Chapter Seven – Ryan #2
“It does, brother,” Devon said quietly. “To me. To Dad. And to Mom. She loves you.” Discomfort crossed his face, and he shifted. “It matters to Rory and it probably matters to Harley.”
Sitting, Ryan heaved in a breath, placed his elbows on his knees, and stared at the wooden floor.
“They promised if I sent them videos of her in her private moments and her and me together, they’d send Molly back.
” A teardrop hit the hardwood. One, two, three, until they streamed down his face and left a small puddle.
“I never would’ve done that to her. I’m destroying her.
She looks so fucking defeated. And it was all for nothing.
Molly’s dead. I didn’t pull the trigger, but I may as well have. ”
His sobs began again, dredged from his soul. Painful. Guilty.
“You’re a fuckhead,” Rory spat.
“Shut up, Rory,” Devon ordered. “You’re just as fucking guilty. You always protect that fuckhead when we all know we could be mourning Aunt Meggie’s death. I’m so fucking sorry I overheard Ryan’s conversation and know more than I should. Who the fuck could I tell without getting my brother killed?”
“Don’t fucking turn this around, Devon,” Rory said. “Because you’re guilty of the same crime as me.”
“The fuck I am. Ryan’s a kid. He was so fucking wrong for not going to Uncle Christopher. But your dad? Uncle Johnnie is a motherfucking officer, Aunt Meggie’s brother-in-law. He has no fucking excuse for the chaos he’s caused. Stop making excuses when his actions are inexcusable, fuckhead.”
Slowly, Ryan lifted his head. Devon and Rory faced off, but then Rory backed to a chair and dropped into it.
He knew some of the story because they’d had a long conversation in December and they’d also gone to Salt Lake City with Johnnie.
Both Ryan and Rory had looked the other way, pretending ignorance of the other’s actions as their world collapsed around them.
However, in the grand scheme, Ryan’s crimes were much more grievous than Rory’s.
Sitting on the sofa, Devon looked at Ryan.
“Call Willard. Ask him about Molly. We have to come up with a plan. If she’s still there, give him a deadline and if he misses it, tell Uncle Christopher.
Everything. We have to save Harley and Aunt Meggie before it’s too late.
Imagine how we’d feel if Mom was marked for death and CJ kept it from us? ”
“Why do you think you’re responsible for Rebel and Rule?” Rory asked before Ryan could consider Devon’s instructions.
“I planted cameras in Reb’s room and Rule caught me,” Ryan croaked, his brain exhausted. He hadn’t slept much last night, expecting his mother and Harley to return and not wanting to miss them. “He wanted me to share the footage with him.”
Devon blinked. “What footage?”
“Of Rebel. Anything that could humiliate her.”
“Seeing Rebel naked sent Rule over the edge?” Rory asked.
Ryan shook his head. “Seeing her with Diesel.”
“The fuck you say!” Devon blurted.
“No, not sex!” Ryan amended. “But it wasn’t innocent.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and heaved in a breath. “She thinks she’s in love with him and Diesel…Diesel…if Rebel was eighteen, there’d be no stopping him. Rule started thinking of Rebel as a whore.”
“Do you know if Diesel ever finds out—”
“I know, Dev,” Ryan whispered, and shuddered. “Rule might not have had a psychotic episode without those videos. Suppose he’d killed her? I couldn’t live with myself.”
“He didn’t,” Devon said fiercely. “She’s alive. With Aunt Meggie, Mom, Harley, Lolly and the rest of our aunts and girl cousins.”
“Why Harley and Rebel specifically?” Rory asked, curiosity brimming in his voice. He cocked his head to the side. “Any reason Willard wanted videos of them?”
“And what does he plan to do with it?” Dev added.
“Yeah, and how do you think you took CJ from her? Because you and her smashed?”
Ryan hated how crudely they spoke of Harley. How dismissive, as if she wasn’t a real girl with real feelings. He wondered if Rory would be so blasé if he knew his sister had also been targeted.
“Harley and Rebel bested him when he attacked them.”
Devon and Rory exchanged glances, then stared at Ryan.
“I’m sorry but what?” Devon asked, blinking. “We know about Rebel beating the brakes off him. What happened between him and Harley?”
“CJ was right,” Rory guessed. “When Harley dropped out of sight at the end of last school year. It was because of Willard, wasn’t it?”
“He beat her up, but she got away from him by turning the tables,” Ryan said dully. “He never forgave her for that.”
“Goddamn.” Rory shook his head, folded and then unfolded his arms. Shifted in his seat, as if he didn’t know how to keep still. “Thank fuck Mattie never ran afoul of Willard. I know her history with Wally, but he’s a fucking non-entity.”
The wrong way to consider a situation when dealing with enemies, but Ryan was worn out, unable to bring himself to correct his cousin.
Devon studied Ryan, touching on every corner of his face. Whatever he saw made him widen his eyes and lift a brow. Ryan knew he was silently asking about Mattie. He gave the barest nods, needing to bare his soul and unburden himself by confessing all his many crimes.
Nothing would make what he’d done right. It was inexcusable. If his mother ever discovered what a motherfucker he was to four innocent girls, she’d never forgive him. Pops might not either. Ryan couldn’t imagine either scenario.
Unable to see the censure in Devon’s eyes, he lowered his gaze. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“Answer the other questions,” Rory ordered. “What are Willard’s plans and how did you come between CJ and Harley?”
“Yeah, Ryan. I’ve been unnecessarily harsh on her,” Devon said, “but she fucked up that relationship.”
“No, we helped to ruin it. Willard and me always convinced Molly to send Harley photos of her and CJ. Damning ones that made it seem as if they were more than friends. We’d tell her that it was to help CJ and Harley get closer. It just made her crash out.”
Devon scowled at Ryan. “To get back at CJ, right, Ry? To hurt him, which you did, but you hurt Harley more.”
“We never expected him to walk away. To almost hate her.”
“You’re a motherfucker,” Devon said, disgust framing the words.
“Was it worth it? CJ says he forgives her, but he’ll never look at her the same.
She was his best fucking friend, and he had to go through a lot without her.
She might’ve reasoned with him and helped him through his turmoil.
He’s still fucking floundering. What the fuck is wrong with you?
No, how fucking dare you? All your fucking fucked up behavior stemmed from you being a jealous, pathetic fuckhead toward CJ. ”
“I’m sorry,” Ryan said in a broken voice. “I’m so sorry. Things just spiraled so fucking far out of control. Nothing played out as expected.”
“Did you even want Molly or Harley?” Rory asked quietly. “Or was it just to hurt CJ?”
“I’ve always thought Harley was so pretty. And Molly was my girlfriend. I liked her. Cared about her, but I just always dismissed her. Until CJ started noticing her.” He bowed his head. “Everything just came so easy to him.”
“Is that why you didn’t tell Uncle Christopher about Bash?” Devon snarled, his eyes blazing. “You wanted Aunt Meggie dead to hurt CJ?”
Ryan’s nostrils flared. “I didn’t think she liked me.
I didn’t think anyone liked me or cared about me.
Her well-being didn’t matter one way or the other.
I thought Willard validated me and gave me the loyalty that no one else did, so my allegiance was to him and his plans. He wanted to destroy CJ as much as me.”
“I can’t…” Devon jumped to his feet, brushed past Rory, and started to stalk away. “Fuck you, Ryan.”
“Dev, wait!” Ryan cried. “Please. I’m so fucking sorry. Don’t desert me. Please.” Bending over, he sobbed. “Please, please, please,” he chanted. “Please.”
A hand touched Ryan’s shoulder. A moment later, Devon crouched next to him and hugged him. Ryan could only cry.
“I’m so fucking angry with you, brother,” Devon whispered, “but I love you. I just wish…” He sniffled, then pulled away.
Thinking his brother was abandoning him, Ryan lifted his head. Devon scooted out of reach and pulled his cellphone from the pouch on his jersey. He looked at the screen and began to read.
“The Death Dweller Motorcycle Club was founded by Logan Donovan and Sharper Banks,” he started, looking from Rory to Ryan, and then back at his screen.
“Of its ten charter members of particular note are the aforementioned Logan Donovan and Sharper Banks, as well as Sebastian Caldwell and Wallace Bart, all dead now. Joe Foy, also known as Boss and Big Joe, became a member several years later along with his brother, Kaleb Paul Andrews. The original charter, long hidden, from the membership, listed Boss as president in perpetuity, though bi-annual elections were regularly held. Court records also call into question the club’s ownership. ”
Devon said he knew more than he wanted to about the entire situation. Ryan just didn’t realize the extent.
“Or how about this one: The location of the club’s founding is a subject of intense debate.
Some suggest the club was founded in Hortensia, WA, and later moved to Richmond, VA, to make room for the rise of the Death Dwellers.
Others insist the American Scorpions’ original charter was in Portland, OR. ”
“How did you find that?” Rory demanded. “Did my dad put it back on those websites after he deleted it?”
Ryan blinked. “Uncle Johnnie didn’t delete that. I did like you asked me.”
“So he’s ‘uncle’ again?” Rory bit out.