Chapter 22 - Zombie
ZOMBIE
Two days have passed since I had to leave Lucy at the clubhouse.
Trick, Quake, Whiz, and I have been trying to find Martin with no luck.
All I want to do is go home and spend a day in bed with my girl, but club business comes first. Especially this club business because it’s what will ensure her safety.
“Have you heard from Undertaker this morning?”
I glance at Trick and nod. “Yeah. No issues. He’ll pick her up at six and get her back to the clubhouse.”
Undertaker might grumble about being on taxi duty, but he doesn’t mind.
“Good.” He moves to the window of the small motel room and peers outside. “They should be back any minute.”
Quake and Whiz went to scout out a new location where Martin might be, based on an address Scrubs uncovered. If the man’s there, we’ll go in, take him out, and get the fuck outta Dodge.
“I hope this is the last location,” I say.
“You and me both, brother.” Trick turns around and looks at me. “Think they got Baker?” he asks, referring to Copper, Sawbone, Pilot, and Goose.
While we’re taking care of Martin, the four of them were flying to Tulum to handle Morris Baker.
Martha, his now former housekeeper, was willing to talk.
She said that no man was worth being murdered over and spilled her guts as to his location.
Apparently, he has another home not far from the one we found him at before, but it’s under a fake name which is why Scrubs hadn’t found it.
“They better,” I snarl. “I really don’t want to have to go to fucking Mexico.”
As if we summoned them, my phone rings, and Sawbone’s name flashes on the screen.
“Tell me he’s dead,” I say when I answer.
“He’s currently shark bait,” the club medic states. “We tossed him out of the plane into the ocean.”
“Good. Now, get home safe.”
“Later, man.”
“Fucker’s shark bait,” I tell Trick.
“Nice.” He settles on one of the chairs around the small round table. “How do you wanna handle Martin when we get him?”
Over the last two days, we’ve brainstormed ideas on how to kill the asshole, but we haven’t agreed on anything. I’ve been kicking around one scenario and decide it’s time to share.
“I’m thinking about asking Lucy if we can take him to the zoo,” I admit.
“Think she’ll be okay with that?”
“Under normal circumstances, no,” I say honestly.
“But she’s getting increasingly irritated with everything.
He’s still texting her, refusing to leave her alone.
She says she doesn’t believe he’s behind the death threats, which continue to pour into her email, by the way, but she’s starting to wonder if she’s wrong. ”
“I mean, if she says no, that’s fine, too. It’s not like we don’t have other options.”
“Exactly.”
“Maybe you should call her and ask?” Trick suggests. “That way we can figure something else out if she’s not on board.”
I nod as I tap on her contact info and place the call on speaker.
“Hi,” Lucy says when she answers. “I’m kinda busy. What’s up?”
“I won’t keep you,” I say. “I have a quick question.”
“Shoot.”
“Remember the conversation we had about other tasks Dr. Binks did?”
“Yes.” She drags the word out as if uncertain whether or not she wants to proceed with this conversation.
“How open are you to the idea?”
“What idea, Zombie? Just spell it out for me.”
“What he’s trying to say is,” Trick begins. “Can we bring Michael Martin to the zoo and feed him to the animals?”
“Jesus,” she whispers, and a rustling sound comes through the line before she continues, her voice sounding clearer. “I had you on speaker, you idiot.”
“Oops,” Trick mutters. “Sorry.”
“Well?” I prod.
There’s the slightest hesitation before she asks, “Can we toss him in with Leo and Sarabi?”
I grin widely. “Yeah, babydoll, we can.”
“Then, yes, you can bring him to the zoo.”
“Really, it’s that easy?” Trick asks, surprised.
“It’s that easy,” Lucy confirms. “I’m at the end of my rope. I’m not convinced it’s Michael who’s the threat, but I also know that you’re gonna take him out anyway. Might as well get some enjoyment out of it.”
Trick whistles. “Damn, man, you scored with her.”
“I’m aware,” I say dryly.
“Look, I gotta go,” Lucy states. “Do you think you’ll bring him tonight? Undertaker’s supposed to pick me up, but I can let him know not to if I need to stick around.”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know soon, okay?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay. Talk to you soon. I love you.”
I disconnect the call, and a second later, Trick smacks me upside the head.
“Ouch,” I snap. “What the fuck was that for?”
“Do you know what you just did?”
“What?”
Before he can answer, my phone pings with a text, and I glance at the screen. My stomach drops when I read it.
Lucy: Did you just tell me you love me for the first time and then hang up on me?
Fuck.
Me: Did I?
“You did,” Trick confirms, reading over my shoulder.
My cell pings again.
Lucy: You did
Me: Um… sorry?
“Why the fuck are you apologizing?” Trick demands.
“I don’t know,” I bark, panic hitting me like a freight train.
Lucy: Sorry? About?
Me: For hanging up
Lucy: So you love me?
“What the hell do I do?” I demand, my heart racing.
“Do you love her?” my brother asks.
“Of course, I fucking love her,” I bark.
“Then tell her.”
“What if she doesn’t love me? What if she says it’s too soon? What if I’m making the biggest mistake of my miserable life? What—”
“Say ‘what if’ one more goddamn time, and I’m gonna call Lucy myself and steal her from you.”
That jolts me out of my panic, and I lunge to my feet. “I swear to Christ, if you—”
“Calm your tits,” Trick says with a laugh. “Man up and tell her. The VP I know wouldn’t be afraid to speak his mind.” He eyes me up and down. “This man, the pussy in front of me, isn’t you, Zombie.”
I fall back to the mattress, hanging my head. “She has me all tied up in knots, man,” I say. “We’re so damn new, and with everything else going on, it’s hard to tell how she really feels, ya know?”
“Not two minutes ago, she agreed to let you bring a human to the zoo and feed him to the lions. Shit, she even sounded a little excited about it. I’d say you have nothing to worry about.”
Taking a deep breath, I let his words sink in as I look at my cell again and start to type out a text.
Me: Yes, I love you.
Lucy’s response is immediate, almost as if she already had it typed out while she was waiting on me to respond.
Lucy: Love you too
I start to type out another reply, but Trick’s phone rings, and all my focus shifts.
“It’s Quake,” he says as he answers. “Hey, brother, give us some good news.”
“We got him,” Quake says. “We’re heading back to the motel.”
“Is he still breathing?” I ask.
“Unfortunately,” Whiz responds, telling me that Trick and I are on speaker.
“Keep him that way,” I order. “We’ve got big plans for him.”
“Care to fill us in?” Quake asks.
“I just talked to Lucy,” I begin. “She said the lions are pretty hungry.”
“Aw, damn, that sounds like fun,” Whiz replies with an evil chuckle.
“Trick and I will be ready to head out when you get to the motel. If we leave then, that’ll put us at the zoo sometime after midnight.”
“Sounds good.”
“See ya soon.”
Trick disconnects the call and toss his cell onto the table. “Man, I thought for sure we’d never get to do this again when Dr. Binks retired.”
“Same.”
I shoot off a quick text to Lucy, letting her know about the plan, and telling her that I love her… again. Now that I’ve said it, I’ll never stop.
Quake and Whiz arrive two hours later, and we hit the road.
This is gonna be a great night.