Chapter Thirty-Eight
James
The first thing Theo and I do on Saturday morning is return to June’s house. Since Sadie is busy at her shop, June comes with us, and the eagerness in the killer’s expression is highly disconcerting.
“You know this isn’t your victim, right?” I ask as we walk inside.
She sticks her tongue out at me. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the view.”
I keep my thoughts to myself. I doubt Fuck, you’re batshit insane, would go over well with either June or Theo, who is grinning at his girlfriend while she unlocks the door to her basement.
Arlo is passed out. With June’s permission, Theo had decided to keep the Fiver alive for as long as possible, since he’s a good source of information. After everything we learned yesterday, I’m glad he did.
Vinnie, on the other hand, is out of the state.
Theo had given him two options: death or disappearing.
He promised to keep an eye out on Vinnie’s sisters either way, but Vinnie went with the latter, probably hoping to set up a new life somewhere safer that his sisters could join when he’s stable.
Our information suggests the Fivers assume both Vinnie and Arlo are dead, which works great for us.
They haven’t gone for Vinnie’s sisters yet, but we’re expecting them to, which is why we’re working the girls into our plans.
“Wakey wakey,” Theo says. He picks up a syringe from the nearby table and stabs it into Arlo’s neck.
“I’m sure that wasn’t necessary,” I mutter. The feeling alone wakes Arlo up, but Theo presses the plunger anyway, pumping him full of adrenaline.
“Felt good though.”
“Looked hot, too,” June says.
I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stomach watching this. Not the torture but the effect it has on my brother and his girl.
“Alright, asshole. We have more questions,” Theo says.
For several hours, we both work out some of our rage on the Fiver.
He didn’t join the ranks until five years ago, so he wasn’t around when Shiloh was killed, but his assumption is Diego, the enforcer, did it.
I’m not sure I agree. Kidnapping Shiloh needed skill, patience, and tact.
He would have had to blend in and be discreet about it. Diego isn’t discreet. He’s brutal.
He’s also almost impossible to get to, since he rarely leaves the South Five territory and is often surrounded by others. And his guard is usually up, with rare exceptions.
And tomorrow happens to be one.
~
“Wait, tomorrow is Easter?” Sadie asks that night.
I laugh. “No, that’s later in the month.”
“Then why would going to church tomorrow be important?”
“Apparently, it’s doing something special every Sunday this month until Easter. According to Arlo, Diego always goes to church with his mom on special Sundays. And her church is in neutral territory.”
“You’re going to kidnap a man attending church with his mother?”
“Why not? I’m already going to hell.”
“It’s okay, I’ll go with you. It’ll be fun. Like a tropical vacation.”
“And suddenly I’m excited for hell.” Rolling on top of her, I start peppering kisses over her face, delighting in her squeal of laughter. Then I lose myself in her body before falling asleep with her tucked into my side.
When I wake up, I instantly question our plan. Looking down at her sleeping form, I’m overcome with the desire to lock her in this room and drag Luna with us instead.
But I promised to let her help. And it’s a good plan. So, despite my fears, Sadie, June, Theo, and I pile into Luna’s Lexus, which is apparently our official kidnapping vehicle, and head to church together.
“I haven’t stepped foot in a church in four years. Not since Tim,” June says.
“Scared of burning as soon as you step inside?” Sadie asks.
We’re sitting in the back seat of the car, hands clasped together.
Up front, June is finishing her makeup. Both women are wearing brown wigs, June’s is about the length of her real hair and Sadie’s is so long it reaches her waist. They’ve also done some sort of magic with their makeup, and both look like different people.
I can only recognize them because of how well I know them.
But to anyone else, and to any cameras, they might as well be any other generic church girl.
“If I didn’t burn when I was there to kill a pastor, I doubt I will this time.”
Sadie laughs. Theo meets my eyes in the rearview mirror, and I know we’re both feeling the same thing. Amusement clouded by fear for what we’re about to let our women do. It’s probably worse for him, which gives me a brand new appreciation for my brother’s strength.
At the church, we park in the overflow lot.
The service should be ending soon, giving Sadie and June the perfect opportunity to blend in with the crowd as they leave the sanctuary.
Once again, I’ll be staying behind while someone else risks their life.
I’m starting to regret how noticeable and memorable I am.
At least this time, Theo will be with me.
“Please be careful,” I say as Sadie unbuckles her seatbelt.
She leans forward and presses her lips to mine. “Always.”
Then she’s gone, and Theo and I are alone in the car, watching our women walk away, knowing full well they’re about to approach the main enforcer of a dangerous gang without us.
“They’ll be surrounded by people. Completely safe.” I say it to myself more than to Theo, but he still grunts his agreement.
Then he adds, “Am I making the same mistake again? Sending my ol' lady to seduce a Fiver so we can grab him and torture him for information? Is this just history repeating itself?”
I had the same thought when we came up with the plan. But there’s a major difference here. “She’s not seducing him. If he falls for the trap, that’s on him. Besides, if we don’t do this, she’ll probably go rogue and kill him herself.”
“It feels like bad luck doing this again.”
“This isn’t the same situation. We’re not the same men we were then. And June isn’t Scottie.”
“I know.”
The plan was practically built around Theo not wanting June to talk directly to Diego or seduce him in any way.
Instead, Sadie is going to get a call when she’s standing close enough for him to hear her, pretend to talk to her father about being in trouble with some ‘bad guys,’ then ask June if she knows anyone who can get her in contact with ‘someone from the southern gang,’ or however she decides to botch the South Five’s name.
The hope is, Diego will hear enough for his curiosity to follow them out of the church.
I imagine Sadie will also play up the innocent hot girl angle too, though she wasn’t going to tell me or Theo that. They won’t be purposefully seducing Diego, but by simply existing, it’s likely he will be seduced anyway.
I wait for the text from Sadie before calling her.
“Hello? Dad?” she answers.
“Hey, baby. How’s it going in there?”
“It was good. A beautiful service. You promised you’d be here, though.”
“We should watch one of your mom’s movies. I want to see if she’s as good of an actress as you are.”
“Are you serious, Dad? What did you do this time?”
“I’m not into the Daddy kink, but I’d be willing to try if you are.” Theo glares at me, and I wink.
“I should have called her,” he mutters to himself.
I chuckle. He’s right, though. This would be easier for her if I played along, but I can’t resist the urge to tease her.
“Where did you even get the money?” Sadie asks. Her voice rides the line between scared and frustrated perfectly.
“I miss you. Get back here so I can test out this new kink.”
“James, seriously!” Theo hisses.
“I can’t keep doing this, Dad! I’ve heard those guys are dangerous. You can’t get involved with them. You definitely shouldn’t borrow money from them.”
“Too late.”
“Shit. How much do you owe them?”
“Lots and lots of pain and suffering.”
“Seriously?” Her volume lowers, though the word sounds more like a shocked shout than anything else she’s said. “When do you have to pay them back?”
“Is he listening to you?”
“What? How are you going to get that kind of money by tomorrow?”
“I’m going to assume that means yes.” I should stop talking and let her play off a silent line, but it’s second nature to respond to her voice.
“I’ll figure something out. Just. Stay in the house. I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
She hangs up, and in the absence of her voice, my heart sounds so much louder than ever before.
Hearing those last two words from her was like a hard reset on every internal system.
I know it was part of the act, something she would’ve said to her actual father, but I can’t deny that I liked hearing her say it to me.
“How did she do?” Theo asks. I’m thankful then that I didn’t have the call on speaker.
“Perfectly. Let’s go get in position.”
We both put in our wireless earbuds, and I accept Theo’s incoming call.
Then we part ways, him going to the church’s main exit, where he’ll wait near the path Sadie and June will take.
He’ll be out of immediate sight of churchgoers walking outside but close enough to easily step up behind Diego when he passes.
Since there will be no ambushing or knocking him out to drag him to the car, Theo will have to be discreet about coaxing him to the vehicle.
In the meantime, I find the church’s side entrance and step inside, ignoring the judgmental looks several members throw my way. Sadie sends a thumbs up in the group chat, which means they’re heading outside and Diego took the bait. He’s following them.
I search the crowd of people still lingering in the church, talking about the service and how they’re so excited for Barbara’s potluck or whatever bullshit these people talk about. Finally, I find the face I’m looking for.
Diego’s mother.
“I see her,” I say. Barely a second later, Theo speaks, though I know it's not to me.
“Say nothing. Keep walking.” I imagine him standing directly behind Diego, gun pressed into his side.
The enforcer’s reply isn’t as clear as Theo’s voice, but I hear it anyway. “Zervas. Of course. If you think I’m afraid of death, you’re an idiot.”
“I know you’re not afraid of death, but there’s something you are scared of.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
There’s a break while Theo briefly switches his phone to speaker. “Where are you, James?”
“Oh, just checking out this gorgeous church. There’s a nice lady here I think I’ll talk to. She’s wearing a very classy light purple dress and the dangliest earrings I’ve ever seen.”
“You goddamn cowards. You’re really going to threaten an old lady?”
“She doesn’t look that old. Maybe fifty-five. She must have been young when she had you.”
Diego’s reply is quieter, suggesting Theo took the phone off speaker. My part is done. Diego knows I’m here, looking at his mother. Theo can handle the rest. “Are you really going to hurt an innocent woman?”
“Once upon a time, the idea would have been abhorrent to me. Then something changed. Want to guess what that was?”
“One little biker dies, and now all your fancy morals are out of the window?”
My teeth grit together at the mention of Matthew. Theo sounds like he too is barely holding in his rage. “Think harder. Cast your tiny brain back in time. Go about eight years.”
Diego’s laughter and response make my rage turn volcanic. Any minute, I’ll pull my gun out and just start firing. “Finally put it together?”
“Now you know why we will have no problem killing your mother to get to you. Keep walking. We’re almost there.”
A few minutes later, Theo says we’re ready. Diego is in the trunk, knocked out and tied up. Relieved, I turn around and exit the church.
I don’t think I actually would have hurt Diego’s mom if he hadn’t complied, but the scariest part about all of this is I’m not positive.
I think something inside me finally broke for good.
And if an innocent woman was standing between me and revenge for my niece, I don’t think I would have walked away.
~
We leave Diego in June’s basement tied up in the chair Arlo had been in.
Arlo now laid on the floor in front of him, dead and bloated.
The place smells terrible, and June complained about it for a solid half hour.
But leaving Diego down there, alone with nothing but the rotting corpse of another Fiver, for a couple of days should be a good start in breaking him.
We have plenty to do while we wait to question him, like continue gathering information on the South Five, setting up our many plans to systematically take them down, and preparing for the arrival of the other Saints chapters.
Just finding places for them all to stay feels like a full time job.
One I delegate to Bonnie and Clyde when it starts giving me a headache.
After two days, Theo decides enough time has passed, and we return to June’s house and have some fun.
Leaving Diego was the right plan, because he already seems halfway to breaking when we walk down. Theo has been down only twice since we tied him up to make sure he was still alive and force him to drink some water.
“If it isn’t God’s favorite two pussies,” Diego croaks. His mouth and throat are so dry that his voice barely even works.
“You’ve been down here for two days, and that’s the best insult you came up with?” Theo says. “Pathetic.”
For some reason, torturing him isn’t as enjoyable as I had expected it to be. It feels more like a chore I’d love to be done with. Hearing him scream after we break a bone is only marginally satisfying.
But hearing the name he finally gives up?
That makes it all worth it.
“Gray. It was Gray.”
And just like that, the countdown to the end of Gray’s life has begun.