Acid (Black Hearts MC #7)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ACID

I should have killed him all those months ago. I should have gone back after I got Rhea and Olly out of that shit hole. I watch as Star walks up to him dressed in her skintight jeans and stiletto heeled boots. He pulls himself back up to his feet, looking her up and down appreciatively. Ghost growls beside me.

“Well, I’m more than happy for an upgrade,” he brags, a smile on his face. Star rears her fist back and slams it into his face, making him stumble back, cupping his nose. “Fucking bitch!” he cries. He rears his fist back and takes a swing at Star, but she moves out of the way quickly. That’s enough for Ghost. He grabs Star and forces her back.

“Go back to the club now,” he orders. Star goes to argue but Ghost grabs her face and whispers something across her lips. She relents and nods. “All the ol’ ladies back to the club,” Ghost barks.

The prospects, Tiny and Bambi don’t need to be told twice. They quickly lead the women out of the bar, closing the shutters back down behind them.

I step toward Joe, a smile playing on my lips. “I gave you a warning, I told you what would happen if you came back. Unlucky for you, I keep fucking my word,” I seethe.

Rage steps forward with a large suitcase, pausing to unzip it. “What is that for?” Joe asks, the fear evident in his voice.

“We’re taking you on fucking holiday,” I spit sarcastically. “Get fucking in it,” I growl.

Joe shakes his head. “I ain’t getting in that.” He takes a step back.

I step forward, my blade in hand. “You’ll get in that fucking suitcase now, alive in one piece, or you’ll get in that fucking case dead and in pieces,” I threaten. “It’s your choice.”

He stands there for a moment, his eyes flickering behind me, probably wondering if he has a shot of making a run for it. He wisely steps forward and climbs into the suitcase. Rage pulls out a roll of gaffer tape and after tearing a piece off, he slaps it over Joe’s mouth. He then pulls out some cable ties and binds his wrists and ankles. Joe’s eyes are wide with fear. He didn’t once move an inch while Rage bound and gagged him. It probably had something to do with the gun that Scar had pressed against his skull.

“Night, night, motherfucker,” Rage gleams with amusement as he zips up the case.

“Should we be concerned that you just seem to have these things readily available?” I ask Rage as he padlocks the case closed.

He shrugs. “I like to be prepared for any scenario that may occur.”

“Jerry!” Ghost calls and the manager steps out from the back of the bar. “For your inconvenience.” Ghost holds up a small wad a of cash and places it on the bar. The guy just nods.

Cash and Hawk lift the shutters and we leave, Rage wheeling the suitcase with Joe in it out of there.

Back at our empty barn/warehouse, we tie Joe to the chair, still with his mouth gagged. After a moment, Rage rips the tape off his mouth, and he lets out a scream of pain.

“Fucking hell, if you’re screaming from that, you’ll fucking pass out with what you’ve got coming. Fucking pussy. Face up to your consequences like a man,” Rage spits at him.

“Alright brother, easy. I don’t think this fucker has any man in him,” Ghost states.

I step forward, my blade still in my hand. “There is one thing that is bothering me. How the fuck did you find her? How the fuck did you follow us when you don’t a have a fucking car? For you to make your move like you did today, you must have been watching us. You’d have to have had someone helping you. You don’t have the brain capacity to think of this shit yourself, and you sure as shit don’t have it in you to hunt her down and drag her back. You would just move on to your next fucking victim,” I fume. I place the tip of my blade down on his thigh, pressing just enough pressure to give a bite of pain. “So, who the fuck helped you?” I growl.

He shakes his head. “No one! No one helped, I swear!” he whimpers.

“That’s not the answer I was looking for,” I growl. I twist the blade painfully and slowly into his thigh. I can feel it carving through his flesh. His screams echo around us and I smile.

“Okay! Okay! I will tell you!” he cries out.

I turn around and look behind me to my brothers, seeing the look of disgust on their faces. “Fucking pussy,” Rage spits.

“Tell us,” I demand.

“Okay, I will. Just promise me you won’t kill me. Because if they find out I’ve told you, then they will kill me,” he stutters.

I want to slit his throat wide open for thinking he has the fucking right to give me an ultimatum. “I promise I won’t kill you,” I grit through my teeth.

He sighs. “A guy approached me and said he would make it worth my while if I got either the kid or Rhea. I saw you two walking off shopping and figured that was the best time to do it. He gave me a car and a driver so I could follow you,” he pants, sweat covering him.

“Name,” I demand.

“Eugene,” he states, and as soon as the name leaves his lips the mood turns deadly. I stand and remove my knife from his leg. Turning to face my brothers, all of us have the same look on our faces. “You going to let me go now?” Joe begs.

“No, you’re going to fucking die,” I growl.

“But, but you said. You said you wouldn’t kill me, and that you are a man of your word,” Joe says, panicked.

“I did, and I am a man of my word. I ain’t the one that’s going to be killing you.” I smirk. “Rage, today’s your lucky day.” I gesture to him.

Rage’s eyes light up as he walks over to the bench covered with tools, He picks up the axe, one of his favourites, and storms over. “Stop fucking bitching, I need kneecaps!” Rage yells before he slams the axe into Joe’s leg.

We let Rage do his thing, the sound of Joe’s desperate begging and screams surrounding us. “He’s made his move,” I state.

Ghost nods. “Once this is done, church,” he growls. “Hawk, tell the prospects to stay close to the women and kids at all fucking times. For today, at least, no one fucking leaves the club,” he orders. Hawk nods and leaves.

I run my hand over my face. “What the fuck am I going to tell Rhea?” I sigh. “She came here for refuge, for fucking safety, to get away from that pathetic cunt.” I gesture over my shoulder as he cries out screaming.

“Shit, your knees are fucked. There’s barely any cartilage left. Arthritis will kick in.” Rage tuts from behind me.

“Rage, he ain’t going to get arthritis in he’s knees now, is he? As you’ve fucking got them now and another thing is he will be dead. So, I don’t think he’s that bothered about arthritis,” Beast points out to Rage. Rage pauses and shrugs before he pulls out a plastic bag and begins to put Joe’s knee joints inside. Joe’s eyes roll back as he blacks out.

“How long have I got? Because I wouldn’t mind his pelvis,” Rage states, standing there with his hands covered in blood.

“I want church within the hour,” Ghost tells him.

Rage nods. “Get the prospects here now, and I will chop while they clean,” he says as he places the axe down and grabs the chainsaw.

Joe’s eyes open to the rumbling engine of the chainsaw. “Please no, please!” he cries out.

“Oh, stop your bitching, you won’t feel a thing. You’ll pass out and die in a matter of seconds,” Rage chastises as he brings the chainsaw down and begins to cut through Joe’s abdomen. The sound of shredding flesh surrounds us.

“Fucking crazy son of a bitch.” I laugh, shaking my head as Hawk walks back in.

“Aww, who let him have the chainsaw?” he coos.

“He’s getting a pelvis,” Scar mutters.

Hawk places his hand over his heart, his face going soft. “Will you just look at his little face?” Rage’s face is filled with happiness and contentment. It’s a rare emotion to see from him, although it happens more since he’s been with Dixie. He looks up and gives us a full teethed grin, blood splatter dotted all over his face and clothes.

“Holy shit, that’s terrifying,” Cash mutters.

We laugh. “Call the prospects and tell them to come here and do clean up instead. We will meet Rage at the club when he’s done here.”

“You’re going to leave him alone with the prospects?” Hawk asks as he puts his cell to his ear to ring one of the prospects.

“Yeah, why?” Ghost shrugs.

“Jesus, the poor lads will shit themselves,” he states. He pauses, listening to his cell. “Yeah Happ, get all your asses over here and help with the clean-up. Rage is still there collecting for his hobby, but that should make it easy for you to bag up,” Hawk states before placing his cell back in his pocket.

“Anyone else in the mood for steak after seeing that?” Beast asks as we leave.

“No Hannibal, we fucking don’t.” I laugh.

We’re all sat around the table, waiting for Rage to join us before Ghost begins church. Eventually he comes in, freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes. “Sorry. Had to burn my clothes.” He shrugs. I can imagine how covered in blood he was.

Ghost wastes no time. He leans his forearms on the table, looking pissed off. Hell, we all are. “Eugene didn’t just reach out. He showed us how easy it is to get to our family, how easy it is for him to take from us, to fucking destroy us,” Ghost seethes. “I want nothing more than to go hunt him down and shoot that motherfucker right between his eyes, but I won’t because he is a smart man. he will expect us to retaliate and go in all guns blazing. He demands respect, just like Jared says. We need to play him like we are playing chess and stay one step ahead.”

“Send me to meet with him,” Spider states.

“No fucking way,” I protest.

Spider looks to me. “It’s my fucking fault that he’s doing this, it’s my fault Rhea’s kid got taken, and it will be my fucking fault for anything else he does,” Spider argues.

“He will shoot you before you can even open your mouth to speak.” Ghost growls. “You ain’t going anywhere fucking near him,” he orders.

“Listen to Pres,” I warn Spider, knowing what he’s like in fighting battles on his own. “I fucking mean it, because if you get yourself fucking killed, it will destroy my sister, then I will have to fucking kill you all over again for upsetting her,” I threaten.

Spider smirks. He knows I fucking would, as well. “I will arrange a meet. I’ll make it public, somewhere neutral, and we shall see what it is Eugene wants, or in the least deems fucking acceptable compensation for the loss of his kid.” Ghost sighs. “Although if it was me, and it was Enzo that was gone, I wouldn’t take anything less than death. I’d want them all to fucking pay.” Ghost pauses for a moment as he sits back in his chair, his thumb and index finger pinching his bottom lip. “Cash, get the amounts down for what we make in gun sales. Have the figures written down. We’ll meet with Eugene and give him a proposition, one that will be too tempting to refuse,” Ghost suggests.

“Not being funny Pres, but we hand over our gun sales and contacts to him, that is a lot of fucking money this club will lose out on,” Cash informs him.

Ghost looks at him and nods. “I know, but for the sake of everyone being alive, the kids going unharmed and safe, I would give him the shirt off my fucking back if he demanded it. We still have other avenues, and we still have the legal businesses. Plus, the new tattoo studio which will eventually bring in more money,” he points out. “Unless anyone else comes up with another idea, I don’t think we’ve got much choice.”

“What are we telling them?” Hawk asks, gesturing his head to the bar on the other side of the door.

Ghost sighs and rubs his face. “That’s where I’m fucking torn. I want to make this club business, and I want to keep them out of it. However, after today Eugene has made it pretty fucking clear that he will drag them into it, if he has to. I want them protected, and I want them cautious.”

Cash smirks. “I don’t think you need to worry about Star. She can handle her own.”

Ghost huffs out a laugh. “And that’s what terrifies me.” He pauses. “Fuck it, get Queenie to take the kids outside to play for a while. Let’s sit them down and tell them what’s happening right now and get it fucking over with,” he says. Standing, he slams the gavel down, calling an end to the meeting.