Rebel
He’d one hundred percent, fuck, one hundred thousand percent, earned himself a fucking pussy lockout. Hopefully, not for the rest of his goddamn life. When Megan got over her pain and shock of coming home to a house without Rule, she’d fuck him up.
When Christopher got over his pain and shock of finding out Rule had jumped out of the window, he’d crawl on his hands and knees and beg her forgiveness. Megan knew and loved him. Something had clicked in her head and she understood a fresh development had occurred.
He didn’t have to be so fucking stupid and vicious to Megan. He was like a fucking criminal who fucked up innocent victims and apologized after they were fucking caught. Once he got all the fury out of him, he was left regretful and ashamed. And, fuck, really, truly afraid.
Megan had never mentioned the ‘d’ word to him.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Dad?” CJ demanded as they reached the mancave, hot on Christopher’s heels.
The heat of his boy’s gaze lasered his fucking back all the way down the stairs. It felt as if he was walking to his execution. Or he’d just left his execution.
Fuck him. He didn’t even know what the fuck he was saying.
“Sit, Uncle Christopher,” Diesel instructed. “I’ll bring you another drink.”
Axel, Ransom, and Ryder swarmed around him. Judging by their looks, they wanted to fuck him up, too.
Taking a seat at one table, Christopher glanced at Ransom. “Ain’t meant to kill that cunt in front of you, boy.”
“Mistrial!” Axel yelled. “Due to the prosecution’s diversionary tactics.”
CJ smiled and sat at the table next to Christopher’s. “Dad is the defendant, big head. And you can’t declare a mistrial because he’s changing the subject.”
Axel glared at Christopher, wagging his finger at him. “You’re lucky, man. Otherwise, I would’ve thrown the book at you.”
Diesel handed Christopher a bottle of tequila, handed CJ a beer, then walked back to the bar and got his own drink. He sat at Christopher’s table.
Christopher offered him a small smile. In response, Diesel nodded.
“You’re a traitor, Diesel,” Axel said. “He hurt Mom. He should be made to sit in a cold, dark cell without water or crackers and laying on a bed of glass.”
Fuck. They hadn’t even seen him pick her up, shake her, and then drop her. He was so fucking sorry. What he’d said and done was unworthy of all she’d been through.
“Fuck, I got to talk to Megan.”
“Not if you want to live,” Axel said with resentment. “The Blonde Viper laid down the fucking law. Cross her and you die.”
“I thought men stuck together, Ax,” Diesel said, fighting a grin. He took a sip of his beer. “Uncle Christopher misses Rule and it overwhelmed him coming home to the reality. Don’t you miss our brother, too?”
“I have to prefer with the jury,” Axel grouched, nodding to Ransom and Ryder. They followed him to the other side of the room.
“I think you mean confer,” Christopher said.
CJ sidled a glare at him.
“You agree with Reb, huh, boy?”
“Did she fucking lie, Dad? You’re taking your guilt out on Mom.”
Christopher rubbed the back of his neck. He’d been so relieved he deemed it safe enough for Rebel and Megan to come home. Then…then…he talked to Wilcunt and all the what-ifs returned.
What if Rule had overpowered Megan? Both she and Rebel would’ve died.
What if Mort hadn’t knocked Christopher’s hand away? Rule would’ve been dead.
What if Christopher hadn’t listened to Megan and sought help for Rule whether or not she liked it? Perhaps, none of this would’ve happened.
“She focused on the wrong fuckin’ thing. Me and her,” Christopher amended at CJ’s scowl.
“It’s done,” CJ said flatly. “Wrong or right. And, do you really think Mom wanting to take care of Rebel was wrong? We’re responsible for that, too.
Me, you, and Diesel. We blocked Rebel from befriending any boys her entire life.
It’s natural for her to want to go on a fucking date.
Rebel’s vulnerable to any lines a motherfucker hands her. ”
When Rebel threw Christopher and her brothers out of Rule’s room, they found Kaia loitering in the hallway. Before Christopher sent him the fuck away, Diesel did the honors.
“Mom doesn’t want a disaster to happen.” CJ glowered at Diesel, leaving no doubt to his meaning. “The repercussions would’ve fucking scarred Rebel for life.”
Diesel flushed, heaved in a breath, and drank more beer.
“Fuck, I guess me torturin’ the fuck outta Diesel and castratin’ him woulda traumatized her if she found out.”
“You owe Mom an apology, Dad,” CJ insisted, rigid with anger, while Diesel nodded in agreement.
Christopher glanced at the Triplets, huddled together on the other side of the room before nodding to CJ and pointing to a seat at his table. “Father Wilkins called me when I was in the parkin’ lot to pick up Megan and Rebel,” he started once CJ complied.
Diesel narrowed his eyes and CJ cocked his head to the side.
“What?” Christopher asked, surprised at their reaction.
“You didn’t say Wilcunt, Dad.”
Diesel nodded. “I don’t know the last time you called him anything else.”
Christopher forced a chuckle, his heart battered and bruised. “Rule…he called because Rule…Rule jumped out the window.”
“What?” CJ cried.
“What’s the matter?” Axel called suspiciously.
“Nothing, Ax,” Diesel responded, not taking his eyes off Christopher.
“He broke his leg. He wasn’t even supposed to be on the second floor,” Christopher explained.
“Has he been moved, Uncle Christopher?” Diesel asked, ice cold fury in his eyes.
Christopher nodded and shared a look with Diesel.
“To where, Dad?” CJ demanded, missing Christopher’s exchange with Diesel, which gave him the go-ahead to fuck up any and everyone involved. “Can we see him?”
“Father Wilkins there, CJ. We can’t leave right now. We got to see to your Ma and your sister. I gotta stay home and watch her. Shit goin’ on here at the club. Rule not my top priority right now.”
Even without CJ’s growl and the widening of Diesel’s eyes, the words caught up to Christopher’s brain and he winced.
“Fuck, that came out wrong.” He scratched his neck. “Rule in good hands, so—”
“You’re wrong, Dad,” CJ said, hurt and disappointment ringing in the words. “You’re so fucking wrong.”
Axel, Ryder, and Ransom’s return saved Christopher’s ass. It didn’t matter that he had yet to tell Diesel and CJ that the rectory also burned to the ground.
“Dad,” Axel started. “We’ve decided your punishment.”
“How the fuck you skip right to sentencin’ when I ain’t had a fuckin’ trial?”
“In Medieval times, you didn’t get a real trial,” Axel pointed out, looking to Diesel for confirmation.
The motherfucker shrugged.
“It might’ve been biblical times,” Ransom said.
“Or we could just brand him a traitor and call it a day,” Ryder said.
Christopher scowled. “I ain’t meant to upset your ma.”
Axel folded his arms and gave Christopher a severe look. “You terrorized her. Made her scream and cry. In other words, you acted like a jackass.”
“My ass fuckin’ stressed.”
“Like Mom isn’t,” CJ snorted.
“We don’t have to revisit this,” Axel said.
“Yeah. Rebel said it all,” CJ said.
“I know all you lil’ motherfuckers mad at my fuckin’ ass. I’m gonna apologize to your ma, but I ain’t sittin’ here lettin’ you fuckin’ disrespect me,” Christopher growled. “I was fuckin’ wrong, but I’m still your old man.”
“You’re like a frog, Dad,” Axel said. “You can’t take the boiling heat, so you want to hop out the pot that you sat on the fucking stove.”
“Ransom, I’m gonna try my fuckin’ best to start thinkin’ clearer if a situation not life-or-death,” Christopher said, attempting to steer the conversation from the sorry scene they’d witnessed. “I shoulda told you to go outside. It ain’t something you shoulda ever saw.”
“Not yet, Dad,” Ransom said. “I’d have to see it one day if I join the club. It was just a shock. After seeing Rule…” He clenched his jaw. “I wish he hadn’t done that.”
“Me, too, boy,” Christopher said. “But he need us right now. Hear me? We can’t turn our backs on him. We family, and we take care of our own.”
Axel’s frown made it clear he didn’t particularly like Christopher at the moment. “Let Mom take care of us, Dad. You’re messing everything up.”
Christopher stiffened. “How the fuck you lookin’ me in my goddamn face and tellin’ me you ain’t wantin’ me around.”
“Ax doesn’t mean that, Dad,” Ryder said in exasperation. “We love you. We love being around you. You’re a cool, dude. However, Mom probably would’ve noticed Rule’s behavior better if you still spent your days doing club stuff. Since she got sick, you stick to her like glue.”
“Facts are facts. Face it, man,” Ransom added, patting Christopher’s head. “We all know how much time you demand from Mom.”
“Yeah,” Axel agreed. “That’s cool when you’re gone all fucking day, come home, have dinner, and then want to spend time with her.
But you can’t be here all day. You get boreder than me.
You’re not equipped to run the house. You need constant activity and Mom has to come up with ideas to keep you doing stuff. ”
“I ain’t no fuckin’ child. Your ma don’t have to entertain my ass.”
All the boys stared at him, then Ryder and Ransom laughed their miserable little asses off.
“Delulu!” Axel screamed, pointing at him. “Mom loves you and she waits until you come home, but at least she can focus on what she’s supposed to when you’re at the club.”
“You don’t want me around?” Christopher asked, oddly hurt. Axel, Ransom, and Ryder looked away.
CJ sighed. “They’re not saying that, Dad.
Didn’t you hear Ransom? But things ran so much smoother when you spent most of the day at the club and Mom focused on the house.
You also kept fuckheads in line. A lot of what’s happened recently might’ve been curtailed if your focus was on the club. If you were Outlaw.”
“So, all you blamin’ me for Rule?”