Chapter 10 – Christopher
Diesel took Christopher and Bash for fucking stupid assfucks.
Once Nivins gave Christopher the story and showed Diesel on security footage, he’d been right not to believe in coincidences.
Tabitha ‘overdosing’ on the same motherfucking day as Rebel ending up in ICU could be classified as a fucking coincidence, as he’d hoped.
Again—if he didn’t know the fucking parties involved. And if Jana wasn’t in the ER as well.
Christopher suspected one cunt called the other fucking cunt for drugs.
That scheming, bitter, vindictive cunt set up that drug-addicted, brainless, pathetic cunt and caught Rebel in the crosshairs.
Meanwhile, Diesel, that death-wishy, sex-addicted cunt sought revenge and put that entire fucking peace agreement—and Megan’s life—in danger.
Yeah, Tabitha needed to die if she fucked over Jana and got Rebel hurt, but didn’t that motherfucker know how the fuck to get away with bullshit? He couldn’t wait until the next day to fuck her up? Two days? A goddamn week?
That shit would’ve been suspicious enough, but on the same fucking day? And in fucking Portland, where the club’s contacts in the PD depended on during whose shift the crime occurred?
Growling, Christopher kicked the podium. He’d called an emergency meeting after allowing the ME to take custody of Tabitha’s body.
Nivins sold Christopher all pertinent security footage, after wiping the material from the servers. He could only hope the man wouldn’t betray him, but Nivins was a civilian. Murder, ODs, the badges, and the possibility of prison spooked most law-abiding assfucks.
Heaving in a breath, Christopher resumed pacing.
The members kept their distance and watched him warily.
Mort and Val sat at the bar, nursing beers.
Cash and Digger, both in their wheelchairs, waited in silence at Christopher’s table.
Johnnie brooded at the opposite end of the bar. Not much conversation went on.
Maybe they knew Tabitha had ‘overdosed’ and worried about the repercussions. Or, maybe, they didn’t talk out of respect for Rebel and Jana.
Once Stretch, Diesel, and Easton walked in, Christopher surveyed the room. Most of the members were there, except for the few who were too far away to have arrived in time, so he called the meeting to order and got straight to the point.
He pinned Torrin, Seven, Huck, and Zephyr with a glare. “If I assign you motherfuckers to guard duty, you risk fuckin’ death if your charges get fucked up.”
Those four motherfuckers gulped and shifted in their seats.
“You fuckheads went to the fuckin’ food court.
Rebel and Jana ain’t wanted you fuckin’ nearby?
” He slammed his fist on the podium and the thud reverberated over the microphone.
More than just those motherfuckers flinched and jumped.
“You shoulda stepped the fuck away and covered the fuckin’ entrances or exits.
An enemy coulda walked up on them in the fuckin’ store and you motherfuckers wasn’t nowhere near.
Instead, they walked the fuck out of the mall and found the fuckin’ enemy ‘cuz you motherfuckers shirked your fuckin’ responsibilities. ”
“That’s not true,” Torrin started.
“Where the fuck my daughter, motherfucker?” he yelled.
Hands trembling, Narci set his phone in front of him on the table. Motherfuckers shifting traveled from the direction of Christopher’s table. Murmurs joined groans and curses.
“Diesel?” Christopher barked.
A moment passed before that motherfucker said, “Sir?”
“Bring a chair, put it in front of the podium, and sit your motherfuckin’ ass down.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, immediately complying.
Storming next to him, Christopher shoved the gun against Diesel’s head. “You wanna die now or when Bash lose his shit over Tabitha?”
Diesel swallowed, his only reaction, until he shrugged and said, “Now, Uncle Christopher.”
“What happened to Tabitha?” Johnnie called, always a stupid motherfucker.
“Bruh, who the fuck care?” Digger snorted. “Prez off his fuckin’ rocker right now. If I was you, I wouldn’t bring attention to me.”
“Fuck, you opening your mouth, Digger,” Val pointed out. “That’s—”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Christopher roared, jiggling the gun against Diesel’s head, almost too livid to think straight because of all the unnecessary chatter.
“I failed Rebel,” Diesel said quietly, the words only loud enough for Christopher. “I can’t stand the idea that she’s hurt because of me. Kill me, sir. I’d prefer to die at your hand than Bash’s.”
“Bash’ll torture the fuck outta you.”
“Perhaps.” Diesel met Christopher’s gaze, revealing neither fear or a plea for mercy. “I don’t care if I’m tortured. I just don’t want to give him that satisfaction.”
Before Christopher responded to Diesel, Megan’s ringtone blasted through the room and hot fury surged through him. Some motherfucker called her to interfuckinfere and…
Fuck.
Wait…
Shoving his gun back into his holster, he redialed her number. He’d taken too long to answer.
“Hey,” she said.
“Baby?” he said, clicking on the speakerphone and setting the device on the podium. “What’s up?”
His voice sounded normal but his heart was pounding. If Megan was calling to intervene on behalf of these motherfuckers, that would be twice in one day.
“What are you doing?” Her sadness felt like a kick in the gut, especially when she’d been so happy earlier today. “The boys are here and are anxious to see you. And Axel’s waiting for Diesel.”
Christopher glared at Diesel’s profile. To his credit, the motherfucker sat as still as stone. He didn’t give a fuck if he lived or died. But Axel would. Megan would. Christopher would.
“Jana will probably be released tomorrow.”
Was this one of Megan’s new ways of trying to talk him down? By talking about a motherfucker’s importance? Not liking her circumspect methods, he glowered at the phone.
“I love Diesel as if I gave birth to him, Christopher,” she said. “I know what happened. It’s fairly easy to figure out. However, Tabitha overdosed.”
Johnnie gasped. “Tabitha’s dead?”
“I know you don’t believe in coincidences,” Megan continued, ignoring Johnnie, “but this wasn’t Diesel’s fault.
Tabitha sent a lot of drugs for Jana. She wouldn’t leave herself out of that windfall.
She’d use the money and the tennis bracelet Jana gave her to purchase more than enough for her own use. ”
She was skewering the fuck out of the facts. Easton gave Christopher the bills and the jewelry. Megan had both in her purse. Meaning Tabitha hadn’t received shit to do a motherfucking thing with, especially buy drugs.
“I will mourn Tabitha as my beloved daughter-in-law,” she continued, another blatant fucking lie.
“However, I’m so angry with her. A Noxious Gnome found her body.
He used the key she gave him, opened the door, and discovered her dead.
This is a woman who begged our son to move back in with her.
She’d already slept with Shine. It isn’t hard to believe she planned to set my son, your son, up and have that Gnome kill him. ”
That was Christopher’s thought, too.
“That cunt wanted to get Diesel killed, Prez?” Slipper called, leaning against a pool table.
Diesel clenched his jaw but remained silent.
“Bash had anything to do with this?” one of Johnnie’s motherfuckers asked.
Christopher allowed a heartbeat to pass, wondering if Johnnie would insert his two cents. But he didn’t. “Ain’t too sure, but I don’t think so.”
He wasn’t happy about having to return to Hortensia so soon. Fuck, the motherfucker didn’t have to come back. He smelled a fucking rat and wanted to smoke him out.
“I’ll see you—”
At the sound of Megan’s voice, Christopher closed his eyes, rested his elbows on the podium, and cradled his head. “Megan, baby, this can blow the fuck up in our fuckin’ face and you’ll be the casualty.”
Whether it was the truth—and not everything was—didn’t matter, if Bash didn’t believe them.
“If it means Diesel is alive and not a casualty of Tabitha’s revenge, then that is a risk I’m willing to take, Christopher.”
“Fine.” He sighed and straightened. “What else?”
“Torrin is our son’s friend. Seven has been nothing but loyal. Huck and Zephyr have been your dedicated brothers for years. They’ve always stood by your side.”
He scowled. “Those motherfuckers better not be on your fuckin’ No-Kill list.”
“They aren’t,” she confirmed. “Leaving Rebel defenseless should be punished, but this is their first offense. Since Rebel is alive and will recover, they shouldn’t pay with their lives.”
“Fine, Megan. If Bash think Diesel killed that cunt because she set up that other cunt, we tell him the truth.”
“Yes,” Megan agreed, diving into the ‘truth’ before Christopher spoke again.
“Jana snuck away because she wanted to purchase items for a dinner she was cooking for Diesel. She feared the guys wouldn’t allow her to go without Rebel.
She planned to make her purchases, bring them to the guys, and then rejoin Rebel on their shopping spree. ”
Fucking revisionist history.
“She needed a breather though, so she went to Turn Creek. Again, she thought if she found the guys before she went there, they wouldn’t have allowed her to go. Unfortunately, she ran across Alex and his friends, and they attacked her.”
“Yeah, baby. Rebel ain’t wanted to get into trouble since Diesel was on the way. She walked up on Jana’s assault.”
“It was a series of regrettable events.”
“You’re right, baby.” Christopher was very concerned about Bash, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. “I’m gonna talk to him.”
“Good. I won’t cower and I won’t be bullied. I know my son and, believe me, I know exactly what he did, Christopher, but Diesel’s ours. We stand together and we figure out a way forward. With war or without, I will always be his mother and your woman.”
A small smile tipped Christopher’s lips. For the first time, Diesel glanced over his shoulder, the hope in the eyes reminding Christopher of the abandoned fifteen-year-old that still lived inside the stupid motherfucker.
“I know this is club business, but our family’s involved too, so I’m asking you as Outlaw’s old lady to not shoot anyone today. Plan accordingly. The decision is yours, Christopher.”
He smirked at the phone, opened his mouth to ask what she’d give him in return, then remembered the rumors rampant in the club about her. Probably why she was handling the situation as she was and not as he enjoyed.
He growled.
Megan sighed. “Stop thinking. Rebel is asking for you and Axel wants Diesel. I don’t want to leave the hospital tonight.
I hope Diesel won’t mind, but Jana is in another room, so I can sleep in the spare bed in case Rebel needs me.
Oh! I almost forgot. The nurse said if I want, they can add a crib in our room for Jo. She’s well enough to be with Rebel.”
Christopher smiled at her excitement.
“I hope you don’t mind, son,” Megan continued, addressing Diesel. “You can stay in Jana’s room if you’d like.”
“I’m exhausted, Aunt Meggie,” Diesel said. “I’d prefer to sleep in my own bed.”
“Understood. If you can pick up the boys and bring them home, I’d appreciate it.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you. Leave Diesel, Torrin, Huck, Seven, and Zephyr alone, Christopher. Please? I’ll, uh, talk to both you and Diesel later instead of bothering your members with my concerns. Just think about my request. I don’t want anything to happen to them and—”
“They’re fine, Meggie,” Burger called. “We want to hear.”
“First, I wanna know something, Megan,” Christopher said mildly. “Who the fuck texted you?” He suspected Narci but wanted confirmation.
“I’ll tell you later,” she said breezily. “As much as I’d like to oblige you, Burger, this is a private family matter.”
Christopher was fucking curious, too.
Burger’s brows furrowed. “You know who I am even though you can’t see me?”
“I do,” she confirmed. “You’re my husband’s brother. You’re important to him, so you’re important to me.”
Shame crossed that motherfucker’s face. The brothers shifted and looked amongst each other.
Guilty fuckheads.
“You know me, Meggie?”
Fuck, Christopher wasn’t sure who that was.
“I do, Lips.”
Oh, the motherfucker with the lisp, who was teased ruthlessly because of it.
“I still don’t agree with that road name,” she said. “I think it is completely mean and insulting, but I admire your acceptance.”
Down to a fucking man, Megan knew those motherfuckers, even when Christopher had trouble placing them or when he looked at Mortician, Val, and Diesel, and saw they didn’t know some of the motherfuckers who asked if she knew their identities.
His Megan did. She’d made the club her life on Christopher’s behalf.
In the span of days, she’d gone from expressing how little she enjoyed the club nowadays to helping to save those ungrateful fuckheads who’d turned their backs on her.
For Christopher. He knew it was for him, so he’d think more clearly about his own standing in the club.
She held him down, held the brothers down, and they’d all failed her. No wonder those motherfuckers looked so fucking sick.
“We’ll wrap up here soon, baby,” Christopher promised.
“I love you, Christopher.”
“I love you, too, Megan.”
She disconnected, never revealing exactly what she’d wanted to talk about. After imposing a fine of ten bands for the four fuckheads who’d served as Rebel and Jana’s guards, Christopher adjoined the meeting.