Chapter Sixteen
Jade entered a large red barn located behind the club.
They’d named the monstrosity The Schoolhouse, a play on words.
His gaze immediately saw War and Ryder babysitting the star pupil.
Lawrence hung from the ceiling crossbeam, head low, and Jade could see that the fucker’s shoulders had already popped out of their sockets.
“Did he pass out?” he asked.
“Almost from the start,” War replied, frowning. “No fun.”
Ryder held out a whip. “Found it for you.”
Jade took it. “Thanks. We got a piss bucket?”
War nodded to a corner. “Over there.”
“Would you do the honor of waking the dead man up?”
War grinned. “That’s my favorite thing to do.”
Jade and Ryder shared an amused glance. They watched, staying well out of any splash zone, as War tossed the bucket of piss onto Lawrence, who sputtered awake.
“Wakey, wakey,” War said a bit too enthusiastically.
“Ah!” Lawrence screamed. “Please. My arms hurt.”
Jade stepped forward, and Lawrence focused on him. “This is your penance. A Sons of Sin baptismal where we’re going to break every bone in your fucking body. See, you put your hands on my woman, and I’m not a forgiving man when it comes to the piece of shit who raped her.”
He walked around Lawrence’s body and uncoiled the whip. He did a few test snaps, letting the recoil warn what he planned to do.
“No,” Lawrence said weakly. “Please don’t.”
Jade burst out laughing, although there was no humor in the tone.
“Hear that, brothers? This waste of air thinks begging is going to get him out of this. Did you stop when Shiloh begged you? When she cried and pleaded with you not to stick your filthy incest-loving dick in her? Do you honestly think there’s any way you’re leaving here alive? ”
He brought the whip back and then lashed Lawrence’s back. An angry, bleeding mark appeared through the flayed shirt. The asshole screeched.
“Oh, you didn’t know how this felt, did you?” Jade asked. “Let me demonstrate it again.”
He hit him again, and once more, Lawrence cried out in pain. Jade didn’t stop. Over and over, he whipped the cult leader until his wrist hurt from flicking the braided leather tail.
“He passed out again,” War told him.
Jade marched over to the hose and turned the water on, then sprayed Lawrence until he woke up.
The man blubbered like a big baby, and Jade was tired of hearing it.
He turned off the hose and grabbed a hammer.
For the next couple of minutes, he hit Lawrence over various parts of his body.
Knees. Shins. Collarbone. He broke as many bones as he could before he pulled out his hunting knife and came to stand in front of the blasphemer.
Lawrence stared at him, his head leaning against his extended arm as if his neck muscles couldn't hold it up.
“She’s alive,” Jade told him. “And in a minute, you won’t be.
I’m going to take your heart out, and while the blood is still warm, I’m going to feed it to any fucking animal I can find.
That means your heart is going to pass through an animal’s rectum, in what I can only hope will be diarrhea.
Oh, and I highly doubt that you’re gonna make it to the Pearly Gates. ”
Then Jade thrust his blade into the underside of Lawrence’s jaw, toward the top of the brainstem, killing him instantly. After a moment or two, when the body stopped swaying, Ryder released the tension on the chains holding the body up. Jade stood over him and did exactly what he promised.
No one would ever find the asshole’s body. Nor the other fucker who had threatened Shiloh.
In time, no one would even remember their names.
****
One week later
Saint sat in church and stared down at the dealer’s phone in his hand as he waited for Nero.
The data retrieved from it was troubling, and he knew the good doctor wasn’t going to take it well.
He’d known Tobias Courtland, aka Nero, for over a decade.
The man had saved his life one night. A debt Saint could never repay.
While on a stupid, fucking beer run, he’d been ambushed by a wannabe street kid who had been tasked to kill someone as a trial-by-fire initiation into a gang.
Saint would’ve fucking died if Nero hadn’t brained the juvenile delinquent to death.
A doctor, who had taken the Hippocratic Oath, had killed someone, but it turned out it wasn’t the first time he’d taken a life. Nero had his own way of helping people.
Just then, a knock sounded on the church door, pulling him out of his memories.
“Come in,” he said.
Nero entered.
“Close the door,” Saint instructed.
Following the order, Nero sat down and narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on?”
“Snow finally unlocked the phone,” he replied.
“Okay,” Nero said. His brow creased in puzzlement.
“The pusher had been telling the truth that he didn’t know his supplier, but we were able to track that thread down,” Saint continued, staring Nero in the eye. “It’s Kedron.”
In an instant, Nero’s relaxed attitude disappeared. His body suddenly thrummed with tension. “Where is he?”
“Not sure yet,” Saint replied. “But we’ll find him.”
Nero stood. “You do that, but remember, he’s mine to kill.”
Saint nodded. “I know. His death belongs to you.”