CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Starlet
“Come on, Starlet.” Angel helps me sit up and I take a long drink of cool water. “Do you want something stronger?”
“What do you have?”
She smiles. “There’s the spark I was looking for. Anything you want.”
“Cereal.”
“What?”
“I love cereal, and I’m starving.”
She places the glass on the nightstand. “Do you remember anything?”
I try to piece it together. Images of Checkers holding a gun to my head … Brick aiming his weapon at Checkers. Me wanting to die … that frightening moment when I grabbed the barrel of Checkers’ gun and made sure it was tight against my skull. It would have only taken one shot. One shot to end all of this violence and pain. My body starts to shake. Then I remember Eagle ordering everyone to not shoot. Brick didn’t listen. There was a pop. How could I ever forget that noise? I’ve seen men die before, but not like that.
“Brick!” I scramble to get out of bed, desperate to get to him. “Where’s Brick?”
“Easy, sweetheart.” Angel and another old lady ease me back on the pillows. “The doc gave you an injection to help you sleep through the night. Not a good idea to get up so fast. Okay? Brick is safe. All of the Iron Norsemen are.”
I’ve been asleep since yesterday? I check the bedside clock. It’s afternoon. How can I take Angel’s word for it? I want to see Brick in the flesh. I need to feel him, smell him … anything to convince myself he’s alive. Why did he risk his life for me? His patch? “W-what about Silver? Checkers?”
Angel looks up at the other old lady. “Can you give us a few minutes alone, Ginger?”
“Sure. Do you like Cheerios, Starlet?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll get you a big bowl.”
“Thanks, Ginger,” Angel says as she leaves.
“Where’s Brick?”
“Checkers and the other Devil’s Crusaders officers are dead, Starlet.”
My heart sinks into my stomach. This is my fault. “Silver?”
“On his way back to Alabama with an escort.”
Why won’t she let me see Brick? “Brick?” I ask again. Please be here. Please hold me. Please kiss me.
“Part of the escort.”
Panic sets in. I can’t stay here. I’ve already endangered Brick and Juanita, now the whole club. Retaliation is sure to follow. I can’t allow more people to die because of me. “I-I’m sorry, Angel.”
“For what?” She sits on the edge of the mattress.
“For bringing my trouble here. I can’t imagine how you feel about me. But if you’ll let me take a shower and gather my things…” Juanita will help me get out of town … relocate to another state. If I can get away from Louisiana, there’s a chance everyone will come out of this okay. Maybe I can go to California or Alaska. Canada, even. Out of reach, out of mind. But Silver has a long memory and a bitter, cold heart. His connections are far-reaching. He’ll never let me go, not after what happened. Tears burn my eyes.
I fucked up by calling Silver myself. I should have let Brick do his job, respected Eagle’s wishes.
“Starlet.” She cradles my hand in hers. “Pretty sure you don’t remember everything that happened yesterday. The doctor said you were in shock, so it’s no surprise, really. Brick claimed you as his old lady. You’re part of our family now.”
I’m Brick’s old lady? I belong to the Iron Norsemen now? How? More half memories roll around in my numb mind. I’m trying too hard to think. My head hurts. Blood. I gaze down at my clothes. There should be blood all over me. Checkers nearly fell on top of me. I’m wearing shorts and a T-shirt, my white sundress is gone. “Who dressed me?”
“I did,” Angel says. “We bathed you and put you to bed. The doc showed up an hour later. Brick sat with you for half of the night, then I took over. Breathe, sweetheart. Brick will be back tonight, promise.”
I fling the covers off. “I need to go.”
“No. We’re on lockdown. There’s guards everywhere. No one can get in and no one can get out without Eagle’s approval.”
“What about Juanita?” She’s vulnerable now. The Devil’s Crusaders will target her because of me. I can feel it in my bones.
I struggle to get past Angel, weakened by the sedative the doc gave me.
“Juanita is here, waiting in the common room with the old ladies.”
I stop wrestling to get out of bed. “Juanita is here?”
“Brick took care of it last night.”
A pathetic laugh escapes my lips. “Juanita came here willingly?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Oh God. What did she do?”
“Almost blew Johnny’s head off.”
I shake my head. Someone needs to talk to my best friend about her itchy trigger finger. “Is she in trouble?”
“No. Once we explained the situation, she calmed down.”
“Can I see her?”
“Yes. But first we need to get a couple things straight. You can’t discuss club business with her, Starlet.”
I rub my eyes, grateful Brick had the foresight to get Juanita to safety. “I know.”
“The less she knows, the better.”
Angel stands up. “I’ll go get her. She’s as anxious as you are.”
I watch Angel leave the room. The two most important people in my life are alive and well. How did I get so lucky?
“Starlet?” Juanita appears at the door.
“Juanita!”
She rushes in and throws her arms around me. “I missed you so much.”
I sob on her shoulder.
“Let it all out, baby girl. I’m here now.”
* * *
Brick
We cross the Alabama state line, drive for another twenty miles, then pull off the road into a wooded area. Eagle and I are on bikes, and two other brothers are driving a pickup with Silver and his Harley in the back. The sonofabitch may have some permanent brain damage from the beatdown I gave him. Doesn’t matter, if he wakes up, he’ll find his way home or die in the middle of nowhere.
I lift Silver out of the truck bed and carry his limp body to a grassy spot surrounded by thick underbrush and trees. My brothers unload his bike and park it next to him.
“Sure I can’t finish this?” I ask Eagle as we take a last look at Silver. I want to kill him, need to. As long as he’s alive, I’ll never feel like Starlet is truly safe. “One bullet, I’ll put him out of his misery.”
Eagle gives me a serious look. “We don’t execute MC presidents unless it’s necessary. There’s no witnesses left. Whatever story he comes up with, it’ll be pure conjecture. That alone is humiliation enough for a newly elected prez, trust me. As far as the fallout from claiming Starlet … we’ll deal with it. Okay?”
“What changed your mind?” I haven’t had a chance to ask until now.
“About Starlet?”
“Yeah. And me.”
“The look in your eyes when you were willing to kill for her—to risk your patch and life to save her. I respect a man that loves that hard.”
“And the others?”
“We took a vote last night while you were in with Starlet. Unanimous. No punishment. Now finish it, Brick.”
I nod and walk over to Silver’s body. I kneel and lift him by the shoulders, removing his cut. Letting his body fall back to the ground, I stand and take my knife out. I turn the leather vest over so the Devil’s Crusader patch is face up. Placing it on Silver’s bike seat, I stab the blade through the center of it, leaving it for when he wakes up.
There’s no deeper humiliation, no greater insult than someone removing your cut and defacing your patch. My message is clear. He wanted Starlet and left empty handed.
Partially satisfied with the outcome of everything, I climb on my bike. There’s only one place I want to be right now, in bed with my old lady. Hope she’s ready for me, because Starlet’s life will never be the same, neither will mine.