Chapter Twenty-Four
Rebel
Stryker drags the body of the first guy out of the barn where Razer is waiting, looking less than happy about being on disposal duty.
For hardened criminals, a lot of them are squeamish when it comes to tossing the bodies to the pigs.
We’re all still trying to get our heads around what just happened. The two men have been difficult to get anything out of until Nero mentioned Jackal knows he’s been betrayed by his own men. One of them clenched his jaw and his eyes darted everywhere as if he expected his Prez to walk in.
The other guy completely lost it. He got freakishly superhuman strength, and he broke free of the ropes and tried to run. He wasn’t going to get far, Nashville was running at him. Turns out he wasn’t trying to get out of the barn.
That motherfucker ran straight into a rusty old pitchfork that was hooked to the wall at an angle. He impaled himself on all four prongs. Which was no mean feat, given how rusted the damn thing was.
Everyone stopped and stared as he gurgled and tried to keep his feet. The metal had gone almost all the way through him, he’d run at it so hard. Nashville almost puked and had to step away. At first, we didn’t know if it was an accident or intentional. But he ran straight at it, not the door.
Fury stood facing the man as his head drooped, his breathing labored.
Nero’s face was dark as shit. The guy deserved to suffer because he was the fucker who shot Colt.
It pissed me the fuck off I didn’t get to hand out more pain, but Nero nodded when I took out my gun, calling Fury off.
I put the gun to the side of his head and pull the trigger.
He wasn’t going to die fast from those injuries, but watching and listening as he did, in that gruesome a way, was horrific.
The smoke from the cigarette between my lips blows into my eyes as I watch Stryker haul the bastard over the fence and toss him into the mud. He didn’t call for the pigs, they’d scent the body and find their way over eventually.
Ironically, we’d been educated on the term ‘long-pig’, which is not in relation to actual pigs, it is the disgusting term cannibals use for human meat.
The pigs are getting too many of these meals lately, and Stryker worries they’re getting overweight, so he is rotating them.
And that is a fucking thought I never want to have again.
“What kind of guy makes his men want to do that to themselves rather than face up to him?”
Nashville is standing downwind of the cigarette smoke. He used to have the occasional one, but since Charley came along, he’s quit altogether. It was unimaginable for me to give something up so easily for a woman. I get it now.
I won’t tell Kinsley what happened to the asshole in the mud beyond the fence. I’m just glad she wasn’t here to witness that.
“The Demon Sinners have a reputation for that shit,” I answer Nashville's question.
“To their own members?” Nashville shakes his head. “He didn’t sound that sadistic on the phone.”
I don’t comment, you can’t gauge a person’s traits from a phone call. I’ll never admit I’m rattled. Jackal said in not so many words he’d let it slide that we handle these guys. Anyone who can instill that kind of fear in his own men is not someone to underestimate.
Back in the barn, Nero is standing in front of the other guy. Fury is behind him, securing his ropes, looking pissed as hell. He was the one who tied them both up when they were dragged out of the van.
It’s not that they weren’t tight enough, the guy completely lost it hearing Jackal knowing what he’d done.
“You’re not going to get off that lightly,” Nero says to the other piece of shit in the chair.
Beast catches my eye, his look saying what I’m thinking. What just occurred was not ‘getting off lightly.’ A thwack and groan draw my attention back. The man’s head flops forward, he’s out cold. Nero shakes his fist.
“Shit, his face is harder than it looks.”
“What was that about?”
“That,” Nero points to the now broken pitchfork on the floor. “Was not normal.”
“You think?” Fury shakes his head.
“We need to think about what we’re doing.”
“Why?” I take a step closer and kick the guy’s leg to make sure he’s definitely out.
“Jackal scares him more than we do, and he’s in an entirely different state.”
“If he’s that scared, why the fuck did he betray him and start working for Storm?” Beast asks.
He’s leaning against a stall where horses ought to go, but we have tools piled back there. Things Stryker or Fury might use on guests. He hasn’t said much the whole time we’ve been here. Having all the council here was a show of power.
This fucker decided killing himself was the better option than us, or Jackal if he showed up.
“He might be more valuable alive,” Beast says.
“You serious?” I ask.
“You wanna keep him locked up here?” Nashville moves closer too.
“I don’t trust Jackal.”
“None of us do.” I shake my head. Beast is stating the obvious.
“He hasn’t given us anything about Storm yet, we could keep him on ice,” Razer muses. “He is a direct link to the bastard, probably the closest we’ve come.”
“Storm is not going to ride in and save this prick,” Beast continues to argue his case.
“Considering what he just did, this one is more likely to talk if we hold the threat of Jackal over him," Fury says, eyeing Beast like he's finally acting like his old self, and he's glad about it. "We’ve beaten and killed enough people and got nowhere, this guy can feed us intel. If Jackal comes sniffing around, we have leverage if we’re able to hand him back.”
“Do you know what a pain in the ass it’s going to be to keep this fucker alive?” Razer moans.
“We have people who can do that for us,” Beast pushes off the wall. “How far do we take it tonight?”
Nero looks out of the huge open barn to the pigpen, some of them are starting to wander out under the dark sky, it’s hard to make them out, but the sound they make is unmistakable.
“Wake him up,” Nero says. “Show him what will happen. Drive home the only options he has are us, or his own President.”
Beast throws a bucket of water over his head, and he and Fury wrangle the guy to the fence outside. He screams his head off, and I wince at the sound.
“You sure about this?” I ask Nero.
“What, you not arguing?”
“For once, you’ve had a good idea.”
“Get fucked,” he grins. It fades as the man is dragged back inside. “I’m fucking tired.”
It took a lot to admit that, he’d never do it in front of everyone else.
“You heard from Ronin?” I ask, understanding that violence and planning isn’t enough for him anymore.
“Yeah. His man down in Virginia called. He said the older brother is getting suspicious and he’s been at the house more than once. The wife hasn’t been out in a couple of days.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. Blaze looked her up, she had a normal life, graduated college and had a good job when she was forced into marrying Kivisto.”
“Not our problem, as much as I feel for her in that situation, we have enough to deal with.”
Nero looks off into the distance. God damn it, he won’t let it go if he thinks she’s being hurt. I keep my thoughts to myself. Nero will do what he will do.
“Father Eastwood woke up,” he says.
I straighten up from the wall and grab my phone. There is a text from Kinsley. I couldn’t explain how that makes me feel if I tried. She reached out to me when she didn’t have to.
“That is where it starts,” Nero laughs. “Get used to it.”
I’m about to respond when it rings in my hand. It’s an unknown number. Probably one of my guys around the city. We still have Kivisto under surveillance, and I’m starting to become superstitious. We only have to mention that fucker’s name and something pops up.
“Yeah?”
“How nice it is to hear your voice.”
“Who is this?”
Nero shifts back to face me when he hears my tone.
“Forgot me already?”
“Storm.”
My blood goes cold. Nero looks like he wants to rip the phone out of my hand. Instead, I put it on speaker. Nero puts a hand on my forearm and gives me a look that says, ‘keep your shit together.’
“See, I knew I’m memorable. Is Nero with you by any chance? We really need to catch up.”
I shake my head at Nero. I don't want him to know he's listening. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Don’t you want to know where I am?”
“You’re not gonna tell me where you are. You’re calling for a reason, Storm. Why don’t you spit it out instead of thinking I give a shit about your stupid mind games.”
“I’m only just getting started. I’ve had an interesting night, one you might like to hear all about. I’ve been gathering all sorts of good information and I did it without anyone getting in the way.”
My hand aches from the grip on my phone. What the fuck is he talking about?
“What do you want?”
“Red leather looks good on her.”
My eyes snap to Nero’s. He knows exactly what Storm is saying. Kinsley stood in the clubhouse a few hours ago in that red leather jacket. He grabs his own phone and runs toward the barn.
“If you go near her, you sonofabitch!” I scream into the phone.
“You’ll what? Catch one of the idiots I have working for me, torture and kill them?”
“Storm, I swear to fucking God, you touch one hair on her head, I’ll end you.”
“Catch me if you can. Riverrrrrrr…”
He hangs up and I almost hurl the phone, but it beeps in my hand. A picture message has come through. I open it, knowing what I’m going to find.
The others are all running out of the barn, Beast closing the door and locking it as they head for their bikes.
Nero shouts to me, but I can’t stop staring at the photograph of Kinsley. She’s talking to a priest in the hospital waiting area. The picture has been taken up close. Too close. He’s standing a few feet away from her.
“She’s okay!” Nero calls. “Ronin is with her and Taylor, and I’m sending more men. They’re going to search the hospital. Blaze is checking cameras.”
“What the fuck is he doing?” I run toward my bike, all I can think about is getting to her.
Nero grimaces. “Trying to scare us.”