by Atlas, Lilly
“I have to finish!” he yelled again. “She’s possessed. The devil lives in her. I can get him out.” He spoke so fast, the words ran together, difficult to understand. He also used his hands, waving the knife about with clumsy, reckless movements.
Jazz stayed silent, her body visibly trembling in the corner. Her face was covered in blood that ran from a wound near her hairline. Any other injuries were impossible to catalogue.
Paul turned toward Jazz, leading with the knife. “Just a few more,” he muttered.
Screw didn’t think, he just reacted, sprinting forward with one goal in mind.
Killing Paul.
Paul spun back around with a spine-chilling war-cry. He lifted his knife wielding arm, poised to throw, but it didn’t slow Screw. He barreled onward with a loud battle cry of his own.
The sound of his name being screamed registered somewhere in the back of his mind, but the thunder of blood in his ears and rage in his heart dulled it to a muffled roar. Paul’s arm advanced forward, the knife a fraction of a second from soaring through the air.
The loud crack of a gun reverberated through the room. One beat later, the knife tumbled from Paul’s hand. Jazz screamed. The knife landed on the laminate floor with a clatter. Screw skidded to a stop in time to see the man’s eyes dim as he crashed down beside his knife.
Screw whirled around.
Gumby stood off to the side, chest heaving as he lowered his gun. For one flash, his eyes appeared as feral as Paul’s, but then he focused on Jazz and sanity returned.
Screw collapsed to his knees beside her. “Jazzy?” They needed to assess her physical injuries, but she threw herself into his arms with a choked cry. Her naked skin was so cold, it made him jump.
Gumby knelt beside them, wrapping his long arms around the two of them.
Jazz sobbed loudly.
“We got you, baby. You’re safe. We got you,” Screw whispered in her ear though the words were as much for him and Gumby as for Jazz.
Gumby kissed the top of Jazz’s head, then Screw’s, lingering for long seconds as he held them.
Jazz struggled to sit back. Fuck, she was covered in blood, and now Screw was too. “V-viper,” she said, body shivering violently.
Screw exchanged a look with Gumby. They needed to get her to a hospital. “I know, baby. I know.”
“He c-covered me,” she sobbed, tears mixing with the blood and causing trails of pink to run down her cheeks. “He held me under him. I tried so hard to get out. I didn’t want him to do that. Why did he do that?” She grabbed the front of Screw’s shirt, giving a him a weak shake. She barely seemed to realize she was topless, freezing, and a bloody mess.
“Oh, baby,” Screw said as his throat thickened. “He did it because he loved you. So much. And he knew we needed you. Gumby and I.”
“We do, Jazz,” Gumby said. “We need you so much. He saved you for us.”
Her bloodshot eyes widened, and she choked out another sob as her body hitched. “You do?”
“Christ, yes, Jazz,” Gumby said.
Screw wanted to interrupt. To tell her how much he loved her, but he gave Gumby this first moment to confess his feelings for her. For them.
“It’s so much more than need, Jazzy.” He cupped her face, blood be damned. “I love you. So goddamned much. I love you and I love Screw. When we thought we lost you today…”
She gasped, tears still falling. “God, Gumby, I love you too.”
Her gaze shifted to Screw, wary and unsure and that nearly killed him. He’d spend every day for the rest of his life making sure these two people had full faith in his love for them. They’d never doubt it, never doubt him again. He wouldn’t give them cause.
He winked. “You don’t think I’d let you two be in love without me, did you? Come on, the bed would be way too empty.” He pulled Jazz onto his lap. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear. Then his gaze met Gumby’s. “I love that man over there too. No way in hell are either of you getting rid of me now.”
Jazz let out a half laugh half sob. “I love you, Luke.”
He smiled. “Of course, you do. Who wouldn’t?” He kissed the top of her head. “Now can we please get you some medical attention.” He shrugged out of his jacket, wrapping it around Jazz’s uncovered shoulders.
“Yes,” Jazz said. “Just, can you two please stay with me? I was terrified I’d never see you again and I’m not ready to be out of your sight.”
“Just watch them try to make us leave,” Gumby said with a small smile.
Screw let Gumby gather Jazz in his arms and carry her out of the house. His brothers had left the house, giving the three of them a few moments. None of them were overly worried about cops showing up. The house sat far up the mountain and hunting in the area was typical. A single crack of a gun wouldn’t be questioned.
He rose to his feet then turned. Paul’s corpse lay crumpled in a heap on the ground. Rocket and LJ reentered the house.
“You okay, brother?” LJ asked.
He took one more look at the body of the man who’d terrorized his woman for so long.
One animal down. One more to go.
Fuck yeah. “I’m good.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
JAZZ’S HAND TREMBLED as she knocked on Cassie’s door for the second time that week.
This time, however, everything had changed.
Life no longer made sense.
On the one hand, she had everything she wanted. Everything she’d thought she’d lost. Gumby and Screw loved her. Their future, though they still had some challenges to overcome, looked bright and shiny. Full of love, pleasure, and opportunity. A huge part of her heart felt full to bursting.
But then there was this hole. This gaping emptiness created by the loss of Viper’s life.
And the guilt. God, the guilt nearly crushed her with its immense weight. The man had thrown his body on top of her, shielding her from the worst of the blast, and lost his life for it. How could she not feel responsible?
“Jazz!” Shell opened the door and immediately pulled her into a gentle hug. “God, honey, I’m so glad to see you. Come in, come in.” Shell ushered her through the door. Her eyes were bloodshot and there was a sluggishness to her movements, as though she hadn’t slept well because she’d spent the night crying.
Jazz fully understood.
“Cassie is letting Beth help pick out her clothes. Who knows what she’ll come out wearing.” She chuckled, but it was forced, like she felt obligated to be a light presence in the house.
Moving a bit like a robot, Jazz followed Shell into Cassie’s living room. They sat next to each other on the beige microfiber couch.
Jazz blew out a breath. Viper’s presence was everywhere in the house. From the Harley prints on the wall, to the shelf full of model motorcycles he’d assembled through the years. Then there was the framed photo, taken a good few years ago, of Viper, Copper, Zach, and Jigsaw. Each man had a more youthful appearance. Especially Viper. But what made her heart weep were the smiles. The happiness and ignorance to what would befall the beloved vice president.
God, she couldn’t do this. Couldn’t face Cassie. What if the woman hated her? What if she ordered Jazz out of her house? It might very well happen.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Shell asked in a soft tone.
“What?” Jazz pulled her focus from the photo. “Oh, I’m fine.”
Shell gave her a sweet, empathetic smile. “Not so sure I’d say you’re fine just yet.” She ran a light finger over the bandage on Jazz’s head.
The six-inch gash she’d received at some point during the explosion had required thirty-seven stitches to close. Another twenty closed up the sternum wound. Then there was the warming blankets and heated saline for mild hypothermia. And a visit from a psychologist. The bumps, bruises, and smaller cuts were fixed with a few butterfly bandages and round the clock Motrin. She’d spent seven hours in the hospital before the doctors released her to Screw and Gumby’s care.
Then they’d taken her home and held her as she sobbed over Viper’s death. Eventually, she’d cried herself to sleep. Even then, her men held her tight all through the night. And when she’d woken soaked in sweat with a screaming nightmare? They kissed her, rubbed her back, whispered words of love, and soothed her back to unconsciousness.
She didn’t want to talk about herself or her injuries. They were nothing compared to Viper’s death and focusing on them only compounded the guilt.
“So, uh, what’s the plan for the diner? Have you talked to Toni?” She couldn’t continue to talk about Cassie right then.
Shell pursed her lips, hesitating as though she wasn’t going to allow Jazz to change the subject. But then she tucked a loose curl behind her ear, and said, “Well, the dining area is completely destroyed, but the kitchen was surprisingly spared. Very minimal damage. Rocket’s crew is going to get started on renovations early in the week, once their supplies come in. He’s estimating a few weeks of work. So, we’ll be closed down for about a month.”
They all fell quiet, each lost in their heads until Cassie emerged from the hallway hand in hand with Beth.
“Jazmine,” she said with a hitch in her voice.
Shooting to her feet, Jazz wanted nothing more than to run into the woman’s arms, but her feet remained rooted to the spot. She’d gotten Cassie’s husband killed. The only reason she was standing there was because Cassie’s husband was dead.
God, she shouldn’t have come.
“We’ll give you a few minutes alone,” Shell said as she stood and made her way to her daughter. “Come on, Beth. Let’s get started on those cookies we were going to make.”
“Okay,” Beth answered, all smiles.
“We haven’t told her anything yet,” Shell whispered as she passed Jazz.
All Jazz could do was nod as she stared into the red rimmed eyes of Cassie. Clearly the woman had spent much of the last day crying.
“I want to hug you, but I’m afraid to hurt you,” Cassie said as she approached Jazz slowly, as one might approach a wounded animal. She wore a simple pair of light blue pajamas and her long gray hair hung past her shoulders. “Sweetheart,” she said on an exhale, “God, I’m so glad you are alive and well enough to visit me today.”
“What?” Jazz said, the choked sound coming out as more of a sob than a word. “H-how can you stand the sight of me?”
Shit, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t lose it. Vowed she’d stay strong for Cassie’s sake, but one sentence and she was seconds from coming undone.
“Oh, sweetie.” Cassie gathered Jazz in a gentle hug, her thin arms holding tight but not squeezing.
The tender embrace broke the dam and Jazz’s emotions sprung from her eyes in a torrent of scalding hot tears. “I’m sorry,” she said as she wept against Cassie’s shoulder. “He shouldn’t have done it. Why did he do it, Cassie. Why?” Her body quaked with the force of her hysteria, making Cassie shake as well.
“Shhh,” Cassie said, rocking her back and forth. “Sit, honey, before you fall down.”
The woman’s husband had just died in a horrific manor and there Cassie was comforting Jazz. “I’m sorry. I’m being so selfish,” she said as she lowered to the couch.
“You’re being no such thing.” Cassie also had tears rolling down her face, but she gave Jazz a tight smile. “I’m going to tell you a few things and I want you to really listen and hear me. Okay?”
Jazz sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand as she nodded. She looked straight into Cassie’s somber eyes.
“He did it because that’s who he was, Jazmine. It’s just that simple. The man has always been a goddammed hero.” She let out a watery chuckle. “He was mine. And now he’s yours too. And he’ll always be remembered as a hero. He loved you. He loved his club. And he protected what he loved at all costs.” Her voice hitched, but she seemed to be holding it together better than Jazz was.
“He loved you most of all,” Jazz said as her heart ached.
“Oh, sweetheart, I know.” This time, Cassie’s smile held a bit of happiness. “There isn’t a doubt in my mind how he felt about me. I had many, many wonderful years with that man and not a single day went by where I wondered if his love for me had faded.”
Of course Cassie was grieving, devastated, but seeing that she hadn’t been destroyed helped bolster Jazz. Part of her had worried she’d walk in the house to find Cassie near comatose in bed. “You’re so strong,” she whispered.
“As are you.”
Jazz shook her head. “I’m not. Maybe if I had been, I could have done something.
Gotten away from Paul and saved Viper somehow. I might have been able to do…something. I should have seen the evil in Jeremy earlier. Or if I hadn’t found those damn guns…” She shrugged helplessly.
“Okay, honey, this stops right here and right now.” Cassie’s tears slowed as her face hardened. “You are not responsible for a single thing that happened yesterday. It was a product of a complex hatred between two clubs. Honey, you can’t take it on. You need to let it go. For me. For Viper. Do not waste the life he saved by feeling guilt, regret, and punishing yourself, you hear me?”
Every word squeezed her bruised heart tighter. “Damn, Cassie, you fight dirty,” she said around a sniff. “But I hear you. And I promise you I will live every day of my life to the fullest. Viper’s sacrifice will not be in vain.”
“Oh, honey, I know that. And so did he. You know, after I started chemotherapy and was feeling so awful, we had many long, deep conversations about our lives, our wishes, our hopes, and our plans should one of us end up alone. Every time he left the house for the past three weeks, he hugged me, kissed the hell out of me, and said, ‘I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I’ll love you tomorrow whether you’re here with me or waiting on me among the stars.’” She winked. “Bet you didn’t know he was such a romantic at heart.”
“God, Cassie…” Jazz had cried so many tears over the last day, there shouldn’t have been any left, but still, they poured down her face unchecked. “That is incredible.”
Cassie ran a trembling hand through her silvery hair. “I repeated the words back to him. We, more than most, were aware that life is fragile and can end at any moment. We’ve lived in this world a long time and we knew it often comes with loss.”
Jazz squeezed Cassie’s hand as she nodded. The lump in her throat made it impossible to speak.
“I don’t blame you. I don’t blame the club. I don’t blame anyone but the man who threw that bomb. I had so many wonderful years with Viper. So many moments and memories I will cherish for the rest of my days.”
Jazz leaned in and hugged Cassie. “I love you, Mama V.”
“Oh, sweetie, I love you too. You’re one of my chicks.” She sniffed and kissed Jazz’s temple. “It will take some time,” Cassie whispered. “But I will be okay. I’ve lost Viper, but his love is still here with me and that I cannot lose.”
Jazz tightened her arms. Pain shot through the wound in her chest, but she ignored it.
“Live your life honey. Love those two men. Make every day count.”
“I will. I’ll make you proud. I’ll make Viper proud.”
Cassie huffed next to her ear. “Oh, sweetie, you already have.”
She stayed a bit longer, reminiscing with Cassie and Shell. They shared stories of Viper. He’d been like a father to Shell, so she felt the loss with an extra sharp pang. But like Cassie, she was a strong woman, and she’d come out on the other side even stronger.
Eventually it was time to leave. Monty drove her to the clubhouse where she’d wait for her men to finish their task. The club had Jeremy down in the box. He wouldn’t be walking out, and while Jazz
would never consider herself a violent or vengeful person, she couldn’t find it in her to care. After what he did, Jeremy deserved what was coming to him.
As vicious as it was bound to be.
“I CAN DO this all day,” Screw said before slamming his fist into Jeremy’s jaw.
Again.
The beaten man’s head whipped to the side on impact, blood spraying from his mouth.
“Did the Chrome Disciples authorize the attack on the diner that nearly killed my woman and did kill a member of my family?”
Jeremy groaned, his head falling forward. A line of blood tinged drool hung from his lower lip. Screw grabbed a handful of his hair, jerking his head up. “Hey,” he said giving a couple of firm taps to Jeremy’s cheek with his palm. “It’s not fucking nap time.”
Jeremy spoke, the words slurred and unintelligible from his swollen mouth.
“What was that? Speak up, don’t think the kids at the back of the class heard you.” He turned Jeremy’s head so the bastard had Copper and Zach in his line of sight. Though he might not be seeing too well with those puffed up eyes.
Copper and Zach stood side by side, their backs resting against the wall and arms crossed in almost a twin stance. Only difference was Zach’s smirk was visible while Copper’s hid beneath his beard.
“No one was supposed to be there,” Jeremy said. “It was after closing.”
“Ohhhhh,” Screw said. He dropped Jeremy’s head and paced away, throwing his arms up in the air. “Well, shit, guys. He didn’t think anyone was there. He never planned to murder Viper and injure Jazz. He just wanted to destroy our fucking property. Well, this changes everything.”
From the wall opposite Copper and Zach, Gumby snickered. Screw shot him a wink. He’d been floored when Copper invited his lover into the box. Had Gumby been Jazz’s boyfriend and not his, Copper never would have allowed it. He’d done it as a favor to Screw. One which he was extremely grateful for. Not only because Gumby deserved this justice too, but his presence settled Screw.
