Chapter Thirty-Three – CJ #2
She wore a short shirtdress with impossibly high stilettoes, her golden hair flowing around her as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
CJ’s heart dropped. Usually, Mom’s glow was because of how much she loved Dad and their kids, but she hadn’t even seen him yet.
She was just coming from the hospital, according to Rebel’s timeline.
Mom smiled and hugged Axel. Had Axel grown? He seemed like he had, reaching Mom’s chest, even though she’d gained five or six inches because of her shoes.
“Hey, my little sweet pea,” she greeted, ruffling Axel’s hair.
Her little what?
Thumper writhed a moment, groaned again, then struggled into a sitting position. Mom frowned at him.
“CJ beat Thumper’s ass, Mom,” Ryder said, rushing to her and hugging her, even though she still had an arm around Axel’s scrawny shoulders.
“CJ did what…?” Mom searched the crowd, her gaze finally falling on him.
Her eyes widened and she started to rush forward, but then stopped herself and gnashed her teeth together.
“I’m, uh, I’m…” She pursed her lips. “That’s good.
He probably deserved it,” she finally said.
She forced a smile. “How’s my po, uh, how are you, CJ? ”
“Diesel set CJ up, Mom,” Axel said. “He won his bet.”
Mom stiffened and anger flushed her face, but once again she brushed it off. “Did Christopher…never mind. Club business.”
“Did Dad mention this?” Axel asked.
“No, sweet pea.”
CJ glared at Axel, who smirked at CJ in return.
“Then Dad didn’t know,” Axel stated with certainty. “Trust me. He’s learned his lesson.”
Mom kissed Axel’s cheek and CJ almost lost his fucking shit.
Axel looked at CJ again, his eyes gleaming.
“By the way, Mom, when I become a Dweller, don’t stop calling me sweet pea.
Any motherfucker that don’t like it can fuck themselves or pay the fucking price.
You’re my mom. What you call me ain’t their fucking business.
” That little fuckhead never once dropped his gaze from CJ.
Meanwhile, CJ couldn’t look away. It was as if the miserable little monster had put him in a trance.
“Oh my god, you’re a messy little motherfucker,” Rebel said, giggling. “I love it!”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Mom said sternly, finally releasing Axel to greet everyone else, and offer another glare at Thumper. Realizing Rebel stood, she frowned. “Why aren’t you sitting, love?”
“I have no place to sit, Momma.”
Mom leaned over to see around Kaia, Rebel, and Diesel. “That’s my daughter’s table,” she said.
“It didn’t say reserved nowhere,” one of the guys said. “We’ve claimed it as our own.”
“Of course,” Mom said politely. “Kaia, help Reb to her daddy’s table.”
“Meggie, we missed you so much,” Fia called as Kaia did Mom’s bidding. “We’ve been holding down the kitchen for you. CJ won’t eat. We swear we’d kill ourselves, pluck our eyes out, rip our fingernails off, cut out our…our…pussies before we hurt him.”
“I have more than one child,” Mom pointed out.
“That applies to all of them,” Fia squeaked.
“Remember that or you’ll be subjected to everything on your gory list and more.”
Fia’s nose reddened and her lips trembled.
Mom rolled her eyes. “Do you have anything cooked?”
“J-just l-leftovers.”
“Can you bring me a plate?” Mom pointed to her spot at Dad’s table. “Christopher has been extolling your cooking skills. I’m anxious to taste your food for myself.”
“Mom, are you sure that’s a good idea?” CJ blurted.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Thumper drag himself to the railing by the pool tables and lean against it.
“Why wouldn’t it be, potato?”
Hearing her nickname for him eased his entire being, but he swallowed at her confusion and shrugged.
“I-I don’t know.”
“Oh, wait. Are you worried they’ll poison you again?”
“Maybe,” CJ mumbled.
“A valid concern, son. So…” She turned to Diesel. “Kill them.”
“WHAT?” CJ exploded.
“Meggie, no!” Fia screamed.
“Are you serious, Mom?” Axel asked, breathless. But in the wrong way. He was a bloodthirsty little motherfucker and wanted Mom to say yes.
Which, fuck it all, she fucking did.
“Mom—”
“As Christopher’s wife, it’s my job to mentor the club girls, welcome the old ladies. I’m supposed to lead them and guide them. If any of the brothers are afraid of them, that reflects badly on me as Outlaw’s old lady.” She flicked her wrist and nodded to Diesel. “Kill them.”
Fia dropped to her knees. “Please, I’m begging you. Please!”
“Wait, Mom!” CJ said, rushing to her and hugging her. “Wait. I’ll eat their food. I…if you’re about to eat…”
“What the fuck’s goin’ on in here?” Dad demanded.
CJ turned, never so happy to see his father, Uncle Mort, Uncle Val, and Uncle Stretch. “Mom’s home, Dad and—”
“I spent the last few hours with your ma, boy.”
Thumper groaned again. Dad frowned, then sought out Ryder, Ransom, and Axel. “Go outside for a few minutes. Kaia, cover Rebel’s eyes.”
Once the boys trooped out and Rebel’s eyes were covered, Dad pulled his Sig .9mm and emptied his clip in Thumper’s head.
What the fuck?
Dad looked at Mom. “Who else, baby?”
She nodded to the motherfuckers who’d refused to move from Rebel’s table. “They won’t let Rebel sit at her table.”
They jumped to their feet. The one who’d refused Mom, held up his hands, and said, “Wait—”
Dad didn’t fucking listen. He pulled his gun holstered on his other side and shot the fuck out of them. A head shot with a Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum with heavy ammo wasn’t pretty.
Mom didn’t look, but she didn’t stop Dad either.
“Fuck, I wish Digger was here,” Uncle Mort grumbled into the stunned silence. “Let me call Bishop,” he said, and walked out of the clubhouse.
Diesel cleared his throat. “Anyone else?”
“Wait, Megan. Don’t fuckin’ answer yet.” Dad shoved his .44 back into its holster, reached around himself and withdrew his Ruger Max—a gift from Uncle Mort—from his back holster. “Now. Who else?”
Sobbing penetrated CJ’s shock. The girls hadn’t stopped crying. He’d just tuned them out, the moment too fucking surreal to process anything beyond his mother calmly pointing out men for Dad to kill.
Dad waved his gun in the direction of Fia and the rest of the girls. “You want these cunts dead, Megan?”
“I don’t, but I do want their cooperation.” She glared at Fia. “If you breathe at Rebel, or my boys wrong, your life to me is expendable. Remember that before you listen to Diesel or any of the other guys.”
Fia nodded vigorously. “Y-y-yes, ma’am…Meggie ma’am. Miss Ma’am. Meggie,” she sobbed.
Dad’s gun disappeared. “Listen up, bitches and motherfuckers. Ain’t been myself lately.
That’s on me, but all you fuckheads lookin’ at my Megan sideways.
Treatin’ her as if she nothin’. I love my fuckin’ club.
I love my fuckin’ children. Ain’t nothin’ more important to me than my wife.
Johnnie partially responsible for the chaos in the fuckin’ club.
He sowed the seeds of division. My fuckin’ ass responsible for the chaos in my family.
So I’m puttin’ you on fuckin’ notice. Motherfuckers, respect my woman.
I ain’t askin’ questions. Ima just shoot the fuck outta you.
Cunts, respect my woman. Come too close to me and I ain’t warnin’ you to step back.
Ima shoot the fuck outta you. We all fuckin’ clear? ”
If Dad expected disagreement after he’d just shot the fuck out of five men and was willing to kill every motherfucker there, he’d lost his fucking mind.
He looked at CJ. “What the fuck happened to you?”
“I-I fought Thumper.”
Dad widened his eyes, while fear and guilt collided on Diesel’s face.
CJ nodded. “He just started with me for no fucking reason, Dad.”
Another moment of silence passed. Dad gave Diesel a thoughtful look. Instead of playing it off, the moron refused to meet Dad’s gaze. As cold and narrowed as it was, CJ understood, but Diesel was giving himself away.
“I’m hungry, Christopher,” Mom said. “Diesel, son, come over here and tell me what new cases you have to fight on Axel’s behalf.”
Dad glowered at Diesel, but relented and stepped out of the way, so Diesel could pass.
“Do you want to join us, potato?” she asked CJ.
He looked from Ryan to Rory, Devon and Grant, as thrown by what had happened as him.
“Sure, Mom.” He didn’t move, though.
Uncle Val squeezed his shoulder, smiled at him, and brushed by, heading to the table.
“You in my seat, Reb.”
“They have four dead men at my table, Uncle Val.”
Axel followed Uncle Mort in, looked around the room, and sighed. “My men want to know how much longer do we got to stand out there, Dad?”
“You shouldn’t see this, Ax,” Dad said.
“I want to blow motherfuckers up, Dad. You think I don’t know how dead fuckheads look. It’s all part of my education from the dark web.” He scowled at Thumper’s holey body, walked to him, and kicked him, then walked to Dad and held up his fist. “Good job! That motherfucker was so mean to Mom.”
What?
“Yeah, boy, I fuckin’ heard,” Dad said, bumping Axel’s little fist.
“Don’t get it twisted, okay? I’m not Ran. I don’t give a fuck who you got to kill. Diesel doesn’t and neither do you.” He turned to CJ and smiled. “And neither does my other big brother. He beat Thumper’s ass and won. He’s real cool.”
“He is,” Mom said with a proud smile. She blew CJ a kiss, and suddenly, his world felt a little less dark and lonely.
“Welcome home, Mom,” CJ responded, smiling broadly.