7. Deacon
DEACON
“Uh huh. Yeah, yeah, I hear you. And you’re certain of that? No, no, yeah, I hear you. Yep. We’re good. All accounted for. Yeah, yeah. That’s fine, Nielson. Yep. I’m sure. Okay. Thanks for the call. Yep.”
I hung up the phone and stared out the window.
I knew that all of my men were in our sanctuary, waiting for me to show up.
But I needed a few seconds to myself. I drew in a deep breath as I slid my cell phone into my pocket.
I no longer cared about dancing around technology.
Marcie’s boss was finally in town, which meant she’d have to play by the rules if she didn’t want to get caught.
As far as we were concerned, that was the biggest relief we’d caught in months.
It also meant we had to keep our noses clean until further notice.
As I turned away from the window, I thought about all of the information Nielson threw at me. It all swirled in my head, kicking up frustration so thick that I had to go through the kitchen just so I could spit in the sink. I couldn’t even swallow, my anger had a chokehold on me so badly.
When this was all said and done, Char would never be out of our sight again.
The eeriness of the silence as I walked into sanctuary chilled me to the bone.
I slammed my fist against the button on the wall, and the only sound heard was the hissing of the hydraulics as it lowered the wall back into place.
I took my spot at the head of the table.
My entire crew stood around me, shoulder to shoulder as we stuffed ourselves in there like sardines.
It reminded me of how much we had grown.
How much we had flourished while my father led the crew.
We used to only ride six deep. Six motherfuckers spaced out in the sanctuary, taking up a wall with what felt like a football field’s worth of space between us.
Now we didn’t even have enough room to breathe without our breath hitting someone.
Dad would be proud.
“Things have been rough lately,” I said.
I could have heard a pin drop from across the room onto the fucking carpet with how thick the silence was all around us.
Grief fled across the faces of my men. Rat couldn’t even fucking look at me.
Gauge glowered in his dark corner, his gigantic form backdropping what felt like the entire goddamn room.
Dallas had his head bowed and his hands clasped behind his back, as if he were ready for whatever punishment was meant to be doled out.
I couldn’t help but look over at the one empty chair we had at the table.
Bait’s chair.
The one he always sat in.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered to myself.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Deadlock said.
I cleared my throat as I drew in a deep breath. I had to focus. I had to get through church. I had to tell my men what Sheriff Nielson told me. Even though I knew it might break them. Even though I knew it would kill them to know what Char was doing to herself for the sake of us.
They had a right to know, though.
Jesus fucking hell, how did things get so far out of hand? “One of my father’s dreams for this club?—”
I had to swallow the knot working its way up my throat before I continued.
“One of my father’s dreams for this club,” I said as I forced my voice to steady itself, “was to be a positive force in whatever town we claimed.”
The sea of heads nodded as my father’s memory filled me with strength.
“He always hated that shit about other crews,” I said with a shake of my head. “He never understood why they wanted to destroy the place they called home. Destroy what was theirs.”
God, how alone Char must feel.
I should’ve stayed in that goddamn holding cell.
“Char is?—”
I closed my eyes and took a moment to breathe. But when I opened them, I felt lightning bolts of anger rushing around behind them.
My entire body was ready for bloodshed.
“Char has been in a holding cell all night,” I said as I held my head high and looked every single one of my men in their eyes. “They haven’t processed her yet because they’re apparently evaluating her for psychological stability.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Dallas asked.
I held my hand up as Gauge growled from the corner. “Marcie figures that if she can’t come at us, she can come at her. And according to Nielson, Char is doing everything in her power to turn that around on her.”
“She’s going the insanity plea route?” Rico asked.
Deadlock shrugged. “It’s not a terrible plan.”
“She’s apparently leaned into it, too,” I said with a nod of my head. “Nielson called me and filled me in before I came here. Apparently, she’s pissed herself so badly in her holding cell that they had to move her, clean her up, and get her clothes changed.”
I expected some sort of reaction. Anger, or even possibly laughter. But instead, Rat slowly stood to his feet.
“She’s asked for a lawyer, right?” he asked.
I nodded. “And it’ll be her only protection until we can figure out how to bury Marcie.”
“Bury?” Gauge asked.
I grinned. “I knew that’d get your attention.”
“You’ve got mine, too,” Dallas said as he stood.
“And mine,” Rico said as he stood.
“Mine, too,” Deadlock said as he stood with them.
And one by one, my men stood. Gauge even came out from his perched position just to join us.
I felt my eyes darken as Gauge grinned. “Oh hell yeah. I know that look.”
Dallas smirked. “It’s on, isn’t it?”
Rat clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “The old Deac’s back, you guys. We’re gonna pull this off!”
The guys cheered and clapped their hands while I placed mine on top of the table and hunched down. It commanded their attention, and I watched them as they all retreated back to their positions.
“Marcie’s dirty as sin, and to beat a dirty cop you have to play just as dirty,” I said.
Mace smiled. “Fuck yeah, we do.”
I crooked an eyebrow. “And what’s the one thing a dirty cop thinks?”
“That they’re better than everyone else?” Plug asked.
I reared back up and pointed at him. “Yes, but what else?”
Mace raised his hand. “That they’re unstoppable.”
I pointed at him. “And how do you stop the unstoppable?”
“Become an immovable force,” the guys responded together.
The chant ripped me back in time. Back to a time when my father was alive. When he walked the planet, and cooked us breakfast, and forced me out of bed before noon even though I never wanted to fucking get up.
I let my memories harness me as the guys rejoiced.
“Here you go, son. Your first ever leather cut.”
I took the leather jacket in my hands and held it up.
I studied the stitched emblem on the back with my name etched in white outlined lettering.
I’d never been more proud of anything in my entire fucking life.
For the first time, I felt I had purpose.
I felt I had a family. For the first time, it felt like more than just me and Dad against the entire world.
I swung that thing around my shoulders and stuck my arms through like a goddamn pro as everyone erupted into applause.
Chanting my name. Shoving their fists into the air and whooping while they cheered.
But the words my father uttered to me as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders to show me off would always stick with me.
I just knew they would.
“One day, this crew will be yours,” he said as he pulled me close. “Make sure you do right by them.”
“So,” I said as I clapped my hands together, “let’s show this ungrateful bitch that we don’t budge.
That we are the immovable force prepared to stop her antics.
I know Char well enough to know that she’s got something up her sleeve outside of this insanity deal she’s trying to obtain.
I believe that’s her last-ditch effort, just in case this goes to trial. ”
“You think she’s got another plan she’s working on?” Rat asked.
I grinned. “According to Nielson? She’s apparently tasked the lawyer that was appointed to her with finding her another one.”
Rat’s jaw hit the floor as Mace broke down in laughter.
“Jesus fuck, that’s brilliant,” Deadlock said.
“What a power move,” Rico murmured.
“Haaaaahahahahahaaaaa!” Rat guffawed.
Dallas chuckled as he shook his head. “She’s a hell of a woman.”
“I love it when she concocts,” Gauge said from his dark corner.
“She’s a hell of a woman,” Mace said as he slid his hands down his face.
“Bait would’ve liked her,” Deadlock said.
And just as quickly as the room kicked up, it fell silent once more.
I took the opportunity to move things along. “Deadlock. Rico. We need to get Doc’s body to the morgue. We need it safe for now, especially since it’s been in that van for over twenty-four hours. It’ll already be more decomposed than Dr. Agemon will like.”
“Ah, the stench of death,” Rat said as his head fell back.
Deadlock stood. “I’ll call Dr. Agemon and see what he says.”
Rico quickly stood as well. “You got the keys to the van?”
Rat pulled them out of his pocket and tossed them over his head, and I watched as Rico lunged his arm out to catch them.
“Ah, I’ll go with them, just in case,” Rat said with a grunt as he stood.
“You sure?” Deadlock asked. “The stench of death won’t make you puke on your shoes?”
Rico chuckled. “I got my phone just in case he starts heaving. Who wants the video?”
All of our hands shot into the air, including mine, and Rat snickered.
“Yeah, well, now I’m going to puke on Rico based solely on principle,” Rat said.
“I would rather eat a deep-fried denim fucking jacket,” Rico said flatly.
That made me bark with laughter as the three of them headed out of the room.
Rat slammed his hand into the button that hissed the wall open while Deadlock managed to get Dr. Agemon on the phone.
I listened to the three of them trying to fill the man in while they charged down the hallway, focused on the mission at hand which was to gather all of the evidence we had on that stupid bitch.
“Anything else?” Mace asked.
I drew in a deep breath. “Yep. The rest of you are with me.”
“Where are we headed?” Gauge asked as he stepped up to the table.
“We’re heading back to the bunker,” I said as their eyes widened. “We’re going to dig up Bait.”