Chapter 10
Kenna
“Yikes, that doesn’t sound good.” I turned to Tess as we watched Minnie disappear inside the trailer. Tess had a puzzled look on her face. “What?”
“Something’s going on.” I stood when she did. “I’ll text Rail and see if I can get a feel for what’s happening.” She moved a few steps away, and I looked over my shoulder. Fuck it.
I hurried over and quietly opened the trailer door. The guys stood in front of a giant TV watching a video. I froze when I saw the man on the screen.
“No, Minnie!” I covered my mouth as everyone turned to stare at me in the open doorway. “How could you!”
“I didn’t,” she shook her head, “I swear, Kenna. I would never.”
“Then how?” I pointed at the screen.
“I don’t know. Honestly.” I should have known she’d never tell my secrets. I’d just panicked. The stone wall inside me started to crumble as I realized what I’d done.
“You know who that is?” The shock on Grim’s face made it ten times worse.
“Something really big is going on, Kenna.” Minnie moved closer to me. “No more secrets.”
“You’re one of us, Kenna,” Trigger said from the far corner, “inner circle. Means no fuckin’ secrets.”
“It”s not like that.” I looked at the floor and tried to pull up some courage from deep inside. “I wasn”t trying to keep it from you, I was trying to help you.”
“Meaning?” Grim studied me from where he stood. I took a deep breath and fought to think straight. “From the beginning,” he added.
I nodded; it was time. I dropped heavily into a chair and began.
“Since I was about fifteen, my father began to have a magnitude of men over. I can’t remember a time when the house was ever empty. I was told one of his clients came with a team and that’s who they were. I was eighteen when Sasha Landry arrived with a few others.” I shifted uncomfortably.
“Don’t stop now.” Grim waved at me, and I looked up briefly, his gold eyes burning into me.
“Over the years, I’d hear things. Anything important was done in Dad’s office. Everything else was just mindless chatter in the background. But there were a few rare times, when they’d forget I was home and hold a meeting with the door open. The day before I met you,” I looked at Grim, “I got a call from Mom. She needed something scanned from dad’s office. I got home and did what I needed to, and just as I was finishing up, I heard someone come into the house. I slipped out of the office and hid behind a door across the hall. I never liked being in the house alone with any of them.”
“Speed the story along.” Grim was clearly impatient with me.
“I’m trying,” I snapped back, not needing his assholiness.
“That guy, Matt,” I pointed to the screen, “and another guy stopped outside dad’s office. They were discussing Matt’s alibi and how it had to be perfect before he testified in court. That he had to stick to the script so everyone else”s matched up. Matt,” I pointed to the screen again, “promised he was ready and that’s when the other guy held up some photos.” I paused; I remembered that awful moment all too well. “Well, I knew I had to do something. So,” I took a deep breath, and Minnie cleared her throat.
“That’s where I come in.” Minnie tried to help me out. “I got a call from Kenna saying this Matt guy was going to be at my strip club that night, and that when he arrived, she wanted me to call her. When he came in with a few other guys, I made the call. Ten minutes later, she arrived.”
“Why didn’t I know about this?” Brick hissed under his breath.
“You were in LA,” she reminded him.
“I’d thought everything through. I planned it down to the last minute.” I picked up the story. Minnie didn’t know this part. I wanted her to know as little as possible. “I did some digging of my own and found out Matt had been cheating on his long-term girlfriend, who has a pretty powerful father. I also found out he had a whole other family, a wife and kids in Wisconsin. That was going to be my bargaining chip.”
“Get to the point of all this, Kenna.” Grim stood and moved toward me.
“Grim,” Trigger warned, and I gave him a ‘thank you’ look as Grim backed off.
“I need to tell this my way, Grim. You said from the beginning.” I took a breath. “So, I arrived at Minnie’s, and like always, got patted down for a weapon at the door. Once Nate cleared me, I headed through the back way to one of the lap dance rooms. That’s where Minnie told me he was. She said his two buddies were in other rooms down the hall. I used a key card and got in. No one saw me.” I rubbed my forehead and let that night’s memory flood through me. “I didn’t know,” I swallowed back the rush of words that wanted to come out but couldn’t, “I just…” I licked my lips as I tried to find the words.
A can cracked open, and everyone looked over at Rail. He started to sip loudly then looked around as if to ask what was up.
“Keep going,” Rail encouraged me, and I caught Brick’s smirk.
“Okay.” I closed my eyes and dug deep to find the set of balls I needed. I had to get this out in the open so I could breathe again. “The moment he saw me, he had the wrong idea about why I was there. He made a move for me, but I was ready and held up the proof about his other family, and that”s when things turned. I told him I knew about what he’d been told to do, and that if he testified, I’d out him. I said if he wanted to keep the life he had, he’d need to figure out a reason not to do it. But then,” I swallowed, and the rest of my words came out in a rush, “he grabbed me and threw me on the floor, then he was on top of me. I kicked and screamed and then there was a gun and somehow it went off. Then Minnie came running in. I never had a gun. Nate checked. I was cleared!”
“Fuck me.” Grim slammed his fist into the table.
“The fuck, Minnie?” Trigger growled and looked at her. “How’d he get a gun in the club?”
“I don’t know, but if he wanted to bad enough, you know you find a way, Trig.” Minnie’s voice was as high as I’d ever heard it. I tried not to think of the mouse as she began to explain her part of what happened next.
“Anyway, I heard a bang, and I grabbed the closest bouncers, and we rushed in the room. Kenna’s hands were bloody, and some of her dress was wet, but she had on black so that concealed most of it.” She eyeballed me, and I waved her on. “I told her I’d handle it and that she needed to get out of there. When she left, we cleaned up, and the guys disposed of the body the way we always do, and that was that.”
“That shouldn’t have happened,” Grim hissed at Trigger, who nodded. “Do you have any idea how bad this is, Kenna?” Before I could answer, something hit him, and he stood straight. “That guy at Secrets, the one I killed, was he one of Matt’s guys? He must’ve followed you there.”
“Yes.” I knew better than to withhold anything else. “We bumped shoulders on my way out. He must have followed me to your hotel.”
“And were those the same guys who were poking around Minnie’s club that night we were all there?” Jesse asked.
“Yeah, that was the third guy. I’m guessing they don’t know it was me, because we looked right at one another, and he didn’t seem to make a connection. I think they were just sniffing around.”
Grim cut me off. “But you don’t know for sure.”
“Well, no, I guess I just figured they’d kill me when they had the opportunity.”
“Truth, Kenna, killing you is the least of your worries with guys like that,” Grim snarled.
“Hold on, what about the dancer in the room? Did she recognize you?” Morgan asked.
“I don’t think she even saw me. I didn’t see her. She was gone the moment the door opened.”
“They’re taught the door opens once and that’s for the client to go in,” Minnie explained. “Any time after that, they get the fuck out of there.”
“I wanna talk to her.” Trigger rubbed his chin.
“Me too,” Minnie huffed, “but she bolted that night. It’s not uncommon with these girls. She’s probably worried it was her pimp. Tracy’s skittish, and her pimp is a nasty S.O.B.” Trigger gave her a hard look. “But I’ll keep tryin’ to find her.”
“Kenna,” Grim positively vibrated with anger when I looked at him again, “what, exactly, was Matt Myers asked to testify about?”
I licked my lips and knew the shit was about to hit the fan. “The Riverside Massacre.”
“Wasn’t that, like, four months ago?” Brick thought out loud. “Yeah, where that factory hired retired vets, and the owner came to open for the morning and they were all found slaughtered. Necks sliced from ear to ear.”
“Yeah.” I made a face remembering the photos I’d seen.
“That case is still open, yeah?” Morgan asked.
“Yes.” I ran a hand through my hair. Here we go. “Matt was supposed to testify, along with a few other people, that they saw the Devil’s Reach at the scene.” The place went silent. “Given who was killed, how they were killed, and your club’s priors, it was going to be a slam dunk case.” I looked at their faces. I was the only one in the room who moved. “I had to do something. You guys are family, so…I guess it’s done. I killed him.”
Trigger moved his head slowly to look at me. So much was written on his face that I couldn’t figure him out.
“Kenna, do you know who hired them to do this?” Brick cautiously asked.
I opened my mouth but closed it again as tears burned my cheeks, proof I had a theory.
“Okay.” Brick nodded, not needing me to say it yet.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I blurted. I felt raw and exposed but also guilty for implying that maybe, just maybe, my father could be behind it. “And I had no idea who he was to Sonny at the time. I guess I didn’t dig deep enough, but I’m not sorry for protecting the people I care about.”
“You have no idea what you did,” Grim growled. “Sonny won’t let this go, not until he finds out who killed his business partner. Not to mention the people they’re connected to in Chicago.”
“It’s my mess.” I lifted my chin and ignored the weight of all the repercussions that sat heavily on my chest. It wasn’t necessarily a new feeling for me. I’d always fought hard to make my father proud despite all the unwanted attention I’d gotten from men he seemed to bring into my life. I don’t know why I constantly tried to make him see me for who I was. I always ended up bearing the brunt of his disdain. Now, with this murder and Hanna’s warning, I was starting to think this was going to be my new normal. “I’ll deal with it, just like I do everything else.” I could feel how close I was to the edge. Grim’s face was unreadable. I turned and marched out, slamming the door as I left.
“Whooo.” I shook the nerves from my arms and swallowed back the lump in my throat. Now everyone knew my secret.
“Hey, Ken,” Minnie came out after me, and I closed my eyes, “I hope you know I?—”
“I know,” I assured her. “I’m sorry for even thinking it.” I felt amped up and uncomfortable in my own skin. A far cry from the relaxed jelly state Grim had put me in earlier. “I…” I scrubbed my face. “I feel like I’ve been screwing up at every turn. Shit, why did I ever think I could blackmail that guy? Look at me, I’m half his size! I should have realized he’d come at me.”
“You weren’t thinking. You were protecting the people you cared about.” Minnie came closer. “Trigger doesn’t do feelings, but I know that meant something to him.”
“And Grim? Because he was ready to claw me in two.”
“Trigger underreacts, Grim reacts with feeling.”
“Grim’s just mad it was his mouth in my lunch box thirty minutes ago and not his dick.”
“Whoa, what?” Her face lit up, and I wished I hadn’t blurted that out loud.
“Hey, bitch, he was mine first, you know.” I whirled around to see Grim’s woman Kelly with a girl and another guy. They stared me down. “There’re rules at this party.”
“Did she just call me a bitch?” I made a face at Minnie, feeling something come over me.
“So, why don’t you pack up your fake tits and hit the road,” the girl sneered. What, were we in West Side Story?
“I could see why you’d think they were fake, given that you’ve got no reference of your own.” I took a step toward her. “If you claimed him as yours, why was he behind the trailer earlier with a mouth full of me?” I pointed to my vag. All my common sense sailed away on the hot desert breeze.
“I’ve never been more turned on,” Minnie cackled behind me.
“So, what you’re saying is you’re a whore?” She took a step toward me, and her two friends fanned out. The guy was short and had a little bit of blond hair left on his head. He grinned like he was ready for what was about to happen. The girl eyed Minnie but thought twice about moving. Instead, she took off her shoes.
“No, what I’m saying, you gangly piss flap, is that he came looking for me for something to eat.” I wasn’t even thinking; the crap just poured out of my mouth.
“Slap that nipple right off her turkey tit, Kenna!” Minnie called excitedly.
“Fuck you!” Kelly yelled, and I moved into her line of vision.
“Why, Grim doesn’t want you?” I retorted, and her face turned beet red. “Why don’t you take your gas station gang and move on somewhere you can get some.”
“Slut!” She was slow with the slap, so I ducked and shoved her backward. The second she found her footing, she came running for me. I saw red. I’d never been in a fight before, but I was ready, and it felt good to let loose. Once she was close enough, I tried to shove her again, but she was ready for it and grabbed a fistful of my hair, and we both hit the ground. I somehow wiggled on top and yanked the first thing I could.
“What the fuck?” I held up a chunk of her weave and tossed it aside.
“Stupid slut!” Kelly screamed as I held her down and pinned her arms so she couldn’t hit me.
“Come on, Kenna, let out your inner demons!” Minnie cheered me on.
“I know who you are!” Kelly’s arms broke free, and she flailed and bucked wildly under me. I squeezed my hips as I tried to hold her down. “You’re just a whore.” I struggled to stay on top. “You’re just like the others. Fuck.” She laughed like a crazy woman as she flipped me hard on my back. I fought to grab her wrists, but her knees reminded me I wasn’t completely healed as pain billowed up in my side. “You couldn’t even keep Dale!” My face flinched, and I knew she saw it. How the fuck could she have known that? Who the hell was this chick?
“Think of what you did, Kenna.” Minnie’s tone changed to a more serious one. “You’re ravenous. You need this.”
“You couldn’t satisfy a fat-assed trucker,” Kelly seethed as she pulled my hair. I saw red again and grabbed, punched, tore, and kicked anything I could. I fought like a demon, and it felt good.
She screamed and increased her own attack.
“Oh, baby! It’s a clit to tits fight!” I heard Minnie’s excited shouts. “I’m watching you two. If you try ’n step in, I’ll be callin’ Trigger to tap in,” she warned someone.
“The fuck!” I heard Grim shout, but it fueled my rage even more, and I landed a good one and felt wet spray. “Get the fuck off.” Suddenly, Kelly was thrown backward, and I scrambled after her, but before I could get to her, someone snagged me by the waist.
“What the hell’s going on?” Grim held tightly to my arms as I struggled to get back to Kelly.
“Your side piece was startin’ shit.” Kelly wiped blood from her nose with the back of her hand. “I just came to warn her off. You and me have a night of fun ahead.”
“You accused me of being a whore.” I flipped my hair out of my face. I was unbelievably wound up. She’d hit low in a few places, and it felt good to physically work it out. Things weren’t sitting well in my head.
“Get lost, Kelly,” he ordered, and she glowered at me.
“Fine with me. There’s plenty of meat around here. I sure as hell don’t need to work for it,” she fired back. “Fill your boots with the hoe!” And I went for her again.
“Stop!” Grim shouted at me.
“Why?” I shoved his arms back, and he looked fit to kill. “This was all your fault!”
“Come again?” I was getting under his skin, and it felt fucking good.
“You came here with her, yet you fucked around with me. You made me a target with Kelly just like you did with Jenelle. Don’t use me as filler when you’re bored with the chicks you’re with.”
“The fuck you say to me?”
“I have enough shit on my plate. I don’t need this too.” His jaw ticked, and I hoped my words stung. I spun around and headed into Morgan’s trailer. He’d put my bags there earlier, so I figured it was where I was staying.
“She’s not wrong,” I heard Minnie say to him through the window. “That girl came for her because she saw you marking Kenna as yours in front of Oz.”
“Yeah,” he muttered, and I was pleased that Minnie had pointed it out as well.
“Kenna’s close to losing it, Grim, and I’m not talkin’ about a breakdown.”
“Done?” His icy tone made even me shiver, and I couldn’t even see him.
“I am now,” Minnie huffed.