Chapter Sixteen—Mortician
Chaos. Mayhem. Madness.
Insanity.
Mortician couldn’t find the right word to describe the fallout from Diesel, CJ, Ryder, Ransom, and Axel walking into Rebel’s room, unaware of her sedation and treatment for her collapsed lung. Fuck, they hadn’t even known she fucking had a collapsed lung.
After Diesel’s yelled, “what the fuck?”, CJ’s, “Reb!”, and Axel’s scream, mass fucking confusion ensued.
Bishop, Narci, Torrin, Potter, Huck, and Pike drew their guns and ran to the room.
Val, Johnnie, Stretch, and Mort surrounded Meggie.
Digger jumped in front of Prez. The nurses panicked and pressed the emergency alert for security.
Goddamn motherfucking chaos.
Scowling, Mortician tossed his cigarette into the early morning dampness and leaned against the railing on the back porch—the one facing his mama-in-law’s house.
He’d gotten home just a couple of hours ago and hadn’t been able to sleep.
Outlaw’s behavior alarmed him. But seeing Rebel jolted Mortician.
She looked so pale and fragile in her bed and her image kept morphing into Harley’s because his mind played fucked-up tricks on him.
Mortician wasn’t in Prez’s shoes, so it was easy to say what he should do.
Had it been Harley? Mort would’ve walked around, filled with stupid motherfuckery, and wilding out, too.
Outlaw’s quandary made it so much worse.
He wanted Rule to pay, but he remembered the kid was his son in need of help.
He wanted someone to blame, and he forgot Meggie didn’t deserve to have fingers pointed at her.
Which was why Mort was most concerned for her.
If Rory and Mattie hadn’t wanted to come to the hospital, Mort couldn’t have handled the fucking lunacy. Red saved the day.
Diesel had to be physically restrained. Motherfucker was on edge on a good day. CJ, Ryder and Ransom had been sobbing uncontrollably. Axel repeatedly screamed, “wake up, Reb! Wake up.”
Outlaw had leaned against the wall and tipped his head back, on the verge of a breakdown, the commotion, screams, and shouts not moving him to action or word.
Kendall directed Bishop, Rory, and Mattie to bring CJ and the other boys to whatever room they were sleeping in. Then, she ordered her husband to talk Diesel down, sent security away, promising compensation, and stormed to the nurses’ station.
“You are vetted and hand-selected for this unit with pay to match your discretion. If you ever fucking call in security before a club member orders you, you’re fired, and I’ll personally see to it you never get another goddamn job again.”
Kendall was right. That unit was specifically designed for the club members, but most especially Meggie.
Hospital administration received big bucks for that privilege.
Mort knew because he helped to pay the yearly fees out of his personal fucking funds to compensate for all Sharper had put the club through.
Still, Mort understood the nurses’ position. They’d agreed to discretion in theory. Chaos in action was quite fucking different. Motherfuckers running through the doors after the reaction of the boys would panic the untested. They’d think their fucking lives were in danger.
Terrifying the nurses completed, Kendall marched to Diesel and kicked him since he’d been ranting, raving, and arguing with Johnnie, promising violent retribution to Rule.
Johnnie had listened to the motherfucker. Kendall had acted.
The kick quieted Diesel. Her slap startled him.
“Listen, motherfucker, you’re the goddamn adult amongst your brothers. Act like it. There is no fucking reason for you to lose your fucking mind like a jackass.”
He’d jumped to his feet, forcing her back. “You haven’t seen Rebel,” he screamed.
“Step the fuck back, Diesel,” she yelled, “or I will geld you. For your fucking information, I saw her this morning.” She’d let her guard down for a moment, covered her face, drew in a deep breath, and forged on.
“It isn’t easy,” she’d said in a thick voice, “but fall apart when she’s better.
” She pointed to the double doors. “Now, get back there and see to your brothers.”
Without another word, he stalked away, slamming his finger against the buzzer. He threw her one last glare, and she’d flipped him off.
Kendall went to Meggie, shoved Easton away and kneeled down. It was only then that Mort realized that motherfucker had taken position as one of her guards.
Meggie had looked defeated. “I told him to tell them,” she said tiredly. “He…he must’ve forgotten.”
Kendall smiled gently and nodded. “I’m sure he did, sweetheart.”
Everyone knew Prez hadn’t forgotten. He didn’t forget such serious shit. When Kendall stood, she threw Outlaw a dark look. By now, he leaned against the wall, arms folded, glowering.
She’d smiled sweetly. “Easton, can you wheel Meggie back to her room?”
Other than throwing her a look putrid enough to kill, Prez stayed silent.
As Easton rolled Meggie back onto the unit—before Kendall lit into Outlaw—Chester arrived.
“Mattie called me. I was already in the parking lot, looking for a space, to visit Meggie and Rebel.” She zeroed in on Val. “Did you know about Rebel and didn’t warn the boys, Matthew?”
Alarm raced across Val’s face and he’d raised his hands in supplication. “What?” He shook his head. Vigorously. “No! I didn’t know. I would’ve told them if I had.”
She’d turned to Outlaw, unafraid of the menace on his face. “I should fuck you up, you stupid motherfucker,” she cried.
“How the fuck not tellin’ the boys about Reb my fuckin’ fault, Bitsy? Megan could’ve done it.”
“A stance I don’t agree with, Puff,” Val said quickly, then swallowed at Outlaw’s dirty glare. “I mean, not really—”
Kendall turned her head and tipped her ear forward. “Do my little ears detect cowardly deflection? Throwing responsibility onto an injured woman? Is that what I’m hearing?”
“I believe so, cousin-in-law,” Chester answered. “I also detect enabling.” She looked at each of them with meaning. “I think that calls for retribution.”
“But Puff—”
“Shut up, Matthew.”
“My bitch not even here,” Digger complained. “Neither is any of theirs.” A wave of his hand took in the waiting area, filled with bikers panicked at the thought of their old ladies freezing them out. “Why we got to pay? Prez right, anyway.”
Cocking his head to the side, Outlaw narrowed his eyes. He might’ve been mad at Meggie, but he was suspicious of Digger.
“I’m on your side, Outlaw!”
“Yeah, Puff,” Val said helplessly. “We don’t have a choice. Outlaw our Prez.”
“You always have choices,” Chester cooed, “especially in family matters. Take your pillow and blanket, and sleep outside with that pig bitch.” She’d turned and stormed away.
Never seeing Meggie or Rebel because she didn’t come back.
“Say what the fuck you gotta say, Kendall, and then get to fuckin’ steppin’.”
Mort shook his head at the happiness in Johnnie’s eyes.
Undeterred, Kendall smiled and folded her arms. “Okay, Outlaw. I’ll reserve my opinion on my brother-in-law about his shitty treatment toward his wife.
Calling him a fucking dickhead who’s already on thin ice with his wife might be seen as disrespect.
Far be it from me to do that.” Turning, she marched to Johnnie. “Why didn’t you tell the boys?”
“I thought Christopher did, Kendall,” he cried, suddenly not so happy. “You knew about her! You’re the one who told me. How is it my fault that I didn’t know he hadn’t?”
“Figure it out,” she’d growled. “Because of you fucking assholes every goddamn thing is fucked. You’re their uncle, but I’ll bet you didn’t even read all of my fucking messages. You sure the fuck didn’t answer my call, fuckhead.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Fuck you.” She’d turned and started toward the elevator.
“Aren’t you forgetting Rory and Mattie, Kendall?” Digger asked as Johnnie demanded, “Don’t you want to know what I’ve been busy with? Or who?”
Snickers floated in the air. Digger rolled his eyes and Mortician shook his head. Even Outlaw looked at Johnnie as if he’d lost his mind.
Kendall turned. “Are you implying you’re fucking another woman?”
“Are you concerned you’ll lose me?”
Johnnie always misunderstood Kendall and never truly considered her needs. It had always been one of his main problems He’d passed off control as patience. Now, the shakiness of his marriage escaped him.
Kendall’s vicious smile had matched her cold brown eyes.
“Red,” Mort called, before she annihilated Johnnie, though he’d interceded on her behalf not that motherfucker’s. Sometimes shit spiraled out of control and before anyone found a remedy, lives laid in tatters. “I need to talk—”
“Motherfucker, please find a bitch to take you off my goddamn hands,” she’d snarled, her tongue getting ahead of her common sense.
Mort had consoled her enough over the week to know how much she wanted her Johnnie back. But the survival instinct in Kendall had never changed. “Take that bitch and go live in that same pig pen Zoann sent Val to.”
“You wouldn’t know what to do without me,” Johnnie snarled. “I’m the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“In your motherfucking dreams. Lately, you’ve been my worst fucking nightmare. Fuck another bitch, Johnnie. Just don’t say anything when I take my own fucking lover. Fuck you, you miserable motherfucker.”
No matter how fucked-up Mort and Bailey’s marriage, if she threatened to take another lover, he might’ve had the same reaction as Johnnie. Maybe, not as extreme. Motherfucker went straight to demonic possession.
“If you…if I ever find out another motherfucker has even looked at you, Kendall, I will kill him.” He’d grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Do you fucking hear me? I will emasculate him and make you watch.” He shoved her away.
“I’m warning you once, Johnnie. If you ever put your hands on me again, we’ll be fighting in this motherfucker.”
“I’ve heard that before,” he scoffed.
Glaring at him, she’d remembered to grab her handbag and fur coat.