31. Rebel
REBEL
Rocco falls in slow motion, the gunshot still echoing around us. Straight through the face and out the back of his head, the bullet tears through him, killing him instantly. Blood sprays over the asphalt, but by the time it lands, Rocco’s already a heap at Joker’s feet.
The silence right afterwards is deafening. Everyone stops what they’re doing and goes for cover instead. With all of us out in the fucking open, that’s not where you wanna be when the bullets start flying.
“What the everliving fuck?” Eagle-eye yells. His piece is in his hand and he’s scanning the battleground. One eye or not, I’ve never heard anything about it affecting his aim any.
The rest of us have ours out as well, turning it into an uncomfortable standoff. Everyone’s looking at everyone else and waiting for the other shoe to drop.
That said, I think it might already be over.
Joker stands over Rocco’s corpse, the barrel of his gun still trailing a thin line of smoke. He smirks. “As the new president of the Devil’s Brigade, I’m open to discussing business.”
“Fucking traitor,” one of his own snarls at him, just before the guy next to him slams a pistol butt into the back of his head. He collapses, knocked out.
“Do I execute him?” The other guy aims his gun.
Joker gives it a moment’s consideration. “Nah. We’ll leave him here. If he ever comes back to the club, we deal with it then.”
Eagle-eye shakes his head, letting out a dry chuckle. “Care to explain what the fuck just happened? I don’t give a shit about that sack of meat at your feet, but that doesn’t fix our problem. My men have a fucking score to settle.”
“And I won’t stand in your way. This has been a long time coming.
” Joker gestures at the body. A pool of blood is rapidly growing, spreading under his boots.
“He’s been losing his grip for years, but we stuck it out for loyalty’s sake.
Still, that’ll only get you so far. The way he handled this shitshow was the fucking last straw.
He was willing to throw any of us at you to make the problem go away. ”
Some of the Devil’s Brigade have already taken off, and the rest have started separating into two groups, one clearly with Joker, and the other made to kneel on the ground.
There are a lot more standing, showing Joker has support.
Whether it’s going to be a good thing or a bad thing that he’s now in charge remains to be seen, if he even manages to hold on to it.
Eagle-eye and Joker evaluate each other for a long minute before nodding.
They holster their guns, and slowly the rest of us follow.
The risk of sudden death is greatly reduced, but everyone’s still eyeing everyone else.
I’m not thrilled about this new direction. It feels like a very precarious truce.
“Where’s Melody?” I scan the field, but she’s nowhere to be found. And neither is Clutch, for that matter.
Joker’s expression darkens. “Bring me Clutch,” he yells.
One of their men jogs up from the back of the group. “One of the cars is gone.”
“Slippery fucker,” Joker spits out. “We can’t stand around here. I need to get back to the club before Rocco and Clutch’s men cause too much trouble.”
Eagle-eye twitches a finger and King moves.
Before anyone has time to react, King has a gun to Joker’s head. “Nothing personal, but we didn’t come here to help you with your little coup. We want what we’re owed.”
One of Joker’s men raises an arm, and a shot rings out. He hits the ground screaming, clutching his shoulder. Not much room for a sniper doesn’t mean no room for a sniper. Not if you’re Quickshot.
“We’re wasting time,” Joker growls. “You know I didn’t shoot your man.”
“Then who the fuck did?” Thunder yells.
Joker scowls. “I don’t fucking know, but Clutch is your best bet, and right now he’s who the fuck knows where with my daughter.”
I have to give Joker credit, carrying on a conversation with a gun to your head takes balls.
“We agreed to hand her over because she said she trusted Clutch. Was she right?” Mad Dog sounds like he already knows the answer, but asks anyway.
“I don’t know.” Joker actually looks conflicted when he says it. “He’s one of my oldest friends, but you saw what that was worth. He’s been too much of a pussy to push out Rocco himself so he’s been playing the loyal dog, waiting for him to slip up.”
“If he’s so much of a pussy, how’d you end up the sacrificial lamb?” Eagle-eye asks.
“Fuck you. He noticed I’ve been gathering people to my side and bet on the wrong horse. When you demanded an answer, he convinced Rocco I was working against him before I could point the finger at Clutch myself.”
“You were,” I point out.
Joker ignores me. “This was the perfect solution. Get rid of me, get you off their asses. He didn’t know we were already in contact.
And the longer we stand here talking, the farther away he’s getting.
You want your pound of flesh. Take it. Get Clutch.
You can have the motherfucker, and I guarantee that he can tell you exactly what happened.
You held up your end of our bargain and took care of Melody.
Your deal was with Rocco and Clutch, but I’ll honor it and hand over whoever you ask for once you have the proof. ”
“Wait,” Riptide interrupts. “What about Melody? You’re gonna prioritize a fucking coup over your own flesh and blood?”
Joker’s nod is grim. “This can’t wait, unless I wanna risk the whole fucking Brigade.
Anyone who followed Rocco and Clutch is going to try to dig in back at the clubhouse.
I need to go get what’s mine. With any luck, Clutch went back there.
I’ll tie him up real pretty for you if I find him. ” His smile is bloody.
“Just like that, huh?” Mad Dog doesn’t even try to hide his distaste.
He smirks and looks right at me. “I’m realizing that some of you boys have developed an attachment to my girl. I’m sure you’ll look into it.” Joker moves his attention away. “So how about it? Eagle-eye, am I free to go?”
“Prez?” King asks.
Eagle-eye glances at Shadow, Outlaw and Thunder. “Your call.”
After a moment, they nod.
“He’s not the man we’re after. Let him dig his own fucking hole.” Shadow sounds as disgusted as I feel.
“Go on, run home,” Eagle-eye says disdainfully. “I’ll hold you to your word. If you cover for Clutch or so much as fucking sneeze in our direction, we’ll be back, and we won’t bother negotiating.”
“Excellent. Hope we never meet again.”