Chapter 22
Maniac
“This isn’t what we had planned.”
I looked over at Pipe. “Plans change.”
“You do this, Maniac, and they might be able to trace it back to us.”
I shook my head. “We got enough C-4 they won't even be able to tell there was anyone in there, let alone put enough pieces together to get back to us.”
“You run this by Wrecker?”
I shook my head. “I’ll handle Wrecker.” He was going to be pissed, but I knew he would understand why I did it.
Pipe looked at Freak. “How many members did you say they have?”
“Seven. I thought they had more than that, but most of them are hang-arounds.” Freak shuffled his feet nervously and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I managed to get on the good side of one of the hang-arounds, and they spilled their guts.”
“They know you were with the Lords?” If this prospect had fucked things up, I was going to throw him in to the clubhouse right before we blew it up.
“Nah. I haven’t worn anything with the Lords on it. I rolled into town with people thinking I was nobody.”
I nodded. It seemed the prospect had a little bit of common sense.
We were in the abandoned factory next to the clubhouse figuring out our next move. We had left Weston three hours ago, and I had just clued the guys into the change of plans.
“I don’t understand why we just can’t blow the fucker up. Why do we have to go in and basically wreck shop?” Boink leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Because I want these assholes to know before they die they didn’t get away with it. I want them to know they’re dying at the hands of the Fallen Lords.” Vengeance burned deep in my soul, and it was time to make the Hell Captains pay.
I crossed my arms over my chest and watched bikes slowly start to pull into the parking lot. “What time is it?”
“Quarter to seven,” Freak answered.
I nodded. “We’ll come in from all sides. If we surprise them, they won’t be prepared.”
Pipe nodded to Brinks and Clash. “You two head to the back. There’s only one door, but also two windows. We want to make sure no one manages to get out.”
Brinks cracked his knuckles. “Not a fucking problem.” They both strolled out one of the side doors.
“Snapper, Warrior. You guys take the sides. There are only windows there, so I wouldn’t expect anyone to get out there, but we’re not going to take any chances. When we have the inside locked down, I’ll send Freak out to give you the all clear.”
Snapper and Warrior, who both never said a word, nodded their heads and followed Brinks and Clash.
“The rest of you will take the front with Maniac and me. Everyone keep their eyes peeled and stay safe. These guys are idiots so we really have no idea what they are going to do.”
We waited ten more minutes ‘til Brinks and Snapper gave us the signal they were in place.
“You sure about this?” Pipe asked me one last time.
I took a deep breath and nodded my head. I had never been more sure of anything in my life. “They need to die, Pipe.”
He held out his fist to me. “Then let's do this, brother, so we can get home to our women.”
I bumped my fist against his and smiled. “You ever think we’d see the day where we would have women waiting at home for us?”
“Fuck, I never thought I would have a home, let alone a woman that was mine.”
If that wasn’t the truth. Home was something I never thought I would have after my parents died.
I glanced out the window and saw Snapper along the side of the building. Now that I had the woman waiting at home for me, I was going to do everything I could to keep her safe.
We moved out the front of the building and strolled up to the front door of the clubhouse. It wasn't like a group of bikers walking up to a clubhouse was going to look suspicious.
Pipe opened the front door and swept his arm out. “After you.”
“You gonna be the sarcastic asshole today?” I asked as I walked past him.
He shrugged. “It makes it more fun.”
I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting.
“Where they meet is down the hallway to the right, fourth door,” Freak said over my shoulder.
I looked back at him. “Nice job, prospect.”
He nodded his head, but I could tell the small praise I had given him made his chest puff out a bit. Being a prospect wasn't an easy job.
We moved to the right, down the hallway, and stood in front of the fourth door.
“I feel like we should knock,” Pipe muttered.
A smug grin spread across my lips. He was right. Being the sarcastic asshole was going to be fun. “I knock, and then you bash the door in, Slayer and Freak.”
They both nodded their heads.
I raised my hand and couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. I was going to enjoy this too much.
My hand rapped on the door, and I stepped to the side. Slayer and Freak planted their shoulders into the door, and it exploded open. I pulled my gun from the waistband of my jeans and walked through the door with my arm raised and the gun cocked.
Slayer and Freak both had their guns drawn, scanning the members, and Pipe strolled in after me like he was the damn Pope. “Did anyone here order a pizza?” he drawled.
He was nailing the sarcastic asshole bit.
Someone moved out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to point my gun at them. “Going somewhere?” My finger hovered over the trigger, waiting for him to make another move.
He gulped and shook his head. He was nobody. Probably a poor prospect who had liked the idea of being in a club and had fallen in with the Hell Captains. Sucked to be him.
“What the fuck is going on?”
I nodded at Freak, and he moved closer to me. He pointed his gun at the buffoon who was about to piss his pants, and I moved to the head of table.
“You don’t know who we are?” I asked who I assumed was the president.
“Not a fucking clue,” he growled.
“Hold on, hold on,” Pipe called. “I got this.” Brinks pulled another gun from his waistband and took over for Pipe.
Pipe slowly turned around, his back facing the table, and he looked over his shoulder at everyone with a big smile on his face. “We’re the fucking Fallen Lords. Also known as the guys you thought you could fuck with.”
I watched recognition dawn on everyone's faces. “I see you’ve heard of us.” I laughed. “We ain’t got any beef with the Fallen Lords,” he lied.
Pipe turned back around and slowly walked around the table the rest of the members were sitting around. “You should really clean this table. Our prospects like to use Pledge. Right, Freak?”
Freak nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”
I was starting to like this kid more and more.
I moved closer, trying to read each members names. “Has anyone heard the name Wren before?” My eyes traveled over each name tag ‘til I saw the name Rack. He was sitting at the end of the table, a cocky look on his face. I pointed my gun at him. “I bet you’ve heard of her.”
He shook his head. “Never heard of the bitch.”
I held up one finger. “That’s the first lie. You don’t get more than that with me.”
I watched his Adam’s apple bob.
Pipe moved behind him and pressed the muzzle of his gun against Rack’s ear. “Tsk, tsk, mother fucker. Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to lie?”
“You really just busted into my clubhouse over some rancid pussy?”
I turned to my left, back to the dumbass sitting at the head of the table. “You the president?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he growled.
I hitched my thumb over my shoulder at dear old Rack. “Were you the one who won Wren in a card game?”
“Don't play fucking cards.”
I nodded. “She didn’t, by chance, get passed to you at any point, did she?”
“Got an ol' lady who would chop my balls off. So, no. I didn’t touch her.”
I again nodded. “But you knew what was happening to her?”
“If I didn’t know what was going on in my own clubhouse, then I wouldn’t be a good president. So, yeah. I knew what was going on.”
“But that shit wasn't your problem, right?” I laughed. “I mean, she was just a bitch, right?”
Pipe and Slayer both laughed along with me. They knew what was about to happen. “This is going to be my favorite part,” Pipe whispered loudly.
“What his members were doing wasn’t his problem, Pipe. You think Wrecker would let shit like that fly back in Weston?” I walked behind the president, whose name I saw was Troll. What a dumbass name. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Whose problem should it be then, Troll?”
He physically shook under my hand.
I pressed the end of my gun to the side of his head. “Not yours,” I whispered in his ear. I pulled my gun away and took a step back. His body relaxed, thinking he was in the clear.
I didn’t fucking think so.
My finger squeezed the trigger and I watched the bullet smash against his head. The seven other members sitting around the table jumped back, while Pipe, Slayer, and Freak didn’t make a move. Poor Troll’s body went limp, and he fell to the side, knocking the chair he was sitting in over.
One down.
Pipe laughed. “It wasn’t his fault.” He grabbed an extra chair that was along the wall, spun it around, and sat on it backward. He held out his hand to the guy sitting on his right. “Name’s Pipe. Come here often? First time for me.”
Slayer chuckled. “Such as ass,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Freak, go get the other guys,” I ordered.
Freak nodded and headed out the door.
I managed to pull the chair out from under dead Troll and righted it. I sat down at the head of the table and laid my gun down in front of me. “Bet you wish you had one of those, huh?” I asked the guy sitting to my right.
He nodded dumbly.
“Can I ask you a question?”
He again nodded.
“Did you know Wren? Oh, and don’t lie. That won’t end well for you. Poor Rack used up the one lie permitted.”
I glanced down at the patch on his chest.
Cheeto. Where the fuck did this club come up with their road names. Fucking Troll and Cheeto. Good God.
“No, sir.”
I studied his face, trying to see if he was lying. “Doesn’t ring any bells?” I asked again.
“I…I…I’ve only been a part of the club for two months.”
I titled my head to the side. Now this was something I didn’t see coming. “Two months, huh? How the fuck did you manage to become VP?”
“I’m his… kid.” He nodded to poor Troll on the floor.
“Plot twist!” Pipe called.
Slayer chuckled, and even I couldn’t keep a straight face. “We’ll come back to you, Cheeto.”
I then went around the table asking each guy if they knew who Wren was. They all said no, and they were all lying bastards.
Freak, Brinks, Clash, Warrior, and Snapper filed into the room and stood against the wall with their guns drawn.
“I see we’re late to the party,” Clash said, nodding toward Troll.
“I couldn’t help myself. He told me he was the president but he didn’t care what his members did.” I shrugged and leaned back in my chair.
I had talked to everyone except Rack.
Pipe put his arms around his shoulders. “I’ve heard things about you, Rack. So many things,” he mumbled.
“This is bullshit,” he shouted. “She was a dumb cunt who didn’t know her God damn place. What the hell else was I supposed to do with her?”
My blood boiled at the word cunt. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table. “Cunt, huh?”
He gulped and regret washed over his face.
“Cunt was the wrong word to use,” Pipe muttered to him.
“This is bullshit,” Rack repeated again.
Oh, he was right. “It is bullshit, Rack. It’s bullshit I had to watch my woman try to kill herself, watch her cry for days. It’s complete bullshit she now doubts me because of the things that were done to her. It’s all bullshit. But you know who is responsible for this bullshit?” I grasped my gun and pointed it at him. “You are. What right did you have to sell a woman for a couple of bucks? What right did you have to take everything away from her and leave her with nothing? Can you tell me please why you thought you could even breathe the same air as her?”
Pipe cupped his hand to his ear. “Speak up, Rack. We can’t hear you.”
I stood up and slowly walked around the table, patting the heads of each last remaining member. “This can’t all be laid at Rack’s feet, though. I mean, one of you bought her in the first place, and then decided to spread her around.”
“This is gonna get good now.” Pipe rubbed his hands together and elbowed Rack. “It’s coming.”
I leaned down next to Cheeto. “Do you have a sister?”
He shook his head. “Uh, no sir.”
“But you have a mother, right? A ball busting one if what Troll said was true.”
He nodded his head. “Yes.”
“Would you be okay if I sold her to Pipe, and then he decided he didn’t want her anymore so he just left her for anyone to take?”
He shook his head. “N...no.”
“But that is what your club did to my woman, Cheeto. He conned her into being with him, sold her, used her, beat her, and then when she finally got away from him, he started tracking her down like a dog. A dumb dog who was too stupid to keep his mouth shut about club business. So, I ask again, can I do that to your mother.”
Sweat dripped down Cheeto's face. “Please, no.”
I stood up and looked around the room. “Please, no. I bet that was something Wren said to all of you over and over. Did anyone listen to her?”
“Bueller, Bueller?” Pipe called. He leaned into the table and motioned for everyone else to. “No means no, fuckers. You never heard that before?” He sat back and threw his hands in the air. “Can't blame them, Maniac. They never heard the saying before. This has all been a huge mistake.”
“This shit is better than going to the movies,” Slayer chuckled.
“So, here is what’s going to happen. You’re all going to die. Tonight.”
Each and everyone's faces paled. Even Rack.
“Aw, you ruined the surprise,” Pipe whined.
I sat back down. “I did, because I want to sit here, and I want to watch the fear in your eyes. I want to watch you beg me to live. I want you to beg me to stop. And then I’m going to put my gun to each and every one of your heads and watch the life drain from your eyes. Then, I’m going to blow this shit hole you call a clubhouse the fuck up. Guess what I’m going to do after that?”
Pipe raised his hand and bounced in his chair. “I know, I know.” He again elbowed Rack. “He’s going to go home, sleep with his woman, and never think of any of you assholes ever again. Happily ever after,” he sang out.
Shots rang out for the next five minutes as I went from chair to chair, pressing the gun next to each of their temples and pulling the trigger.
“You didn’t even let us have any fun,” Pipe pouted. Rack was sitting next to him, sweat dripping down his face. He had just watched his whole club die in front of him. Pipe sniffed the air and then covered his nose with his hand. “Dude, did you just shit yourself? Fucking Christ. It’s like I’m riding on the short bus to school all over again.” He pushed his chair back and moved to lean against the wall.
“You rode on the short bus?” Slayer laughed.
Pipe flipped him off. “Fuck you, asshole.”
I sat down next to Rack. “Look at me,” I growled.
His whole body was shaking, and he turned his head to me. “I’m sorry,” he pleaded.
Pipe chuckled. “Did he just say he was sorry?”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m going to tell you three things you should have known all along.” I held up one finger in his face. “You never touch a woman unless she asks you to, and when she tells you to stop, you fucking stop.”
“That’s a good one. Total life lesson,” Pipe added.
I held up two fingers. “Never fuck with the Fallen Lords.”
“So true. We’re kind of assholes.”
I added one last finger. “Three. Never fuck with what is mine.” I pressed the gun to his forehead. “This is for Wren.” I pulled the trigger, and his body jerked backward. His chair flipped, and he sprawled out on the floor.
“Mother fucker,” Pipe shouted. “You got fucking brains on my boots. How am I supposed to explain this to Nikki?” Pipe bitched about his boots, and he made Freak find something to clean them with.
I watched the blood pool around Rack’s head, and a calm settled around me.
Everyone moved around me. Pipe snapped out of his sarcastic asshole routine and started barking orders.
They were all dead. Every man who ever took a piece of Wren without her permission was dead. The raging hatred in the pit of my stomach disappeared, and all I could think about was getting home to Wren.
Wren was all I needed now.
*