“What the fuck you doin’, Dinah?”
She shifted from foot to foot. “I want Meggie,” she said, not meeting his gaze. “How is she?”
“You already fuckin’ know how the fuck she doin’ cuz Megan told me she saw you two days ago.”
“Then she’s still the same? She’s still alive?”
Christopher narrowed his eyes, trying not to read too much shit into that fucked-up statement. She was a fucking psycho like Kendall. They were psycho bitches on different ends of the grid, but still fucking looped out their fucking heads. He folded his arms, determined to draw this bitch out one way or the other. He couldn’t quite shake the fucking feeling that she’d betrayed them. Psychoness and all.
“My Megan not fuckin’ dead like Arrow.”
She bristled, but whispered, “I’m going to miss Arrow. He was my only friend here. Because of you, not even my own daughter thinks much of me.”
“The fuckin’ door that way,” he snapped, pointing over his shoulder. “The motherfucker open in and out. Leave any-fuckin-time your ass want. ‘Til you do, stay the fuck away from me and get the fuck back to your goddamn room.”
Without waiting for a reply, he stalked back to the table, finding Val, Mort, and Johnnie all with bottles of rum, vodka, and scotch, respectively. An unopened bottle of tequila awaited him. He opened it and took a long swig.
“Prez, I never got the chance after church to say thanks.”
He drank more tequila. “What the fuck for?”
“For making a case for Digger. I…fuck…”
“We’ll see what the fuck the motherfucker gotta say for himself, Mort.” Beyond that, he couldn’t make any promises. For now, it was best to change the fucking subject. “Whiny-fuckin’ Dinah lurkin’ in the fuckin’ hall. Something ain’t fuckin’ right about that bitch.”
Johnnie lifted his brow. “In what way?”
“C’mon, Outlaw,” Val said. “She crazier than a bag of fucking bunnies. That’s what the fuck not right about her.”
“What you getting at, Prez?” Mortician scratched at his jaw. “You still think…what exactly…?”
“She ain’t seemin’ all that concerned ‘bout Megan and she barely blinked a fuckin’ eye when I told her ‘bout Arrow.”
“Kendall always got the impression Dinah didn’t like Arrow,” Johnnie said with a shrug. “She’s probably dancing for fucking joy that the poor bastard got fucked up.”
Thoughtful, Val drank some rum. “She was fucking Arrow and his death don’t seem to matter.”
“She fucking brother-hopped?” Mort added with disgust.
“With both the motherfuckers ending up dead,” Johnnie concluded aloud.
Until Roxy had put the bitch in her place, Christopher bet Dinah hadn’t remembered she had a pussy to be fucked. “She ain’t shed one fuckin’ tear over Arrow, the way a bitch getting dick from a motherfucker usually do when their man get his ass shot off.”
“Not even a mumbling fucking moan?” Val asked for clarification.
“Not a motherfuckin’ mumblin’ peep,” Christopher responded.
“What are you getting at, Christopher?” Johnnie asked.
Rolling his eyes at Johnnie not putting two and fucking two together, Christopher sighed. “I’m thinkin’, John Boy, Dinah the fuckin’ traitor. She fuckin’ betrayed us.”
Silence descended over the table for a moment before the other three bombarded him with denials.
“No fucking way, Christopher. Dinah isn’t capable of that.”
“Outlaw, you know what you saying?” Val’s concern came through in his fucked-up look and his gaspy tone. “That mean Dinah have to be grounded and that would…Meggie love that bitch.”
“Prez,” Mortician began, staring at Christopher with an unreadable expression, “say that shit true? Then what? You think she found a way to contact Sharper? Or Digger, maybe?”
Christopher drained the bottle and nodded, addressing each of them one-by-one. “John Boy, bitches fuckin’ surprise motherfuckers all the time. Her fuckin’ ass wouldn’t be the first fuckin’ bitch to pretend looniness for some type of fuckin’ gain.” He nodded to Val. “Yeah, I know what the fuck I’m saying, Val. That means I’d lose my girl cuz of fuckin’ Dinah.”
“Holy fuck, Outlaw,” Val said with another fucking gasp, his eyes widening. “You’d fucking kill Dinah?”
“When you didn’t kill Digger?” Johnnie added in outrage.
“Shut the fuck up, John Boy,” Mortician warned.
“Why? You know I’m fucking telling the truth, Mortician. He’d spare Digger, but kill Dinah?” Nostrils flaring, Johnnie gritted his teeth. “Yes. I forgot. Megan will forgive you anything.”
“Fuck you, John Peter.” Nerves already on edge and blood roaring in his ears, Christopher got to his feet as the other three jumped to theirs. “Don’t worry ‘bout what the fuck Megan fuckin’ do in this situation. Just fuckin’ worry ‘bout the fuckin’ effect this bullshit had on the fuckin’ club.”
Brothers and Bobs were turning their way, watching another of Christopher’s and Johnnie’s face-offs. A tense moment slid by before Johnnie clenched his jaw and focused on his drink. “All I want to know is why you’re so willing to take her out?” he asked, low. “You could exile her somewhere.”
Yeah, he could. Except…he couldn’t. If Dinah was the one betraying them, she was more dangerous than Digger ever had been.
“Fuck, man, we don’t need this shit today.”
At first, Christopher thought Mort was talking about him and Johnnie at each other’s throats, until he noticed the man staring at the monitors. Particularly, the one with the camera monitoring the entrance gate, where Digger and Bunny had just been allowed in.
Swallowing back her nerves and clutching the saddlebags, Bunny opened the door to the clubhouse and paused at the huge crowd of people. The sea of bikes and overflow of men in the parking lot had been a giveaway. Still, she hadn’t seen the main room so crowded in months.
This wasn’t how she’d imagined approaching Outlaw, in front of most of the brothers, not only in the chapter, but the entire club. Or so it seemed. When she’d spoken to her dad right after she and Digger hit the state line a while ago and pulled over for a rest, Walt had assured Bunny Outlaw would be receptive to listen. Her parents intended to fly to New York and stay with family for a few weeks. She wasn’t sure if she should be happy or concerned that they’d leave the protection of Father Struthers. Her dad was adamant it was safe to travel. The priest had only agreed to shelter them for a couple of days, which meant they needed to find other living arrangements until they could return to their house. And they couldn’t do that until Sharper’s men were taken care of.
Bunny had to abide by her parents’ decision.
Walking through the main room and ignoring the whistles and leers coming her way, she threaded through the crowd, relieved to find Outlaw and the guys at the table. They were already standing. Now, though, instead of glaring at each other, they were focusing on her.
Outlaw’s careful consideration of her made her believe he was checking her for wounds or injuries. Other than that, she couldn’t detect his frame of mind. She couldn’t tell if he’d deem her a traitor if he labeled Digger as one.
She’d stayed with Digger of her own accord. Not only that, but she’d instigated quite an intimate act with him. Because she liked him. Because he’d been so sweet to her, more so than any man had ever been.
In her head, she thought maybe her dislike of giving head might be linked to the men she’d performed on. That hadn’t been it at all. It was the taste, even though, for the first time ever, she’d felt the true power of the act, and it hadn’t been borne from monetary incentive.
“Bunny, babe, you okay?”
Her face flamed. She was thinking about sucking Digger’s dick, instead of focusing on speaking to Outlaw on his behalf. “H-hi, Outlaw,” she squeaked. “Mort, John Boy, Val,” she added.
“Bunny,”
Mort said on a nod. “You looking pale as a motherfucker.”
She rocked on her heels. “I’m okay. Um…Outlaw, can I talk to you?”
“Say whatever the fuck you gotta say. I’m all fuckin’ ears.”
Hesitating a moment, she set the saddlebags on the table and nodded to the blade peeping out. “Digger’s gun is also in there.” Actually, it was her father’s gun. Or had been. She suspected Digger now claimed ownership. “Stretch asked me to bring the bags to you, while he and Cash searched Digger.”
Although Digger hadn’t been worried that Cash was dragging him toward the metal shed rumored to be named the meat shack, Bunny was terrified. “He’s innocent, Outlaw,” she burst out, just as Outlaw started searching one of the saddle bags, while Mort took charge of the other one. “I was there when he stole Little Man. He took me so I could take care of your son. He took care of me...he saved me from the fire when he could’ve left me to burn.”
“He started the motherfucker,” Mortician snapped. “He better have saved you, girl.”
“No,” she denied, shaking her head frantically. “We…there was a hidden passageway in a bedroom wall. Really, little more than a space about four feet deep…and we hid there. I fell asleep or fainted. When I came to…he said someone named Osti set the fire to smoke us out. He almost burned the three of us alive.”
CJ, too. Although those words went without saying since Little Man had been with them, the implication still hung in the air. Pain and fury slashed Outlaw’s features.
“Digger got us out,” she said again, desperation blurring the words she spoke.
“How’d he leave you behind, sweetheart?” John Boy asked, as if the answer were important.
“I couldn’t go anymore. I-I don’t remember much. All I remember is the heat. I think he wanted to get CJ to safety.”
“Suppose he couldn’t get back out?” Val called into the silence. “Little Man would’ve been alone and might’ve wandered back into the house.”
And burned to death. Bunny wished Val hadn’t asked the question here. They had an audience. Of course they did. Everyone knew the bad things Digger had done. Now, they were trying to turn his heroism into something that had had little thought involved.
“That was a possibility,” she conceded. “One I never looked at because the gamble paid off and we both survived. If he hadn’t chanced it, I’d be dead.”
Outlaw’s inscrutable gaze worried Bunny. Instead of answering, he glanced at the monitors. Turning, Bunny saw Digger come into one of the frames, hands raised. Cash had a gun pointed to his head, although he was marching him toward the clubhouse.
“Fuck,” Mortician managed, worry clouding his face.
The pin-drop silence seemed an ominous portent for Digger’s chances of surviving. For every action Outlaw took, he expected certain reactions. By helping Digger, he’d expected, and gotten, Digger to breathe a little easier and led him to believe his life would be spared.
“Look who the Harley rode in,” Cash chortled, not even an inch between the back of Digger’s head and the barrel of Cash’s gun.
“Shoot the fucking traitor,” someone yelled.
“Let us have a piece of him, Outlaw,” another voice hollered.
Digger smiled at her, his eyes encouraging her to stay strong even as calls for his death boomed all around.
Silent, Outlaw walked up to Digger and slammed his fist into his jaw in greeting.
“No, please, stop!” she begged as Digger fell to the ground and Outlaw kicked him. She started forward but Mortician grabbed her around the waist. “Stop!” she said again. “You can’t kill him.”
Forcing her around, Mortician grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Outlaw doing what he have to, to save his life,” he whispered.
It didn’t seem that way, not what she swore she heard a bone break, but prayed it was just her overactive imagination. Digger groaned and she covered her ears, but still saw Mortician wince with each blow.
“Now, motherfucker,” Outlaw snarled, around the force of his exertions, “When you fuckin’ heal up, I’m fuckin’ ready to fuckin’ listen. You fuckin’ convince me wasn’t no way else to go with the shit you fuckin’ done, you fuckin’ live. Otherwise, I’m puttin’ you to fuckin’ ground.”
Digger lay on the ground, coughing and bleeding from his nose and mouth. Besides Outlaw’s heaving breaths, the only other sound was Digger’s moans. The brothers had long since stopped their calls for his blood, since Outlaw had spilled a lot of it.
“He didn’t do anything,” Bunny insisted. “You can’t kill him!”
“Shut the fuck up, Bunny. I know you gettin’ dick from this motherfucker, so now you beggin’ for his fuckin’ life.” Outlaw fell silent and stared at her as if he was trying to impart something to her. She couldn’t understand the look he gave to Johnnie, the small nod. “Motherfucker left Megan to die. If nothin’ else, he should be put the fuck to ground for that.”
“We all know not to mess with Outlaw’s woman,” Cash said, then took in a few of the members. “Don’t we?”
“What about my woman?” John Boy snapped, his voice so cold it almost sounded exaggerated.
Outlaw shrugged. “What the fuck ‘bout that cunt?”
“Just that. You’re fucking ignoring all the shit Digger risked his life for that helped us in the last few days.”
Johnnie’s words confused her. Until then, everyone had blamed Digger for all the ills befalling the club. With Kendall shot on the attack, Bunny couldn’t understand Johnnie’s reasoning.
“He wanted to warn us. If he’d gotten to you in time, my wife wouldn’t have been shot, Christopher. Though he couldn’t prevent Kendall’s injuries, he saved your son. Saved Bunny.”
Again, Outlaw gave her a look, one that she couldn’t understand but she knew he expected her to. Then, he spoke.
“CJ or Bunny or Kendall not Megan.”
She opened her mouth to scream at Outlaw. For all his good qualities, especially his blind devotion to Meggie, in this instance, it was one of the worse.
“Play along, girl,” Mortician whispered, close to her ear.
She stiffened. This wasn’t a game. This was life-and-death. “Outlaw, please. He saved your son. Have a heart.”
“He doesn’t have a heart,” Dinah inserted.
As Johnnie backed up and Outlaw turned, Bunny blinked, not believing that Dinah aimed Digger’s gun at Outlaw. Her hand shook and her eyes were wild and wide. “Anyone move and they get a bullet before Outlaw does.”
“Put that fuckin’ gun the fuck away, before you get fuckin’ killed, Dinah,” Outlaw growled.
Everyone else was staring at her in stunned silence. Digger, now completely unconscious, lay forgotten.
“You think you have all the power, huh, Christopher?” Dinah taunted, waving the gun frantically. “The power to decide whether a man lives or dies. Well, you don’t. Not anymore! Arrow stole it from you and Meggie,” she spat. “You turned my baby against me. You caused all my woes. You and…and…and Thomas and…and…and…”
Outlaw took a step toward her, but Dinah backed to the hallway entrance.
“You loony, fuckin’, whiny bitch,” he began.
“Shut the fuck up, prick,” she screamed.
And, yes, Bunny could say with certainty that Dinah was insane. The desperate light in her teary eyes lacked lucidity.
“You deserve to die! You k-killed Big Joe,” she sobbed. “Arrow told me.”
Outraged grumbles arose amongst the men and Bunny cringed.
“Fuuuucccckkkk, this bitch going to get us fucking killed in this motherfucker,” Mortician grumbled under his breath.
“Dinah, I ain’t fuckin’ sure what the fuck Arrow was fuckin’ smokin’, but I ain’t fucked up Boss.”
“Arrow was just filling your head with lies,” John Boy added.
Uncertainty slid into her face, but then she shook her head. “No…no! That isn’t true. It can’t be! That’s why I helped him,
” she cried, her body trembling.
Outlaw held up his hands. “Dinah, put the fuckin’ gun down,” he repeated, softer this time. Or hand the motherfucker to me. You sick. Ain’t nobody hurtin’ you. We don’t fuck up crazy bitches. Just gimme the fuckin’ gun.”
Outlaw was at a disadvantage, right in Dinah’s line of fire. That didn’t stop him from inching closer to her. “Dinah, you hate Megan e-fuckin-nough to shoot me down and have her grieve for me?”
“I don’t hate my daughter,” she swore, slob dripping down her chin. “She hates me. She didn’t do anything when that deputy put his fingers inside of me. Her main concern was protecting you and this stupid club.”
“Dinah,” Outlaw gritted, above another round of outraged murmurs. “Keep fuckin’ talkin’ and a motherfucker gonna take it on themselves to fuck you up for disrespectin’ the fuckin’ club. Shut the fuck up. Whatever the fuck you gotta say, take it the fuck up with me. We gotta move Digger to his old room and—”
“No! That deputy humiliated me and she…she didn’t care. She interrupted me when I would’ve told everything. You and your stinking club would’ve been in jail and Meggie would be mine again. She didn’t make a sound when he searched her, too, and twisted his fingers inside of her.”
Rage darkened Outlaw’s face and a muscle ticked in his jaw.
“He hurt her and nothing. She pretended to care about Zoann and me, and talked to us, but she hates me. Then Arrow told me I could have her back, if I helped him. He’d always said that, but…but I…I didn’t want to do it, until that search. And then…then Bailey was kidnapped. Because of letters. K-Kaleb told me Logan was a bad man.” She swiped at her cheek with the hand holding the gun. “K-P was going to give you the letters, but he wouldn’t tell me where they were. When Logan got to us, I begged Kaleb to give him the letters. He wouldn’t listen. He kept telling me to shut up and…and…and…Logan killed him. He just killed him! Right there. In front of me.”
Not responding, Outlaw rushed toward Dinah, overpowering her and yanking the gun away, then shoving it into his waistband. He subdued Dinah against him, ignoring her struggles.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 262