by Ryan Michele
“You ready to come back to Rebellion?” I asked, jumping him to another topic.
His eyes closed off for a moment. “No.”
It wasn’t just that Warden was one of the best trackers I knew, that I wanted him back in Rebellion. We could call on him and he’d come.
It was just time to let the past die. Warden spent so much time on the road, he hadn’t lived in a long damn time.
I let it go. “Right. We all get licks in here, and he needs to answer some shit.”
Warden reached in his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper, holding it between two fingers to me. “What, like the password?”
Snatching it up, the twelve-digit code stared back at me. “How the fuck you get that?”
He smirked. “I’m good at what I do.”
Vague. I handed the code off to Wrong Way. “Get Buzz on this shit. Let’s make sure it’s right, then call ‘em.”
“You’re like a fairy godmother,” Phoenix said, coming to stand next to me as I lifted my chin to Wrong Way in response.
“Don’t try me,” Warden warned, and Phoenix smiled. We all knew what Warden could do. What he had done. No need to let the beast free.
“Now, you,” I barked then spit on the man I had welcomed into the Ravage MC, who shit all over our patch. Nothing we did would be enough. Nothing. We’d damn sure do the best we could though.
Ethan hauled in the large duffle we kept in the back of the van. “Here ya go, boss,” he said.
“Thanks, man. Stay for this one.” Ethan was only one church away from being a member of this club. He wanted in, he’d see what happened to those who fucked us over.
“Who’s that?” Warden asked.
“If you were around, you’d know.” He said nothing so I answered, “Prospect.”
“Those days seem like so long ago,” Warden said, taking a slight step back. He didn’t like looking back at the past, and one could see him shutting down. Fuck no.
“Stay here, Warden. You owe us this.”
He shook his head. Whether to tell me he didn’t owe us shit or to clear his head, I wouldn’t know until he spoke. “Plannin’ on comin’ to Rebellion for a bit.”
I turned fully to him. “You just said no.”
“You want me to stay for good. I’m stayin’ for a few days. Two completely different things.”
We didn’t have time for this shit now, so I let it drop and nodded to the bag. “Get out the shot.” My sole focus went on Lemon. “We’re gonna make sure everything you say is the truth.”
My fist landed in his gut, making him swing back and forth once again. Lemon made a noise that sounded as if he was going to throw up. There was no doubt in my mind he would be by the time we were done with him.
Hornet got the shot, grabbed Lemon’s arm, and injected him. My mind went to Rylynn and how a shot almost killed her. Fuck. That shit wasn’t going to go away anytime soon, I guessed. It would be riding on both of us.
On my nod, Phoenix and Tex walked up to Lemon. Tex held Lemon still as Phoenix grabbed his knife. Without any preamble, Phoenix began to carve the word rat into Lemon’s chest.
Lemon cried out and as much as I’d love to break his jaw, he needed to be able to use it for a little while.
“Time,” Brewer called out, telling us the meds should be working. Perfect.
Lemon was wiggling. Either trying to get down or to get away from Phoenix. Either wouldn’t happen.
Let the interrogation begin.
“Name,” I barked out. When Lemon didn’t respond, he received a slash of Phoenix’s knife.
He cried out, “Jarred Jacob Rabbi.”
“Fuck, his parents hated him,” Brewer said on a chuckle. He knew this information, but we needed to test Lemon on shit we knew to be true so we could get to the good shit.
“Fuck you!” Lemon spat, earning him a motorcycle boot to the back.
“Next,” I said, bringing the attention back to the matter at hand. Sooner we got this shit out of the way, the sooner we could strip him. Asking him a few more mundane questions we knew the answers to, we finally got into the meat.
Wrong Way stepped up. “Code to the money.”
Lemon shook his head trying to fight it, but it was no use. He gave out the code. Wrong Way nodded and stepped off to the side to call Buzz. That cash needed to be secured as soon as possible.
“What was the plan?” I asked a swinging upside down man who turned. The ink on his back needed to be gone. Fuck him. He didn’t get to wear that patch, even in death. It would be removed before his last breath.
Lemon shook his head again, squinting his eyes as he tried to fight the drug. He couldn’t. “Ebony was to get you to Purple Pride. Get you in and blow the place. That didn’t work so we had to go to plan B.”
“Which was?” I pushed.
“Blowing up the warehouse with you in it.”
“So you were setting out to kill the members of the Ravage MC? Your brothers?”
Blood dripped from his wounds to the ground. “You’re not my brothers.”
“At least we agree on something,” Tex said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Were all the fuckers in the warehouse when it blew?” This was important. We needed to clean up if we had any.
“Two by the back door. When they started goin’ in, I felt somethin’ was off and ran.”
“Pussy,” Phoenix said, spitting on Lemon.
“Where are our guns?” Brewer asked.
“Starling had them taken to a storage shed on Greenway. Number seven.”
Mark that on our to-do list. It appeared all the questions we needed were answered. The why of how he shit on his club didn’t matter. He did it. Now, he paid.
“You’re a disgrace,” I told him. “You almost killed my woman. You shit on this club. You tried to kill the members of this club. You tried to steal from us. You played us the entire time with your tech skills.” Rattling it all off only pissed me off more. “Now, you lose your patch.”
I held out my hand, and Phoenix placed his knife in it. “You’ll get the burn and the knife for this one.” Nodding to Tex, he turned Lemon so his back was facing me. Using the edge of the blade, I placed it where his ass met his back then slowly dug it into his flesh. It was seriously sharp and cut through like butter.
His blood coated my hands as I dug the knife deep within his flesh quite a few times as his body arched and flailed in pain. The ink scraped off with his flesh as he screamed, and I swore I could even hear a cry or whimper.
There was no coming back from what he’d done. Ever.
“Now we remove the rest.”
Taking a step back, I nodded to my brothers. “First things are the ink. After that, make him feel everything.”
My words were like a red flag to a bull. The Ravage MC moved as one then spread out, each getting what they wanted from the bag of toys we brought.
His blood on my hands started to dry, but I didn’t wipe it off. No, his blood was of a traitor and a symbol of it. Therefore, I kept it on my hands as I watched my brothers take out their frustrations from a man hanging to his death.
32
Rylynn
“How old are you?” Van asked, sitting next to me on the couch. This not being able to move much shit was for the birds. While I was in pain, having people wait on me was not my gig. Goldi and Van were doing it every second of the day, driving me nuts. The only saving grace was the pain meds. They knocked me out several times a day.
“Nineteen,” I responded. After everything that had happened, I’d forgotten about my birthday. It was in a few weeks. While my family always celebrated it, that was the only reason I liked it. Being with my family.
The fact they were coming soon made me happy.
“Wow. You’re Greer’s age.”
His name being said put my body on alert. We hadn’t had a chat about anything, and I didn’t know if he’d want to. Hell, I didn’t know what I’d say if we did.
“He’s thre
e years younger than me.”
“Cool,” Van said, turning to the television. Children were strange creatures. Van was like Mazie. They asked a question, got whatever point they were trying to reach, then bam—conversation over. It didn’t matter their come to Jesus was in the middle of talking. They’d stop on a dime.
“Can I get you anything?” Goldi asked, and I sighed. Not even bothering to look at the time, I grabbed my pills shaking them twice.
“Med time.”
Goldi nodded, knowing more than likely I’d pass out. It was what I needed. Time to break. Time to take a step back. Time to breathe.
It appeared the only time I could do that was when sleeping. So be it.
Popping the pills, I got comfortable on the couch as best I could and passed out. Peace.
At least for a while.
I felt as though I was flying, my body against a strong, warm body. My eyes were difficult to open, but there was no pain. These were the times I liked.
“Shh, Ry. I got ya,” Crow said.
That was when I fully relaxed. Yeah. Crow had me. Loving him more as each second ticked by.
Grateful my man was alive, holding me and loving me. He was my everything.
“You know I have crutches,” I told my man as he carried me to the dining room table and set me down on a seat.
He kissed the top of my head. “And you have me. Get over it.”
“You’re bossy.”
Crow winked. “You like it when I’m bossy.”
The sound I made wasn’t agreement or disagreement. Truth was I did, at least when it came to the bedroom.
He leaned down kissing me hard. My arms wrapped around his neck pulling him closer. We hadn’t been intimate and, according to the doctor, couldn’t. My body though, no matter the damage done to it, always craved Crow. Always would.
Crow pulled away and went to the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, “What’cha hungry for?”
“You do realize I feel like an invalid.”
He turned around and smiled that killer smile. “Pixie, shut up and let me take care of you.”
“Whatever.”
“Eggs, bacon, and toast it is,” he declared. My stomach only tolerated small amounts of food at a time. The doctor said it could be due to the pain meds. Therefore, I had to eat smaller meals.
“Morning!” Van called out, bouncing into the room like she’d won the lottery. I loved her energy and spirit. Now, if my body would heal, I could enjoy playing with her. Or making things. She loved to do that.
“Mornin’,” I said as she wrapped her arms around my neck giving me a swift hug.
Crow turned around, spatula in hand, as Van bounded up to him. “Hey, peanut.”
“What are ya makin’?” She peered around her father’s bulk.
“Food. Go knock on your brother’s door and see if he wants to eat.”
Van’s smile fell. “It’s not like he’s gonna come.”
“Go,” Crow ordered as Van did his bidding. There were so many things that could be said in that moment. Starting with Crow not getting let down when his boy didn’t show.
It had been two days since Crow had to go out leaving us with Goldi and Bear. Two days of Greer staying in his room and only coming out for food when he knew I was asleep. It was like he knew my pill schedule or something.
He needed time, and I wasn’t pushing. Greer had rights to hate me for what had happened to his mother. It didn’t mean I wanted to live my life under this cloud.
Van skipped back in going to her dad. “Can I help?” she asked him.
“Toast.”
Van’s face scrunched up. “Dad… that’s boring. I wanna make the eggs.”
“Toast,” Crow decreed, and Van, knowing her father, went to the cabinet and pulled out the toaster. She didn’t grumble or argue. That was one thing with Van. She was very intelligent. She knew when to push and when not to.
I loved that about her. Being that young and having that skill would only grow and make it mature. When she got older, she’d be beyond her years.
Father and daughter made breakfast while I returned texts and calls from my family in Sumner. Even though they were coming here tomorrow for dinner, we still chatted up a storm. That was how it was with us. No matter the distance or the fact that I talked to Austyn several times in one day, there was always something to talk about. It was never dull.
Crow and Van brought food to the table just as I got off the phone with my father, who once again laid into me for wanting to get up and do shit. The pain was killer, but with the drugs it was manageable. My father kept telling me it was the Hutton in me to keep pushing. Then he told me that if I did, he’d come and duct tape me to the couch. This I had zero doubt he’d do. Therefore, I agreed.
It didn’t mean I couldn’t give Crow shit for it though. The push and pull of life. I loved it with him.
The three of us started eating as Van chattered away about school and the drama that came with being a girl. Cattiness. Jealousy. Boys. Crow got intense on the last one, and I couldn’t blame him. They were too young for that shit.
“Mazie’s comin’, right?” Van asked as I smiled, grabbing the strawberry jelly from the center of the table.
“Yep, and she’s excited to see you.”
Van’s smile widened. “She’s the best!”
While I was in the hospital, it appeared that Van and my sister trucked up a bond which I was happy for. Mazie was a tough cookie to crack, but Van flew in with flying colors.
“She is, but so are you.”
Lifting my fork to my mouth, a feeling came from the room and I paused. Then I stared in shock as Greer came into the room and sat at the table. His head was down and shoulders bunched. While I wanted to take his pain away, there was no way to do that. Death was final. As much as I hated the woman, he loved her with everything inside of him.
It was Van who broke the awkwardness of the situation by yelling, “Greer!” Then jumping down from her chair to wrap her arms around him. It took him a beat, then he engulfed her tight in his arms. I swore I could see Greer’s eyes close from a brief moment before they opened again.
“Hey, peanut.”
She pulled away. “You want eggs?”
“You make ‘em?” he asked.
“Nope,” she responded.
“Then I’ll eat some.”
It didn’t take her a second to get him as she yelled out, “Hey! I make great eggs.”
“The shells are supposed to be in the garbage, not in the eggs.”
Her hands went to her hips. “That only happened a few times.”
“Try like every time,” he retorted. I took a moment to breathe this in, the two of them. They were bickering just like Mazie and I did. Even though it was getting a bit heated, it was all in fun. There was no malice on Greer’s face. He even gave his sister a soft smile.
The thing he did not do through breakfast was make eye contact with me.
Small steps. That was what we needed. Today, he threw out an olive branch, and I’d take it.
Now to see if he’d keep it extended for me.
33
Crow
Sitting around the table, my heart was full in a way I’d never experienced before. Loved my kids, and they were always the light of my life. But this—seeing Cruz, Princess, Cooper, Bristyl, Austyn, Ryker, Nox, Carsyn, Pops, Ma, Rhys, Tanner, Mearna and Mazie all together with Rylynn, Greer, Van and I was outstanding.
Smiles around the table were plentiful, and I soaked it all in. There for a few days, I thought Rylynn was gone and this right here wouldn’t happen. Thank Christ it did.
When Ma got in the front door, she kissed me on the cheek then pushed me out of the way. Literally, by using her hip to do so. She didn’t go to Rylynn. Instead, she went to Van.
“Ma!” Van cried out, wrapping her little arms around the woman who would now be her great-grandma. It was like they’d known each other for years. They’d talked on the phone several times, but
Ma and Pops didn’t come when Rylynn was gone. They had to stay.
I’d heard Van on the phone with her rattling off every possible thing she could think of. While I felt a bit sorry she had to listen to all of that, on the flip side, I didn’t. Better her than me to have to listen to all the girl drama for the five-hundred-sixty-seventh time.
Not to mention, talking about her mother over and over. Jenny was going through detox. Drew allowed Jenny to talk to Van briefly at different times. He said she was going through the motions and only time would tell if she stayed clean after he was done.
I hoped for the best.
Now, looking at everyone, I was overjoyed, but sadness crept in. My dad. I would have loved for him to be sitting at this table with us. Letting him know that he was my father through and through. Showing him that I’d never forget a single lesson he taught me in this life.
Having him here would make this complete.
It wasn’t the hand we were dealt.
With our money back and Lemon forever gone, this was life now. My woman, kids, and extended family.
My phone chimed in my cut. Removing my arm from around the back of Rylynn’s chair, I reached in and pulled it out.
There was one word on the screen. Done.
Not responding, I slipped it back inside my leather as Rylynn reached over and put her hand on my knee. When I looked down at her, concern was all over her face. She worried about me. I loved her for that too. “It’s good.”
Only then did she smile.
The good part was Ebony breathed her last breath according to Phoenix. There wasn’t anything more the woman could give us, and I’d rather be home with my woman than deal with that bitch.
Therefore, I put Phoenix in charge of it. The only stipulation was to get Ebony to sign over Purple Pride and all of her assets to the Ravage MC. It was a predated will so we shouldn’t have much trouble with the courts claiming all her property.