Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books

by Kathryn C. Kelly

  “I got a better fuckin’ idea,” Val said. “I can go.”

  Brooks raised his hand, already shaking his head in disagreement. “McCallister wants you, Outlaw.”

  “The fuckin’ deal fell through, but we fuckin’ returned his money with fuckin’ interest. I already told that motherfucker that.”

  “To avoid bullshit, I can go,” Val repeated.

  The deal had been Val’s in the first place.

  “If we do as he asks, everyone wins,” Brooks continued.

  “He actually fuckin’ threatenin’ you now, Brooks?”

  Christopher would have to put a bug in McCallister’s ear if that was the case. He wouldn’t allow any of his people to be fucking threatened out-fucking-right.

  Brooks removed his handkerchief from his jacket lapel pocket and wiped his brow with a shaking hand. This motherfucker was scared. It sure the fuck wasn’t hot in the fucking room. They all sat with their jackets on and not one of them broke a sweat.

  “This is a lot of money we’re talking about, Outlaw,” Brooks continued. “After you give the brothers their portion, Val would still walk away with a bundle.

  “And? I know how to do fuckin’ math,” he growled, turning to Val. “I ain’t interested in dealin’ with McCallister.” Brooks was acting mighty fucking suspicious. None of them needed the fucking money, so why the fuck was he pressing the issue? If you wanna do it, Valentine, I’ll give Brooks the go-ahead to accept the terms.”

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” Val said distractedly, staring at his phone. “Puff so pretty.” He held the device up so they could see Zoann posing in a black leather jacket and pants, her hair wild around her.

  Christopher offered a small smile of pride at how lovely and happy his little sister looked, then got back to business. He pinned Brooks with a hard stare. “If you fucking over me some kinda way, you a dead fuckhead.”

  Brooks paled but nodded. “I’d never fuck over you,” he said faintly, sounding as if he’d done just that.

  “You in bed with this motherfucker or what? Tell me the fuck now, so I can fuck you up and get it the fuck over with.”

  “I’m not in cahoots with the fellow,” Brooks swore, looking as if he wanted to cry.

  Brooks’s behavior didn’t sit fucking right with Christopher, but he didn’t have time to press the issue.

  Setting his phone down, Val cleared his throat. “If it’s a go, I can leave on Cyber Monday.”

  Mort and Christopher snickered.

  Val flipped them off.

  Christopher laughed harder. “Ain’t our fuckin’ fault you usin’ a fuckin’ holiday shoppin’ event to mark a good day to travel.”

  “Any way else to distinguish the day I want to leave, Outlaw?”

  “How ‘bout the Monday after Thanksgiving, assfuck?”

  Val nodded to Brooks. “What Outlaw said.”

  “Okay, Brooks,” Christopher said, getting onboard so no bullshit would start. “You heard Val. It’s a fuckin’ go. Cash, get us transportation. Can’t run fuckin’ guns on a goddamn commercial flight.”

  “You got it, Outlaw,” Cash responded.

  His attitude toward Christopher since he’d warned Cash away from Ophelia was strained. He tried to be the old Cash and joke the fuck around, but he was pissed. Christopher didn’t give a fuck. He wouldn’t allow Ophelia to be with Cash. The motherfucker couldn’t keep his goddamn cock in his pants and Ophelia wanted something meaningful. She could waste her fucking time attempting to change Cash and make him see her as more than a warm orifice to stick his dick in, or she could find a man ready and open for a relationship. Life was too fucking short to try and change motherfuckers who wouldn’t fucking change. Ophelia would blink and all her youth, beauty, and spirit would be gone, used up on an undeserving motherfucker. Cash would be the same manwhore.

  Yeah, Christopher was a hypocritical motherfucker, considering what a fuckhead he’d been to Megan when they’d first met, but he was who he was. He’d make no apologies for wanting to protect his little sister.

  With all Val’s demons, he truly loved Zoann, and always had. Besides, by the time Christopher found out about their relationship, she was already pregnant with Ryan, so he hadn’t had the chance to protest. Not only that, Bitsy was so much tougher than Fee.

  “He wants to renegotiate,” Brooks said suddenly, studying Christopher as if his words made a motherfucking difference. It hadn’t when the motherfucker himself said the same thing.

  “Let him fuckin’ renegotiate with Val. I ain’t doin’ it.”

  Brooks heaved in a breath, desperation creeping into his eyes. “He’s willing to up the ante. Double the money you returned to him for the same shipment of arms. But you have to make the delivery.”

  “Do I look like I give a fuckin’ fuck ‘bout money? I ain’t doin’ it, Brooks. Case fuckin’ closed. Megan ain’t been feelin’ well and I ain’t leavin’ her right now.”

  “You wouldn’t even if she was peachy keen,” Johnnie snorted.

  “Peachy keen?” Digger echoed with a frown. “Since when you use terms like that?”

  “You’ve been back almost seven months,” Johnnie grumped. “This isn’t the first time you’ve heard me say that.”

  “And every time your ass say it, it sound fucked up. I’m just fucking commenting now.”

  “I happen to like the term.”

  Disgust surged into Christopher and he shook his head. He couldn’t let Johnnie’s delusion go unchecked. Maybe, the motherfucker didn’t even fucking realize what the fuck was happening. “No, the fuck you don’t. Your cunt like that fuckin’ term, so you fuckin’ like it, cuz you still the most henpecked motherfucker I ever fuckin’ met.”

  “Henpecked, huh?” Johnnie sneered. “This coming from a motherfucker who admits to being pussified?”

  “I wear my pussification with fuckin’ honors. Still a fuckin’ difference. Me and Megan in a give-and-take relationship. You and Kendall in a take relationship. That bitch do nothin’ but take from you and give your dumb ass nothin’ in return. For fuckin’ instance, she took your goddamn balls and never gave them motherfuckers back.”

  “Fuck you. I want Kendall happy.”

  “You want Kendall to stay,” Val shot back. “You think if you deny her one fucking thing, that bitch leaving.”

  Johnnie opened his mouth to speak but then snapped it shut.

  “Tell me that’s not true, John Boy?” Val urged.

  “How the fuck can you motherfuckers castigate my relationship with my wife when you don’t see how you fawn over your women?”

  “Casti-fuckin-gate, huh?”

  “Criticize, reprimand, rebuke,” Johnnie answered. “I forgot you don’t like big words.”

  That motherfucker. “And I fuckin’ forgot you ain’t likin’ your fuckin’ head attached to your shoulders.”

  “Johnnie, that shit not cool.” Mortician shook his head. “You and me both know Prez knew what the fuck that word mean. But you seem to think cuz you got a fucking college education you better than Prez.”

  “The fuck I do.”

  “The fuck you don’t,” Mortician bit out. “I graduated from college in case your ass forgot.”

  “You could’ve fooled me,” Johnnie shot back. “You sound about as educated as the rest of them. Cash and I are the only ones who sound as if we have academic smarts.”

  “Don’t put me in your bullshit,” Cash ordered, interrupting Christopher’s response.

  And Christopher was glad. For the first time in a while, Johnnie’s words hurt. Judging from Mort’s dark look, Christopher wasn’t the only one feeling the sting.

  “They started it!” Johnnie flared. “Talking about Kendall. Whether you motherfuckers like it or not, she’s my goddamn wife, whom I love. Stop fucking disrespecting her.”

  “Then tell her to back the fuck off,” Christopher snarled, wondering how the fuck they’d gotten on the subject of Kendall.

  “From one educated
asshole to another,” Cash began, unamused. “Say you and Sweetness had gotten together.”

  “Sweetness?” Johnnie asked with a frown.

  “Megan,” Cash clarified.

  “You let him call your wife Sweetness, but you didn’t like me calling her Megs?”

  “Megan ain’t ever been involved with his ass, motherfucker,” Christopher pointed out, his gut clenching at the thought of her time with Johnnie. Their first holiday together would always be tainted with Christopher’s dumb fuckedupedness. For the most part, Christopher had accepted Johnnie touched Megan’s pussy and she’d jerked him off. But when the motherfucker started his preppy bullshit, it grated on Christopher’s ass.

  “You and her spent hours together almost every-fuckin-day. She got fuckin’ attached to you. Maybe, even fell a lil’ bit in love with you.”

  Johnnie sucked in a breath and stared at Christopher as if he’d lost his mind.

  Christopher cocked his head to the side, surprised at the shock on Johnnie’s face. “You ain’t ever realize that shit, huh?”

  “Of course, I knew she loved me,” he said on a swallow. “But I didn’t think she’d been in love with me. Even a little.”

  Maybe, that knowledge would stop him from being such a dickhead sore loser.

  “Jesus H. Christ,” Val added. “I’m supposed to be the stupid one. Look like you need to step away from your lauded education and clue the fuck in with common sense, cuntbucket.”

  Digger guffawed. “Cuntbucket? What happened to cunt licker?”

  Val shrugged. “Thought I’d change it up. Try something new.”

  “Please shut the fuck up and let me address Christopher.” A muscle ticking in his jaw, Johnnie glanced away, then shook his head. “What fucking difference does it make at this point?” he asked after a moment. “I sincerely love Kendall. I’m in love with her. Yet, I find myself defending her to you fuckheads every few months. Is she that fucking interesting?”

  “Nope,” Christopher answered. “She that fuckin’ annoyin’. By the way, you the assfuck brought that bitch up this time.” No longer interested in this bullshit, he got to his feet, nodding to Brooks. “Promised Megan I’d do fuckin’ inventory on Christmas decoratin’ shit, so I gotta hit the fuckin’ road.”

  Not only was Megan planning a big Christmas party, but she wanted a big ass production on the outside of their house that she intended to light on Thanksgiving night, after the club dinner with the members and their families. She was so excited about it. Christopher, on the other fucking hand, was less than thrilled about having so many lights on his house, it probably could be fucking seen from the Space Station.

  Besides, she still wasn’t feeling well. Not that she complained, but he knew her. For the past few days, she’d either been resting in bed or sitting somewhere. That wasn’t Megan at all. She promised him she was okay. She’d gone to another OB appointment three days ago. Howser found no abnormality, so Christopher had to believe her.

  Except instinct told him differently.

  “Christopher,” Johnnie called, just as he reached the door.

  “Yo?” He didn’t bother about turning around.

  “I’m sorry for the dictionary comment. I think you’re one of the smartest men I know.” He sighed. “Kendall has been difficult.”

  Under-fuckin-statement. That bitch had been impossible.

  “The last time I made a firm decision and she was pregnant with Rory, she left me.”

  Christopher drew in a deep breath, letting go of his anger to respond to Johnnie. He faced him. “If that cunt leave because you tryin’ to do something for her own fuckin’ good, then she don’t fuckin’ love you, Johnnie.”

  What the fuck did they have to say to convince Johnnie that bitch wasn’t fucking going nowhere?

  “Can you please stop calling her out of her name?”

  “Fuck no.”

  “Christopher—”

  Christopher raised his hand to halt whatever Johnnie had to say. “The difference between you and your bitch and us and ours, is the bitch herself. She the meanest fuckin’ cunt I ever came the fuck across. She spiteful. She jealous. She petty. Off her medicine. When she takin’ them, she more reasonable and more tolerable. But if you wasn’t so fuckin’ scared of her, you coulda fuckin’ told her how she fuckin’ up all the fuckin’ strides she made, cuz she don’t wanna take her pills.”

  “She isn’t as sharp or focused on them.”

  “I thought she told Bailey it was because of the baby.” Mort sounded genuinely confused, as if he didn’t know that bitch and her fucking scheming.

  “Yeah, fuckin’ sure, Mortician. Kendall ain’t ever do shit for somebody else. That bitch stopped takin’ the meds cuz it gentled her down and she like bein’ the bitch she is.”

  “That isn’t true!” Johnnie barked. “Kendall doesn’t want to hurt our daughter.”

  “Her doctor said it was fine, Johnnie,” Brooks told him, not meeting his gaze, color sweeping into his face. He and his wife spoiled Kendall as much as Johnnie.

  “And?” Johnnie asked slowly.

  “And…” Voice trailing off, Brooks loosened his tie. “Kendall has been on a rampage. She fired Leann.”

  Johnnie frowned. “Her assistant?”

  Brooks nodded.

  “She fired Charlotte’s niece?” Johnnie asked again, as if he needed extra clarification.

  “Yes, but Kendall hired her, so…” Brooks shrugged.

  “So, what? Leann is a sweet, pretty girl…fuuucccckkkk.” Johnnie groaned. “She’s also a little blonde.”

  “Whom you laugh and joke with whenever you stop by the office. And, er, who I heard, singled you out at the recital before last,” Brooks explained, his expression pained, as if he hated to break the news. “Charlotte is furious, but has agreed to wait until after Kendall delivers and resumes her meds to reason with her.”

  “Case fuckin’ closed.” The psychoness of Johnnie’s bitch vindicated Christopher.

  “So I’m going to meet McCallister or what?” Val asked, ignoring Johnnie’s angry glare.

  Brooks wiped his brow and sent Christopher another hang-dog-I’m-so-fucked look. “It’s Outlaw or no one.”

  “Oh-fucking-well,” Christopher barked. “It gotta be no one.”

  He didn’t allow Brooks another chance to try and change his mind. He walked the fuck out, determined to forget McCallister fucking existed.

  “I want this, this, this, this, that, that, that, and that, MegAnn,” CJ informed Meggie, his chubby finger landing on the photos of the toys he expected Santa to deliver.

  Forcing a smile, she followed her son’s thumps, considering the bake set, kid-sized 12-volt Camero, farmhouse, and alphabet computer, but ruling out the gun, sword, and knives. Christopher would start his lessons with real weapons soon enough.

  “I’ll talk to Santa, sweet potato,” she promised, wondering if she should place a call to Dr. Will. In the three weeks since she’d started feeling “off,” it had grown worse as the days passed. According to Dr. Howser, her cervix was effaced at ten percent. He swore while it bore watching, it wasn’t something to really worry about. Meggie didn’t feel right, though, and she worried it was something more than what he said. Sharp pains in her stomach came and went, and general unwellness hung around her. Maybe her regular OB/GYN could check Meggie out and confirm Dr. Howser’s report.

  Doctors were supposed to know best, but this was one of those instances where she knew her body better. She’d also read up on effacement online. Given her history, it was serious. When she confronted Dr. Howser, he said he understood her concerns, but she was stressing herself out for nothing.

  What else could she do?

  She’d been trying to hide how sick she felt from Christopher, but for the past three nights she’d declined his lovemaking. Something she never did unless she was mad with him, and then she had to be really mad. In their four years together, she’d rebuffed him out of anger, only four times.

&n
bsp; CJ tugged her hair and she looked at the catalog again. “This, too,” he said, pointing to a doll.

  “For you?”

  “Uh-huh,” he squeaked with his exaggerated nod.

  Meggie sighed, knowing Christopher wouldn’t want his son playing with a baby doll. She wasn’t up to that battle, but she didn’t want to deny such an innocent request. “I’ll see what I can do. But you have to be a really good boy. Promise?”

  “Pwomise.”

  She raised her hand. “Hi-five.”

  Giggling, he tapped his smaller hand against hers and scrambled off the bed where he’d followed her after she’d put the twins down for their afternoon nap.

  “Outside, Mommie.”

  Meggie plopped her head back on the pillow. She needed to go over accounts for the home healthcare business and finalize her guest list for the party that she was throwing the Saturday before Christmas. At the moment, she couldn’t do anything else but... “Let’s take a nap first, buddy. Mommie is really tired.”

  Instead of giving her a hard time, he climbed next to her and smiled. “I tired, too, MegAnn.”

  She pulled him into her arms and kissed his forehead. “Then let’s sleep, so we’ll be nice and fresh when Daddy gets home.”

  Smiling, he stilled and squeezed his eyes shut, affecting a loud snore. Meggie grinned at how easy her son had complied, wishing whatever ailed her would be as simple to fix.

  Strains of Tchaikovsky floated to Johnnie through the speakers wired into his garage. With the garage door lifted, cold air blasted in the scent of pine and damp leaves as he circled his Harley, wondering if Kendall would mind if he went for a spin on it.

  He didn’t want to stress her out, so he hadn’t ridden in months because it worried her too much. Missing his bike like fuck, he ran his fingers along the cold chrome, remembering how blazing down the highway at full throttle freed something within him.

  Maybe, he’d list a spin on his bike as his most wished-for Christmas gift. It didn’t have to be a long ride. Ten minutes tops would tide him over until Kendall got better.