Chapter 42
Sean steadied himself under a shady tree, shielding himself from the morning sun.
Everything hurt, and the simple act of crawling off of the cot he shared with Deb that morning had been borderline excruciating.
But while the pain was great, he managed to clamp his teeth shut to avoid crying out in agony.
He didn’t want to alarm Deb, not after she had seen him damn near death just the day before.
A few days ago, Sean might have wondered if the sight of him in such a sorry state would be enough to rouse any kind of pity from the woman he loved.
But now, he realized that the love Deb had for him was still there, still beating under the layers of resentment she had carried for him these many months.
This was a major relief and made the strain of his agony feel worth it in some respects. Through the pain he had endured and continued to feel, his wife had broken through the barriers that had separated them for over half a year now.
But removed from her and Jimmy, his various wounds and contusions throbbed with renewed agony.
Here out in the heat and the light of day, Sean felt exposed.
He knew that word of his thrashing at the hands of Chainz had likely spread around the Chain Gang members.
They lived for gossip like this, and Sean’s punishment would be the talk of the compound for days.
He just hoped that word of it would never reach Deb. There wasn’t a lot of fraternization between members of the Chain Gang and the ranch hands. That being said, nothing would bring their newly rekindled love crashing down faster than word of his deception spreading into those circles.
Sean wasn’t overly concerned about it. Even if a member of the Chain Gang said something to her about what had happened, Sean could simply deny it. Then it would be his word against the word of a degenerate criminal. He was confident he’d win that argument.
Several members of the Chain Gang had walked past him this morning. Most of them avoided his gaze. Even wounded, most of them still feared him. Sean had set a few of them straight over the last six months, doling out his own brand of hard justice several times.
But still, a few of them flashed him the ghost of a smirk as they walked by, and Sean could feel their eyes drilling into him.
An organization like the Chain Gang, which served the will of a hot-headed madman, saw a lot of personnel upheaval caused by the whims of their tyrannical and completely unpredictable boss.
That meant one member’s tragedy was another’s opportunity.
Of course, there were none in the Chain Gang with Sean’s wealth of experience and skill, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be attempts at discrediting him.
In fact, he was certain that whoever had run to Chainz about the situation when they returned had done so to paint Sean in the harshest possible light.
If Jessie hadn’t stepped in when she did, Sean’s Chain Gang rivals would have succeeded in taking him down. Chainz had been seconds away from ending Sean’s life. Sean could still remember the panic as his windpipe closed off. He had thought of Deb, of Jimmy, and never seeing their faces again.
And then, when Chainz had taken his hands off of Sean’s neck, and air flowed freely into his aching lungs once more, he had been filled with the most intense sense of relief.
He had come close to death before. Most recently, he had nearly been shot to death during the train heist that recovered Jimmy.
But this had been different. It was slow, up close, and personal.
A stray bullet or a quick death had never bothered him much.
In the service, he had lived every day knowing it might be his last. That somewhere out there, some no-name grunt was going to get off a lucky shot, and that would be the end of him once and for all.
But he had looked into Chainz’s eyes. He had seen the decision to kill hit him. He had felt the inevitability of the oncoming storm as it swirled over his head. It gave him time to think, to reflect on his life and his regrets. It had simply been the most terrifying moment of his life.
And he was about to walk back in there, back into the space where he had nearly died.
Chainz had summoned him early that morning. Sean had quickly made his way over to the house, limping all the way as he tried to think about anything but the rattling pain chewing at his insides.
However, there was nothing else he could think about at that moment.
He had so narrowly escaped death just a day before in this place, and every labored breath he took through his bruised throat was an agonizing reminder of that moment.
And what was waiting for him in there today?
Had someone gotten back into Chainz’s ear and poisoned the big man against him once more?
It was beyond possible. The politics of this supposed biker gang of street thugs was harder to navigate than the social structure of a high school. Sean had assumed these grown adults would be better than this, but he was woefully wrong.
Sean curled his fingers into a fist and clenched it until his arm shook painfully. He needed to survive this. He needed to live for Deb and Jimmy. He needed to return to the reservation, look Vin in the eyes, and watch as he died for real this time.
After that, he could live the rest of his life in relative peace with his family at his side. He just had to get through today first.
Inhaling a deep breath, he took a shaking step toward the house, then another. There were members of the Chain Gang congregating outside, and one of them saw him approach. Their conversation quickly died as the man frantically pointed at Sean, alerting his cohorts to the elite soldier’s presence.
As Sean walked up, he could feel their interested eyes digging into him. It was possible they had been discussing his ordeal before they had realized he was approaching. Now they were getting to see him firsthand, the mess of scar tissue and gauze that Chainz had left in his wake.
Sean realized that Chainz probably enjoyed the idea of Sean having to walk all the way over to the house in broad daylight.
Sean was a feared member of the community, and to see him leveled in such a way sent a message to the entire Chain Gang.
It told them that no one was safe, no one was above the wrath of the boss.
Sean was a walking representation of what Chainz’s mercy looked like.
He could feel them drink in his presence, shocked by the sight of him. It was one thing to hear that Chainz had taken his frustrations out on Sean. It was another thing altogether to actually see the violent signature the big man had left on his face.
The men spread out to let Sean pass, and he was grateful for it.
The last thing he wanted was to try to force conversation with these gossip-mongering piss ants.
As he approached the porch, the two sentries spread apart to allow him entry.
He walked up the steps, eerily recounting his ordeal the day before.
His body had been in perfect health at that time, though his mind was crawling with fear of the unknown. Now, as he climbed up on the porch and approached Legion once more, his body was in shambles, and his mental state matched.
The fear was strong again on this day, but it was different from what he had experienced yesterday.
The unknown can be terrifying and hit the heart differently than dread.
Sean knew now what Chainz was capable of.
Yesterday, he wasn’t sure if Chainz was going to attack him or commend him.
Now he knew his boss’s mood, and he was mentally preparing himself for it.
Legion still looked worse for wear, though he wasn’t nearly as bad as Sean. The two exchanged a knowing glance, and Sean watched as the bodyguard looked him up and down. Sean returned the stare, saying nothing.
The large man’s top lip curled in a snarl as his eyes narrowed.
Sean wasn’t sure if this open contempt was for him or for the stain of Chainz that he carried over every inch of his body.
It didn’t matter. Conversations with always stoic and silent Legion were pointless, so Sean didn’t bother to actually ask him what he was staring at. He simply waited.
After a few moments had passed, Legion stepped aside, granting Sean admittance to the house.
Sean limped past Legion and tried to straighten up as he entered his former home.
He was hurting, but he didn’t want Chainz and his inner circle to see just how much.
Passing through the doorway, Sean evenly placed weight on both legs as he walked into the living room that served as Chainz’s audience chamber.
Chainz was, as he had been the day before, lounging on the same small couch.
He was surrounded by Jessie and several Chain Gang members.
They leered at him in jest as though he were the butt of some grand joke they had all been sharing for quite a while.
But despite it all, Sean stood proud and tall, wanting to show Chainz that despite everything he had endured, Sean was still upright, still strong, and still capable.
“Sean,” Chainz said by way of greeting, spreading his arms out wide as if welcoming a lost son home after a long journey.
To Sean’s surprise, Chainz actually rose up from the couch and walked toward him. Everything in Sean’s body screamed for him to back away, to take up a defensive posture, but he stood perfectly still.
Chainz clasped his big meaty hands on Sean’s shoulders and smiled down into his face.
“Look at this badass, eh?” he called out to his subordinates as if marveling at an impressive feat.
“He takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.
Most folks I know would still be laid up after the whoopin’ I laid on you yesterday.
But here you are! Up and ready for action! I like that, Sean. I respect it.”