster, he encountered wood. He was in the kitchen.
The kitchen with no running water.
The kitchen with…a side door.
Energy burst through him and he crawled to the door, his heart sinking when he found it boarded. Fuck, the other plank had been pulled down easy enough. Certainly, this one would give away as quickly.
Knowing they were running out of time, Digger stood, covering his nose with his arm. Two vicious kicks and the plank fell away, allowing him to stumble into the night and gasp for air.
Little Man continued coughing, but Digger didn’t care. They’d made it. Turning to look for Bunny, he found…nothing.
“Stay here,” he ordered, not thinking, only acting. On his hands and knees, he crawled back in, determined to go as far as possible. He didn’t have far to go. He found her in the middle of the kitchen, too overcome to continue. “I got you, Bunny.” Dragging her to the door, he heaved her over his shoulder the moment they were outside. “Come on, kid.”
Assured that Outlaw’s son stumbled along with him, they hurried to the front of the house, where the car and another getaway awaited them.
However, when they turned the corner and reached the burning porch, the car Digger had stolen, the car belonging to the keys in his pocket, had somehow been taken from him.
“The fucking car gone!”
Digger’s frustrations seeped through Bunny’s sluggish brain. The scent of smoke filled the air and even from her odd position the glow of the fire lit the night. The world looked upside-down, moving by her in a fast blur, as her body jarred against something hard.
“We got to hoof it, kid. Just stay close to me.”
His words didn’t hold a menacing undertone. Or her fatigue diminished the threat to her life he continued to be. Or, maybe, after being pressed a
gainst him for hours, she’d felt warm and protected for the first time in what seemed like forever.
“I can’t believe motherfuckers stole the fucking car I took,” Digger grumbled, and the hoarse tone vibrated through Bunny. The more Bunny bounced along, the further the fiery glare receded. “We playing Grand Theft Auto around this motherfucker or something.”
Bunny groaned.
“Bun-Bun!”
“I have her, lil’ dude.” Something swung her, then tapped her ass. “See? She’s over my shoulder. Don’t worry about her. No time for that shit. We have to find a way to escape. My throat’s hurting so I can’t talk too much.”
Little Man coughed. “Too dark!” he wheezed out.
“Because your mama wimped you the fuck out by letting you sleep with a goddamn light on. Darkness don’t hurt nobody.”
His sniffles broke Bunny’s heart. “I want MegAnn.”
“If you listen, I’ll get you back to Meggie,” Digger promised, his irritation clear.
“Okay.”
Both Digger and Little Man fell silent, relieving Bunny, though the little boy continued coughing and sniffling. She couldn’t do anything about it at the moment.
After an eternity, they halted, with nothing but the cold night and the scent of smoke surrounding them.
“Why stop, Dig?” Little Man asked.
Digger bounced Bunny up, adjusting her, and then grunted. “All her weight must be in her tits and ass, cuz this bitch kind of heavy to be so skinny.”
“Val like Bun-Bun’s teets. Mar say Ant Bail’s teets pretty. ‘Law hit Val and John-John say ‘Law sick fucka mudner cuz she gots pretty teets ‘Law just not true. He love Ant Kenda, but he think Bun-Bun’s teets pretty.”
The last bit sobered Digger’s hysterical guffaws at Little Man ratting out the conversations he’d apparently overheard. “Outlaw love Kendall?”
“No, ‘Law say Ant Kenda a cun. MegAnn hit ‘Law cuz he say bad word and I hear.”
“So you meant Johnnie like Bunny’s tits?”
“Uh-huh.”
Bunny squeaked, the heat of embarrassment rising in her. “I can walk,” she croaked out.
“Yes, in-fucking-deed,” Digger rasped to Little Man, ignoring Bunny. “What else does Outlaw say? Anything about me?”
She slapped his back and kicked her legs, finally gaining his attention. He set her on her feet and she swayed against him, but he caught her in an instant.
“Don’t question him,” she said under her breath.
“Bun!” Little Man yelled and barreled into her legs. She almost toppled over, but Digger grabbed her forearms again.
“You okay to walk?” he asked in a curiously gentle voice.
“Yes.” She sounded like a frog, but she still feared Digger seeing her as too much of a handicap.
“Let’s start off again. It won’t be long before the flames are seen. If they haven’t been already. I need to find another car.”
Not responding, Bunny grabbed Little Man’s hand, determined she’d endure, hold on as long as possible, and walk on her own.
She bit down on her lip and followed Digger toward the road. The feel of Little Man’s hand kept Bunny on her feet and helped her to focus. Sweat popped from her skin, despite the frigid temperatures.
By the time they reached the main highway, Digger walked ahead of her, but she couldn’t go anymore.
“Digger!” she called. He continued on. Either he hadn’t heard her or he ignored her. Summoning all her strength, she tried again. “Digger!”
This time, he stopped.
“What?”
Dizziness almost toppled her. Too weak to raise her voice, she fell to her knees.
He backtracked to her. “Fuck, the smoke getting to you?”
“I-I can’t. I can’t go any further,” she said weakly. “Just please don’t hurt him. He’s not even three yet.” She drew in a deep breath and even her lungs hurt. “Please?”
Digger touched her cheek. “You got fever.”
In response, she curled on the ground and shuddered, the thought she’d die without making up with her parents prevalent in her head. For so many months she’d been too stubborn to admit they’d been right about Trader and, now, she’d never get to eat her mom’s nasty tofu cake that she flavored with flaxseed and whey. She’d never join her dad and her brother in razzing her mom for being a health food nut. “Call my brother,” she whispered. Knowing Digger probably hadn’t heard her, or would ignore her if he had, she closed her eyes, unable to retain consciousness any longer.
He should kill her. Allowing her to live would slow them down. But, for some reason, he noticed how fragile and helpless she looked all curled up, unconscious on the side of the road. She’d never done anything to him. Not to mention Outlaw had always drummed it into them that women were not to be hurt if at all possible.
She’d protected Outlaw’s son as though the kid belonged to her, and Digger couldn’t help but respect that. She was so different from Peyton. Despite Bunny’s background, or what he understood of it, she had something Peyton lacked. A conscience.
Peyton had been educated, but she wouldn’t have thought twice about sucking his dick. While Bunny would’ve given him a blow job, she didn’t pretend she wanted to do it. Not even to get on his good side.
As if he didn’t have enough to contend with, the sirens were finally screaming in the night. He’d gone in the opposite direction to escape notice, but they needed to shelter somewhere. Kidnapping wasn’t as easy as he’d thought…fuck, therein lay the problem. He hadn’t thought.
Little Man started his nerve-wracking whining again. Digger gritted his teeth. Understanding the boy’s fright and exhaustion, he tried for as much patience as possible. When he’d been Little Man’s age, he’d always had his mom to comfort him. And, if his mom hadn’t been there, Mortician was. Although Digger was only two years younger than Mort, his brother had protected him from the time he’d been born.
If he’d have found a woman before Mort, no way in hell would Mortician have gone off half-cocked and jealous. He’d never tried to impress women with money either. Bitches took Mort as is or he told them to fuck off. He took care of his money, to the point of fucking stinginess.
Heaving in a breath, Digger set Little Man on his feet and crouched down. “We need to get Bunny out of the road. Stay close to me, okay?”
“Okay.” His little voice was hoarse and sad, his cheeks smudged with dirt and soot. “Bun-Bun sleep?”
“Yeah, kid.”
As he scooped her up into his arms, headlights shined on him and he jumped back. Near them, the car slowed down, until it stopped right next to him.
Fuck, with Bunny in his arms, he couldn’t reach for his gun, so he’d have to play it cool. The window rolled down and the interior light flicked on. An older, white-haired man squinted at him.
“Everything okay, sir?”
Before Digger responded, Little Man said, “MegAnn falled.”
Fuck him in the middle of the road, but why the fuck would the kid say that? At first, the driver’s brows drew together, until he leaned over and saw Little Man standing there. His gaze went from Digger to Little Man and back again. Suspicion lit the man’s face. Reeking of smoke, they must’ve looked pretty fucked up.
The door locks popped up. “Get in out the cold. I can bring you to the hospital.”
Hadn’t this dude heard about picking up strange motherfuckers?
“Mommie got red. Bun-Bun—”
“Told you we don’t have fucking buns!” Digger snapped out.
The man narrowed his eyes. “Bun-Bun?”
Little Man nodded and glanced up at Digger. Just as he opened his mouth to blab a little more, the driver spoke again.
“How’d Mommie get red, little fella?”
“A big boom,” he sniffled, “then MegAnn falled and ‘Law gone.”
Digger growled, stopping Little Man before he said anything more incriminating. “This chick heavy. If you
not giving us a goddamn ride, get to fucking going. We through talking.”
The older man contemplated Digger suspiciously, then he nodded once more. “Get in.”
The offer answered Digger’s question. Not only had he not heard about stopping for strange motherfuckers, he was fucking clueless about picking them up. Deciding to see how this played out, Digger accepted the invitation.
Once he situated Bunny on the back seat and secured Little Man next to her, Digger got into the passenger seat, thankful his hands were now free to draw his weapon if the need arose. “We don’t need a fucking hospital. I need to get to my old lady’s brother.”
“Potty,” Little Man said.
Digger didn’t answer. While stuck in the fucking wall, the kid had been pissing on himself all day. If it took him pissing on himself to keep him quiet, Digger wouldn’t interfere or lie and promise he’d have a “real” potty soon.
“Poopie potty.”
“Strange happenings going on around these parts today,” the driver said, ignoring the kid just like Digger.
No shit. Feigning surprise, Digger lifted a brow. “For real?”
“Shooting happened down at the MC.”
Fuck, he didn’t need this old motherfucker recognizing him and high-assing to the police. Those in the club’s pocket would bring Digger right to Outlaw, instead of jail.
“About a dozen dead,” the driver continued as Little Man wailed, “I gotta poopie!”
“Hold it, kid,” Digger snapped, his stomach dipping at discovering the number of casualties. Tyler and Peyton were amongst them, but of the remaining ten, how many deaths were his father’s hired guns and not anyone associated with the club? “Any names released?” he asked, thinking of Meggie and wondering if she might be one who didn’t make it.
Another searching look, then the man shook his head. “This old brain can’t remember all that.” He glanced at Digger again and sniffed. “There’s a big fire raging at the old Donovan place right now.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 240