CHAPTER THREE
– THORSTEN –
“Please tell me one more time why we couldn’t stay at the cool chick’s house?” Macsen grumbles as he swings his leg off his bike.
I point at Atteo’s place. “We have an important meeting set, asshole.”
Macsen shrugs. “We could have held it at her house, or at least stayed for a few more minutes to have some of her muffins.”
I was the only one who tasted a muffin made by her, and I made damn sure the others didn’t get near them.
“Need I remind you of the smell of what kind of muffins she was baking when we got there? How the red liquid food coloring was all over the place? How about we don’t know who the fuck she is and can’t discuss club business in front of her, especially the kind we’re about to discuss?” I snap.
What I don’t tell the bastard is that I couldn’t stay around her one second longer. The woman is a distraction I don’t need. Certainly not at this point in my life where everything is fucked and the havoc we’re about to unleash hasn’t rained down yet.
The woman is fucking intriguing to say the least. She sparked fire to my senses by merely touching my damn hand. A handshake for fuck’s sake. What would she be able to do once I get my cock inside her? Light it up with sparks until I explode? Not happening.
Not only due to the shit we’re dealing with, but if I do want to show any interest in this woman? It’ll have to be once I’ve dealt with my father. I sure as fuck don’t want him to lay eyes on her or so much as look at her.
“You guys are late,” Atteo states when we get inside his house.
“We met our new neighbor,” Lenz tells him as he closes the door.
Voices are coming from the main room. I ignore the fuckers behind me as Lenz starts to explain what happened earlier tonight. When we step inside the living room, the others catch some of his words and he starts again from the top.
Annoyance hits, and I snarl, “We’re not here to discuss pussy.”
“Touchy when it comes to your newfound plaything,” Macsen says in a playful tone. “What did you say about the chick? Right. She’s fun to hotwire. We’ll call her Hotwire from now on instead of Livi. You know, ’cause her ignition time is fire…your words, VP.”
Without thinking twice, I lash out quick and the fucker doesn’t see my fist coming until it hits him in the face.
Blood instantly gushes from his nose as I lean in and snarl, “Leave her the fuck out of our lives.”
Whirling around to face the brothers who are sitting in Atteo’s living room, I grunt, “Are we going to talk business or fuck around? ’Cause I sure as hell am tired of standing on the sidelines when our so-called president is playing with our lives and making decisions none of us support all because of a bullshit rule he made up.”
Macsen drops himself into one of the gray chairs sitting across the couch where Elric, Midas, Jocko, and Lenz are sitting. Falcon, my brother, is leaning against the wall. He rarely leaves the clubhouse, and when he does it’s alone and at night.
When our father killed our mother, Falcon screamed hard, loud, and long enough to permanently damage his vocal cords. He’s not said a word since. Hell, our own father already ignored him since birth due to his stutter, but when he became mute, Rainer locked him in a room at the clubhouse. I was the only one who was there for him and growing up so were those who are in this room.
“It is a bullshit rule,” Macsen growls. “I mean, did any of you hear it before today?”
“Pretty sure my father hadn’t heard it before by the look on his face,” Jocko states. “We should have–”
“What?” Midas grits. “Called our president a liar while he clearly has those old farts backing him up? If your father didn’t know of the fucking rule Rainer sucked out of his thumb, why didn’t he speak up?”
Everyone stays silent because we damn well know why, and I feel the need to remind them. “No one likes it when the sound of gunshots ends a discussion.”
Atteo shakes his head. “The tyrant needs to be taken out.” His gaze meets Falcon’s and then mine. “I’m glad you two are nothing like your dad.”
I grunt in acknowledgement. “We need to figure out a plan to either found our own chapter and move of out this town or find a way to make him step down.”
“Stepping down is not the only issue here. He already made the deal with the cartel. There’s no way out.” Macsen sighs. “If only we could do something to fuck shit up between the cartel and Rainer. You know they only want to deal with your dad, so maybe things will fall apart if the relationship turns sour.”
Now I’m the one releasing a sigh. “Relationship turning sour could mean the club at war with the damn cartel, Macsen. You ready for that?”
Macsen jumps up from the chair. “I’m damn well ready to face things head on ’cause our back is against the wall at this point, Ten. Rainer already tied our balls to the cartel with that deal which means shit will hit the fan no matter what. Rainer can lie all he likes about no risks, but we know it’s bullshit. Besides, every single brother here is against filling our pockets with blood-money. I’m not against doing illegal stuff–”
“We’ve all done illegal stuff,” Midas mutters. “And my vote would be to kill one of the cartel fuckers. Let the cops find him so everyone knows Rainer did it. We can hand Rainer over to the cartel, tell them he was acting all by his fucked-up self, and let them handle him, or have the cops throw the fucker in jail.”
Some of the brothers bob their heads while thinking things over. I should feel something. I mean, we’re basically talking about ending my father’s life by our hand or someone else. Reality hits hard when I realize I don’t give a fuck what happens to the man. He made his own choices in life and at a very young age I started hating him for who he is, and what he’s done…and keeps doing.
I meet my brother’s gaze and he instantly dips his chin, letting me know he’s liking this plan.
“Taking out a member of the cartel will hit hard where we want it to hit. Putting the blame on Rainer, getting the cops involved and linking it to the cartel.” I slam my flat hand on the table. “This plan has my vote as well.”
Every single member present in this room slams his hand on the table.
“Man, look at us agreeing and having a plan within minutes.” Macsen grins. “Decision made…who are we going to kill tonight?”
Tonight. Shit. Yeah, we don’t really have a choice to stall when my father already put the deal in place with the cartel.
“Artemio Feliza is the one in charge and I haven’t been able to obtain his location yet. Nilo, his second in command, would be best. I have all the information on him,” Lenz says as he scrolls through his phone.
I rub two fingers against my jaw. “How about Ruben? He was at the meeting with my father and heard him accept the invitation to be at the strip club tonight.”
“Fucking perfect.” Jocko grins.
Atteo grabs his keys and says, “I’m gonna head over and check. No bike, I’m taking my SUV. You guys think where we’re gonna fuck him up and dump his body, and I’ll make sure to grab the fucker if he’s at the strip club.”
“I’m coming with you,” I tell him and I notice Falcon shoving himself off the wall.
“You need to stay put and not show your nose anywhere near that fucker,” Macsen warns.
“Agreed.” Jocko gets to his feet. “I’m gonna go with. Text the address once we have the fucker.”
Dammit. I know showing my face at the strip club will cause unnecessary attention. The door falls shut and Macsen brings up the fact we need to make a plan and it’s what we do for the next hour while one of us swings by the clubhouse to make sure my father is passed out alone in the room with no alibi.
Jocko’s text message comes in to let us know that the package is in the fridge. I shoot him a reply with the address of a property my father bought two months ago. It’s empty and remote, but most importantly? It’s perfect to leave evidence to link Rainer to the crime we’re about to commit.
There should be some emotions, right? None. None what-so-fucking-ever. Falcon doesn’t give a shit about the fucker who treats him like he doesn’t exist. So, our father reaps what he sowed, and Ruben? I know for a fact he deserves to meet his maker. The main reason none of us who are committing mutiny want the deal with the cartel is because they also deal in young women.
Ruben is the one who likes to break them before they are put in underground brothels. The fucker bragged about it during the meeting my father had with them where I needed to be present. Although the deal was about munition transport, I’m pretty sure we’ll be transporting two-legged livestock in no time at all. That right there is a hell-fucking-no.
We park our bikes a few miles away. Sucks to walk, but it’s best to be cautious. This time of night there aren’t many people up, and the place is remote. Jocko and Atteo each have a grip under Ruben’s arm and drag him along. Lenz picked the lock and holds the door open while we quickly enter the house.
“Votes on how we’re gonna end this fucker?” Elric asks.
Falcon snaps his fingers and pulls one of his knives to make a cutting move up and down over each of his eyes.
Macsen points at my brother. “He’s right, it’s gotta be Rainer’s favorite way of ending someone. Shame we don’t have one of his guns, fingerprints and shit. I guess his trademark mutilation Falcon mentioned will have to do. We also made sure Rainer is alone with no one to back him up where he’s been all night. All of it will make sure he takes the fall for the kill.”
“Wait,” I mutter and stalk to the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” I hear Macsen as he follows me.
Pointing at the refrigerator I tell him, “He’s always kept a gun wrapped in a towel inside his fridge. No matter what house he owned or stays in.”
I slide my leather gloves on and open the fridge. Right there at the bottom is a gray towel bundled up.
“Fuck. Me. The man is crazy,” Macsen mutters.
Grinning while holding up the gun I tell him, “Crazy and about to go down for all the shit he’s done in the past.”
Macsen grabs a garbage bag and gives it to me. Making a hole, I shove the barrel of the gun through it and walk back to the living room. Falcon has a glint in his eyes and flips his knife in the air, eager to use it.
“Let’s get this done,” I rumble and pull the trigger.