Chapter 28 Lyric
LYRIC
By the time church ends, the only thing I want to do is find Mellie and apologize for being a dick.
I know my anger is justified, but talking to her like I did isn’t.
I make my way to the room she’s been staying in and make a mental note to move her back to our quarters by the end of the day.
No way am I sleeping without her from now on.
“Mellie,” I call as I knock on the door.
When I get no response, I open it and step inside. The room is empty. I return to the common room to find Savvy and Patti lounging on one of the couches, watching TV.
“Have either of you seen Mellie?” I ask.
“No,” Savvy replies.
“We only came out of our rooms about half an hour ago,” Patti adds.
“Yo, Pres,” Junior shouts from the pool table where he’s watching the other prospects play.
“What?”
“Mellie stormed outta here about an hour ago,” he says.
I stalk toward him. “What the fuck do you mean she stormed outta here? We’re on lockdown.”
The man’s eyes widen as if he’s just now realizing how badly he fucked up. “Uh… I… Well…”
I grab him by the throat and slam him into the wall. “What part of lockdown don’t you understand, prospect?”
“I… She…” he stammers.
I glare at Colin and Danny, both of whom have stopped their game. “Go get Quake,” I order, and they scramble to do my bidding. Returning my attention to Junior, I say, “I had such high hopes for you.”
“It’ll never h-happen again.”
“You’re right, it won’t. Hard to fuck up when you’re dead.”
“D-dead?”
“Can you think of a better way to teach you a lesson?”
“I… Well…”
“What’s going on, Pres?” Quake asks when he joins me, the other two prospects with him.
I shove Junior at Quake. “Take this piece of shit to the chambers and kill him.”
“What’s the crime?” my sergeant-at-arms asks, not that it matters.
“He let Mellie walk out of the clubhouse while we’re on lockdown.”
“Oh, shit,” Quake quips. “I’ll be sure to give him the full treatment.”
The stench of urine fills the air, and I glance down at Junior’s crotch. “Goddammit, you pissed yourself. Clean it up,” I demand.
Quake pushes Junior to his knees before kicking him in the back of the head so his face hovers inches above the puddle. “You heard him. Clean that shit up.”
“H-how?”
“You’ve got a tongue,” I say. “Use it.”
Leaving Junior and his mess to Quake, I make my way outside, pulling my cell out of my cut as I go and send a group text.
Me: Riding out in 2
A barrage of replies ping, and I switch apps to pull up the tracking feature I installed on both my and Mellie’s phones. The little red dot that indicates Mellie’s cell isn’t blinking, and I know that means that the device is off. I am able to determine that her last known location is Death’s Door.
Zombie, Trick, Undertaker, Whiz, and Sawbone barrel out the front entrance of the clubhouse, running as if their lives depend on it. To be honest, they do because if I don’t get Mellie back, I won’t be held responsible for who I take out in my grief.
“Where we headed?” Zombie demands.
“Death’s Door,” I reply, straddling my Harley. “Sawbone, drive one of the club vehicles. Not sure if Mellie will need medical attention or not.”
“What the hell?” Undertaker comments. “Why would she need medical attention?”
“Because Junior, who is on his way to Hell as we speak, let her leave while we’re on lockdown. Her phone pinged at Death’s Door, but now it’s either off or dead, and we all know that spells trouble.”
“Better roll out,” Zombie says, climbing on his own bike.
I lead the way to the funeral home, terror riding shotgun.
I’m coming, Mel. I’m coming for you.
As soon as I pull into the parking lot, I know Mellie isn’t here. If she were, I’d feel her presence. I’m as sure of that as I am that my name is Heath Jenkins.
“Lyric!”
I take off running around the building, toward the sound of Undertaker’s shout. “What?” I demand when I reach him.
He points at Rowdy’s headstone and a note that’s resting under a rock on top of it. I chuck the rock aside and read the handwritten message.
If you want her, come and get her. We’ll be waiting.
An address is scrawled on the paper, and I put it in my GPS. “I’ve got her location,” I yell so the guys inside can hear.
We peel out of the lot much like we did at the clubhouse. Following the directions, I lead them to the address near Point Defiance. A small cabin looms in front of me, the lights glowing through the windows as the sun sets in the distance.
“She’s in there?” Zombie asks when we stop.
“She better be,” I bark, not bothering to be quiet. “I go in first. Z, you’ve got my six. Trick, Whiz, and Undertaker, you take the back. Sawbone, make a secondary entry when I call for you. Any questions?”
They shake their heads, and we all draw our guns. Less than ten seconds later, I kick open the front door, satisfied at the way it splinters apart.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Peach says, rising to her feet from a chair.
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d even show,” Cray Cray comments.
“Where is she?” I snarl, aiming my gun at his head.
Peach takes a step to the right, and he to the left. My eyes drop to the floor where Mellie’s naked, beaten, bloody body lies in a heap.
“Sawbone, check her,” I order.
He shoves past me and Zombie, dropping to his knees next to my girl. “She’s got a pulse, but it’s thready.”
“Cover her up and take her outside.”
He yanks a wool blanket from the loveseat and wraps it around her body before lifting her into his arms and carrying her outside. The entire time, Cray Cray and Peach watch, making no move to stop him.
“No biggie,” the gang banger says with a shrug. “Don’t need her to carry out my plan.”
“Oh yeah? What’s your plan?”
“Hmm, that’s need to know,” he replies. “And you, my friend, don’t need to know.”
“I’m not your friend,” I snarl.
“Please, Pres, give me the green light,” Undertaker pleads when he and the others enter the living area of the cabin.
“No, not yet. Answers first, murder second.”
Peach trills out a laugh, and the sound is like fingernails on a chalkboard. How any of my brothers could willingly fuck her is beyond me.
“The only people dying here are all of you,” she states, like it’s a fact and not pure fantasy on her part.
“Keep believing that, sweetheart,” Trick says dryly.
“Aw, Trick, baby, we had such good times,” she purrs.
I have to stifle a laugh when Trick gags.
“As entertaining as this is,” Cray Cray begins. “It’s time to end this.”
“Damn, that’s something we can agree on.
Tell me, what is it you were hoping to gain by taking out Mellie?
I mean, taking a run at Rowdy makes sense.
You did it seven years ago and rose through the ranks of the Shadow Sixes quickly after that.
Actually, killing him probably earned you some points with Loco, but then we took him out.
You were set to take his place, so why keep coming for what’s mine? ”
“I gotta say, the way Peach has talked about you, I really thought you’d be smarter than this,” he counters.
“Sorry to disappoint.”
He sighs as if bored. “Everything I’ve done has been in preparation for taking over the KOAMC in Tacoma. Get rid of Rowdy, Mellie, and you… I’m in the perfect position to play the hero and save the club.”
“You’re delusional,” Zombie snorts.
In the blink of an eye, Cray Cray pulls a gun and fires. Searing pain tears through my leg, and I force myself to breathe through it. Nothing short of death is going to stop me from getting Mellie and my brothers out of this shit show.
Peach screams, Undertaker and Trick tackle Cray Cray, and Zombie grabs my arm to help keep me on my feet. Whiz pistol whips Peach to shut her up, and she crumbles to the floor.
I hobble to stand between our two enemies, firing a bullet into each of their heads and ending their miserable existence.
“Dammit, I wanted to do that,” Undertaker complains.
“I get their kills, you get their corpses,” I remind him. “Call Scrubs and get him here to clean up. You can stay and help.”
“On it,” he returns, pulling his cell out of his cut.
I turn on my heel and almost bust my ass. Zombie helps me outside, and when I reach the steps, I pull away and hop down them one at a time.
“That’s one way to do it,” he jokes.
I glance around the area, noting the club vehicle is gone. Pulling my cell out, I go to call Sawbone but see a text notification.
Sawbone: Couldn’t wait around… Took Mellie to nearest hospital… wasn’t looking good pres
Me: On my way
Me: Tell her I love her