Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Eight
Joker nods Zero toward a chair, then says to Hangman, “The gang activity in Reno is escalating. The four we got—”
“What the fuck are you talkin’ about? There are only three.”
“Four,” Coyote says, taking the risk of Hangman using his head as a football. “Always been four. Flying Dragons, 311 Boys, and Savage—”
Hangman interrupts. “I fuckin’ know that. Who’re the other fuckers?”
Joker looks at Hangman in exasperation. “Tonapah Union. New group. Black boys. They fly under the radar because they’re small time. Still do enough shit to have a presence.”
“Why the fuck haven’t one of the other gangs run them off yet?”
“Don’t know,” Zero says. “But the Brother’s Circle want to meet with you to have a convo.”
“If they got an issue with the gangs,” Hangman snarls to no in particular, “they can fuckin’ well deal with it themselves.”
Joker clears his throat. “They don’t have the numbers and we don’t have the numbers so we gotta do this together.”
Hangman ignores him as he stabs Zero with his eyes. His face is red and his voice is two decibels away from breaking the sound barrier. “Why the fuck use you to deliver the news?”
Zero shrinks back. “The Don says you haven’t returned his call.”
“Pakhan,” Coyote corrects. “Don is Italian.”
Hangman bolts to his feet, reaches past Reaper and punches Coyote in the head. Credit to Coyote that he doesn’t flinch, but he does move himself and his chair a few feet backwards so he’s out of Hangman’s reach.
“I don’t give a fuck what the fuck anyone is called. The motherfucking prick who thinks he’s king of shit answers to me.” He points a finger at Zero and snarls, “And that’s the fuckin’ message you give next time they decide to have a convo with you.”
Joker says to Hangman, “We gotta have a meet with them. This gang shit is real and if we don’t put it down, we’ll lose control of Reno.” Joker is the only one of us who can interrupt a tirade by Hangman and still stand after he’s done. “I’ll call and set up something.”
As Joker steps out of the room, Hangman yells after him, “Fuckin’ today! Those cocksuckers don’t get to tell us where and when. And tell them I’m gonna cut Makarov’s nose off for fucking with one of ours.”
Hangman takes a few breaths before he says, “We’re gonna need muscle.” He glances around the room. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he growls as he looks from Rocky to Trigger to Ryder and then over to Zero. “What a fuckin’ useless group of cunts you are.” He stabs a finger at Reaper. “You.”
Reaper shakes his head. “Short a bouncer at Hook’s. Gotta step in.”
Hangman rolls his eyes. “Motherfucker.” He points at King. “Is it your day for yoga class or are you free to do your fuckin’ job?”
King smirks. He’s one of the originals and that’s Hangman’s version of treating him with respect. “Yoga class is tomorrow.”
“What about you other pussies?”
Hash shrugs. “I’m in.”
Stark nods. “Yeah.
As I think of Henri, I take a premature breath of relief that my brothers have stepped up. Then Hangman says to me, “And you, fucker. Enough with the camping shit. Time to kick some ass.”
He’s never punched me before, but this might be the tipping point. “Can’t.”
“Why the fuck not?” Hangman looks like he’s gonna have a stroke.
“I’ve got the kid that’s been hassling—”
“TAKE IT BACK YOU CREEP!” The kid in question bellows loud enough to make some of the brothers jump.
“Fuckin’ shit,” I say as I bolt from the room, the rest of the guys hot on my heels.
When we get to the main room, my head almost explodes. Max is flat on his back on the floor with Henri straddling him and swinging her fists at his face while he fends her off with his hands. Brielle is standing a few feet away sobbing.
“Get off me, you stupid bi…” Max glances over to see us watching and leaves it at stupid.
“Take it back then, you jackass!” Apparently, Henri has no such misgivings. “You made your sister cry!”
“Get off him!” Hangman bellows, then steps past me and picks Henri up by the armpits. She’s still squirming, swinging her fists at Max, ignoring Hangman’s curses. He finally tucks her under his arm and squeezes her until she relents.
Then he drops her on her ass. “Who the hell are you?”
Aw fuck. “She’s with me.”
Hangman stares at me. “Where the fu… where’s Oscar?”
“Traded him in for a tougher model,” Hash says.
I swing around. “You better get the fu… hell out of my face or I’ll bury you.”
Hash smirks but takes a few steps back and slides slightly behind Coyote.
Henri starts to stand, but Hangman says, “Stay down.”
Brielle rushes over and throws herself next to Henri, then wraps her arms around her. “Don’t hurt her, dad.”
Hangman’s anger fades to confusion. “Why the hell would I hurt her?” Then he raises his voice slightly. “Do you see me hurtin’ anyone around here? I never touch you kids.”
Which is true. Hangman greets them, says goodbye, but I’ve never seen him play with them or give them much attention. Mind you, I’m not one to talk.
Brielle’s tears flow down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she says meekly.
Henri hugs her tighter as she glares at Hangman. “Wow! You’re just as mean as Max. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
I hear a few chuckles. Henri is clearly channeling her mother.
Hangman’s not amused. To me, he says, “Who is she? What’s she doing in my clubhouse, and why’s she beating on Max?”
“She wasn’t beating on me,” Max injects sulkily. “She sucker-punched me from behind.”
Henri scrambles to her feet and takes a couple of threatening steps towards Max who quickly moves out her reach. “You told Brielle that this guy,” she throws a thumb over her shoulder at Hangman, “is not her real dad.”
Hangman yanks his braid as he looks at Max. “What kind of bullsh… are you saying? She’s as much mine as you are.”
“I didn’t say that!”
Henri, “Yeah you did. You said her mom’s a who—”
“Stop!” I snap at Henri. “Just stop!”
She crosses her arms and glares at me. Then to Hangman she demands, “Make him apologize to Brielle!”
Hangman runs a hand over his mouth as a few brothers snicker under their breath. Hangman doesn’t take orders from anyone and the last thing he wants Max to do is apologize to a girl in front of everyone.
Then Verity strolls in through the patio doors. “What’s goin’ on?”
Hangman swings around and pierces her with a glare. “Where the fuck were you?”
Brielle takes a shaky breath. “Language, dad,” she says.
“Christ,” he say.
“We should get a swear jar,” Henri says to Brielle. “We could make enough money to go to Disneyland.”
Trigger snorts a stuffed-up laugh.
“We’re not gettin’ a swear jar,” Hangman growls at Henri, then turns his attention back to Verity. “Where were you when this shit was going down?”
“See,” Henri whispers to Brielle. “Already a dollar.”
Hangman stabs his finger at Henri but keeps his hostile eyes on Verity.
Verity is long past being intimidated by Hangman so she simply shrugs. “Outside having a smoke since we can’t smoke inside anymore. I saw it. Henri had Brielle’s back.”
“Seven,” Henri corrects her.
Hangman clenches his teeth. “This fucking place is going to hell.”
Brielle starts to open her mouth, but Henri nudges her and shakes her head.
And I thought the girl had no common sense.
Hangman says to Max. “Brielle’s mom is no more a whore than yo—.” He stops, glances at Verity, realizes what he was about to say, and changes course. “… was my girlfriend.”
Which is putting it loosely given she was a passaround who he cheated on Verity with.
Joker joins us, ignoring the soap opera playing out in front of us. “Kozlov says come over for vodka. I told him now, before the few guys we have available scatter to the wind.”
“Yep,” Hangman says then glares at me. “This what’s keeping you busy?” He throws his thumb over his shoulder at Henri, much like she did to him earlier.
“Yeah,” I reply.
He shrugs. “Why’s that a problem? She stays here, keeps Brielle company. We go, we come back.”
“No way!” Max yells.
Hangman stabs his finger at him. “You don’t got a say in this!”
“Well, I do,” Henri interjects as she crosses her arms and tries to stare me down. “The rule is we have to stick together. You can’t leave me behind.”
I shake my head. “I can’t take you with me.”
“Why not? Are you guys gonna do some sort of criminal enterprise?”
More chuckles from the brothers. Even Joker cracks a smile.
Hangman clenches his teeth. “She comes. Stays in the truck or the lobby or whatever.”
“Not fair,” Max says. “I never get to come.”
Hangman narrows his eyes at Max. “Shut it. We got talkin’ to do later.” He turns to me. “How long do you have this daughter of Satan?”
“He has me three days!” Henri answers for me.
“Enough,” I snap at her. I say to Hangman, “Her mother’s gonna freak out if I do this.”
“She’s a fuckin’ woman. Deal with it.”
The silence behind me is deafening. The guys with ol’ ladies treat them like they’re princesses. If they didn’t, it would be game over for them.
Verity pipes up. “Where’s she staying?”
“With Eight,” Henri says. “Remember. Three days. Can’t leave me.”
Verity looks from me to Hangman to King. We all have blank expressions. She says to me. “You cannot be alone in your house overnight with a teenage girl that isn’t your daughter.”
“She’s only 12,” Max snorts. “Not a teenager.”
“Whatever,” Henri says.
“Why not?” Hangman asks.
Verity rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe I have to explain this shit to you.”
She doesn’t. I get it. Why the hell didn’t Selkie think about it? Why the hell didn’t I? “Then what?” I ask Verity.
“Well, she can’t stay here,” Coyote states the obvious with all the wisdom of a new stepfather. “This is not the place for kids after 9 o’clock.”
“Of course, she can’t,” I reply with a scowl.
Hangman thinks he has the solution. “She can stay at Verity’s with the rest of the kids.”
“No way, no way, no way,” Max says, panic in his voice.
Henri shakes her head. “Not unless Eight is with me.”
Verity looks at me and smirks. “Then I guess you get to stay too.”
There’s no fucking way I’m sharing domestic space with Verity. “That’s not an option.”
Brielle looks at Henri and shyly says, “I could go with her. Then she wouldn’t be alone at Oscar’s dad’s house.”
Fuckin’ hell. I look at Hangman. “It’s bad enough I’m takin’ Henri—”
“Seven,” Henri says.
“Seven with me to the meeting but takin’ Brielle too. That’s over the top. Henri… Seven can look after herself. Who’s gonna look after Brielle?”
That gets Hangman’s back up and without realizing it, he’s just agreed that Brielle can come along. “I’m gonna be there, asshole. I look after my kid, you look after yours.”
Henri crosses her arms. “First, not his kid and second, I can look after myself and Brielle. You guys have your boring meeting and we’ll wait in the lobby or wherever.”
Verity isn’t bothered by the solution. “Well, that’s settled. Brielle, get your backpack. I have some laundry in the back. There’ll be a few things you can take.”
“Yay!” Brielle yells.
“Not fair!” Max yells.
I think about Selkie and how I’m gonna tell her, because the little mouthpiece next to me won’t keep her mouth shut even if I bribe her.