Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
GHOST
CHRISTMAS EVE
“Does it really require all of us brothers to go out and get the Christmas tree and decorations?” Spider sighs from the passenger seat as I drive.
“You’d rather be ice skating right now?” I retort.
“I’d rather be in the hot tub with my woman,” he sighs.
“No fucking in the hot tub. The kids go in there,” I order.
“Fuck, man, you guys just suck the fun out of being an adult.”
“If you had kids, you would get it,” I point out.
“Fuck, brother, after how Nova and I grew up, having kids is the worst thing we could fucking do.” He scoffs.
“That’s your choice, brother.” I nod. “But just know that if any of us die, you get the kids.”
He looks at me, stunned. I smirk.
“And you also get Erebus. Don’t worry. Dixie has written out a manual on how to look after him,” Rage adds, leaning forward between the front two seats.
Spider throws his hands up in the air. “What the fuck? So you’re all giving me your kids if you die?”
“Dog. Erebus is a dog,” Rage corrects.
I laugh. “What can I say, brother? We all know you ain’t got any kids. So it makes sense.”
“Fuck, I better make sure none of you fuckers die any time soon.” He huffs.
Loud snores come from the back seat. “Fuck, how does Belle even sleep?” I laugh.
“Both are exhausted with the twins,” Scar adds from the back seat. “I think I heard them wake up like three times last night.”
“They that loud that you heard them?” I ask, looking in my rearview mirror.
“Nah, I can’t sleep,” Scar admits. “Waiting for this damn call from the adoption agency is driving me insane.
“I bet it is, brother. Keep calm, and I’m sure they will call soon,” I assure him. A horn beeps as Cash drives alongside us, and as we look, we find Hawk pressing his ass cheeks against the window. We all laugh. “Fucking joker,” I mutter.
We drive for two hours until we eventually find a Christmas tree farm. I pull in, followed by Cash and the other brothers in the other truck.
We jump out and walk over to the guy standing there. “We ain’t got much left, if it’s a tree you’re after,” he states with a cigar hanging out of his mouth.
“Of course we want a fucking tree. Why else would we be here?” Cash quips. The guy glares at him before I step in front of the guy.
“We need a tree, and we need one now. What have you got?” I ask bluntly.
“It will cost ya,” he taunts me with a smirk on his fat face.
I inhale a deep breath. “Show me it,” I demand.
He turns and walks over to the most pathetic tree that looks near dead. “I ain’t paying for that shit.”
“It’s all we got.” He shrugs, still looking fucking amused.
“What about that one?” Rage asks, pointing to the huge tree that is already decorated.
The guy doesn’t even turn around. “It’s a display one.”
“I want that tree and the decorations that are on it,” I state firmly as I pull out some cash.
I count out five hundred and stuff it in his shirt pocket.
“There’s five hundred for the tree and decorations.
You don’t even need to lift a finger. My brothers here will take care of it,” I state, nodding to the guys as they walk over to the tree.
The sound of loud clicking catches all our attention, and we freeze before turning back around to the fat guy, who is now holding a gun and aiming it right at me.
“I said that tree ain’t for sale. Now you fuck off before I shoot you.”
I grin before letting out a slow sadistic chuckle.
“Look, I appreciate it’s Christmas Eve, but we are here to get a tree for our kids.
I have paid you more than enough. You ain’t selling that tree now.
It would have just stayed there and died.
We are doing you a favour by taking it away,” I state, feeling my brothers at my back, all staring at the guy.
He shrugs, smiling, still aiming his gun at me. “Well, your kids ain’t my fucking problem. You can pay me five grand for that tree, or you can fuck off.”
“Five grand? You want five grand? What if I refuse and take it anyway?” I ask, taking a step closer to him.
“Then I will shoot your asses for attempted theft.” He smirks like the mother fucker is in charge of this situation.
“Bernard, your lunch is getting cold,” a woman with a soft voice calls.
I look over to see a frail-looking woman with a cut lip and a black eye. I cock my head back to the guy. “You do that?” I growl.
“Bernard?” The woman’s voice shakes with fear as she reads the tension and sees her husband pointing a gun at me.
“God damn it, woman. Get your ass inside,” he bellows, causing her to flinch.
“Ma’am, let’s go inside, and you can make me a nice cup of tea,” Acid says softly, guiding the woman back inside the static home. She reluctantly does as Acid orders.
I roll my neck and sigh. “So, Bernard, I already didn’t like your greedy ass for trying to rip me off, even when what I offered you was more than fair, but after seeing your poor wife, I now despise you.
We despise anyone that raises a hand to a woman.
Men like you are vermin, parasites that need to be exterminated,” I seethe, clenching my fists tight at my side.
Rage has moved to come behind Bernard, who is completely unaware. I watch as Rage pulls out his huge blade and holds it up against his neck. Bernard freezes, his eyes widening with fear as he feels the cold metal blade pressed up against his neck.
I smirk. “Drop the gun,” I order him.
“If I do, you will kill me,” he mumbles.
I shake my head. “Don’t be ridiculous. Now drop the gun.”
He pauses for a moment, clearly thinking of his options. Options he doesn’t have. He drops the gun, and I bend down, holding out my hand. Spider places a piece of rag in my hand, which I use to pick up the gun.
I tut, shaking my head. “You see, we ain’t going to kill you.
You are,” I state, forcibly pressing the gun against his temple.
He cries, pleads and whimpers, and as Rage steps back, I pull the trigger.
His body instantly drops to the ground, and I waste no time in placing the gun in his hand.
Stepping away, I dust off my hands with the rag Spider gave me.
“How are you going to explain that one?” Cash asks, pointing to the blood splatter on my T-shirt.
I shrug. “I won’t have to. Club business.”
“Yeah, right.” Hap snorts. “She will wear you down.”
“Make sure the sign says ‘closed’ and no one else comes in. Load up the tree,” I order.
I bend down over Bernard’s corpse and pull my money from his pocket before walking up to their static home. Swinging the door open, I walk inside to find Acid sat at a small table with a mug of tea and a tray of biscuits. His eyes come to me, spotting the blood on my T-shirt.
“Go help them with the tree, would ya?” I ask, nodding in the direction of the door.
“Here we are. I made chocolate brownies, too,” she happily says, walking out of the kitchen.
I look back and forth between them. Have I been in a fucking coma?
It’s been no more than ten minutes, and she’s bringing him out fucking brownies like they have been friends for years. She pauses when she spots me.
Acid jumps up and takes a brownie before placing a quick kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, ma’am, but I’ve got to go and help my brothers. Ghost here is a good guy, even if he does look like a grumpy shit,” Acid jokes as he walks out. Mother fucker.
I turn my attention back to Bernard’s wife, and as she looks at me, I see no fear in her gaze. She places the brownies on the kitchen table and takes a seat, pouring herself a cup of tea like it’s any normal day. “He dead?” she asks calmly.
I eye her sceptically. “Killed himself. Couldn’t stand what he had done to you. The guilt was too much.”
She looks up at me, her pale grey eyes seeing right through me. Her bottom lip begins to tremble as she stands and walks towards me. I stand there, unsure of what her next move will be. She launches herself at me, wrapping her frail arms around my body and hugging me tight while sobbing.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she chants.
I gently rub her back, trying to be comforting before she steps back and wipes her face. “Er, you’ve got a bit of blood on your cheek,” I point out.
She smiles and wipes her face on the napkin. “Forty years I’ve been trapped in that marriage. Our boys left home, which then meant he didn’t have to hide it so much,” she sighs.
I hand her the cash for the tree, but she tries to refuse it. “No, take it. We are going to go. I would wait ten minutes before calling it in,” I state and turn to leave. Pausing, I stop at the door and turn to face her. “You going to be okay for Christmas?” I ask.
She nods and smiles. “With him gone, my boys will come.”
I nod again. “Merry Christmas,” I add before walking out.
“All good?” Beast asks.
“Yeah, weirdly, I think I just gave her the best Christmas present by killing her old man.” I shrug.
We look back at the house to see her waving at us. “Fuck, this is a weird Christmas,” Beast mutters.
He ain’t fucking wrong.