Chapter 20b. Johnnie
Sitting at his table in the club, Christopher sipped his beer. He wouldn’t keep thinking about his misery, because at this point, it felt carved into the fabric of his soul. Like each minute without Megan left tiny piercings until he was ripped open, bloody, and broken.
He had to find a way to get through to her. The next time she called, he’d ask to FaceTime her. Just so he could see her face and look into her eyes. See if she had any love left for him.
And if she didn’t? If she wanted him to let her go?
How could he? She wasn’t even giving him a chance to fight for her. He drained one bottle of beer and grabbed another one. Once he opened it, he gulped half the contents.
He’d said he would kidnap her and hold her hostage for a month if she ever tried to leave. That scenario, at this point, would do more harm than good. She’d tied his hands.
“Hey, Prez,” Mort said, walking into the main room from the hallway. He looked tired and haggard. “Want company?”
Christopher shrugged. “How’s motherfuckin’ Digger?”
“Awake. In pain.” Mort grabbed a beer, opened it and then sat. “I’m going to get the money for you first thing tomorrow.”
“End of day tomorrow is fine.”
Mort nodded. “Thank you, Prez,” he said quietly. “For not killing him.”
“Only cuz of you, Mort,” Christopher admitted and drained this bottle of beer, before grabbing another one. “Ain’t too sure if I still want him as SAA after we passed all this Bash bullshit. Johnnie definitely ain’t gonna stay VP.”
“I understand.”
“I want you as VP when the dust settles.” Christopher ran his hand along the condensation on the bottle, ignoring Mort’s shock.
“If I’m still Prez. Or even wanna be. If Megan leave me…
” He couldn’t face the heartache and pain the mere thought brought him.
How could he survive actually losing her?
“If I ain’t Prez no more, I want you to run. You’ll do the club proud.”
“Outlaw—”
“You don’t have to accept if you don’t want to.”
“I’m so fucking honored you have that much faith in me, but if you don’t stay Prez, I’m not running either. We’re more progressive than other clubs, but I’m not interested in the fucking pushback some of Johnnie’s faction would give me.”
Christopher opened the beer and took a deep swallow. “He ain’t going to be a problem for you, Mort.”
“Unless that motherfucker dead—”
Christopher met Mort’s gaze and lifted his brow.
“You plan to kill him?” As much bullshit as Johnnie handed Mortician, he still choked out the question. “What about Red? You going to kill her, too.”
“I’m going to kill him off-premises, then leave him somewhere so one of his motherfuckers can find him.”
Elbows on the table, Mort covered his face.
“I fucked up so fuckin’ bad with Megan, but Johnnie caused her just as much pain.
I let that shit slide. Even when she fuckin’ told me to kill him.
” Christopher laughed bitterly. “I ended up fuckin’ up motherfuckin’ Torie anyfuckinway.
” A fact he couldn’t get over and still left him in shock.
If he’d kill that cunt in the first fuckin’ place, he wouldn’t have broken his Megan’s heart.
Fucking up Torie after everyfuckinthing was stuck in his craw because of how deeply he hurt and disappointed his wife.
Sighing, Mort rested his hands in front of him. “Suppose Meggie come back to you?”
“I feel like I can’t fuckin’ breathe, Mort. I need my woman. I want her. I keep imaginin’ her walkin’ in, sayin’ she forgive me. That’s all I fuckin’ want.”
“She comin’ back, Outlaw. But if you want Johnnie dead, you have to kill him before. Or you have to get her input. If he on her No-Kill List then—”
“Then I’ll find de Leon’s fuckin’ Fountain of Youth and bathe that motherfucker in it.”
Mort smiled.
“I talked to her earlier,” Christopher said quietly, then revealed the conversation to Mort. “You think she’d betray me?” he whispered, the idea as painful as the thought she wouldn’t return.
“You know your woman better than that, Prez. You the only man who ever knew her and she not changing that.”
Christopher nodded. “Enough about me.” It wasn’t bringing Megan back. “How the fuck you doin’, motherfucker?”
“Missing Bailey. So fucking sorry about Digger. Embarrassed he did that—”
“You ain’t made that motherfucker do that, so it ain’t your fuckin’ place to apologize.”
“I know.” Mort sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Still feeling a way about Symphony.”
“You ain’t fucked her and you ain’t gonna fuck her. I know what the fuck you goin’ through. Stay strong. Remember your woman and ignore whatever the fuck Symphony try to get you to do. If Symphony ain’t respectin’ your boundaries, then talk to Tee. Tell him to fire her or else.”
“She need her fucking job. I hate to do that to her.”
“You need your fuckin’ marriage. You ain’t doin’ fuck-all to her that she ain’t doin’ to her motherfuckin’ self. Do not fuckin’ make my fuckin’ mistakes. This a lonely fuckin’ place.”
“I know.”
Val and Knox approached the table. Val’s mouth was turned down as if he’d never fucking smile again. But Knox? He was unshaven and dark circles ringed his eyes.
“Outlaw, when Meggie get back, don’t say nothing to her that’ll make Zoann stick with her and leave me.” Val jerked out a chair, sat down, and cradled his head. “I miss Puff so fucking much. Since we been married, she never left me for the shit I did.”
“I miss Kendall, too,” Johnnie said, sitting the fuck down uninvited.
Christopher glowered at that motherfucker, despising him.
“Hey, Uncle Christopher,” Rory said, his voice snapping Christopher back to the present and out of his murderous rage.
JJ stood next to his brother. Both boys looked so fucking sad that Christopher gritted his teeth, remembering Johnnie might’ve been an assfuck, but he was also a father with sons who loved him. Mattie might celebrate his beheading—possibly—but the boys wouldn’t.
“Hey, Dad,” CJ greeted, all the anger from earlier gone. He smiled at Rory and JJ, then said hello to everyone except Johnnie. “Diesel and Jana aren’t far behind.”
“Dad, what’s for dinner?” Ransom asked, his way of greeting. “We’re hungry.”
Fia, Tennysee, and Tauriel had disappeared into the kitchen when Christopher first arrived and he hadn’t thought about food since. He shrugged. “Ain’t too sure.”
“Diesel!” Narci called, and every motherfucker turned their attention to the door where Diesel was guiding Jana in, tucked into his side. “Who the fuck is that?”
Rory paled. Johnnie’s eyes widened.
One—Rory—knew exactly who the fuck Jana was. The other—Johnnie—was shocked as a motherfucker.
Val turned to Johnnie. “Motherfucker, you got a dead cat on the line?”
“What does that even mean?” Johnnie pushed out, staring at the girl with golden hair and silvery eyes. Her face had a feminine structure, but still Johnnie was written in every inch. “A dead cat on the line?”
“An illegitimate child,” Mort said.
Johnnie jumped up as Diesel approached with Jana clinging to him, her frightened eyes darting in all directions.
What the fuck was going on?
“Is this your idea of a motherfucking joke, Diesel?” Johnnie demanded, in Diesel’s face.
“Step the fuck back, Johnnie. I’m telling you that once,” Diesel said coldly, “then not only will you be missing your motherfucking fingers, but your goddamn liver and kidneys.”
“Dad, please,” Rory said into the silence of the clubhouse. He grabbed Johnnie’s arm and tugged him back.
“Jana, come to the table with us,” CJ offered, and Christopher realized Ransom, Ryder, Grant, Ryan and Devon had arrived, along with Kaia and Biship.
She was trembling and her eyes were huge and teary.
“It’s fine, bae,” CJ swore, tugging her away from Diesel, who almost looked relieved that she was being guided away.
Johnnie faced Christopher. “You motherfucker,” he said. “You’ll do anything for revenge.”
“Dad!” Rory cried.
Christopher got to his feet. “Ain’t got to do a motherfuckin’ thing, John Peter. Your cock did it all.”
Red suffused Johnnie and his eyes narrowed.
“She doesn’t know, Uncle Christopher,” Diesel said quickly. “She thinks her parents are Amy and Sam Reynolds.”
“Know what?” Johnnie demanded. “There’s nothing to fucking know. Except you and your passel of sons are determined to undermine me. You find a girl that looks like me to fuck with my marriage! More than likely, she’s your daughter, Christopher.”
“Her name’s Jana,” Christopher said coldly. “And I hate to fuckin’ break it to you. She belong to you and Hopper.”
If Jana heard, she didn’t react, but Johnnie choked.
“You’re a fucking liar,” Johnnie blared.
“Embarrassing Johnnie won’t change our fucking minds, Outlaw,” Monty, a newer member and one of Johnnie’s staunchest supporters, called. “You’re unhappy because of what that fucking bitch did, so you want to undermine his marriage.”
“You callin’ Megan a bitch?” Christopher asked to be sure.
Monty smirked. “Well, I’m sure not calling Kendall one. She’s a good woman.”
A few members chuckled. Most of them shuffled nervously.
CJ, Diesel, Ransom, and Ryder looked to Christopher for guidance, ready to jump that motherfucker.
Fia stuck her head out as Christopher walked to Monty. “Dinner’s almost ready,” she started, though Christopher barely heard her.
He pulled his .9mm, shoved it in Monty’s ear, and pulled the fucking trigger, not caring at the spray of blood. Or Fia’s scream. Or motherfuckers scattering.
“Who the fuck next?” Christopher snarled, swiping the blood off his cheek, pointing his piece at all the motherfuckers he identified as enemies.
“Cuz I’m sick of all you assfucks disrespectin’ my woman.
Megan mine. When she come fuckin’ back, if a motherfucker look at her wrong, they fuckin’ dead.
And if you try to fuckin’ vote me out for protectin’ my woman, Ima kill every one of you motherfuckers. ”