Chapter 9 #2
“You think he wants the Moore girl dead?” The asshole has the nerve to laugh, albeit strangled with pain. “He doesn’t want to end her. Quite the opposite.”
“So, what does he want with her?”
“He wants to own her,” he sniggers. “In every dirty, sick way imaginable.”
My head flashes in quick succession, different scenarios that almost stop me from breathing. Scenes that my heart and mind can’t take.
“Over my fucking dead body,” I snarl, teeth bared like a raging animal.
Without a second thought, I snap my gun from where I’d left it on the side, push the barrel to his forehead, and squeeze the trigger.
The sound echoes within the stone walls, making it sound louder than it should. Blood and brain matter splatter over my VP’s chest and face.
“For fuck’s sake,” Grinder curses, swiping his hand down his face then flicking anything he’s gathered off his hand onto the floor, to join the rest of the body matter. “What the hell’s got into you. We weren’t done yet. We still needed to find out where it is these fuckers are hanging.”
“We got a name, which is enough. Call Hacksaw and Nytro in here to do clean up, while I get the cunts name to Forger so he can get us an address. Then go get a shower, you look a fucking mess.” I sneer at him.
He looks down, pulls at the fabric of his t-shirt so he can get a better look at the damage.
“You’re an asshole, Royal,” he sniggers. “Look at the state of my shirt.” It’s an old Iron Maiden, Number of the Beast, black t-shirt that he’s treasured forever.
“Then you should have zipped up then, shouldn’t yah.
That’s the whole purpose of wearing them so you don’t have to burn every piece of clothing that you fucking own.
” I walk towards the door, stripping out of the coverall I’ve been wearing before snapping off the latex gloves.
“Furnace.” I warn him, giving him the glare.
“Ah shit, it’s my fucking favorite. I’ll put it through the washer twice?” he offers.
“Tide fucking 3-in-1 ain’t gonna cut it.
Burn it.” I snarl at him making sure he’s clear on the importance of minimizing any evidence, in case anyone comes looking for this dead fucker.
The local law enforcement are firmly in our pocket and other chapters have their areas covered too, but there’s no guarantee that a case won’t escalate to state cops or even the fucking FBI, so covering our tracks is vital.
I step out of the room and take the stairs two at a time, the adrenaline from the kill still pumping through my veins. I desperately wanted to get back to Gio, but the importance of getting this Caal fuckers name to Forger so he can start tracking him down, takes precedence, but only by a fraction.
I find him in front of the fifty-inch flat screen tv in the common room with Quarter playing Grand Theft Auto.
I stop by the bar, grab a note pad and pen from behind the counter and scribble Dan Caal on the top sheet, then rip it off before calling Forger over.
He immediately presses pause on the controller and gets to his feet.
“Prez?” he takes the steps needed to get to me. “What can I do for yah?”
“I’ve got a name for you,” I pass him the piece of paper.
“Dan Caal,” he nods his head. “Yeah, Daniel. Pretty sure I went to the same school as him.”
“You know him?”
“Not much. Not like I hung out with him or anything, and he didn’t move up from elementary. If I remember rightly, he came halfway through junior high.”
“So what else do you remember?” I lean in, eager for more information.
“Well, I think he was about twelve when he moved to Tampa, not sure where from, but he was a cocky bastard, thought himself untouchable.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If he wanted something, he would do anything to get it. Some of the shit he pulled should have earned him a one-way ticket to juvie, yet God knows how, but he always managed to get away with it.” He lets out a huge sigh.
“I’ll be honest with you Royal, I was so focused on getting into the military and didn’t want anything to jeopardize that, so I kept well clear of the fucker. ”
“That’s fair. See what else you can find out about him. Better still, find out where these assholes hang out. We need to end this.”
“Sure, thing Prez.” I acknowledge his willingness to get to the bottom of this with a tap on the shoulder before I turn to walk away. “Hey, ask Giorgia, she was at the same school as me, you know girl gossip and all that. She might know something.”
I can’t help but glare at his back as he walks towards the corridor that leads to his room, where he has all his computer gear set up.
The notion that Gio might actually know who the guy is behind this fucking infuriates me.
Is that why she was so cagey when I was questioning her about what she saw that night?
But why would she protect his identity? Unless…
Jealousy raged through my veins at the possibility that she was protecting him because they had a history.
I nearly break my fingers punching in the code so hard to open the first door to get back up to the apartment, all while wondering if she’s been fucking playing me all this time.
In fact, not just me, but her brother too, and the rest of my club brothers.
Was this all a ruse simply to get away from an overbearing ex?
When I walk back into my apartment, she immediately jumps up from the couch and rushes me. She looks so cute in a pair of cut-off shorts and a vest top. All legs and tits. Fucking sexy.
On her tiptoes, she reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck. The urge to kiss her is real but I hold back. When she goes to say something, I jump in, beating her to it.
“Daniel Caal.” I glare into her eyes watching her expression closely. Looking for signs that might give me answers.
“Who?” her eyebrows pinch together, two little creases form between them. “Daniel…?”
“Caal,” I finish for her. Still, all I get from her expression is confusion, then suddenly as if she’s having a lightbulb moment, her brows rise into her hairline, eyes wide.
“Dan, it was Dan Caal. That’s who it was. Holy shit, I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn’t quiet remember his name.”
“So, you do know who he is?” Her arms slide from around my neck, and she takes a step back no doubt picking up on how pissed I am.
“Yeah, but not that well.” Her forehead creases once more.
“He went to my school, but he was older than me, so in a difference year. In high school there’s so many kids you never get to know everyone, but I do remember the warnings, so I kept my distance.
I vaguely remember him talking to me a couple of times, but I quickly brushed him off and walked away.
” She places a hand softly against my chest. “Is it him you have in the basement?” She stares me in the eye. “What have you done to him?”
“Why would you care?” I snap.
“Because if he’s no longer a threat, then I no longer need the club’s protection, and I get to leave.”
“Well, I’m sorry to burst your bubble sweetheart, but you’re not out of the woods yet. It wasn’t Caal that we had; it was one of his men who gave him up.”