He’d barely caught his breath before he took blow after blow to his stomach. He tried to strike back once but Mortician’s blows were coming too fast and he didn’t even know why. After nothing but pain and injuries to his person, Mortician shoved Val back and he landed face-first on the bed.
“I should let Meggie tell Prez, to bury your fucking junkie ass.”
“I’m not a fucking junkie. Junkies shoot up.”
Mortician balled his fists and started for Val again but Val staggered to his feet.
“What the fuck did I do?”
“Get the fuck in this bed, you stupid motherfucker, and sleep this shit off. I’ll tell you what the fuck you did when you sober the fuck up.”
He didn’t want to wait until he sobered up. He wanted to know now. “What did I do?”
“Tried to force Meggie to fuck you.”
He had? That wasn’t Char? So why was Mort beating his ass again? No. Wait. Hadn’t he just seen Meggie and Outlaw fucking? “She was just on her knees sucking Outlaw’s dick. I saw her.”
Mortician growled. “No, motherfucker. You didn’t. You—“
He pointed to his phone. “Did, too. It’s on there. I have cameras in Zoann’s room and they were in there.”
Val plopped down as Mortician grabbed his phone.
“Motherfucking hell.”
“You found it, huh?”
The phone slammed against his head. “You dirty fucking asshole,” he snarled.
Val’s heart sank. Mortician pressed buttons, erasing the video.
“I should fucking kill you myself. I hope Zoann never come back to your fucked up ass.”
“Yeah, well, I wish fucking Kendall would go somewhere and die. That’s not happening and neither is Zoann leaving me ever going to happen. I love Zoann. I don’t fucking want to.”
“Shut the fuck up. You love Chester?”
“Didn’t I just say that? I love Zoann.”
“Then your bullshit stopping, brother. If you survive this latest fuckup, no more fucking pills. No more fucking fucking, unless it’s her. Chester don’t deserve a fucking junkie loser.”
Although it stung like a motherfucker to know how Mort felt about him, his friend was right.
“I’m going talk to Meggie. You upset the fuck out of her and I don’t have a clue how I’m going to calm her down before Prez get back. Don’t you think he fucked up enough over all this bullshit? If he need to bury you, he will, but that’ll fuck with him, too. He trust you. Meggie trusted you. We all fucking did and you handing us this bullshit because you too fucking dumb to leave ecstasy, OxyContin, Vicodin, and all that other shit alone.” Mortician leaned across him to scoop up the bottles of pills. “Sleep this shit off, motherfucker, and pray you live to see another day.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sunlight gleamed through the window and bounced off the concrete floor. Val groaned, his head pounding and his stomach hurting. What the fuck happened to him for him to feel so shitty, almost as if he’d been flattened by a steamroller?
“Hey, Val.” Meggie’s voice sounded soft and uncertain.
Val grunted and pulled his knees up to cover his morning dick stand.
“What the fuck you doing in here, Meggie?”
“Christopher took CJ with him to the house to talk to the contractor.”
“And?” he answered irritably, wanting to dress and go to Zoann. He didn’t need Outlaw barging in and finding Meggie in his room. Besides, Meggie’s fear didn’t amuse Val at all. What the fuck did she have to be afraid of from him? “You didn’t answer my fucking question.”
“I’ll answer it for her, assfuck.” Mortician’s mad dog tone hit Val in the center of his head. “She needs to talk to you.”
His blood running cold, Val lifted up on his elbows. “Something happened to Zoann?”
Meggie shook her head, another pair of tiny shorts revealing her legs. He winced at the pain in his stomach. What the fuck? He hadn’t gone anywhere to get into a fight, but that’s how he felt.
Twisting her wedding set, Meggie inched closer to Mortician. “You remember anything from yesterday?”
“What—?”
Jesus. H. Christ.
He was a fucking dead man.
As it all crashed back into his brain, he knew he was more than a fucking dead man. Every horrifying moment of….Jesus H. Christ. He’d assaulted Meggie. The fear in Val sent tears to his eyes and he trembled, his extremities numbing in anticipation of all the hacking, stabbing, slicing, and cutting they’d soon endure.
Meggie tipped closer to him. “Are…are you crying, Val?”
Fucking right. He was crying like the frightened bitch he was. He sniffled and glanced at Mortician, who didn’t seem sympathetic or concerned.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Meggie. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you in any way.”
He could barely wrap his head around the fact that he’d tried to force his dick into his president’s old lady. His best friend’s girl. Outlaw’s wife.
Brushing away the wetness on his cheeks with his forearms, he attempted to get to his feet, pain slicing through him. Oh. Yeah. Mortician had beat his ass. Again.
“You can’t do those pills anymore, Val. We n-need you. Zoann and Ryan need you.”
Val winced at Meggie’s distress. He felt so fucking low for not only having watched her have sex with Outlaw but for...for—Fuck! He’d never fuck with drugs again. Never. If he lived, this was fucking it.
“I’m sorry, babe.” His trembly voice exposed more of his fear and she nodded. “I’m so very sorry,” he repeated, not knowing what else to say. He bowed his head. “Forgive me.”
“Promise you’ll stop,” she whispered.
Unable to look her in the eyes, he nodded. The pre-surgery Val, the man he’d been before he’d been shot, was a tolerable, laid-back asshole. He needed that Val back. He hadn’t fucking grown from anything that had happened in his life. He’d regressed.
“If I find out you’re popping pills again, I’ll tell Christopher everything.”
He swallowed, sure he’d misheard. “You aren’t now?”
“He’d kill you,” she said quietly and cocked her head to the side to study him. “I hope this is the right thing. Covering for you. Christopher trusts me to tell him everything, and trust from him is a precious commodity. He doesn’t give it easily.” She lowered her lashes and licked her lips. “I hope I’m not misjudging you like I misjudged going with Kendall. I just want to be who Christopher needs me to be and I…” She huffed in a breath and waved a hand in dismissal. “It doesn’t matter, but you don’t deserve his murderous fury. Even more important than that is my husband doesn’t deserve it, either, Val. What you did to me, hurt. If Christopher ever found out, he’d be hurt, too.”
Doubtful. “No, babe. He’d be too busy draining my blood through straws to be hurt. Fucking beyond pissed is what he’d be.” And that shit was putting it lightly. He’d be monstrously, unreasonably caught in the depths of cold-blooded, bone-breaking, dick-hacking, head-ripping-off rage.
“Yes, he would be,” Meggie agreed, as if she’d read his distressing thoughts. “Besides being pissed, though, he’d be hurt that you did something where he had no choice but to kill you. Just don’t use again. I mean it. I’ll tell Christopher that you l-licked my nipple and…I’ll tell him all of it.”
Licked her nipple? Motherfuck. That was fucking enough. He touched his tongue, adding having it cut out of his head to the list of atrocities his body was in danger of experiencing.
Shit.
Fuck.
Damn.
He was so grateful that she wouldn’t run to Outlaw now. She had every right to. Meggie began backing away and then stopped.
“You’re not a weak man, Val,” she said softly. “I know things are hard, but you’ll only make it harder if you become addicted. The problems won’t go away. They’ll get worse.”
Wasn’t he already addicted? The question rolled through
his head, but instead of asking, he nodded. She ventured close to him and kissed his cheek, telling him, in her own way, that she’d forgiven him. Val’s nostrils flared. He wanted to reach out and beg her forgiveness. Hug her in gratitude. He wanted their easy banter back. Goddamn it, would she ever be comfortable around him again?
“I’m going to start breakfast,” she said.
“Kendall helping out?”
“She’s not feeling well, so she’s having a lay in.”
Val would leave Meggie’s words at that, although he noted Kendall rarely helped out, but, at least, they’d all backed off and let the girls figure their shit out.
A moment later, Meggie scampered away and Val sat on the edge of his bed, resting his elbows on his knees and cradling his forehead in his hands.
“Get your shit together.”
Unlike Mortician who’d long ago gotten passed Val fucking Charlemagne, Zoann would never fucking forgive him and he’d just gotten another chance with her. “I will, Mort.”
“You know the gory death you escaped because Meggie keeping this to herself?”
Bleak and empty, Val nodded. “Yeah. Thank you for talking to her.”
Mortician placed his hands behind his head and stretched his legs out. “Meggie not stupid. She knew your dumb ass was high as a motherfucker. Once she calmed down, I didn’t have to say much to her.”
“I remember her sobs,” he admitted, although he wished he could erase the sound from his head. “Her screams and desperation.”
“You had her pinned fucking down. If I hadn’t walked in when I did, you would’ve done something where neither me or her could’ve fucking saved you.”
“No,” Val denied vehemently. “I was going to let her up. It was getting through to me that she didn’t want me.”
“You have a thing for her or some shit? You could’ve called any number of pussy here.”
“No! I don’t have a thing for her. Beyond the way we get over any hot girl.” Fuck, that hadn’t come out right, although it was the truth. He needed to just change the subject, focus on something else. “How’d you get her to calm down by the time Outlaw got back? What did you say to her?”
Mortician laughed coldly. “By becoming an accessory to your fucking crime,” he snapped. “She took a shower and agreed to take a fucking sleeping pill, so she wouldn’t have to face Prez. But you know what, assfuck? Shit like that don’t fucking go away. Sooner or later, Prez gonna pick up on Meggie being afraid of you.”
“Meggie’s not afraid—” Val snapped his mouth shut, remembering how even with Mort there, she hesitated to get too close to him, although she had. “What can I do?”
“Sober up!” Mort snarled, starting for him again, fists balled.
Val jumped to his feet. He wouldn’t defend himself. He deserved whatever Mort did to him. “How can I?”
“Knock-fuckin-knock,” Outlaw greeted, strolling into Val’s room and halting. A frown creased his brow and he glanced between them. “What the fuck goin’ on?”
Mort cleared his throat, a smidgeon of alarm replacing the anger. “What you mean, Prez?”
“You two fuckheads ain’t all that fuckin’ happy lookin’ and you look like you ‘bout to beat Val ass bad. My girl took a fuckin’ sleepin’ pill and barely lookin’ me in the eye.”
“How you know she took a sleeping pill?” Val asked slowly, hoping he didn’t shit his pants then and there.
“I fuckin’ asked why the fuck she was out like a fuckin’ light last night and she told me. You motherfuckers gave my wife drugs?”
“Christopher?”
Val’s tension deflated at the sound of Meggie’s voice. He had to have a Guardian Angel. Only that motherfucker would guide Meggie in now.
“Hey, Megs,” Johnnie greeted, brushing quite close to her, and sauntering to where Outlaw stood, turning a curious gaze on Meggie.
Meggie looked at her toes. “Hey, Johnnie,” she mumbled.
“What up, baby? What the fuck happened?”
“You okay, Megs?” Johnnie asked, the concern in his eyes damning Val to death. “Kendall said she heard you screaming yesterday.”
Silence. Heavy, guilty silence that not even Meggie’s shrug could lighten. That was the fucking problem with honesty. When lies needed to be told, honest motherfuckers were shit at it.
“Megan?”
Meggie flushed at the question in Outlaw’s voice. Instead of answering, she chewed on her lip.
“Lemme chat with John Boy a minute. When I’m fuckin’ finished? You tellin’ me what the fuck happened. Got me?”
“Nothing happened,” she lied on a swallow, shifting from foot to foot.
“Try fuckin’ again.” Outlaw glared at Johnnie. “Don’t fuckin’ Kendall know if she think Megan screamin’, she gotta get the fuck up and see what the fuck wrong with her? Ain’t no fuckin’ ‘I heard’ in this motherfucker in cases like that.” Before Johnnie could respond, he rounded on Megan. “Fuckin’ spill, baby. Now.”
“I had a nightmare,” she said, then winced. “I mean—”
“You mean you couldn’t fuckin’ sleep, huh? Cuz that’s what the fuck you told me was your reason for the sleepin’ pill.”
“I had the nightmare and it woke me up, so I couldn’t sleep.”
Better, Meggie. Her voice sounded stronger and more confident, like she spoke the gospel truth. On any other motherfucker, it might’ve worked, too. With Outlaw?
Val was so fucked.
“Come here for a minute, Megan.”
Although she looked at him suspiciously, she obeyed, allowing Outlaw to inspect her face, run his fingers over her nose, cheeks, and lips. Uncertain, she smiled at him.
He bent and kissed her lips, then grabbed her shoulders and turned her to Johnnie. “Say hello to John Boy, baby.”
She cleared her throat, her confusion clear. “Um, hey, Johnnie.”
“Megs,” Johnnie responded with a smile.
Keeping his hands on her shoulders, Outlaw directed her to Mortician. She glanced back at Outlaw, a question in her eyes. He nodded.
“Hi, Mortician,” she said with a small wave.
“Meggie girl.” Mort was smiling and looking as sick as Val was feeling when he realized just what Outlaw was doing.
Holy fuck.
Outlaw guided her to Val and she tensed the moment she faced him. Not waiting for her husband’s direction, she spoke. “H-hey, Val,” she stammered, filling in all the information for his death sentence, without saying shit. “H-how are you?”
Fucked. That’s how he was.
Outlaw’s eyes narrowed to slits as he studied Val, not bothering to hide the fact that his mind whirled a million miles a minute. All warmth left Val’s body, all color leaving his face, his blood frozen.
Pulling Meggie into his arms, he buried his nose in her hair. “Where’s my boy?” Outlaw whispered, wrapping an arm around her, his hand cradling the back of her head.
“With Arrow. Visiting Momma.”
He hugged her tighter and simultaneously raised his nine and pulled the trigger, hitting Val in the right arm.
Meggie screamed as Val cursed, and fell to the floor.
Outlaw tightened his hold on her, but didn’t lower his weapon. “I’m gonna ask you this fuckin’ once, baby,” he began, ignoring Val’s groans. “Stop crying and listen to me.”
“You shot Val!” she screeched wildly.
“Talk to me, Megan,” he ordered. “You lie. He dies.”
“Christopher—”
“What the fuck he did to make you fuckin’ scream?”
Val kept his fingers over the wound, gritting his teeth at the pain, and knowing this was just the beginning.
“Kendall say how my girl was screamin’, John Boy? Like her pussy was feelin’ good? Or was she soundin’ fuckin’ scared? Or was she yellin’ like she do when she madder than a motherfucker. How?”
Did it matter?
“Christopher, please.” Somehow, Meggie was getting co
ntrol again and tried reasoning with her husband.
Psycho stalker wild man.
Fuck, Val wouldn’t want to be in Meggie’s place, dropped in the middle of this madhouse and getting trial after trial by a fucking inferno.
Outlaw aimed the gun at Val’s head.
“Don’t do this. Please. We-we just had an argument. Val’s been real upset over Zoann. I was angry and I couldn’t open the door and I screamed.”
“What door, Megan?”
She pointed a trembling thumb in the direction of Val’s door. “That one.”
“What the fuck was you doin’ in here in the first place?”
“Val’s bleeding. I’ll answer this, but he needs to be seen to.”
Outlaw’s hand holding the gun shook and Val prayed Meggie shut the fuck up and stopped trying to take up for him. His fucking arm was growing numb.
“I came to see if he wanted dinner,” she said in a rush, when Outlaw didn’t answer.
“Dinner? And you fuckin’ argued over what?”
“We’ve argued in the past,” Meggie said firmly. “V-val has been so stressed.”
Has been? He was stressed like a motherfucker at the moment.
“This isn’t the time for bloodshed. Zoann’s going to survive. We should be thankful for that. A stupid misunderstanding between me and Val shouldn’t matter.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “No. How did you know Val upset me when I didn’t say anything?”
“My fuckin’ body language litmus test done the trick.” Looking as if he hated to put his piece away, Outlaw shoved his gun where he kept it on his side, grabbed Meggie’s hands and flattened them on his chest. “You read my moods, dontcha?”
“Yes.”
“Watch me then.” As she turned and glanced at Val, Outlaw greeted John Boy and Mortician before turning to Val, his entire expression different, tension popping from his body.
“Oh.”
“Fuckin right, baby. Oh.” He flexed his fingers and paused too close to Val for anyone’s comfort. “Where you got the pill from?”
“It’s over, Christopher. I’ve already taken it, slept it off, and awakened.”
“Tell me or I’m lookin’ at the video footage, seein’ for my-fuckin-self.”
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 145
