Chapter Forty – Christopher #4
“I’ve always shared Mom. She has a bunch of kids. How could I not?”
“The only fuckin’ reason you ain’t tried to smother those motherfuckers was cuz your ma started havin’ more lil’ motherfuckers when you was still a lil’ motherfucker.”
“You’re more possessive of Mom than I can ever be.”
“CJ, not a motherfucker alive can take your fuckin’ place in Megan’s heart. Not me. Not Diesel. Not Axel. But she a good ma, son. She steppin’ out the way and lettin’ you grow up. She ain’t turnin’ her back on you or lovin’ you no less. You fuckin’ left her. You deserted her.”
CJ flinched. “Axel got a road name picked out,” he grumped, ignoring Christopher’s words.
“Axel got seven years before he even think about that,” Christopher said. “He just fuckin’ with you—”
“It’s Sweet Pea,” CJ spat.
Christopher snickered, ignoring CJ’s putrid look, which darkened even further when Val, Mort, and Stretch laughed, too.
“Let’s circle back to you and Diesel as rivals,” Christopher said, turning serious once more. “Suppose you ain’t had the motherfuckin’ votes to be president when I decided it was your fuckin’ time because Diesel and his friends voted for another candidate?”
“Then, I guess I wouldn’t be president right then,” CJ said.
“We’d find a way to call for a new election after a discussion with a few members,” Diesel corrected. “Me. Uncle Christopher. Whoever. We’d “convince” motherfuckers to vote for you.”
CJ widened his eyes. “You’d rig the fucking election?”
“When I’m fuckin’ ready to retire, Ima do what the fuck I got to to get in who I want to take the fuck over, CJ,” Christopher said. “Hopefully, it is you. That’s what the fuck I wanted since your ma gave birth to you. But if you act like an entitled fuckhead, motherfuckers treatin’ you like that.”
“You think I’m spoiled, too, don’t you, Dad?”
“Yeah, but you also a good kid, goin’ through growin’ pains, hard lessons, and tough choices. Now, apologize to your brother.”
“I fucking knew it! You’re breathing down my fucking throat because of Diesel. I don’t dislike him nor do I wish he wasn’t in the family. Him and me talked about him and Rebel.”
Christopher released a humorless laugh. “And you expect him to listen to you, huh, CJ?”
“About this! I just want Rebel happy. You said you’d kill Diesel. We’d lose him to death and her to fucking hate. She’d never forgive any of us. You want to talk about breaking your wife’s heart? If that scenario plays out, Mom would be devastated.”
“Your ma would be devastated if she fuckin’ knew how you really feel about Diesel. You don’t want him in the treehouse. You don’t fuckin’ want him anyfuckinwhere on the grounds, especially if me and your ma pay for it. You don’t claim him as your brother. You don’t think he should be a Caldwell.”
“That isn’t true, Dad! I love Diesel. I’ve always seen him as my big brother.
He taught me about football and guns and stuff.
He taught me a lot. I don’t give a fuck about that stupid fucking treehouse.
But Mom can’t just throw me the fuck aside for Diesel and Axel and expect me to still like those two motherfuckers.
Axel idolizes Diesel. Rebel thinks he’s a fucking god. ”
“That ain’t Diesel’s fault. He ain’t in those motherfuckers’ heads.”
“Does he have to be so goddamn charming and funny with them and an asshole to me?”
“You been the fuckin’ asshole to him all goddamn night.”
CJ opened his mouth, but Christopher held up his hand.
“You ain’t even sure why the fuck you tried to get me to cut his fuckin’ head off.”
Gasping, CJ shook his head.
“The fuck you ain’t, boy. Tellin’ me Diesel did something to Rebel could’ve fuckin’ went sideways and you fuckin’ know it, unless you have turned into a whiny cunt and a stupid one.”
Growling, CJ glared at Diesel and Christopher, then turned and stormed away.
Diesel sighed. “I’ll go and talk—”
“Nope, I want Mort to.”
“But, Prez—”
“CJ said you give him boundaries, Mort,” Christopher said, happy to have gotten the excuse he needed to get Mortician away. “In so many words. He pissed at me, but he gonna listen to you.”
Mortician looked at Nardo.
“You can chop Dead Ned into as many fuckin’ pieces as you wanna. I ain’t gonna rush you but go talk to my boy for me.”
“Okay, Prez.”
“Go with him, Grant,” Christopher said. “After Mort talk to CJ, drink a few beers with him.”
Christopher waited a couple of minutes after Mort and Grant left before he snatched Devon and shook the fuck out of him. “You fuckin’ knew, ain’t you, motherfucker?”
“Outlaw, what…?” Val’s voice trailed off, and he staggered back, staring at Devon. “About the girls?”
Christopher nodded. “We understand why Ryan supposedly ain’t opened his fuckin’ mouth. Why didn’t you?”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Christopher!”
“That ain’t a fuckin’ answer, fuckhead. You and Ryan one fuckin’ comment away from Mort findin’ out and you endin’ up like this dead fuckhead.”
He pointed to the headless corpse on the table, but Devon refused to look. Christopher considered making him pick up the head, but he felt so fucking sorry for Val. The motherfucker was devastated.
Devon looked at Ryan, who sat in the chair with his head bowed. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, Christopher lifted Devon off his feet and shook the fuck out of him again, hoping to rattle his goddamn brain.
“I’m sorry,” Devon cried.
Christopher dangled him. “You can say that for a thousand fuckin’ years and it ain’t undoin’ what the fuck Ryan did and you aided and abetted. It ain’t unfuckindoin’ what the fuck you did to my fuckin’ daughter.”
“I was trying to protect Ryan,” Devon continued. “He was so upset.”
“That motherfucker shoulda been upset,” Christopher roared. “He the fuckhead that caused all the shit. He shoulda been unable to eat. Unable to sleep. Unable to do fuck all until he took balls in hand and said what the fuck he did.”
“He’s my brother, Uncle Christopher.”
“Rebel my fuckin’ daughter,” he repeated, since that motherfucker had the nerve to say he fucked over the girls because Ryan was his brother.
Before he choked the fuck out of him, he dropped that fuckhead. He landed on his side and bowed his head, his shoulders shaking.
Christopher shoved him out of the pathway, then crooked his finger at Rory. “C’mere, fuckhead.”
“Uncle Christopher–”
“Shut the fuck up, Rory. Pretendin’ loyalty to CJ, while turnin’ a blind fuckin’ eye to what Ryan was doin’ to Harley and Rebel, the two girls my boy love the most. What the fuck was your fuckin’ excuse?
Never fuckin’ mind. Johnnie. You went to that motherfucker for help like Ryan did.
When he fuckin’ turned you down, you stabbed CJ in the back, chose your old man over my son and kept your fuckin’ mouth shut. ”
Rory burst into tears. All this lil’ motherfucker did was fuckin’ cry. Just like Johnnie. Like fuckhead, like son.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Christopher,” Rory said around sniffles. “I begged Dad to help.”
“You wasted your fuckin’ breath. Which you had to know he fuckin’ wouldn’t do fuck all.
He ain’t interested in fuckin’ helpin’. He tore up a motherfuckin’ letter that could’ve fuckin’ helped solve all the Bash shit.
Neither of you motherfuckers cared about Harley and Rebel.
It wasn’t Mattie, so it wasn’t your fuckin’ problem.
It especially wasn’t Johnnie’s. You just ain’t realized Mattie was involved, too.
You never fuckin’ thought that you might almost lose her cuz of Johnnie’s fuckery. ”
“No!” Rory cried. “I would never have forgiven myself if she’d been killed.”
“Good, cuz we wouldna forgave you either,” Christopher spat, thinking of Kendall and all she was willing to sacrifice just so she’d be there for Rory. “You betrayed your sister and your ma, assfuck. You should be fuckin’ ashamed of what the fuck you did.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Before I threw Bernie into the crematorium, he told me something very interesting,” Diesel said, over the argument because that’s what the fuck he did.
He moved on since he didn’t think he had anybody to help him cope.
“The videos were shown at the fucking Scorpion’s clubhouse until Bash found out and shot the fucking monitors. ”
“I didn’t know they were showing any of the girls in that fucking clubhouse,” Rory said tearfully.
Val paled. “Who did they show?”
“According to Burned Bernie, Harley, Rebel, and Mattie,” Diesel said.
“Did you fucking know about that, Ryan?” Val snarled, then looked at Devon with the same disgust.
Yeah, those motherfuckers knew. Christopher saw the shame in Ryan’s eyes and the guilt in Devon’s.
Diesel looked at Christopher, silently asking permission to embellish.
“Ryan didn’t know, Val,” Diesel said at Christopher’s slight nod. “Bernie said the Barts told Ryan they wanted the videos for their viewing…pleasure.”
Val covered his face, not seeing Ryan, Devon, and Rory flinch.
“Take it easy, uncle,” Diesel drawled. “Your sons aren’t sniveling little fuckheads that committed fucking crimes all in the name of Molly.
And, Rory, your nephew, isn’t a miserable Johnnie Jr., who didn’t give a fuck about his cousins and didn’t have the fucking intelligence to know his sister was probably involved as well.
They’d remember their mothers and how devastated those fine women would be. ”
The more Diesel spoke, the more pathetic the boys looked.
Watching Val accept Diesel’s words and ignore how upset the boys were, told Christopher that Val didn’t want to accept the truth, but deep down he had to have known.
Christopher nodded to the door. “Get the fuck to your fuckin’ house, Rory.”
“Please don’t tell Mom what I knew, Uncle Christopher.”
“I ain’t,” Christopher snapped. He wanted to make that motherfucker suffer and stew in misery, but Rory was turning into Johnnie. The kid would confess to Kendall out of guilt and fucking brainlessness if Christopher didn’t ease his fucking mind. “Now, fuckin’ go.”
Rory rushed out, still in fucking tears.
“Take Ryan and Devon home, Val. Get some rest. Ima visit Easton in a few hours, then we gotta set up for Diesel’s barbeque.”
“Okay, Outlaw,” Val croaked and started by, still as pale as a ghost and as stiff as a zombie.
Inserting himself in Val’s path, Christopher gripped his shoulders.
“My job figurin’ out what’s best for everyfuckinbody.
Your job takin’ care of my sister and your sons.
I already fuckin’ told you what they did.
My daughter involved, too. You don’t think I wouldn’t like to find a fuckin’ way to stomp those motherfuckers, then let Diesel throw them in the crematorium, conscious but unable to fuckin’ move?
” He wanted to snap a photo of Ryan and Devon’s terror.
“But if I lock Ryan in a fuckin’ shed and tie him on a bed overnight with pieces of dismembered motherfuckers surroundin’ him, he deserve every motherfuckin’ minute for what the fuck he did to those girls.
” He released Val’s shoulders, grinning when Ryan pissed himself.
“I ain’t figured out what the fuck Devon’s weakness is. His punishment comin’.”
Devon turned to Ryan and hugged him, not caring he’d just wet his pants and stood in a fucking puddle.
“Thanks, Prez,” Val said quietly, then walked out, leaving those two fuckheads.
Christopher lifted a brow. They almost tripped over their fucking feet, running away.
“Let’s have a little fun with Aunt Mary while we finish choppin’ this fuckhead,” Christopher suggested to Diesel. This would be the perfect time to talk to him about what happened in Brookings.
“Yes, sir,” he responded, and pulled a baggie out of his pocket, while Christopher walked to the cabinet for one of the power saws.