Chapter 4b Johnnie
All things considered, Digger had gotten off easy.
He was severely beaten, but still alive.
As much as it pained Mortician to think about the amount of money Outlaw wanted, it was better than the alternative.
Even he had to admit, had someone stolen from Bailey, he would’ve cut their fucking hands off if he didn’t gut the motherfucker.
The only reason Prez went so easy on Digger was because of Mort. A part of him still expected Digger to face other repercussions but hoped he was wrong.
Assessing Digger’s various injuries gave Mort a chance to get over his fear that he’d watch Outlaw stomp his brother to death.
“You stupid fuckhead,” Mort growled, lifting Digger’s swollen hand and wincing.
His entire fucking face had swelled into an unrecognizable balloon. As Mort carried Digger to the room, the motherfucker’s leg had dangled. He was sure he had more than a few broken bones.
“Hopefully, you’ll fucking behave,” Mortician said though he was unconscious and couldn’t respond. He touched Digger’s head, his cheek, his arm, and his leg, still a little shell-shocked.
The shit had kicked off so fucking quickly, Mortician hadn’t expected it. Usually, Prez gave an indication when he was in fuck-up mode.
Dropping on the edge of the bed, Mort covered his face. “Goddamn,” he said, blowing out a heavy breath. “Goddamn, goddamn, goddamn.”
He needed to calm down. Digger would survive. Hopefully, this time, he’d get a fucking clue. Mort was still royally pissed with him, but Bunny needed to know how badly beaten her man was.
He reminded himself he still had to clean up his wounds and abrasions, bandage what he could, and call in someone for the broken bones and gunshots. Chester might help. As long as she didn’t get wind of Digger’s thievery.
Val’s woman was hell on wheels.
Smiling fondly, Mort dug in his cut to get his cell phone and start making calls. While he saw to whatever he could, other motherfuckers could be heading over.
The door opened and Potter walked in.
“Thanks for coming to help, brother,” Mort said, relieved. He’d been afraid to leave Digger and round up what he needed. “If you can bring me—”
“Meggie’s missing, Mort,” Potter cut in. “Not only her, but Kendall, Zoann, Bailey, Roxanne, Ophelia, Axel, Harley, Rebel, and Mattie.”
Panic erupted inside Mort, and he jumped to his feet. “Who took them? The Scorps? Fuck, I have to find my wife and daughter. Can you stay—?”
Before Mort finished the question, Potter shook his head. “Sloane Mason called. Georgie, Brynn, and his private plane are also missing.”
“I beg your fucking pardon?”
“Outlaw wants all hands on deck, Mort. Apparently, Meggie left him and convinced the other women to leave, too.”
“That don’t make no fucking sense. Meggie girl…left Prez? And Bailey went with her?”
Something wasn’t right. Mort wasn’t sure what, but one thing he did know was Bailey wouldn’t walk around the fucking corner with Meggie, Roxy, or any of the other women. She didn’t even want to be in the same room with their daughter.
“There’s more to this story, Potter.”
“Can’t see what that might be. They’re all gone. We have to start looking for them and I’m wasting time explaining shit to you.”
Mortician scrubbed a hand over his face and glanced at Digger. “He needs medical attention.”
“Outlaw wants us searching.”
“I will,” Mort promised. “Just go and I’ll catch up.”
“Fine. Just make sure that you do. If Outlaw doesn’t find Meggie, I don’t want to be in his fucking crosshairs.”
There had to be another explanation for Kendall’s disappearance other than her leaving him. She’d gotten held up at the office. Or, maybe, Megan was pranking Christopher with Kendall’s help since she was entirely too blonde to think of something on her own.
While Christopher sent the club into a frenzy and ordered the brothers to tear the town apart, Johnnie rushed to his house at breakneck speed, moving faster than he had in days.
At the gate to the private forest pathway, he barely remembered the code.
His hands shook, and nothing else mattered except seeing Kendall and hearing her voice.
“I got it, Dad,” Rory croaked, as close to tears as Johnnie.
Rory punched in the code and, the moment the lock clicked, Johnnie yanked open the gate and ran. He’d never been so happy to be in such magnificent shape.
When he finally reached his house, his breath sawed in and out of his lungs and he could only stagger inside.
“Mom!” Rory yelled, still on Johnnie’s heels, breathing heavily, but not gasping like Johnnie.
“Mattie!” Nothing. “Come on, Dad.” He guided Johnnie to a bench along the hallway and helped him to sit, then immediately went back to shouting.
“Ella! Blade! They are probably upstairs,” he said when no one answered. “Be right back, Dad.”
Rory rushed away, leaving Johnnie alone with memories of the first time Kendall had left him. Ironically, she’d been pregnant with Rory, and her desertion crushed Johnnie’s soul. It humiliated and angered him, and made him wonder what was the matter with him.
He hadn’t been in love with Iona, but he’d cared about her. She was stunning. At the time, her dislike of Christopher annoyed him. In retrospect, it was probably one of the things that drew him the most. He remembered his secret smugness that a woman unconnected to the club wanted him.
The moment he went nomad for her, his interest in her waned and he regretted moving in with her. But he’d been determined to make it work. After all, he was a catch, even with his sordid background.
When Iona left him, he hadn’t cared.
Then, Megan happened. She chose Christopher.
Then, Kendall came along. Instead of behaving, she walked away.
Then, she almost killed herself. Instead of thanking him for standing by her, she’d made him grovel.
Frantic pounding on the door startled Johnnie. He thought about ignoring it because he wasn’t interested in answering questions, especially about why he wasn’t joining in the search for Megan, but the knocking threatened to splinter the wood.
Sighing, he got to his feet and walked to the door. The moment he opened it, Cash barreled in.
“What do you want, McCall?” Johnnie demanded, slamming the door and facing Cash.
“I’m done, Johnnie. You’re on your own. Because of your bullshit, my Fee is gone.”
“That isn’t true!” Johnnie flared, brushing past Cash and returning to his bench. “That would mean Kendall is gone and–”
“They are all fucking gone,” Cash roared, storming to Johnnie.
“It’s because of Megan,” he spat.
Cash gritted his teeth and thrust his fingers through his hair. “Shut the fuck up. Meggie didn’t make them leave, asshole.”
“Are you sure about that? Maybe she threatened to have us killed and forced their hand. Kendall wouldn’t leave me otherwise and Fee wouldn’t leave you, Stretch, and her children.
Or, maybe, they aren’t gone. Rory’s upstairs.
He’s probably searching Kendall’s closet to see what, if any, of her things are gone. ”
“Meggie wouldn’t order us killed to get our wives to desert us.”
Johnnie bared his teeth. “You don’t have a wife, McCall. You have a husband, so Fee leaving you isn’t the same as Kendall leaving me.”
“You’re a fuckhead,” Cash said, low. “We have legal protections in place for Fee, which you know, so fuck you. And Meggie didn’t have to threaten us. All she needed to do was talk. You’re familiar with that MO, aren’t you? It’s how you got me and half those motherfuckers to turn against Outlaw.”
Though Johnnie flinched, he refused to back down. “I merely gave them the choice between a life of peace or one of death.”
Cash glowered at him.
“You want the club to be safer for your son.”
“Not at the expense of Ophelia. I don’t want her to leave me.”
“Oh, well, you need to value your children a little more, especially Winnie.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb, asshole. I might be persona non grata, but CJ told Rory about what the Terrible Triplets did.
You were a fuckhead to Axel and you were a fuckhead to Fee and Winnie in front of Axel.
Crime number one. But the Caldwell boys are furious with you for repeatedly voting against Christopher. ”
Losing his steam, Cash heaved in a breath. “Which is why I’m done with your games, Johnnie. You have to tell Outlaw about Bash. Everything. I’ll confess that I knew you went to Salt Lake City for the first time a couple of years ago.”
“So, what? Now, you’re willing to risk Tarmac because Ophelia is gone?” Johnnie sneered, pretending he wasn’t about to piss himself.
Christopher already knew a lot–everything–but if Cash backed up the parts that were mere speculation, then Johnnie was dead.
“And what about Stretch? He knew too. Instead of going to Christopher, he listened to you and looked the other way, Cash.”
A pained expression crossed Cash’s face and a moment of guilt hit Johnnie.
“Everyone has misunderstood me. I can’t…
my father didn’t give a fuck about me. He still doesn’t.
He adored Josh and indulged Georgie. If my little sister hadn’t met Sloane, she’d be dead because her and Josh’s mother, unlike mine, was a selfish cunt.
Ophelia loves Winnie. By the time my daughter really needs me, club business will be settled and we’ll be at peace again. ”
“Cash, your daughter needs you every waking moment,” Johnnie said quietly. “Don’t repeat my mistakes.”
“Winnie’s already afraid of me,” Cash admitted bleakly. “She adores Stretch and now she can’t stop talking about Axel. Fuck, that little motherfucker is fearless.”
“I’ve had my own run-in with him,” Johnnie said grimly.
“He pissed me the fuck off so fucking much, but fuck.” A reluctant smile curved Cash’s mouth. “He’s fierce. Unafraid and unapologetic.”
“He is.”
“My marriage is falling apart. My relationship with Ophelia. That’s why it’s easy to believe she left us and took Winnie with her, Johnnie.” Cash hung his head. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her.”
Not knowing how to respond, Johnnie clenched his jaw.
“No matter how much Fee stays away from the club, she hears about what’s going on.
She isn’t happy with the way I’ve been voting.
She and Stretch have been sleeping in a bedroom together and not allowing me in with them.
” Cash began pacing. “Now this. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.
I…Outlaw has always kept us safe, Johnnie.
We all know that. If we did it his way, he’d take care of the problem and we’d return to our halcyon days sooner rather than later. ”
“I just need a little more time, Cash.”
“For what, motherfucker?” Cash roared. “Until we have nothing left? Until we’re a bunch of weakened pussies?
None of those motherfuckers who voted with us have a fucking plan.
You don’t have a goddamn plan to take down Bash.
You just have motherfucking hopes and dreams. Our lives are fucking falling apart around us. ”
“If you go to Christopher now, he will kill us,” Johnnie said in desperation. “There’s no Megan to save us. Even if, when, she returns. She doesn’t give a fuck.”
“Do you really think our behavior is helping hers? In case you’ve forgotten, Meggie has always been ruthless where her husband is concerned.
Remember when Outlaw was in jail? Now, her son, her CJ, is floundering.
Because of us. Because of Outlaw. Did no one hear that kid say Digger should’ve let him die?
He’s suffering, and his mother is furious. ”
“And she’ll have us fucking killed if we confess,” Johnnie argued. “My alignment with Bash led to CJ’s near death.”
Cash didn’t look convinced.
“Give me two months, Cash. Please. If I haven’t figured something out by then, I’ll leave.”
Halting in front of Johnnie, Cash cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean leave?”
Johnnie glanced down the hall and found the coast clear, so he leaned forward. “I’ll go on the run,” he whispered.
Cash’s eyes widened. “I didn’t fucking hear that.”
“Two months,” Johnnie reiterated, dropping the subject of him escaping Christopher’s wrath.
“One,” Cash countered.
“Six weeks.”
“Fuck, fine. Not a day longer. The countdown is on, motherfucker.”
A moment after Cash stormed out of the house and slammed the door hard enough to shake the rafters, Rory’s footsteps pounded down the stairs and ran toward Johnnie.
“Dad!” he cried, reaching Johnnie. “They aren’t here, even though it looks like Mom or Mattie didn’t take any personal items! Ella isn’t answering, neither is Mom or Mattie.” His voice broke. “They’re gone! I tried Aunt Meggie. Rebel. Aunt Zoann. Lolly. Harley. Aunt Bunny. No one is answering.”
Sweat pouring down his body from the intensity of his run in with Cash, Johnnie panted. He got to his feet, took Rory’s face between his hands—and burst into tears. The oppressiveness hurt his head and his heart.
“We have to find them, Dad,” Rory sobbed. “Please. We have to get them back. I need Mom. I love her.”
Johnnie and Rory held onto each other tightly.
“This is just some twisted joke,” Johnnie swore through his sniffles. “I can’t live without Kendall, son. That little bitch! She c-can’t live without me.”
But she had. For six months. Then she’d been willing to divorce him and sever times permanently.
He straightened and swiped his cheeks, anger and jealousy infusing him. Of course she’d make him suffer and help Megan escape. All because Johnnie had once loved Megan.
“I’m going to shake the fuck out of her,” he snarled.
“When Mom returns, leave her the fuck alone,” Rory gritted, his eyes blazing. “You’re the fucking reason she’s gone. You and me! We drove her away. All our fucking secrets and…and club business. All your fucking bitterness. If you can’t say something nice to her, don’t fucking talk to her.”
“That woman has made my life fucking hell!” Johnnie roared. “Now, she thinks to one up me by disappearing? Fuck her. She’ll return bright and early tomorrow morning, pleased that she gave into Megan’s demand to teach Christopher a lesson.”
Rory sat on the bench. “Do you promise Mom and Mattie will come home tomorrow?” he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“I’m so sure, I’m going shower and then getting to bed.”
Sobbing as though he were still a small boy, Rory nodded, trusting him. “Okay, Dad. Have a good night.”
Stumbling toward the staircase, Johnnie prayed he was right.