Reaper reverted to English, “You know what Mutt liked to do? Fuck. So I’m gonna fuck you up, just for him.”
He stabbed the man in the groin, ripping out an unearthly scream from Boris. But Reaper didn’t stop there. He continued stabbing the Russian, seemingly losing control. He was using Boris like a pin cushion, blood spurting everywhere. Sierra turned and threw up, while I looked away, feeling sick to my stomach, what Reaper was doing...
My eyes fell on Phelia. Her face had gone ghost white, while even Jonah looked sickened.
“No one hurts my family and gets to live!” Reaper spat on Boris’s dying body. “Blood for blood, the way Mutt would’ve wanted it.”
“Wait a mo,” I said. “I thought this wuz ’bout your brother Nate?”
Reaper turned to me. Blood was splattered across his tattooed face, hands, and clothes, the man a gruesome picture of vengeance.
“Nate is Mutt’s real name,” he replied, his face twisting with sorrow. “He was my half-brother.”
I blinked, definitely not expecting to hear that. “But your father said they tortured your brother, while I heard Mutt wuz shot.”
Reaper wiped his cheek with the back of his gloved hand, smearing Boris’s blood over his tattooed flesh. “Dear Da lied to get you fuckers off my family’s backs. He knew you lot wouldn’t have given a shit about Mutt’s death since he was DC—”
“He tried to kill my son! Of course we wouldn’t have given a shit!”
“My brother was a gun, nothing more. Just following our prez’s order.” His eyes moved to Jonah. His prez sat up straighter, the dumb cunt’s expression turning hopeful.
Reaper walked over to him, his sneer wiping the hope off Jonah’s face. “I warned you the little bitch could be lying, fucking told you not to attack the Skins on her word alone. But you sent me on a wild goose chase while you fucked up the Skins, raining all hell upon our club. All but you, me, and Liam are dead. Because of you!” He yanked out Jonah’s gag.
Jonah threw a glare at me. “No, because of the Skins, and I didn’t send you on a wild goose chase.” His hard stare returned to Reaper. “If I didn’t make you shadow your woman, you wouldn’t have found out she was a cop. So, did’ja finally kill the bitch like I told you to?”
Reaper’s jaw clenched. “I’ve decided to keep her. For my pleasure.”
“Are you mad? She’s a fuckin’ cop. You can’t sleep with the enemy. She needs to die.”
“She’s not the one who needs to die! You destroyed our club, got all our men killed due to your incompetence.” Reaper lifted the bloodied knife to Jonah’s face.
The DC president didn’t even flinch. He was a hard bastard, his muscular arms and fat gut making him look like a bodybuilder with a serious addiction to McDonald’s.
“Reaper, you’ve known me for years,” he said. “You can’t take this trash’s word over mine.” Jonah indicated to me with his head. “His kid almost got us killed, while his best mate’s son murdered mine!”
“Didn’t you hear me? Phelia lied to you. She fucking admitted it to the cops. I checked it out, verified it through my woman. The little bitch did it to get Hemi’s kid off her back, wanted him dead and for you to let her and her mother go.”
Jonah shook his head, though worry was creeping into his expression.
“Ask her!” Reaper yelled.
Jonah turned his hard gaze on Phelia. She flinched away, looking terrified. A stench of urine wafted over, the girl literally pissing herself.
“Did the Rakete boy kill my son or not?” Jonah growled.
She started sobbing.
“Did you lie to me?!”
She nodded, the movement slight, but noticeable.
“You bitch! I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you!” he hollered, struggling with his binds.
“No, you promised I could skin her,” Reaper said, his stone-cold gaze landing on Phelia.
She screamed against her gag, going nuts, trying to get free. Her chair tipped over, knocking her to the floor.
Jonah struggled against his binds too. “She’s mine to kill! She ruined the club!”
“No, you ruined it!” Reaper roared, his spit spraying Jonah’s face. “My brother died ’cause you sent him up to kill an innocent kid. Our club’s destroyed ’cause you can’t lead for fucking shit!”
Jonah went still, his breathing loud.
Reaper continued, “But I won’t kill you, because you’re still my president.” He lowered himself to the floor. With the knife, he loosened the rope around Jonah’s ankles, pulling it free without hacking at it. He got up and did the same to the rope securing Jonah’s wrists.
Jonah instantly rose up, his face relieved.
Reaper looked over at me and nodded. I pulled out the spare gun for Jonah to take. Jonah looked confused.
I extended it further. “There’s a condition for your freedom, and it’s to kill this woman,” I said, indicating to Sierra. “Both myself and Reaper have family who Craven will kill in retribution for her death. You don’t. Kill her and no Skin, Mercenary, or Skull will ever come after you again.” I raised the other gun at him, making him jerk back. “Insurance. Just in case you get any ideas ’bout shooting me.” I took a step closer to him.
He moved forward slowly and took it from me, then looked down at Sierra. She started babbling, pleading for her life. He didn’t hesitate, planting a bullet between her eyes. Blood splattered over her white hair, painting a picture I’d been aching to see. Originally, I’d planned on making her suffer, but had decided that telling her about her best friend’s murder was enough punishment, the pain in her eyes when I’d mentioned killing Camie doing the job.
Jonah smiled. The expression left his face as Reaper whipped the gun out of his hand and knocked him to the floor. He went to get up, but Reaper kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him out. He then went to the mutilated Russian and placed the gun in his hand. He lifted it, shooting Jonah in the head without even blinking, the DC prez now with his son and ex-wife.
“Why bother pretending that Boris shot Jonah?” I asked, not understanding what he was up to.
Reaper left the gun in the Russian’s hand and rose up, his cold eyes moving to me. “Craven will take one look at that shit—” He spat on Boris, “—and know I’ve been here. Have Jonah kill the woman, Boris kill Jonah, and me take vengeance against the death of my prez, something Craven should understand.” He glanced at the other guard. “Guess he’ll think I killed him too, since you used the other gun.”
“Ha! You noticed that?”
“I notice everything.” He glared down at Boris. “Though I shouldn’t have killed the Russian here. I lost my shit. I grew up with Mutt, he—” His voice broke. He turned his head away for a second, not finishing what he was going to say. His blue eyes weren’t so cold now, unshed tears making them shine.
I nodded, understanding how he was feeling. Mutt was his Hemi. “Still, you should find a new place for your family. Craven could use them against you.”
“They’re already on their way to Ireland.”
I nodded, the man not stupid like his dead prez.
He raised a blond eyebrow at me, giving me a twisted smile. Though his eyes told another story. He was hurting. “Looks like I’m a dirty Skin now,” he said.
I sneered at him. “Fuck off!”
He snorted out a laugh, then looked over at Phelia, who was still lying on the floor, sobbing. “You want me to take care of that one? I promised her a skinning.”
I shook my head. “I hafta bring her back for Hemi’s son, the boy you’re not to go near again. Understood?”
Reaper nodded at me. “I have no beef with the kid, nor yours. This is it, Tane. As long as your crew stay away from me and my own, I’ll stay away from you and your lot. The war is over. I give you the word of a brother.”
“What do you mean by that? Cos you ain’t no brother of mine.”
“You were in the army, therefore you’re a brother, just one I don’t want
to see again.”
He backed up, giving me a salute, then disappeared out the door, leaving dead bodies in his wake.
I turned to Phelia, bobbing down in front of her. She started screaming into her gag and thrashing about. I waited, not doing a thing. She eventually wore herself out, her screams turning into sobs. For a moment I felt sorry for her. She was just a kid. But she must have known what would’ve happened when she’d told Jonah that Jasper had killed his son and ex-wife. Yeah, she might not have known it would lead to the Devil’s Crew attacking the Skins, killing a number of my brothers, Hemi one of many, but she had to have known a hit would’ve been placed on Jasper’s head.
“You have nuthin’ to be afraid of from me,” I said.
She stopped sobbing and looked up at me with a touch of hope. Hope she didn’t have a right to have. I slipped the gun into the back of my pants and picked her up. Ignoring the smell of her piss, I carried her out of the gun range and towards the back of the property, intent on taking her to Jasper.
19
Dante
I opened my eyes, instantly closing them at the bright light. I went to shield them with my hand, barely getting it up, my arm feeling like lead. A yell jolted me, causing me to drop my hand. Then someone was saying my name, over and over again. I reopened my eyes, my sight blurry, the brightness still affecting them.
“I can’t believe you’re awake!” someone said excitedly.
I blinked, my eyes so dry. It felt like someone had dragged sandpaper over them. I blinked a few more times, then went to wipe the sleep away.
Why did my arm feel so weak?
Someone pulled my hand down before I could get it to my eyes, clutching onto it as though it was a lifeline. I turned my head, peering up at a guy with the biggest, most blinding smile I’d ever seen. It was like I was looking at Killer, even though the guy was too young to be him. And the serious look in his hazel eyes, they reminded me of...
Jasper?
But it couldn’t be him, because Jasper had a fat face and this dude had a slim one.
“I can’t believe you’re awake!” he said again, squeezing my hand.
And there it was. Jasper’s voice.
I continued to stare at him, my brain saying he sounded like Jasper, but he sure as hell didn’t look like him.
“Jasper?” I asked, expecting him to shake his head and say no.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, confusing me even more.
Stunned, I reached up with my other hand to touch his face, checking that I wasn’t hallucinating.
“You’re real,” I said, touching his jaw. “And different. Not fat.”
His smile dropped. “Yeah, I can’t eat much now. The surgeon had to remove part of my stomach to save me.”
“Save you from what?” I asked, my brain unable to work out how he could suddenly be skinny.
“I wuz shot in the stomach.”
My eyes widened. “When?”
Concern crossed his face. “Over four months ago. Don’t you remember?”
“No, what happened?”
“Our gang wuz attacked by the Devil’s Crew.” Pain flashed across his eyes. “My...” His voice cracked. He brought a hand to cover his face.
“Is that why I’m in hospital?”
He shook his head and dropped his hand, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You were in a car accident. You hit your head pretty hard. They had to put you in an induced coma, but you didn’t wake up from it. Well, not until now.”
“What accident?” I asked, not remembering it.
“You were coming home from up north.”
My mind went to my visit to Kaitaia and Dargaville during the holidays. I’d gone up there for the New Year’s celebration, but had decided to stay longer, surfing and partying, spending a good chunk of the time with my cousin and his mates. I’d wanted to stay, but had to return for school.
“Is Ash all right?” I asked, my older brother having given me a lift back.
“Yeah, he’s fine. Why?”
“Did he get hurt in the crash?”
Jasper gave me a funny look. “Why would he get hurt?”
“He wuz driving the car.”
Jasper stared at me for a moment, his frown growing. “No, you were driving—”
I cut him off, “Nah ah, he won’t lemme drive his car. You know he’s a prick like that. Thinks I’ll crash his precious bloody ride. Well, fuck him, he crashed it, not me.”
Jasper let go of my hand, his expression now concerned. “He wuzn’t even in the car when you crashed it, you were with—”
A loud yell of “Son!” cut him off, then Jasper was shoved aside, my dad’s face appearing above me. He yanked me into a bear hug. My body screamed, my dad hugging me so hard I was sure he was going to break some bones. Then he was pulling back, cupping my face, his dark eyes as shiny as Jasper’s, giving the impression he was going to cry. But instead of being sad, he looked ecstatic. He kissed my forehead like he used to do when I was a little kid, then pulled me to him again.
“Christ, Dante, I’ve waited so long for you to wake up,” he said. “I almost thought it wuzn’t gonna happen.”
He didn’t let go straight away. And I didn’t pull away either, feeling like everything was all right with him here. He didn’t look different, making my confusion disappear for the time in his arms.
Then he was pulling back and staring at me again, as though I was the best thing he’d ever clapped eyes on. “How are ya feeling? Do ya need anything?” When I didn’t reply, he held up two fingers. “How many fingers do ya see?”
“Two,” I replied. “Where’s Ash?”
“He left ’bout ten minutes ago. He’ll only visit when I’m not here.”
I nodded, what he’d said making sense, my brother hating our dad. “Jasper said Ash wuzn’t in the car with me, but he must’ve been, cos he wuz driving me home from Dargaville.” My eyes widened. “Is Tiana and Angelo okay?” I asked, mentioning Ash’s partner and son.
My dad’s smile faded. “Yeah, they’re fine.” He glanced back at—
“What the fuck?” I gasped, stunned by what I saw.
I hadn’t seen Killer enter the room, but now... He was standing next to Jasper, the two looking so much alike they could be brothers. I had always thought that if Jasper lost the weight he could look like Killer, but to actually see it... I felt like I was in The Twilight Zone.
“Am I on drugs?” I asked, feeling like I was tripping. “Cos you two are freaking the shit outta me.”
They looked at each other, then back at me, their expressions confused.
I pointed at Killer then Jasper. “You look so similar.” I shook my head, still stunned, then the reality of what I saw hit me. A smile broke out across my face. “Bro! You could totally steal Phelia offa Happy Meal now.”
Jasper’s expression dropped, while Killer’s eyes went big. My dad’s face appeared in front of mine again, blocking them from view. “What do ya remember before ya got into that car?”
“Um...” I scratched my cheek, wondering why they were all acting weird. “Ash wuz driving the green Chevy that Hunter had given him. Tiana wuz sitting next to him. I wuz in the back with Angelo.” I paused, the conversation returning. “I wuz telling Ash that Angelo looked too small to be one. Ash glanced back at me, snapping that I wuz a shit uncle for not knowing that Angelo wuz seven months.” I frowned. “I think he said seven. Or wuz it eight? Dunno, can’t remember. Anyway, next thing, Tiana wuz yelling at Ash to concentrate on the road. Then nuthin’.”
My dad stared at me, not saying a word.
“What?” I said.
“What’s your English teacher’s name?”
“Mr. Bailey, but he wuz just a fill-in until we got a permanent teacher, cos Mrs. Rice up and left after I called her a racist bitch.”
Jasper cut in, “You also climbed onto your desk and mooned her, telling her to kiss your hori arse.”
I smirked. “That wuz so fuckin’ funny. She sh
rieked so loud I almost fell off the desk.”
Jasper sniggered, while my dad scowled. Yeah, he hadn’t thought it was so funny after the principal had called him in.
My dad took a step back. “I’ll be right back, ’kay?”
“Where are ya goin’?”
“To talk to a doctor. They needa check ya over. I won’t be long.”
“’Kay.”
My dad turned to Jasper and Killer, whispering something I couldn’t hear. He indicated to me with his head. “Stay with him, Killer. I needa have a quick talk with Jasper before I get a doc.”
Nodding, Killer grabbed a chair and sat down next to my bed. He held up his hand, giving me the fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?” he said, grinning wide.
Sniggering, I lifted my hand. “Nah, how many fingers am I holding up?” I said, flipping him off.
He laughed back.
20
Tane
I found an empty room down the corridor, ushered Jasper inside and closed the door.
“He doesn’t remember Mrs. Hatton,” Jasper said as soon as the click sounded. “Doesn’t remember anything that happened.”
His face turned sorrowful, probably due to the loss of his father. Another thing that Dante wouldn’t remember. As well as what Jasper’s auntie had done to him. The thought of that sick bitch touching my boy made my stomach turn. It didn’t matter that she was dead, what she’d done could stay with Dante for life.
“Maybe this is a good thing,” I said, not wanting Dante to remember the rape.
“How can it be a good thing?” Jasper yelled. “My dad died!”
I shook my head. “I didn’t mean it that way, Jasper. Dante will needa be told that, but there are some things that are better left unsaid.”
Jasper’s angry look dissolved. “Like what?”
“I don’t want him finding out what your auntie did to him.”
Jasper grimaced.
“You saw how the rape affected him when it came out. It’s best he doesn’t remember it.”
Jagged Pill (Broken Lives Book 3) Page 25
