She struggled in his arms and refused to comply, so he dropped his palm and loosened his hold on her. For a moment, she didn’t move and neither did he, then she turned and slapped him so hard across his cheek fucking Tweety Birds circled his fucking head. She raised her hand to slap him again, but he caught her wrists.
“You like this fucking house?” he snarled, furious at his stinging cheek.
“Don’t worry about what I like,” she spat. “Concern yourself with what I hate. You!”
He ignored the words, although…fuck, he’d known what would happen. No use in looking back. “If you don’t get some shit for you and my son, I’m going to drag you out of here and make the call to have it blown the fuck up. Then you won’t have a fucking choice but to come with me at the clubhouse.”
“You think? I always have a choice, Matthew.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. She had her four sisters, but Val’s greatest fear was another man swooping in and stealing her away.
“You want this fucking house you will choose to come with me.”
Pushing her away, he turned his back on her impotent anger. He’d pushed her into a corner for the time being because, if she knew nothing else, she knew he didn’t make idle fucking threats.
Chapter 24
Pain careened down Kendall’s side and straight into her belly, the sound of a song snapping her awake. She couldn’t quite place the tune. She only knew she’d heard it before. Abruptly, it stopped then started again. Another sound began and Kendall tried to blink. She knew that sound, too, but she couldn’t place it.
One eye swelled and rope cut into her wrists and neck. She sucked in a sob, unsure of her location or Meggie’s whereabouts. Only knowing Spoon had gotten to them. They’d been so close to getting out, too. So close to getting that portable file. Then everything had gone to hell and Spoon had gotten them.
“She awakens.” Spoon’s nasty laugh sent shivers through her, but she remembered Meggie and her baby. Judging from the pain, she wouldn’t have her baby for very long.
She drew herself up and shuddered at the pull of the rope, cutting into her throat. “Where’s Meggie?”
Spoon lifted a brow, his hollow eyes disturbing her. How had she never noticed before? Had she been so lonely…so overwhelmed by the attention he bestowed upon her in the beginning…she’d ignored his true character?
“Where is she?” she yelled, fury at her stupid decisions and his cruelty rising up in her.
He snickered, then shrugged, leaning forward. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Tears slid down her cheeks and another pain hit her belly. She gritted her teeth. “Christopher…Outlaw will gut you if you’ve hurt her.”
“I owe that motherfucker,” he snarled. “But he’s the least of my fucking concerns right now. I want fucking Johnnie.”
New fear clutched at her heart and Kendall slid forward a little, the pain more intense now, warm wetness sliding down her thighs. Spoon lowered his lids and focused between her legs, then nodded.
“The brat you’re losing. Johnnie’s fucking brat. He encroached on my territory. I’m going to feed him his fucking dick.”
He stood from the chair he’d been in and stalked toward her. He reached above her. As he crouched down, Kendall noticed the knife glinting in his hand and she shrank back. His cheek caresses sent shivers through her. Licking the tears from her skin, he shoved his fingers inside of her. She attempted to twist away but the ropes tightened.
“Move a little more, Kendall,” he whispered against her cheek. “You’ll strangle yourself.” Removing his hand from her body, he waved his bloody fingers before her and smiled.
Kendall growled, wishing she could get away to kill him because he was killing her baby. The blade glinted in the light at the same time Spoon grabbed handfuls of her hair.
“I’m going to kill you. As I’ve killed Megan. And as I’ve had Zoann killed.” He slid the knife through her hair, then raised up the cut strands. “There’s nothing he’ll be able to do to get any of you back.” He pulled more of her hair and the rope tightened around her neck. “We’re striking today. Brooks is helping. He’s called a meeting at the clubhouse with thirty of our members.” He cut more of her hair. “The Dwellers are dead. Do you hear me? You three bitches won’t be alone too long in Hell. I’ll send those fuckheads down to join you soon enough.” In silence, he hacked the rest of her hair away, then sat back on his haunches to study her.
A phone began to ring. One and Only by Adele. Christopher was calling Meggie. Within minutes, her phone started to ring, too. She didn’t have a special ringtone for Johnnie, but she guessed it was him. The phones had awakened her, she realized.
Johnnie had been calling her whenever they completed whatever tasks they were involved in for the day. She’d just never appreciated how soon after he finished did he made the call. She’d just assumed he’d done other things first. Like she’d assumed so much these past few weeks. Most of them wrong.
By now both phones had stopped and started again. She didn’t know Spoon’s game. It would make sense if he picked one of them up to tell Johnnie or Outlaw where she and Megan were.
Spoon lifted her cut hair to his nose and sniffed, his eyes glazing over. “I’m going to jerk off to the feel and scent of your hair.”
Movement caught Kendall’s attention and she bit the inside of her cheek. Meggie. Blood dripped from the side of her head and her nose. Bruises covered her arms and thighs. And her belly. She’d been crying. She’d been stripped. As pale as a ghost, the blood dripping down her legs smeared her thighs. She held a vase in her trembling hands.
She must’ve stared too long in Meggie’s direction because Spoon looked over his shoulder, roaring to his feet and charging toward the girl.
Frantic knocking began on the door and Spoon paused, scowling between the two of them. Just long enough for Meggie to crack the vase against Spoon’s head. He sank to the floor, Kendall’s hair fluttering around him, the knife he held clattering to the ground.
Meggie grabbed the knife and stumbled toward Kendall, ignoring the pounding on the door. Spoon groaned, dazed rather than knocked out.
Something thumped against the door and Meggie began slicing through the rope on Kendall’s wrists. “They’re going to kill us,” she whispered.
“No,” Kendall swore. “No. You’re doing fine. Just get me free, Meggie, and I swear we’ll get out of here.” But Meggie didn’t have a lot of strength with her beating and blood loss.
Suddenly, Meggie wrenched back. Spoon had grabbed her by the hair and snatched her away from Kendall, throwing her aside like a rag doll. She landed with a loud thud just as the door burst open.
“Hands the fuck up,” Christopher snarled. A howl of rage erupted from him and Kendall knew he’d spotted his wife.
Gunfire blasted and Spoon screamed, dropping to his knee.
“Johnnie!” Christopher boomed. “Mortician!”
“Aww, fuck, man,” Mortician managed, staring in her direction.
“Did you find—“ Johnnie’s voice stopped. Staring at her, he didn’t notice Christopher kicking Spoon until he begged for mercy.
Mortician sucked in a breath. “Meggie?” he whispered.
Johnnie spared a glance over his shoulder, his eyes widening when Kendall crumpled on the other side of the sofa. He knelt in front of her and hugged her before pulling back and taking inventory of her. Her hacked off hair. Her battered face and body. And their baby…
Withdrawing his knife, he had her free within moments and Kendall sagged against him, sobbing and holding on for dear life, never wanting to let him go.
“Prez! Prez!” Mortician hollered. Nothing. Spoon’s pleas and the sound of flesh meeting flesh continued. “Outlaw, see to Meggie. I’ll take care of this piece of shit.”
Johnnie laid Kendall on the sofa near where Meggie lay, unmoving. He took off his cut and removed the shirt he wore, placing it on Kendall and then putting his cut on again.
<
br /> “Christopher!” Mortician yelled, getting through to him because the sounds of Spoon getting beaten to death ceased. “I’ll take him—“
“No, Mort.” Thick with rage and heartache, his voice trembled. “You not doing shit.” He took out his gun and aimed it at his head.
“No, Christopher,” Johnnie called. “This is too easy. He deserves…he deserves more.”
Christopher struggled with the urge to shoot and the desire to see Spoon suffer. But Meggie groaned and he started, the relief on his face combining with the fear and the pure loathing. He holstered his gun and ran to Meggie, lifting her into his arms and nosing her hair. “Christopher,” she croaked. “The baby—“
“It’s okay, baby. You here and that’s all that matter.” He drew in a deep breath. “Get that motherfucker to the meat shack, Mort,” he rasped. “John Boy, I’m gonna let you do what you gotta do, but I’m gonna start this motherfucker off. He’s gonna wish for fuckin’ death.” He lifted Meggie up and she bit down on her lip.
Kendall wondered why she wouldn’t cry out in pain. It was obvious she was hurting terribly.
“One of you call Val. Tell him we’ll be around in a fucking minute.” He tightened his hold on her. “I don’t ever want you motherfuckers talkin’ to me about havin’ the trackin’ device in Meggie’s phone. Call me what the fuck you want, but my fuckin’ stalkin’ saved both her and Kendall.”
Not waiting for a response, he turned and hurried from the room. Mortician stepped forward and lifted Spoon, throwing the man over his shoulders while Johnnie scooped Kendall into his arms, his face grim.
“It’s okay, Kendall.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”
For the first time in her life, Kendall believed that she was. With a nod, she laid her head on his shoulder and sank into unconsciousness.
Johnnie stared at Spoon, sprawled out on the table in the meat shack, tears and snot dripping down his face. Sweat popped off his chilled skin, his balls shriveled with the cold and the pain from Christopher’s turn. Piss dripped onto the floor.
Mortician lounged in the corner, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, his plastic gloves and rubber apron already on. Five minutes ago, Christopher had stormed out, the ice pick he’d used to poke tiny holes in Spoon’s arms and legs protruding from one of the man’s knees. His fingernails lay in a bloody heap beside him.
Spoon was right where Johnnie wanted him, but he wrestled with disappointment that he wasn’t responsible for getting Spoon to this point of suffering. He swallowed, unable to recall Kendall’s softness. Her pretty face. Her feminine voice. Anything to keep a small bit of humanity inside of him. And he needed that right now. Desperately. Not for Spoon. No, that motherfucker had a slow, painful death coming. Johnnie intended to bring him to the brink of death before pulling back and allowing him to live.
He was versed in torture and death. Because it was who he was beneath it all. Beneath the smiles and the laughter. Christopher didn’t have the patience for dragging out some assfuck’s demise. Not like Johnnie. None of them did.
“Yo’, John Boy,” Mortician called. “See all them tiny holes Prez put in fuckhead? They bleeding. He probably have a little internal bleeding going on, too, with the whup ass Outlaw put down. I don’t know what kind of freaky, scary shit you concocting, but whatever the fuck it is, I say get the fuck to it before he bleed out.”
“I wouldn’t want that to happen.” He stepped next to Mort and grabbed a half full bottle of tequila, then returned to Spoon, pouring the alcohol on each wound, the man’s screams not appeasing his simmering rage. “I don’t want you to wonder at your fucking crimes, bug food. Okay?”
“John Boy, please—“ he croaked, choking back a sob.
“Please? Did I hear please?” Johnnie laughed, slipping away the cloak of humanity and going to that place…that place. “Kendall said please, didn’t she?” He yanked the ice pick away, focused on the dripping blood, remembering his lost baby. He jabbed Spoon, not paying attention to where. “What about those little girls you stole, drugged and sold?” This time, he allowed the ice pick to remain, bent and grabbed his blade from his boot.
“Aww, fuck. I knew you had to go all Freddy Bates on me.” Mortician scowled at him. “Norman got that bitch in a fucking shower, John Boy. You know? To wash the blood the fuck away.”
“And Kruger?” Johnnie dragged his blade along Spoon’s forearm before thrusting it into his muscle. “With fucking razors on his hand?”
“Fuck off. Motherfucker didn’t have to clean up.”
“I swear, Johnnie,” Spoon cried. “I fucking swear I’ll leave. I-I’ll leave the fucking country. I swear.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Johnnie snarled, flicking the alcohol in the fucker’s face. “You hurt Kendall.” He grabbed Spoon by the throat and squeezed. “How the fuck does that feel, motherfucker?” he breathed, almost unable to release him when he began turning purple. He paced next to the table where Spoon choked and gasped for breath. “It’s unfortunate I can’t use my dick to choke you.” He glanced at Mortician, opened his mouth to speak to Spoon again.
“What the fuck you looking at me for?” Mortician snarled. “Don’t even think to fucking suggest using my dick to choke his ass.”
Johnnie flipped Mortician off, then turned back to Spoon, wiping the blade on his pants since he hadn’t put on another shirt. They’d gotten Kendall and Megan to the hospital and left. He couldn’t sit and worry himself sick over Kendall while Spoon had a chance of slipping away from the injuries Christopher had given to him. He knew Christopher was already on his way back to be at his wife’s side.
Johnnie wanted to be at Kendall’s side, too. He wanted to hold her and love her and promise she’d never get hurt again. Only, he couldn’t promise that. Because as long as she was with him, she would be at risk. He had no idea how they’d even gotten into Spoon’s hands. As far as he knew, their compound hadn’t been breached, which meant her and Megan had left.
And why shouldn’t they? Because of this asshole, they’d been virtual prisoners. He’d have to talk to Christopher. Perhaps, then, Megan wouldn’t have convinced Kendall to put herself in danger. Perhaps, then, Kendall would still be carrying his baby biker.
Baby Biker was gone. Johnnie hadn’t realized how attached he’d grown to it…until now. When he couldn’t go to a doctor’s appointment with Kendall. Or promise her how truly happy his impending fatherhood made him.
His nostrils flared and he glared at Spoon, plunging the knife into his hand. The asshole had a high tolerance for pain.
“We’re not into vigilante justice, motherfucker, but, in this case—“ The faces of Caroline and the other nameless, little girls they’d come across. The grown women, too, and they were tragic and sickening and nauseating. But, they were…of age. He swallowed, reminding himself Logan had been involved, too. Logan had gotten Spoon involved and Spoon had gotten his entire club involved.
Mortician’s phone rang while Johnnie shoved his bloodied knife into his cut to get a bucket and fill it with water. Returning to Spoon, he threw it on him, hearing his wheezing and seeing his gasping for breath. He must’ve had a collapsed lung and broken ribs. He wanted him to live a while longer. He had his toenails to see to. His teeth to pull. He had—
“John Boy,” Mortician called.
Spoon moaned, his weak gaze pleading for mercy.
“You want compassion, buzzard feed? Ironic considering what an unsympathetic motherfucker you are.” He slapped the man’s face. “You’re a bad motherfucker, huh? Fight me. Stand the fuck up. Face a real fucking man.”
“Johnnie.”
“You can’t, can you? Even before you were one-step away from corpse-hood.”
“Fuck, man. JOHNNIE!”
Johnnie snapped his gaze to Mortician, annoyed at the interruption. “What?” he growled.
“Get through here. Kendall asking for you. Me and Val got to get to Zoann’s house and bring Spoon. Dead or alive, Prez d
on’t give a fuck.”
“Bring Spoon to Zoann—“
“Outlaw gave the order to blow it up. The Torps hit it, too, and we got to make sure we wiped out all those motherfuckers. You know she won’t cooperate. I think Val wanted that motherfucker to go boom boom pow and just fucking scared to tell her.”
Johnnie narrowed his eyes at Spoon. “I wonder what’s best for you. Fucking finish you here then have you blown to bits and pieces?”
“No, no, no! Please, Johnnie. PLEASE.”
Mortician lit another cigarette. “I’m giving you ten more minutes. I say if he’s dead, he’s dead when we get there. Just avenge your woman and your baby. Those little girls.”
Johnnie’s pulse kicked up at Mortician’s green lighting his walk into insanity.
Chapter 25
Christopher stared at Megan, hooked up to various machines, antibiotics and fluids dripping into her from the IV. Their new baby…gone. Gone like Kendall’s and John Boy’s baby.
None of this would’ve happened if the two of them would’ve stayed fucking put. Megan was going to drive him to the fucking mad house. When he’d seen her…his heart dropped to his fucking dick just thinking about her so still on that floor.
He’d thought…fuck him…if she would’ve been…
He squeezed the bridge of his nose.
“Christopher?”
He blinked the moisture from his eyes, wanting to stomp something for being so pussified over her. Coming to his feet, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Baby.” He cleared his throat, gritting his teeth at the break in his voice. “Megan,” he said gruffly.
“The baby?” she whispered, her eyes huge, tears already forming because she knew. She knew it was gone.
He leaned over and kissed her mouth, thumbing away her tears. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so fuckin’ sorry.”
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 112
