by Rae B. Lake
I wonder what it looked like to him.
“Ah, Marcel,” I sighed as I grabbed him roughly by the hair “You’re not talking to me. I guess you are going to make me see for myself.”
“I don’t know anything. I swear it. I don’t know anything, I was just supposed to come and find you …” his voice tapered off, and I could feel Marcel start to hyperventilate as he felt the burning slice of the scalpel against his forehead.
He screamed and tried to move, but the vice kept him securely in place. I whistled a happy tune as I slowly and perfectly sliced around his forehead. He screamed louder as the blood started streaming down his face in sheets from the thin slice.
“You fucking animal! You piece of shit, stop! Fucking stop, Nico!” He roared from the seat between his sobs. I pulled the scalpel away from his forehead, and he settled for a second.
I turned and picked the hatchet up off the table, and with all the momentum my massive upper body could give, I brought the sharp weapon down on his wrist, right below the tourniquet.
He gasped a few times as he watched his hand fall away from his arm and roll on the floor in front of him before the screaming started again. His arm didn’t bleed much, the wire twine doing its job of stopping the blood flow.
I took two large steps and crouched down in front of him menacingly as he sat there, his midsection twisting and shifting to get closer to his arm. “I’m a fucking animal? You created me!” I hissed at the man.
His eyes focused directly on mine. “Please, please stop.”
I got up and went back behind him. The scalpel on the same slice I’d started before. It was a delicate process, and if you moved too fast, there would be too much trauma, and he could bleed out. I whistled while I cut.
“They kept talking about some big shipment. Lou said that we need to get you ourselves while Ruby and Harrington went to make the transaction. I don’t know what’s in the shipment.”
Faster than he could stop talking, I had the hatchet up and was bringing it down on his elbow again right below the tourniquet. He screeched high and loud, his nub of an arm now swinging free as the parts tied down were, no longer attached to his body. He lifted it to his face and threw up all over his lap as he cried and begged for mercy.
“I think that was a fib. I told you there would be penalties.” My voice stayed pleasant and calm through his hysterics.
He passed out, and I immediately had the smelling salts under his nose. He woke up, whimpering and pissing his pants. “Marcel, you don’t want to miss out on the rest of the party, do you? If I’m not mistaken, you were telling me a story. Please continue.”
I put the scalpel back on the cut line; by now, I had made my way behind his ear. More than one fourth done.
“It’s…it’s art, high-end stuff. Jewels and bullion. Niche market st…stuff.” He stuttered. His body was shaking with adrenaline as the blood continued to pour down his face.
The head has a lot of small veins and capillaries, even though you won’t bleed out fast, it was still a possibility in the long run. “I’m too anxious to wait any longer.” I made an extended sweeping cut at the back of his head so he would feel I was moving faster.
“Fuck!” He screamed in agony and again tried to buck out of the chair, his half an arm swinging wildly, just slinging blood back and forth. “Help! Please, someone, help me! Help!”
I swung the hatchet down again, bye-bye hand.
“Don’t insult me by thinking I would let anyone help you.”
He wailed a pitiful sound.
I went back to my scalpel.
“Florida, it’ll be in Florida. They’re supposed to meet there on Friday, and Ruby said you two have to be there. New decorations. Bloody floor.” He was fading in and out of consciousness.
Smelling salt.
His eyes popped back open, and I was still slicing.
“Vale, Juan sent as a favor for Ruby. He knows you. Find you easier. Twenty or thirty. At exchange. Stall brawl. Need you by Friday. Lou. Kill family. Left me.”
Time was up. I connected the slice to the starting point and stood in front of him, his blood coating my hands and shirt. I had all the information I needed, though.
Marcel looked at me, barely. His eyes were rolling around. “I was sure you’d tell me everything, but it seems like you left some things out.”
He blinked a few times furiously, his half arm coming in my direction as he tried to shake his head no. It was too late for him. I grabbed him by the hair and with all the strength I had, ripped his scalp clear off his head. Once you got past the skin, the scalp was only really held on by some thin capillaries and connective tissue. Very delicate indeed.
“Oh, fuck.” I heard Wire say behind me.
“Hmm, you know,” I leaned over his head for a second, “Your thoughts aren’t nearly as exciting as I thought they’d be, how about a little art?”
I quickly moved to the utility chest and picked up some gripping tongs. I picked up the molten aluminum and walked back to the dying man. “Let’s see if we can make you beautiful, save me a spot in hell Marcel.” I slowly poured the boiling metal over his bare skull. His bloodcurdling scream gurgling as the lava-like liquid slid into his mouth, and then there was nothing. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and his chest stopped moving.
I sighed and watched silently for a second as the aluminum began to harden. Marcel could be a sculpture.
Steps were moving behind me, and the door swung open. Wire left.
“Church!” He yelled.
He sounded a bit rattled.
I turned the propane off. I picked Marcel’s stiff forearm off the floor and placed it neatly on his lap.
I followed him out; everyone stood back and looked at me. Fear and shock on all their faces.
Was it something I did?
Chapter 23
I walked into the room, finding a spot at the back of the room, while every patched member there sat either avoiding looking at me or staring at me until Wire called church to order.
“We have information, though I can’t say I understood all of it. Ink, I sure as fuck hope you know how to decipher what that fuck said.”
“Yeah, there’s a big deal going down at one of the piers in Florida. It will be at Port Fernandina, which is in Nassau. It’s the only one they use. If Ruby and Harrington are setting up a stall brawl, they will be at their complex the day after. He also said that Juan, one of the Vilanuevas brothers, sent Vale to look for me. That means your family isn’t safe if we go. They have to come with us as he knows where your hideouts are, and he can get to them there.”
Ryder huffed and moved forward in the chair. “You really think Vale would do some shit like that?”
“Without shedding a tear,” I replied quickly.
“The Giles family has reach everywhere, and she is particularly angry with this club, so she isn’t just going to let me go. She thinks I’m her property and will keep coming and sending people to get me until I’m back with her. Angel was always expendable, just a leash for me. She can find other leashes.”
“Wait. What the fuck did we do to piss her the fuck off so bad? I have never even heard of this woman before you were taken.” Clean asked the man was always hungry for information.
“Wire killed her brother years ago,” I said plainly, the woman spoke about her brother here and there. She didn’t seem that attached to him. It was more the principle since he was her blood; she had to get revenge.
“Who in the hell was her brother?” Wire leaned forward.
“Monte.” His head dropped forward, “She said something about Tears of Chaos, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that club.”
“Ha!” Clean laughed loudly, “That fuck was her brother? Yeah. Actually, if I’m not mistaken, Archer was the one who took him out, but yeah, we killed him. The prick deserved to die.”
“Either way, that is her damage.” I looked around the room, these men didn’t have to do anything to Ruby and Harringt
on, they could just let me get retaken, and they could go back to their lives as they knew it. It could be that simple. “I know this is a big ask, but we need to cut the head off the snake. The Giles’ have a lot of power, but they are the be all end all. If we get them, the rest of them will fall.”
“You are a brother, and we protect our family.” Wire said as he sat back into his seat at the head of the table. “You say they need to go; then they need to fucking go. Get your shit together, boys, because we’re going on a long fucking ride.”
There were some hoots and excitement. It was playtime for us.
“What about home? Are we leaving people behind?”
Ryder shook his head, looking at Wire, “I wouldn’t suggest it, Vale knows all the in’s and out’s of this clubhouse. The trailers, even some of our ol’ ladies' houses. We’re going to need all we have when we go down there. Leaving them here would probably just open us up for compromise.”
Wire nodded slowly, “You’re right. Prez, what you think? I don’t know how solid we are going to be with our family sitting out here in harm's way while we’re out of state.”
Prez rubbed his face for a second, trying to think of a way to make this work. Wire was a great president and leader. One of his best aspects was the fact he wasn’t too full of himself to ask for help. Where Prez was a dictator, and we were his servants, Wire was a king, and we were his court of misfits.
“Archer.” Prez said, looking over to Wire, “He has a whole fucking compound down in New Orleans with patched brothers, most of them ex-military. They would be safe there. Archer would come with us, but the rest would be able to protect our people.”
Wire nodded his head again, “I like it. It sounds like we got a fucking plan.”
“Let’s get it.” I went to move to the doors, and others started moving around as well. There was a lot of shit to do by Friday, and it was already fucking Monday.
“Hold!” Wire voice boomed out over the bustle, “Church is still in fucking session.”
Everyone turned and went back to their original positions; no one left until Wire gave the word. “We have more business to discuss.”
He looked around the table at his higher-ups, “I’m bringing a title change up for a vote. Clean, you still got a proxy vote for Archer, right?”
“Yup, my decision is his decision,” Clean said, sitting upright in his chair.
“You all saw or heard what went on in the sanctuary tonight. I was getting nowhere with that bastard, and Ink came in and brought a new fucking level of insane.” He looked up at me pointedly for a second before looking back to those at the table, “Sometimes shit needs to be done that most can’t do. I have been this club’s pain manager for years, and maybe it’s time for some new blood to take the spot. That is if he wants it and if we get a majority vote.” Wire sat back and crossed his hands behind his head, “I’m tired to listening to grown men scream anyway.” He smirked in my direction.
I couldn’t fucking believe it. He was putting me up for a promotion; Wire wanted me to be the club's pain manager, the Enforcer. Once Wire had taken the seat as President, his old seat was left open. He had been wearing both hats for a long time. It was a damn shame my years of being on the wrong end of a cruel bitch was how I learned the skill set that would make me perfect for the new role. It was the truth, though; I was a fucking perfect choice.
Prez looked over at me from where he was sitting, “Where’s your head, kid? I see you got the talent, but it won’t mean shit to us if you crack.”
“I’m good.” I looked around. Once I was out of that room, what I’d just done was gone from my mind. I wanted to go wash his blood off, but I wouldn’t spare one fucking tear for Marcel. He deserved every fucking thing I did to him and then some. “Just another day.”
“Yup, that motherfucker is crazy as fuck,” Ripper said from beside me, a slight smile on his face. Jokes.
Wire examined my face, maybe to see if I was bullshitting about being okay. I stood there, more excited than anything, imagine the punishments I could dole out on all those fucks who would pass through my cave. Oh, the possibilities.
“Fuck it. I vote yea.” Wire’s rich voice echoed through the air. Followed by an almost instantaneous eruption of ‘yea’s’ from everyone around the table. “So it’s set, Ink, you earned this.” He pulled out his old tags from his wallet and slid them over to me. I grabbed them quickly and put my hand out to give him a pound. I was so damn happy. He leaned back and looked at me strangely.
“Maybe you want to wash the brain off your hands first?” He indicated my outstretched hands. I was still covered in blood.
“Oh shit, my bad.” I backed up a small smirk on my face.
“We done, get your shit together we are moving out tomorrow.” Wire got up and made his way to the door. I put the tags in my pocket.
Friday, I would be free.
Chapter 24
We would be starting on the road tomorrow, and I didn’t want to leave Jazmine without her knowing what was going on. Just in case something unexpected went down, I didn’t want her to worry. I knew she would.
I parked my bike and walked up to the door, but when I went to knock, it pushed open.
Fuck. What the fuck.
I stepped in and could hear talking.
“I said I don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no one else that lives here; it’s just me. There’s nothing else for me to tell you.”
“Bullshit!”
My hands curled into fists at my sides, and I took larger strides toward that voice. A voice I recognized, Lou’s voice.
“It’s okay. He’s probably already gotten rid of the girl, and you’ll be a nice addition to our parties. I think I should try you out first and make sure our clients will like you.” His slimy words infuriating me even more as I slowly made my way to him. I peeked around the corner and could see he had Jazmine tied up to a chair and was hovering over her. His back to me, I stepped out a little so she could see me. Her eyes sweeping over me, but her expression never changing as Jazmine tried to convince my former captor she didn’t know who I was. She wasn’t crying, she wasn’t panicked, as if the girl had practice being tied up and questioned by a madman before. I’d have to find out. I walked behind him as softly as I could, doing my very best to make no sound. I could see the gleaming metal of the gun in his hand, and I didn’t want Lou to hear me. He could kill her before I ever got a chance to disarm him.
He reached out to grab her, but she leaned back from his grasp, “Don’t you put your perverted hands on me, asshole, I swear you will regret it.”
“Oh, you're a feisty bitch? I like that. I’ll fuck that right out of you.” He pulled his hand back and slapped her hard across the face.
I roared, no longer caring about the element of surprise, he’d laid a hand on her. He quickly turned, bringing around the arm holding the gun. I kicked the weapon out of his grip, watching it land out of reach.
He tried to rush me. His arms wrapped around my midsection, but he wasn’t strong enough to push me back. I lifted my leg and kneed him hard in the face. I grabbed him by his head and slammed the crown of it into the wall. He was unconscious almost immediately. I could have killed him right there, but I had other plans for the man who was almost as cruel as Ruby Giles, the man who fished for a shark using me as bait. Yes, I wanted his death to last a lot longer.
I rushed over to Jazmine, who was still sitting on the chair, her face red from the slap. “Jazmine, fuck, are you okay? Did he hurt you?” I asked as I quickly tried to untie the ropes he’d used to keep her down.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry this was my fault.” She berated herself as she rubbed her newly freed wrists.
I helped her out of the chair and brought her face up to mine so I could examine the bruise, “How do you figure that, all this is my mess.”
“I heard someone here, and I thought it was you, so I called out your name. That’s when he realized I knew you and was demanding I tell h
im where you were. I didn’t say anything, though. I would never snitch.”
She was afraid I would think she ratted me out. I knew better.
“I know, babe. I know.”
I had originally come over to say goodbye to her and tell her I would be out of town for a little while. But now I knew for sure she was being targeted as well; there was no way I could do that. She had to come with me. “Jazmine, I need you to pack a bag. Just the necessities, we have to get out of town for a couple of days. I can’t leave you here, and something were to happen because I wasn’t here when I needed to be...” I shook my head at the vision of what could have happened to her today if I’d come just a few minutes later. I didn’t want to think about it, but I couldn’t give that a chance to happen again.
“What about him?” She tilted her chin in the direction of Lou, who was still passed out on her floor.
“I’m going to take care of him. I will get one of the prospects to come and take you back to the compound. We’re going to be leaving early tomorrow.”
She nodded and turned to the closet. She pulled out a duffel bag that was already full, dropping it at my feet. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I looked at the bag and then back at her. How the hell did she know I was going to ask her to get this together?
“Had a drug boss for a father, remember? I have bug out bags everywhere.” She put her head down and sat on her couch. “You think we’ll be gone long? Should I go to the shop and shutter everything up?”
“We should be back in a few days, but I think you should go on ahead. One of the prospects will pick you up from there.” I walked over to her house phone so that I could call Clean or Devin.
“Seriously, you need a phone.” Jazmine chuckled as she opened her bug out bag and pulled out one of her throw away phones and handed it to me.
I made the arrangements, and within minutes, Jazmine was on her way to the shop, and Devin was on the way to pick her up. Lou, on the other hand, was still very much unconscious. I’d heard somewhere the longer a person stays knocked out, the more brain damage. I wouldn’t want him to have that, time to wake him up.
