Red (Hell’s Jury MC #5)

36. Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

Red

I wanna fuckin’ run to the motel but I make myself settle down. Walk slowly, don’t attract attention. I’m a fuckin’ elephant, so that ain’t happenin’, but at least I don’t look like I’ve just robbed a bank.

When I walk into Shawshank’s lobby, no one’s there. Literally. Not the guy or girl behind the desk. Not a customer. Not even a fuckin’ cat. This is bullshit. Panic is taking over and rage is messing with my reason.

Where the fuck is the asshole I’m supposed to meet? Why isn’t he fuckin’ here?

I decide I’m not gonna wait. I’ll kick in every door in this shithole until I find them. They got a bomb, but ain’t gonna use it while they’re still in the room. I head down the hall when a shriek splits the air. Then another. It’s coming from the second floor.

Sorcha! My heart leaps into my throat. I take three steps at a time as I barrel towards the scream. Keep it up, little sis.

I find the room and kick in the door without hesitation. It’s chaos inside. Sorcha’s on a bed, huddled up against the headboard, screaming and sobbing.

Stella’s trying to stay upright, but staggers and falls. One of the sonsofbitches kicks her in the stomach. She shrieks and stops moving.

I grip the prick by the neck and slam him into the wall.

The other guy scrambles backward and grabs his pistol.

“Fuckin’ shoot me,” I say as I tackle him. He’s stronger than I thought and he fights back. His fingers are wrapped around the pistol, one on the trigger. I can’t let him get a shot off. Sorcha or Stella could get hit. I head butt him hard and my world spins, but his must spin more because his eyes go blank and he slides to his knees.

I turn. The other guy is back on his feet and movin’ towards Sorcha. I grab the small table and roar as I wing it at him. It hits him hard the face and he drops like a rock.

In seconds it’s over. Sorcha sobs as she throws herself at me. “Stella’s deaded! Like mommy!” She keeps repeating the words, louder and louder. Fuck, I don’t know how to calm her down.

“Stella’s not dead,” I say as I rub her back. She can’t be dead. I need her like I need air. She’s the most important woman in my life, she’s the one who gives me strength. “She’s not dead,” I repeat more for myself than Sorcha.

I cradle her in my arms as I pick up the gun. Fuck what Hangman wants, I’m gonna put a bullet in each of their foreheads.

But Sorcha’s clinging to me, her frightened eyes glued to the gun. I can’t kill these guys in front of my girls. They’ve been through too much already and that kind of violence would break them. And that would break me.

Despite my reasoning, the guy I head butted starts to climb to his knees and I’m so fuckin’ tempted I put the safety on the gun and throw it in the corner. I crouch and talk to the fucker in a low voice so Sorcha doesn’t overhear. “I’ll stomp you’re fuckin’ head in if you don’t stay down.”

Stella moans as she flips to her back, holding her stomach.

“Stella’s not deaded,” Sorcha cries as she struggles from my arms and runs over to her. “It’s okay,” she says as she cradles Stella’s face with her hands and kisses her on the lips. “Lachlan saved us.”

“I know,” Stella says weakly as she strokes Sorcha’s hair. “You’re the bravest girl in the world.”

I keep my eyes on the fuckers as I call Hangman. “It’s over.” I look at the door hanging on its hinges. “Second floor. Door’s open. Get the fuck up here.”

Hangman starts to reply but I hang up on him.

Sorcha keeps patting Stella and kissing her lips while I stand vigil. I can’t take my attention off the cocksuckers. The guy that kicked Stella has blood on his shirt and I wonder what Stella did to him. The other prick is laying on the floor, eyes wide, watching me. Maybe waiting until I shift my attention. Maybe contemplating his future.

I’d stomp him ‘til he’s dead, but my girls are here. Maybe it’s a good thing, because it’s all that’s stopping me.

Then I remember that my lifestyle made this happen. It’s a burden I’m gonna live with for the rest of my life. But it can’t ever happen again. I have to change. I can be a better man. I will be a better man.

Help finally fucking arrives as Trigger, Rocky and Eight come barreling into the room. “What the fuck happened?” Rocky says as he stares at the carnage.

“Where’s Hangman?” I growl.

“Think he went back to the clubhouse,” Trigger replies.

“Smarter than I thought,” I say.

Trigger crouches and stares into the eyes of the guy I head-butted. “Temptin’ to start here, but we’ll be takin’ you back to the clubhouse to butcher you alive.”

Stella starts crying, then Sorcha joins her.

Fuckin’ insensitive prick. “Would you shut the fuck up?”

“You gotta take the cocksuckers and go,” Eight says to Trigger and Rocky as he tries to help Stella to her feet.

“Leave her alone,” I snarl. “Don’t you fuckin’ touch her.”

He stares at me, the unblinking dead stare that never changes. “You can’t handle both of them right now, and I think your little sister needs you more than Stella.”

“I’m okay,” Stella whimpers as she tries to push Eight away, then staggers and falls to her knees.

Eight helps her up. “Let’s go.”

Stella leans on him as he walks her out, me following with Sorcha in my arms. Her head’s on my shoulder and she’s sucking her thumb. It’s over. She and Stella are safe. She knows it.

The club’s van is by the curb, Hash behind the wheel. He jumps out and opens the back door. For a change, he doesn’t say anything. I climb inside, then pull Stella towards me as Eight helps her in. He closes the door, then gets in the front.

Hash squeals away from the curb and heads towards the clubhouse.

“Take us home,” I growl.

“Can’t,” Hash says. “Hangman wants to talk.”

Is he fuckin’ kiddin’ me? I take out my phone and dial Hangman.

“What!” he barks as he picks up.

“We’re goin’ home and you can fuckin’ wait to talk until I’m ready.” I hang up and say to Hash. “Take us the fuck home.”

When we pull up to my house, I see a curtain across the street twitch. Not Stella’s house but next door to it.

“Shit,” I say. “I don’t want anyone seein’ us.”

Eight’s on the pavement and has the side door open. “I’ll carry Sorcha and you can prop up Stella. It’ll look strange if we do the opposite.

I look down at Sorcha. “You okay with that? Eight’s a good guy.”

Sorcha shrinks away from him and hides her head in my shirt. “No.”

“It’s Opposite Day again, Sorcha,” Stella says weakly. “He’s a bad man,”.

Sorcha looks warily at Eight.

“Please,” Stella whispers.

“Ok,” Sorcha says then crawls to Eight.

He scoops her up and carries her towards the house.

I help Stella out and then hold her close as we follow. “Opposite Day?” I murmur.

“Yeah,” she replies.

When we get inside, I say to Eight. “Take Sorcha upstairs and put her on the bed.” Stella and I follow him as he carries Sorcha likes she’s precious, then gently lays her down.

He gazes at her for a moment, then turns to me. “Anything else you need, brother?”

I need to be alone with my girls. “Lock the door behind you.”

Sorcha rolls onto her side and looks at us. “I’m sleepy,” she says as she shoves her thumb in her mouth and closes her eyes.

I try to lay Stella next to her, but she resists. “I need to shower, Lachlan,” she says with tears in her eyes.

I look closely at her for the first time and think I should take her to the hospital. Her face is puffy and red, her jaw is starting to bruise and her shirt is ripped. She’s holding her stomach and the rage grows again as I think about smashing my way into that room at the same time the asshole kicked her in the stomach. My grip on her tightens and she whimpers.

“Sorry, baby,” I whisper to her. “I’m just so fuckin’ mad.”

“Me too,” she replies, then lets out a small laugh. “Well, I will be tomorrow.”

I touch her stomach, probing. “Does it hurt anywhere?”

“No, not really. The muscles. I think I’m okay except I really need to shower.”

I support her to the bathroom, then peel her clothes off. She leans against the sink as I start the tap, then undress. “Just gonna prop you up. Not gonna ravish you.”

She smiles at me. “I look that bad, hey?”

“You’re beautiful,” I whisper as we step into the shower.

She barely moves as I soap her everywhere, then rinse her off.

As I shampoo her hair, she murmurs, “Conditioner too.”

I decide I’m a fucking savage as my dick grows. Her vulnerability speaks to me on a primal level.

Cool your jets, asshole. Lots of time for that if she ever speaks to you again.

We step out and I towel her off. In the bedroom, I pull one of my clean tees over her, then tuck her into bed next to Sorcha. I slide on a pair of jeans, then stand above her, trying to read the expression on her face.

Stella has her arm around Sorcha holding her tightly. “We need you,” she says.

I sandwich Sorcha between us, then slide my arm around Stella’s waist. “I’m sorry about this.” My heart’s beating so hard, I think she’s gonna hear it. What I felt when they were taken is nothing compared to the fear of her leaving me. I blink tears away, but a few escape.

She catches one, then looks at her wet finger. “This wasn’t your fault.”

“It was,” I tell her as my heart settles. “If I wasn’t part of Hell’s Jury, none of this would’ve happened.” A few more tears roll down my cheeks. “I can’t live without you, Stella. I wouldn’t want to.”

“You don’t have to.” She closes her eyes. “I think I need to sleep.”

I wait for her breath to even out, then head downstairs and grab a beer. I take a swig as I sit on the couch. My anger urges me to go to the clubhouse and strip the skin off the two fucks who terrorized my girls. Then when I’m done killin’ them, I’ll put a bullet in Hangman. The cold sonofabitch. Setting Stella up. Puttin’ Sorcha in the line of fire, then barely blinking when he realized she was taken too.

I don’t get the man. Don’t understand him. He shows signs of humanity. He killed my dad after dad broke Sorcha’s arm. He cared for my mom. And he brought me into the club because she asked.

But then he pulls shit like this. Fucks with the lives of people without hesitation. Puts them in harm’s way because he has an agenda. I don’t know if I can ever be in the same room as him without wanting to destroy him.

The sun’s starting to set when Sherri raps on the door. “I was getting worried,” she says when I open it.

I wanna come clean with her, but I don’t want her to turn into insane mother again. “Nothin’ to worry about. Stella and Sorcha are upstairs nappin’. Long day of shopping.”

“Oh,” she says, pouting. “I was expecting you all for dinner. Wake them up and come over.”

“No,” I say emphatically to my future monster-in-law. “I’m ordering a pizza. We’re gonna spend the evening together.”

“But I’ve made all this food. And take-in pizza is so unhealthy.”

I give her one of Eight’s dead stares as she waits for me to reply. She thinks she can push me around. She needs to know she can’t.

She capitulates. “Well, don’t let Sorcha nap too long or she won’t sleep tonight. What time do you plan to bring her over?”

“She’s stayin’ here tonight.”

“What?” Sherri replies like it’s the most absurd thing she’s ever heard. “Where’s she going to sleep?”

Jesus fucking christ. “With Stella and me.”

I try to close the door but she blocks me with one last desperate attempt. “Doesn’t Stella have a game tonight?”

“Don’t know, but she’s not goin’. Call Selma and ask her to pass on the news.”

She opens her mouth to say something else but I’ve had enough. “Goodbye, Sherri.” I close the door and lock it.