by Zoey Parker
Jester stopped in his tracks. His own smile fell from his face immediately and the tip of his pistol lowered a few inches, quivering.
“What are you laughing at?” he demanded.
I laughed even harder. My sides ached, and my head felt like it was trying to contain a supernova. Jewel looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Fuck, maybe I had.
Jester scowled and marched over to me, putting the gun to the center of my forehead. “Stop that!” he yelled. “What's so fucking funny?”
I stopped laughing and looked him right in the eyes.
“Enjoy your fireworks, motherfucker,” I said.
The timer on the window hit zero minutes and zero seconds, and just beyond it, the first firework whistled into the night sky trailing green flames like an emerald comet.
Before the firework went off, there was a series of three sharp bangs on the deck of the yacht, just outside the cabin.
In case Jester didn't fall for our bluff about copying the memory stick, Sperm's back-up plan had been for Boomer to rig the duplicate sticks with explosives. There hadn't been enough time for Boomer to cobble together a whole new remote system to set them off, so he'd had to improvise by setting them to the same remote frequency he'd used when helping to rig up the Fourth of July fireworks. That meant they'd go off at the same time.
The idea was that at least we'd know when they were going to go off, and we could use them accordingly as a last-ditch weapon or distraction. There wasn't much room inside the memory sticks once they were hollowed out—just enough for a dab of Semtex and the remote activator.
But it worked.
I felt Richie's hands loosen around my wrists for a moment as he reacted, surprised. Jester flinched and turned to look in the direction of the blasts.
It was now or never.
I pulled free from Angelo and jumped forward, reaching for the barrel of Jester's gun. My vision was still blurred and my fingertips lightly brushed the gun, just missing it. I landed on the floor at Jester's feet and tackled him around the legs, sending him down in a tangle of limbs. He let out a frustrated yell, trying to kick me off.
I saw Angelo and Richie reaching for their guns, and I knew I had one chance to make this work or Jewel and I were both dead. Angelo would have to be my first target, or else he'd have time to put his gun to Jewel's head. Plus, Richie's wounded shoulder would slow him down, buying me time.
I climbed up Jester's prone body and put my right hand over his gun hand, using my left hand to bat away his straight razor as it slashed at my face and shoulders. I felt the blade sink into my left palm several times as I used my hand to move Jester's gun hand, aiming at Angelo and squeezing the trigger. The gun fired three times. The first shot missed, the second went through Angelo's hand, and the third drilled right through his heart. He dropped his gun and fell backward behind Jewel's chair.
I quickly pivoted and aimed Jester's gun hand at Richie, feeling his razor slice into my face just below my eye. “Get off me, you fuck!” Jester shrieked. “Let go of my fucking gun!”
Richie was just raising his gun to aim it at me. I squeezed Jester's trigger again and two more bullets came out before it clicked empty. Both hit Richie high in the chest and he doubled over, sagging to the floor.
I let go of Jester's hand and turned all of my attention to him just as his razor came at my face again, cutting across the bridge of my nose and up my forehead. I felt the cut and blood started to flow into my eyes. I could barely see through the red haze.
Jester was scrabbling on the floor with me, yowling a long string of cuss words as he swung the blade. I seized his wrist with both hands and we grappled. He delivered a swift punch to my head, then another. The world started to spin and go dark again. I felt my grip on his knife hand weakening. Just a few more seconds and I'd pass out and he'd cut my throat before turning his attention to...
Jewel shoved me aside roughly and brought one of the chairs down on top of Jester, pinning his torso to the floor. The breath left his body in a loud groan, and I heard several of his ribs break. The empty gun fell from his fingers and he flailed his other arm weakly, waving the knife around.
“Kill you...fucking kill you...” he gasped.
I bent down to pick up the gun Angelo had dropped and lost my balance, almost falling over. I took a deep breath to clear my head, then grabbed the gun and straightened up, pointing it at Jester.
“Maybe next life, clown,” I sneered, pulling the trigger. The bullet hit Jester in the side of the head and his head lolled to the floor, blood pooling beneath his red hair.
I turned to Jewel and held her close, kissing her. I felt like I'd almost been suffocated to death, only to get a sweet gasp of air at the last minute. I breathed her in, consumed her lips with mine.
If there was any doubt in my mind about how much I needed to be with her, it was swept away with that kiss. When our lips parted, I could see that I'd left a little blood on hers, and wiped it off.
“Guess we'd better bring this thing back to the harbor, huh?” I asked. “Do you know anything about boats?”
“No,” Jewel said, smiling, “but it couldn't be much different from driving a car, right?”
We started to walk toward the control room when we suddenly heard a splashing sound from the side of the yacht. As we headed in that direction, I noticed that both of us still seemed pretty unsteady on our feet. I had a concussion and a wounded arm, she'd been fucking drugged, and somehow, we'd still managed to take down Jester.
We both peered over the side of the yacht, just in time to see Richie revving the engine on a small orange lifeboat. He was still bleeding from the two holes in his chest. He scowled up at us.
“Whatever you assholes did to the deck, it damaged the engine,” he yelled. “This thing's dead in the water and I'm outta here. See you both in hell.” He took off in the lifeboat, zooming off toward the dark horizon.
“Are you gonna be able to swim for it in your condition?” I asked Jewel.
“I don't know,” Jewel said. “Are you?”
“I don't know either,” I laughed. “But I guess we'd better try.”
“Okay, here we go,” Jewel said, stepping up to the edge of the deck and holding my hand.
“Wait just a second,” I said, letting go of her hand and stepping back. “I need to grab something first.”
I ran back to the cabin and crouched down next to Jester, going through his pockets. Finally, I found the memory stick and grabbed it. I knew it wouldn't be safe in the water so I took Jester's wallet and pawed through it. At last, I found what I was looking for.
A condom.
I opened the wrapper, unfurled the latex sheathe, and carefully stuck the memory stick into it, tying it off. I hoped it would do the trick.
I straightened back up and paused to spit on Jester's motionless face before walking back out to the deck. I stood next to Jewel on the edge of the yacht and we held hands again.
“On three,” she said.
“Okay,” I agreed. “One.”
“Two,” she said.
We said “three” together and jumped, the lake's cold water plunging up over our heads. My whole body felt a shock and I forgot to swim for a moment. My head started to spin again and I flailed under the water, suddenly unable to tell which way the surface was.
The holes in my arm thudded with pain as I moved against the water, trying to swim. I looked at the bubbles pluming from my nose and mouth, realized they'd naturally head for the surface, and followed them. The water around my head seemed red and murky, and I knew that the impact with the water had probably started my nose bleeding again.
Just let me make sure I get Jewel to the harbor safely, I silently begged anyone who would listen. I can die after that, but please, just let me make it that far.
I hit the surface gasping for air and looked around, trying to see Jewel. Instead a bright white light burned directly into my eyes, momentarily blinding me. I held up my hand against it as I heard someone with a
bullhorn bark, “Stay where you are! We're coming to get you!”
My eyes slowly adjusted, and I saw that the light was being shined by a member of the police department's Harbor Patrol. He was wearing a bright orange life jacket and reaching out to me with a pole as two other harbor cops pulled Jewel onto their boat.
I grabbed hold of the pole and let the harbor cop pull me toward him until I was close enough for him to haul onboard.
“And just what the hell happened to you two?” the harbor cop asked, bewildered.
Chapter 41
Rafe
An hour and a half later, we were standing on the docks, giving our statements to the police for the third time as the Harbor Patrol towed the yacht to shore. The dock was cordoned off and flickering with red and blue lights from patrol cars and emergency vehicles.
A medic was patching up the cuts on my hand and face, but there were cops waiting next to him. I knew the score. Once they were sure I wouldn't bleed out and die in their custody, they'd arrest me as a known felon who'd just admitted to multiple violations of his parole, and I'd be back in Potawatomi in no time.
But part of me didn't care. I was too tired and concussed to make up a bunch of lies for them. And at least I'd made sure Jewel was safe. She could go back to her job and her parents, and I knew that would have to be good enough for me. It didn't feel like it ever could be, though. It felt like it would leave another hole inside of me, one that even rage couldn't fill.
Once the yacht was docked, I saw a bunch of police tactical officers board it, followed by a team of medics.
No need for that, boys, I thought. No one left alive on that boat.
So I was surprised when a few minutes later, the medics came down the gangway, hustling a gurney with a man strapped to it. I peered over and saw that it was Jester, spasming violently as the EMS techs tried to resuscitate him. His eyelids fluttered, and for just one brief second, I could have sworn that he looked at me. But then the medics wheeled him to the ambulance and drove him away.
“What happens now?” Jewel asked me.
I sighed, prepared to tell her that now I had to go, and that if she was smart, she'd forget about me and find someone worthy of her. But before I could say any of that, an unmarked police car pulled up to the docks and a tall, cadaverous man with a gray buzz cut got out. He walked over to us, flashing a badge at the officers hovering around us.
“Give us a moment alone, will you, fellas?” the gray-haired man said. His voice sounded tired and gravelly. The other cops quickly walked away, stealing glances back in our direction.
“My name is Superintendent Hollis Grady of the CPD,” he said. “Were you one of Bard's boys?”
Bard's boys. I'd never thought of myself that way, but it seemed fitting. He'd been a father to all of us, in his way. “Yeah, I suppose I am,” I answered.
“And is it true?” Grady demanded. “Is Bard on that boat? Is he dead?”
I looked into Grady's eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of a hawk. “I'm afraid so, sir,” I said. “I'm sorry. I heard you were close.”
Grady closed his eyes for a moment, then crossed himself, his bushy eyebrows drawing together in a frown. “God rest him,” Grady said. “A deeply fucked-up man, but a good one, to be sure. Yesterday, he called me asking about this so-called Family of Thorns. Since you were on this boat with him and several known Thorns, I assume you had some part to play in all this?”
“Yes, sir,” I nodded. I was prepared to accept my sentence. Whatever it was, it still probably wasn't as bad as I deserved.
But Grady put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. “Well, whatever happened here, it's resulted in the arrests of several Thorns. Depending on what we find on that boat, it may even be the first domino that falls in putting them all behind bars. So as far as I'm concerned, that's enough to give you a pass tonight, in honor of a fallen comrade who'd no doubt have appreciated it. I'll massage the report as best I can tomorrow when it hits my desk, and see if I can find a way to leave you both out of the worst of it.”
I fucking couldn't believe my ears. “Thank you.”
Grady glanced at Jewel, and saw that we were holding hands. “You just make the most of it, son,” he told me. “Do us both a favor, and do Bard one as well. Don't ever give me cause to see you again. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “I will make the most of it, I promise.”
And as I leaned over and kissed Jewel again, I knew that I meant every word.
Epilogue
Rafe
A year later, things had mostly settled down.
The remaining Reapers decided that their best bet was to make Boomer their new president since he was the most senior member left, and he'd spent the most time as an officer of the club.
Because the ranks had been thinned out so much from the wars with the Bonaccorsos and the Thorns, Boomer ended up recruiting a bunch of members from the Madison chapter. A few of them washed out and joined other clubs or became weekend warriors, but most of them proved they had what it took to run with the big boys.
Everyone knew that things would never be the same without Bard and Growler, but Boomer held a recruitment drive for new prospects, and six months later, they'd done a damn good job of restoring the War Reapers MC to its former glory. Giggles had been promoted to Sergeant-at-Arms, and Nic had even agreed to take a more active leadership role until the MC got back on its feet again.
Boomer came to me in those early days of putting the pieces back together. He held out his meaty hand, offering the VP patch.
“You fucked up bad,” Boomer said, “an' I know we've got a lot of stuff to work out between us, but you're still one of the most badass riders I've ever known. You know how the club works, you know what it needs to survive. If Bard were alive, I know he'd offer you another chance 'cause he believed in you so much, even at the end. If you're willing to work with me, I'd like to have you.”
I thought about Jewel and our future together, and shook my head, smiling. “I'm honored, man. Truly. But I can't. Besides, you've got this. It's your time now.”
Jewel and I ended up getting married a few months after what happened on the yacht. We found out she was pregnant two months after that. Since my biker days were over and I wasn't good at much else, we talked about it and decided we might like to try our hand at farming. It just so happened that we knew of a farm with a house that was vacant, one that already had some special memories for us.
But before we could buy the place and get set up as farmers, we'd need some start-up money. It wasn't like a former biker and felon like me could just walk into a bank and borrow that kind of money.
Luckily, I had the perfect idea. I called Boomer and asked him to help me arrange a very special meeting as one last favor. When he heard my idea, he laughed for three minutes straight, then agreed and hung up the phone.
Two nights later, Boomer and I were at the Devil's Nest as Jewel packed up our stuff in the apartment we shared, preparing for the upcoming move.
At exactly ten o'clock, five men walked in. They were all middle-aged or older, well-dressed, and Italian.
“Where the fuck do you get your balls, huh, Boomer?” Piero Mancuso demanded. “Calling a meeting with me, after what your fuckin' club did to Jester, Angelo, an' the rest? You must be outta your fuckin' mind.”
“And not just you,” Lucio Esposito rasped. “All of us. The heads of the five crime families of Chicago. We haven't been in the same room with each other in years, and now you summon us to this filthy shack as though you have the right.”
“Yeah,” Marcello Rizzo rumbled, “what gives?”
I stood up in front of them with my hands in my pockets. “Actually, I called you here, gentlemen, and I appreciate your time. I know how valuable it is, so I'll be brief. You see, this isn't really a meeting. It's more of an auction.”
I held up the memory stick.
“This contains a file with the names of every member of the Family of T
horns in your ranks. This represents your chance to purge yourselves of these traitors once and for all, in whatever way you deem appropriate. And I am offering it to you.”
The five men stared at the memory stick, wide-eyed.
“So,” I continued, grinning, “shall we start the bidding at one hundred thousand?”
# # #
Jewel
Rafe told me his plan for the memory stick, and it seemed like a solid idea to me. I knew we'd need the money in order to start a new life together, and after everything the Chicago Mafia had put us through, it seemed only right that they should be the ones to bankroll us.
I spent about half an hour rummaging through my drawers trying to find the broach that my mother and father had given me before remembering that it was still under the seat of the Saab, which meant I'd be able to retrieve it soon enough.
