Chapter 27
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
Riptide
Sliding the concrete grid that’s settled over the top of our ‘fake’ grave to the side, I start climbing down the wooden steps. We chained the gates leading to the cemetery with a sign stating we’re closed for maintenance like we always do when we come underground to dispose of or grill our enemies.
Today, Zoey’s parents will breathe their final breath. Not only are they a threat to the Kings, but also to their daughter and granddaughter.
Turning my torso so I can see Indiana over my shoulder, I ask him, “Have you told Zoey that we have her parents in our custody?”
“I did. I couldn’t come here and end their lives without her knowing,” he answers. “Not after everything they’ve put her through.”
“How’d she take the news?” I probe, hoping she won’t hold this against us, but there’s no other way. These people are not redeemable.
There’s something so dark inside of them that I could almost convince myself they’ve been possessed.
The only reason that didn’t get a second thought after the first time it floated through my brain is because according to Zoey, they’ve always been these types of people—even as children, there was something menacing and evil inside of them.
“It’s as if the weight of the world fell off her chest. Ending them won’t completely annihilate her worries, we still have the Onyx Dragons and the town officials out there that we need to take care of, but there’ll be two less people she has to be looking out for,” he relays.
“Any luck convincing her to build a house on the club property?” I ask, thinking that it’d be a good idea for them to move behind the safety of our gates so that they’re better protected.
“She’s considering it. She really loves that house and the landlord is willing to sell it to us but that doesn’t give us the afforded protection needed for her and Elodie,” Indiana replies. “I hate leaving them behind when I have to leave and take care of business.”
“It was a relief for me when Van agreed to move into my house,” I fess up. “We can’t spread ourselves thin trying to keep an eye on everyone. I have a bad feeling things are about to blow the hell up and we need to take all necessary precautions.”
“We’ve talked about this, and I agree with you. Them laying low the way they have been says to me that they’re busy gathering troops and are planning an attack… soon,” Indiana declares. “One that’s going to get bloody and lives will be lost.”
“That’s my fear,” I comment. “We already have one prospect overcoming trauma from their hands, Sphinx lost a damn eye for fuck’s sake.
And Nova is dealing with his female problems. He’s having to keep a tight grip on one’s leash and dealing with emotional break downs from the other.
We can’t afford to be torn in different directions. Not with this threat looming over us.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Now is the time we should all band together, not be spread out,” Slayer says, joining the conversation.
“We have enough space and land to build houses. It’s not as if we’d be on top of one another.
Until we could get them constructed, we could move in some tiny houses or bunk together in the clubhouse. ”
“Icer may settle down too if he has both kids in one area,” I tack on. “He’s spent the last few days since we’ve gotten back riding from one house to another. He’s been pretty volatile from the rumblings of the men.”
“It’s been widely spread to give him space. It was bad enough when there was only Elodie for him to obsess over, but now he has two kiddos and they’re miles apart,” LoneStar adds.
“Is he even sleeping? Does anyone know?” I ask. It’s a proven fact that if he doesn’t get at least four hours of sleep minimum every night, he goes berserk.
“I think he’s been catnapping while standing up,” Indiana retorts. “I caught him leaning against my living room wall with his eyes closed. But he’s not sleeping, only resting, which we all know is going to make him spiral.”
I turn to Slayer and order, “Get with Letti. She may be the only person we have at our disposal that can get him to listen to reason.”
“I’ll give her a ring as soon as we wrap things up here,” Slayer promises. “She may have to bring Elodie onboard though. Maybe between the two of them, they can convince him to at the very least, snooze when it’s Elodie’s naptime.”
“If he won’t do it at your place, bring them to mine,” I suggest. “Maybe if he has both kids in one room, he’ll relent and agree to get a little shuteye.”
“This is touching,” Zoey’s mom says with a flamboyant roll of her eyes, derision dripping from her voice. “Spare us from this touchy-feely conversation, and let’s get down to business.”
“You sure you want to get down to business, bitch?” I spit out. “I’d think someone in your position would want to prolong that.”
“Especially seeing as when we conclude things, you’ll be taking your last breath,” Indiana stipulates. “Still anxious to talk to us?”
I glance to the other cell and notice Zoey’s dad staring us down.
He gives zero fucks if today is his final day walking this earth.
When he detects that I’m watching him, he smirks.
“We aren’t the only ones whose lives are seeing their final days.
Your time is coming, all of you will be joining us shortly. ”
“Is that a fact?” I ask, crossing my arms across my chest. “Doesn’t feel like I’m in my final days.”
“Me neither,” Indiana says, mimicking my pose. “But even if it is, at least you’ll go first.”
“Makes no difference to me,” the jackass states, shrugging his shoulders. “Either way, the Onyx Dragons will be standing and none of you will be.”
“I’m shaking in my boots,” LoneStar says, bullshitting him. “Cowards and bullies don’t scare me, dickhead. The Dragons aren’t a threat to us, we are the Kings and nobody fucks with us and gets to live long enough to talk about it.”
I need to get this fucker gloating, it’s the only way we’ll get the intel we’re after. “What makes you think the Dragons will be the last men standing? We have the power and influence, they’re nothing but thugs who wave their dicks around trying to see who’s got the biggest.”
“My pinky finger’s bigger,” LoneStar taunts. “Probably the reason why your wife looks like she hasn’t had a good fucking in her lifetime.”
“But the stick up her ass is bigger than any of our dicks combined,” Indiana needles, my men catching onto the game I’m playing and adding their own brand of insult to it.
“She does look like she’s been sucking on a lemon,” I surmise. Baiting them further, I lean my body further into her enclosure and fire off a couple of rapid questions, “Do you need a good dicking? Would that make you feel better?”
She grips the iron bars and hisses, “What would make me feel better is if you were dead.”
“Ouch, that hurts,” I say, mocking her. Playing off her insecurities, I continue, “Nah. Not really. Your thoughts and feelings are insignificant. The only thing about you that’s worth a damn is the slit between your legs.
You’re ugly as sin, and even if I tossed a bag over your head so I didn’t have to see your hideous mug long enough to give you a good pounding, my dick would still stay soft and flaccid.
” Zoey once told me that her mother is one of those women who work hard to make herself feel beautiful.
Nice clothes, joining country clubs, trying to be everything that she’s not.
It’s why I knew my remarks would hit her where it counts— her ego.
Her hands grip tighter onto the bars when she spits out, “They’re coming for you.
Gather all the men you want, you can’t fight off what they’re building.
We have an army, you don’t have the manpower to stand up against our forces.
You’d need an entire battalion, and you don’t have the time or resources to get them here in time. ”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I sneer. Needing to push her further, I add, “I could have every chapter of the Kings here by Christmas.”
An ugly grin crosses her face and she cackles like the witch she is. “They’ll be two weeks too late. I wouldn’t buy any gifts to place under the tree.”
“Keep your mouth shut!” Zoey’s dad roars. “You stupid bitch, you just gave away our timeline of attack.”
“Appreciate the intel. Rot in hell.” I grab the grip of my gun at the same time as my brothers do, each one of us emptying our cartridge. Both of their bodies twitch as we empty our bullets into them.
“I feel better,” Indiana claims as he puts his gun back into its holster.
I angle my head toward Slayer and order, “We need to prepare for war.”
“We’ve been preparing since their last attack. We’ll be ready,” Slayer claims.
“And we’re sure the clubhouse will hold up to anything they throw our way?” I ask.
“It’s both bullet and bomb proof. It’s the reason we hired the crew we did when we reconstructed,” Slayer states. “We’re military grade now.”
“We better be better protected than the White House,” I express. “I need to call Rio, until after the holidays, we can’t send any of our men to the Montana chapter. They’ll either need to hold off or move forward without our backing.”
“We’re going to have to put a call out for backup,” Indiana remarks. “If they’re going to have an army at their disposal as that bitch claimed, we’re gonna need help.”
“Rio and I will put our heads together and figure something out. Looks like I’m going to be calling in that favor he owes me,” I claim.
“Communal church?” Slayer asks.
“Yeah. I’ll see when a good time is for Rio and his men. We’ll video them in and join forces. Between the two clubs, we’ll come up with a viable plan that’ll keep our men safe and end the Dragons once and for all,” I convey.
“I need to go and talk to Zoey,” Indiana tells us. “If she’s not ready to make a permanent move, we’ll have to take up temporary residency at the clubhouse.”
“Make it an order. We’re going into a soft lockdown and I want all men and their women packed up and moved in within the next week,” I order.
“On it,” Slayer states. “Anything else?”
“Pray to whatever higher being you believe in because we’re going to need all the help we can get.
Spiritual and otherwise,” I predict. “Make it known that nobody rides alone. I know we’ve already issued that decree, but it needs to be reinforced and let everyone know that there’ll be no excuses for avoiding that order. ”
“What will the repercussions be if they ignore it?” Slayer asks so he can pass on the word to all parties involved.
“Fines, lots of fines, and they’ll be placed on permanent lockdown,” I tell him.
“That’ll keep them in line,” he jokes. “Go see your woman, I’ll take care of our brothers.”
“Works for me. Catch y’all later,” I say, climbing the stairs. All I can do for now is hope that the information given to us is correct and I have time to get my ducks in a row.