Chapter 25
Hodge
“What the fuck is with you?” Remy asks as I smile and drink my beer.
“Nothin’.”
“You just smilin’ like a goddamn fool for no reason?” he asks. Now I chuckle.
“Not for no reason. I’m … fuck, Remy, I’m happy, brother.”
“Happy?”
“Yeah, happy. Look what I have,” I say, nodding toward Kemah, where she sits with the other girls laughing and talking. It makes my chest swell just seeing her fucking smiling.
“You love that girl?”
“Don’t worry about it. All you need to know is that she’s mine and she isn’t goin’ anywhere.”
“Asshole,” he chuckles, causing me to laugh with him.
I’ve thought about it. What would it mean to love Kemah?
I’ve thought about the past and how it broke me, but also how she came in and saved me.
I don’t think either of us realized what she was doing when she stayed with me.
I don’t think either of us thought we would get this far, either, but now I can’t picture not having her with me.
The thought of letting her go eats away at my insides, but I also know she hates what I do.
Not so much the club, but the killing. Either way, nothing is going to change, and I can only hope she can live with that.
“You know today is her birthday.” I glance over when I hear Kiki speak and find her staring right at me.
“It is? She didn’t tell me that.”
“I don’t think birthdays are something she’s happy to celebrate. From what she said, they didn’t really celebrate or anything.”
“Then make somethin’ happen, Kiki. Saturday night?” Her smile is infectious.
“I’m on it!” She quickly rushes off, and I smile at her retreating form as Locke takes her place.
“What’s with her?”
“It’s Kemah’s birthday. I told her to plan a party,” I explain.
“Oh, shit. You know that’s gonna cost you, right? Kiki doesn’t do anything half ass.”
“No shit.”
“I got a present for her then,” Locke adds.
“What is it?”
“Your dad found Jake.” Anger burns in my core, but even more, it’s anticipation. I want to get my hands on that motherfucker. I want to snap his fucking neck and watch him burn for what he did to her. And I will.
“Where?”
“He’s got a place across town. He’s been lyin’ low, it seems.”
“Then what the fuck are we waitin’ for?” I ask as I down the rest of my beer and stand to my feet.
Locke smirks at me just as my dad and a few of the guys come out of the office.
His eyes meet mine, and he gives me a nod, letting me know that we’re good to go.
It’s a week before Christmas and Kemah’s birthday.
What a fucking better way to celebrate than killing that bastard.
I set my bottle on the bar and head straight for Kemah. She looks up, no doubt sensing I’m near, and smiles at me.
“What are you up to?” she asks as I grab her around the back of her neck and pull her lips to mine. I kiss her hard before pulling back.
“Happy birthday, baby. Aside from me, I’m gonna give you the best present ever.”
“Which is?”
“I’m gonna kill the motherfucker who hurt you.” Her smile now fades, but her arms tighten around me. I know she hates this, and it makes her nervous, but I have to finish this. I have to end it. For her. For me.
“I don’t …”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything, and I’ll be back before you know it. I have a surprise for you this weekend, too.”
“What else could there be?” she asks, looking confused as I laugh.
“It’s a good surprise this time, baby. I promise.”
“So now what do I do? Are you going to come back like last time?” Her question is valid. I did come back pretty fucked up the last time, but this time I’m calmer, prepared.
“No.”
“What’s the difference?”
“I’m calmer today, Kemah. I scared you last time. Hell, I scared myself. I don’t want to hurt you. That’s the last thing I want to do.” She nods her head, and a small smile comes back across her face. She leans in and kisses me once more before pulling away.
“Then you do what you have to do, and I’ll be here waiting.”
“Naked?” Now she laughs.
“If that’s what you want.”
“Oh, now you’re willin’ to give me what I want, huh?”
“Hodge, I’m pretty sure I’d give you anything.”
“A baby?” There went her smile again.
“What?”
“A baby. I want a baby, Kemah. I want us to have a family.”
“Isn’t that a little fast?” I chuckle.
“I didn’t say today, although I’m pretty fuckin’ good at fillin’ that pussy of yours.”
“Hodge!”
“You know it’s true. Now tell me, you gonna give me a baby?” I keep my hand behind her neck, holding her close to me, my other hand on her hip.
“I don’t know if I’d be a good mom.”
“Fuck that. You’d make the best mom. You know exactly what not to do, Kemah. You have a big heart, even for those who don’t deserve your kindness; they still get it. You’ll be a great mom.”
“And you want to be a dad?”
“Fuck yeah, I do. I want little Kemah’s and little Hodge’s runnin’ all over.”
“You’re thinking of more than one?” she asks, sounding a bit shocked.
“I was thinkin’ five.”
“Five? Hodge, what the hell?” I start laughing at the look on her face before dragging her lips back to meet mine.
“I didn’t say all at once.”
“You do remember that I’m thirty years old, right?”
“And? That’s young.”
“Not for that many kids.”
“Fuck, we got plenty of time for kids, baby. Just let me finish this shit for us, yeah?” I watch her swallow hard before she sighs and nods her head.
“Okay. Finish it.”
“Good girl. Fuck, Kemah.” I nearly growl before devouring her mouth once again. This woman doesn’t realize it, but she gives me everything I never knew I needed, and I’m never letting that go.
“I’ll be back soon.” She nods her head, and I release my grip on her when Remy slaps a hand on my shoulder. I glance over and he nods, letting me know we’re ready to go.
“This is it,” I tell her.
“This is it.” With a quick nod, I follow Remy and the others outside to our bikes.
We mount up and we pull down the driveway, taking a left onto the main road.
I feel ecstatic about this shit. I can talk Kemah into having a baby sooner rather than later, if that’s what I really want, and deep down, I think it is.
I want a family with her. I want everything with her, and I’m going to make sure we have it.
The ride to Jake’s place doesn’t take as long as I’d like because my mind is reeling right now with everything going on. Her birthday, kids, Christmas, and now Jake.
We pull up and park the bikes before I climb off and move toward my dad.
“This it?”
“Nah, it’s a few houses down. He apparently had a couple of places that Kemah didn’t know about. This is one of them,” he says, nodding down the road. I smirk as I look at the Christmas lights I’m going to choke his ass with.
“Pull those lights down, Remy,” I say as we walk toward the house.
Remy chuckles, but when we climb the steps to the front porch, he begins to rip them down.
I raise my hand and knock on the door like a fucking gentleman and wait until the bastard opens it.
As soon as he does, he tries to slam it shut, but it’s too late.
I shove it open, causing him to stumble back a few steps before falling on his ass.
I walk in and stand over him, smiling down at him.
“Well, ho, ho, fuckin’ ho. What a Merry fuckin’ Christmas this is,” I tell the asshole as he tries to scramble backward away from me. I raise my foot and stomp his chest, forcing him back down.
“What do you want? Who are you?”
“Playin’ dumb now?” I ask him, cocking my head to the side to look at him.
“You’re … you’re the motherfucker she stayed with!”
“Surprise, motherfuckin’ surprise. Remy, string his ass up,” I tell him. Remy and Locke move around me and my dad to grab him and drag him through the room.
I follow behind them as my dad stands guard at the door, and they get Jake tied to the chair with Christmas lights. When they’re done, I walk over and take the string in my hands, wrapping it around his throat tightly so his eyes begin to bulge.
“I wanted to draw this out and make it all painful for you, but I got a girl waitin’ on me back home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still gonna hurt you and enjoy every last second of it, but I don’t have to wait around and watch you bleed out and piss yourself like you did her.”
“She’s a bitch!”
“Is she? Or is she better than you? You didn’t know what you had sittin’ right in front of you in that woman. If treated right, she could have given you the world.” He laughs now, or as much as he can with the lights around his neck.
“She’s a fat, ugly piece of shit,” he hisses at me.
“No. Your little dick couldn’t handle a woman like her.
There’s nothin’ wrong with her body; it was all you.
You didn’t know what kind of little freak you had on your hands.
The way she straddles my face and lets me eat her pussy?
It’s pure fuckin’ heaven.” With that, I pull my knife out and stab it into his thigh, listening to him scream.
“You see, I know all the right places to hit that will cause you to bleed out slowly. And as much as I’d like to stick around and watch it, my boy here is gonna hang out and film it for me,” I say, nodding toward Randy, one of the prospects.
I step closer and make random cuts on his body and neck, ensuring he’ll die a slow death. Then I step back and admire my handiwork.
“Shove somethin’ in that bastard’s mouth so you don’t have to hear him cry like a bitch,” I tell Randy. He pulls a rag from his pocket and shoves it into Jake’s mouth before coming to stand next to me.
“You want me to film it all?”
“Every fuckin’ second of it. Then call the guys to clean this mess up,” I tell him. He nods his head as I slap a hand on his shoulder and turn, heading for the door. It’s about time I get back to my girl.