Chapter Seventeen
CJ sat in the basement den, surrounded by his cousins, brothers, and sister, where they’d gone once dinner ended over an hour ago.
It was a colorful room with a slanted ceiling because it sat directly under a small tunnel that led to the area.
In the den, both boys and girls mingled, but there was also the diner where his mother collapsed, a bowling alley, an arcade, a movie theater, a compact kitchen, a disco, and two separate sitting rooms when the boys and girls wanted privacy from each other.
There was a bathroom in the theater, one in the hallway, and one in each sitting room.
Dinner at the first family get-together in weeks was simple—fried chicken, French fries, green salad, and peach cobbler.
Still tension hung in the air. Barely anyone spoke to Harley or Aunt Bailey.
Afterwards, when it was time for the kids to find their own entertainment, the women to head to the den, and the men to Dad’s mancave, CJ couldn’t ignore Harley’s lost vulnerability any more than Mom could overlook Aunt Bailey’s.
Mom capitulated and invited Aunt Bailey into the den, so CJ followed suit and welcomed Harley to the basement. For the past hour, they listened to music, everyone enjoying the vibe. But now it was time to get to business.
Harley sat in the farthest corner of the sofa, nearly hidden by the alcove. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to engage or not. If she kept her bullshit to a minimum, he’d welcome her input.
Axel balanced on the top of the back, protected from falling by the wall the sofa leaned against, with Harley, Rebel, and Mattie forming a barrier in front of him. Ransom and Ryder huddled on the floor, resting against the sofa arm and separated by the coffee table.
Rule sat alone on the loveseat, vertical to the sofa. He flipped through a bible. That motherfucker had more bibles than a church.
Irritated, CJ dragged his attention away from his brother and glanced over his shoulder.
Ryan leaned against the wall next to the refrigerator filled with beer and soda, an almost identical pose to one CJ saw Uncle Val do on so many occasions.
Lou and Mark JB flanked Devon who lounged in the recliner, opposite the loveseat.
CJ sat between Rory and JJ on the loveseat across from the sofa.
Winona McCall, Jasper King, Kaleb Banks, Ephraim Banks, and all the younger kids weren’t allowed to attend this meeting.
Jasper, Uncle Stretch and Aunt Ophelia’s son, Kaleb, and his cousin, Ephraim, were old enough, but CJ didn’t want to rock Aunt Ophelia’s household by annoying Uncle Cash.
Recently, the two men had been at odds because Uncle Cash wanted peace and Uncle Stretch chose war against their enemies.
Uncle Cash even forbade the kids to join them in the cafeteria at school.
Ephraim wasn’t interested in attending, so Kaleb went to the arcade with him.
Rory clapped his hands. “The meeting is called to order. CJ has the floor.”
“You sure he can walk, Rice Krispy Face?” Ryan said. “You’re so far up his ass, you might bog him down.”
“We can say the same for you and Willard, motherfucker,” Axel retorted, not lifting his head.
Rebel grinned at something on her phone.
CJ hoped she was texting Kaia. He’d hit his friend up earlier and told him to contact Reb. She wasn’t paying attention to anyone and the happiness on her face sent guilt through him. Mom was right. He should’ve played matchmaker instead of sending Kaia to her as a deterrent.
Ryan stepped next to the loveseat CJ sat on and glared at Axel. “Say that to my face, you little motherfucker.”
“Unless your face is an ass, I just did, jackass,” Axel responded, still staring above him, his hands behind his head.
Folding his arms, Ransom slouched further down. “Fuck with Axel and we might have to bring out our bat, slingshot, and bow and arrow.”
“Take that, assface,” Axel chortled.
Ryan stepped forward. Ransom and Ryder jumped to their feet, though Axel didn’t budge.
“Can you fuckheads behave?” Mattie said crossly.
“What’s that?” Rule looked up. “Don’t let Ryan hurt Axel?” He nodded. “Yes, sir.” He got to his feet, a determined gleam in his eye. He pulled a blade from the inside of his jacket. “I’ve been told to cut your fucking tongue out, Ryan. ”
Stumbling back, Ryan paled and raised his hands. “N-n-n-n-noooo.” He plastered himself against the wall and snapped his mouth shut.
On each side of CJ, Rory and JJ shifted uneasily. Mark JB, Lou, and Devon looked ready to bolt.
“Sit the fuck down, Rule,” Rebel ordered, throwing her cell phone on the table and glaring at her twin.
Rule turned to her. “Aren’t you afraid you’re on my list? You’re bad. A sinner.”
“And you’re a fucking hypocrite,” she snapped. “You kill defenseless animals for your own fucking perversions.”
“I do as I’m told, Jezebel. Temptress. You got two men killed. Now, you’re going for a third.”
Mattie went white. Eric and Billy’s deaths still bothered her. She pretended it didn’t, but CJ saw the haunted look in her eyes, not present until after those two fuckheads were killed.
“Diesel called me , jackass,” Rebel announced, unaware of Mattie’s distress. She was dealing with her own problems—wrestling with her feelings toward Dad and wanting to protect Mom. “I was asleep.”
What ? Diesel called Rebel for a clandestine meeting? Was that motherfucker insane?
“He called you because you’re a whore.”
“I’m a whore? Not .”
“You are.” Rule smirked at her and pointed up. “ They told me.”
“ They can go and fuck themselves. I was asleep and he called me,” she reiterated in a hard voice. “After that jackass broke into my room and watched me sleep. If I’m a whore, what is he?”
A dead fuckbag if he didn’t behave.
“What are you ?” Rebel continued without mercy, throwing Rule a vicious look. “I’ll tell you what you are. A goddamn pathetic loser with a God complex and an insane fucking brain. At least I’m liked. You’re a fucking joke. Batshit crazy, so fuck you.”
If CJ hadn’t paid close attention, he wouldn’t have jumped to his feet and caught Rule just as he lunged. He grabbed his collar, anticipating retaliation.
When Rule arced the blade toward him, CJ grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind him. The blade fell onto the carpet and Rory took possession of it. CJ yanked Rule flush to his body.
“You fuck with Rebel, Dad will kill you.” If Diesel didn’t get to him first. “You fuck with me, I will kill you. Behave,” he snarled. “If you don’t end up fucking dead, you’ll end up in a mental institution. Do you fucking want that?”
Rule deflated and shook his head.
CJ wished his brother didn’t have such a hair trigger temper that made him lose all reasoning.
Like Rebel, his twin. Thinking about their similarities decided CJ.
If Rule agreed to his terms, he wouldn’t tell their parents about this incident.
As long as Rule kept his cool, he wouldn’t act irrationally.
It wasn’t as if he’d hunt their sister to hurt her.
“If you swear you’ll stop fucking with Rebel, I won’t tell Mom and Dad. It’ll stay between us. But you’re godly, so I expect you to live by the tenets of the bible. Don’t break your word.”
“She’s unclean.”
“She’s a fucking virgin.”
“The only virgin in here is Harley.”
Shame slid into Harley’s face. She glanced at Ryan.
“And Rebel and you,” CJ said to Rule, dismissing whatever was going on between them. He suspected Harley had slept with Ryan.
Ryan was a dickhead and Harley was an idiot. This time, CJ felt as if she’d done it out of loneliness. Ryan fucked her for the same reason as Nardo. To use her. To get back at him .
“I’m not a virgin,” Rule said.
“How the fuck—”
CJ’s glare at Rebel shut her up. She’d only rile Rule up all over again.
“How the fuck you call Rebel a slut when you’ve fucked three club girls?” CJ growled, taking up the question he suspected his little sister intended to ask. It deserved an answer.
“Who ratted me out?” Rule demanded.
CJ stayed home from school today to help with the rest of the cleanup.
Reb pulled him aside and showed him the footage Mattie sent.
Instead of giving in and agreeing with Reb that she should show Dad what happened, CJ honored his mother’s wishes and ordered his little sister to stand down.
During a break, he’d talked to Bishop, Narci, and Torrin and asked if they were out of their motherfucking minds treating Mom with such disrespect.
He warned them if he got a fucking peep from anywhere of repeat behavior, he was telling Outlaw.
After they swore allegiance to Mom and promised they had nothing against her, Diesel joined them.
A single vicious look from him and the mild words, “Rebel showed me a very interesting video,” had them willing to give up their mothers to save their own asses.
They blabbed Rule’s sexcapades pretty easily.
Once Diesel ordered Narci and Torrin back to work, and the three men walked away, Bishop still looked shook. Not that it mattered. CJ expected better from a guy he considered his friend.
“I was lost in the moment,” Bishop had explained when CJ expressed his outrage.
“Then you should’ve walked away to find your motherfucking ass. That’s my mom. You want to associate with me? Don’t ever fucking disrespect her.”
“CJ— ”
“Or Dad… Outlaw . You did it on two fronts. With Mom and just now, when you changed your tune because Diesel confronted you.”