“Memphis told me he would kill me if I didn’t help him.”
Viper picked him up by his T-shirt, punching him in stomach so he didn’t have enough breath to continue his lies.
“Memphis has been dead for five. Fucking. Years!” Viper screamed.
“And I was the one who helped you find the evidence to take him out, but then those fuckers put my head on the chopping block. It was me or Gavin …” Crash started to cry, knowing he had betrayed the men who called him family. “I didn’t want to die.”
Viper spoke so low that the menace poured from his words. “When I get done with you, even the Devil won’t recognize you, you get me?” Viper hit Crash so hard the man fell back down to the floor, unconscious. Then Viper picked up one of the chairs, raising it over his head.
“Viper, this isn’t the place.” Knox caught his arm
“God dammit to Hell!” Viper cried out, throwing the chair against the wall where Crash had just stood.
Consumed with fury and pain, Viper went berserk, throwing chairs and tables until the room looked like a cyclone had hit it. He threw the biggest table, muscles straining as he lifted it. Then a chair went sailing over the bar, shattering the bottles into smithereens. One lone bottle of whiskey still clung to the shelf, its contents dripping to the floor.
Viper doubled over, hands on thighs, and Train had to blink back his tears as Viper gave a howl of pain that filled the clubroom. When he finally managed to stand erect, Train could see a cut on his cheek where a piece of shattered glass must have cut him.
Killyama strode around the bar, glass crunching under her boots. Taking a bar rag, she handed it to Viper.
He stared at it blankly for a second before taking it, wiping the blood from his cheek.
“Where is he?” Viper finally asked, tossing the rag onto the bar before he turned to stare at Train and Shade.
“I’ll take you to him.” Train nodded toward the hallway.
Viper stepped around the mess he had created, following Train down the hallway. At the door, Train knocked, and Dr. Price immediately opened it, looking out at the grim-faced men who filled the hallway.
“I’ve sedated him. Stud warned me what to expect, so I already set up the IV. Viper, I need to get him to the hospital to seek the best way to treat him. I can only give you a few minutes before I call the ambulance.”
Viper nodded as Dr. Price moved away, letting him enter. Train and Shade followed him inside the small room where Gavin was lying on the bed, eyes closed.
Viper fell to his knees by his brother’s side, tears streaking down his cheeks as he stared at him. Carefully making sure he didn’t touch the IV, he pulled his younger brother into his arms.
“Gavin … Baby brother.” Viper’s hoarse voice had The Last Riders fighting back their own tears. “What have they done to you?”
Gavin’s lashes rose, amber eyes staring uncomprehendingly up at Viper. He started struggling against his hold.
“Just kill me. I’d rather be dead than go back there.”
“He doesn’t recognize us.” Train came to stand behind Viper, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Gavin … don’t,” Viper pleaded when Gavin still tried to get away from his touch. “It’s me, Loker.”
“Loker, I’m sorry…”
Viper held him tighter. “I’m the one sorry, I didn’t know…” His choked voice prevented from getting any further words out.
Train felt Killyama move near him. She gave a brief squeeze to his arm in compassion, aware of how devastated he was at watching Gavin’s inability to recognize them.
“I sent Calder to get Winter and Ton when you told Stud that Viper was on his way. They’re here.”
Train turned to see Winter and Ton in the doorway as The Last Riders moved out of the way, letting them inside. From Ton’s ravaged expression, he had only just been told his son was alive.
“Gavin …” He came to the other side of the bed, crouching down next to him. “Gavin!”
“Dad?” Gavin turned in Ton’s direction.
Viper stood. Overwhelmed, he held his arms open to Winter, who flew into them, sobbing.
“My brother—”
“I know, Viper, I know.”
Winter and Viper watched as the missing part of their family became whole again.
Crying, Ton pulled Gavin toward him. He stiffened, but let his father hold him.
“Don’t let them take me back!” he cried.
“I won’t, son.” Ton rocked the man like he was a child.
Gavin didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He had passed out.
“Viper, the ambulance is here,” Dr. Price interrupted as he helped Gavin lie back down. “You and Ton can ride in the ambulance with him.”
They returned to the clubroom to let the EMT have enough room to get the stretcher inside. The broken furniture had been removed to a corner of the room by the brothers who were looking as anxious as Ton and Viper.
Winter held Viper’s hand as they watched the EMTs wheel the gurney down the hallway.
When the men parted, Train could see shock and horror on their faces as they silently watched the gurney being wheeled by. The man who had left their clubhouse one sunny day filled with joy and excitement about going to Treepoint had ended up being unrecognizable to them.
Gavin made no movement or sound until he passed Killyama. Then he reached his hand out, making the EMTs stop.
“Any woman who lets me sleep on her shoulder, smelling like I did, deserves a dozen roses.”
A grin tugged up at the corner of her lips. “It wasn’t so bad once I got the window down.”
“Do me a favor?” He waited until Killyama nodded. “There’s a girl—Ton has her name. Call her for me. Tell her I’m …” Gavin started shaking but managed to finish asking for his favor. “Tell her where I am, and that I need her.”
Killyama lifted her eyes to Train’s, and his heart twisted in regret that the woman who Gavin had left behind was no longer waiting.
“Dude, that’s one call that would be better coming from Ton. You don’t want to make me jealous, do you?” She placed a tender hand on his. “Get some rest and feel better.” With that, she stepped away, letting The Last Riders fall in behind him.
The ambulance’s lights cast a glow over the parking lot as Gavin was loaded inside.
“What are we going to tell him?” Train asked Shade as they stood, waiting until everyone pulled out. It wasn’t the first time the two had stood alone when a mission was over.
The adrenaline was gone, and in its place was a soul-wrenching discovery that the life Gavin had hoped to live was gone. The casket that had buried on that hillside might not be him, but the soul of the man he used to be wouldn’t be coming back.
Grief filled Train in a way he hadn’t expected, knowing the ambulance carrying the man inside wasn’t the one he had shared beer, women, and dreams with. The eyes that had passed by him hadn’t shown a flicker of acknowledgment. If that was hitting him hard, he could just imagine what Viper and Ton were going through.
“We’ll tell him the truth. Gavin’s strong, and Killyama was right; he’s a survivor. Those bastards didn’t break him. You can’t break steel.”
“What did you do with Crash?”
“Knox took him back to the clubhouse. We’ll keep him alive until Gavin can take his revenge.”
“The Reaper will have his revenge. Then The Last Riders can take theirs.”
“Crash will be praying The Last Riders will go first.”
The shape that Gavin was in, it would be a miracle if he survived the withdrawals.
“He better be careful of what he wishes for, because it just might come true.”
35
“It’s kind of small, isn’t it?” Fat Louise remarked, closing a kitchen drawer.
“Bitch, it doesn’t matter. I cook maybe once or twice a year.” Killyama stared around the tiny living room.
“You might decide to. Then what are you going t
o do?” Fat Louise came around the kitchen counter, her expression showing she liked the living room less than the kitchen.
“Do what I always do—use the microwave.”
“Let’s move on to the other one,” Sex Piston suggested. “Go look in the bathroom. You can’t even squeeze in to put your makeup on.”
“I’ll take the key back to the landlord.” She could deal with a small kitchen and living room, but she had to have a nice bathroom. It was her only necessity.
“This is the fourth one today. How many more are we going to look at today?” T.A. asked as she locked the apartment behind them.
“Just one more. If I don’t like it, we’ll have to come back another day.”
“We’ve made three trips to Knoxville. You sure Hammer wants to move? There has to be better apartments in town than what he’s sending you to.”
“He wants to move. It’s Mama who doesn’t. She calls Hammer all the time, asking him to talk me out of it.”
“Peyton’s ass will be waving good-bye to you before you admit to yourself she isn’t moving.” Sex Piston put on a large pair of blinged-out sunglasses.
“She’ll move.”
“Bet she won’t.”
“What do you wanna bet?” Killyama tilted her head, considering her offer.
“The shoes Lily lent you.” The black lens of the sunglasses turned toward her.
“No.” Those were her shoes. Lily had finally stopped asking for them back. She had already taken grief from her as payment for not giving them back.
“You don’t need them anymore, and I do. Stud gives me a little something extra when I wear them.”
She firmly shook her head. “Pick something else.”
“Then the beer cozy. That had to be cheap. Stud—”
“No.”
“Damn, bitch, nothing else you have is worth betting on.”
“I’ll bet my bike that Mama will move to Knoxville.”
Sex Piston lifted her sunglasses to rest them on her head. “You’d bet your bike, but not a pair of heels or a beer cozy?”
“Sure, why not? I know she will. Think about it while I go take the key back.”
The bitches were already in the car when she came back outside. Sex Piston must have decided not to bet her because she didn’t mention it again.
They didn’t even get out of the car to see the last apartment, driving past without stopping in the sketchy neighborhood. After that one, Killyama decided to take the reins for her apartment search.
“Hammer said it was up and coming.”
“Yeah, they come up to see it and run.” Crazy Bitch rolled her window down, waving at a homeless man who was carrying a sign asking for work. He was going from car to car at the red light with an empty milk jug, asking for donations. One look at Crazy Bitch brandishing her Taser, he backed off, as Killyama was trying to get her money out of her wallet.
“Stop that. I was going to give him some money so he could eat.” Killyama blew the horn to try to get him to come back.
“There’s a liquor a store a block back. Just go there and buy him a bottle; save the fucker a trip.” Crazy Bitch hung out of the window when he tried to approach them again.
Killyama heard zapping coming from the back seat as Crazy Bitch tried to scare him off again. Then, as the light turned green, she saw the homeless man picking up a rock to throw.
“If he hits my car, you’re paying for the window.”
“Sucker couldn’t hit the side of a barn.” Crazy Bitch scooted up until she was hanging over the center console. “Sex Piston, hand me her wallet. She can give me the five dollars I saved her.”
“Crazy Bitch, if I pull over, you’re riding back to Jamestown in the trunk.”
They drove back to Jamestown after stopping for lunch. She dropped Fat Louise and T.A. off first.
Killyama looked at Sex Piston when she received another text messages. Sex Piston had been getting them for the last thirty miles.
“Is Stud texting you so much because we’re running late?”
Sex Piston and Crazy Bitch were going to the Destructors’ clubhouse, where they planned to hang out for a while. Stud was supposed to have met Sex Piston there twenty minutes ago.
“Stud and Lily,” Sex Piston explained. “I promised Rocky’s and Star’s hand-me-downs for the church store. They’re in my car. I was supposed to drop them by this morning, but you were bitching at me for being late to meet you. Stud’s mad because he’s hungry, and he wants to go out to eat.”
Killyama frowned as she parked behind the club. “Why can’t you just take them by her house tonight or in the morning?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her.” Sex Piston waved her phone in front of Killyama’s face. “Lily said that the mother she had promised the clothes to is supposed to be there in an hour. The lady doesn’t have a car, and a friend is bringing her to town to pick up the clothes. Lily says the woman can’t be back to town for another week.” Sex Piston gave a long suffering sigh. “I’ll go inside and tell Stud to go without me. It’s our date night.”
Crazy Bitch was already shaking her head. “Don’t look at me. My ass is already numb from riding in this back seat.”
“I’ll do it,” Killyama offered. “It won’t take long. You can get me a to-go order.”
“I can do that. What do you want?” She held her hand out for the money.
“Where are you going?”
“Stud promised me the Green’s Steak House.”
Killyama gave a low whistle. “What’d you do to deserve that?”
“You bitches don’t expect me to tell you all my secrets, do you?”
“Hell yes.”
“I’ll tell you when you get back. So, what do you want?”
Killyama opened her wallet, giving Sex Piston a twenty. “The cheapest steak on the menu.”
Sex Piston kept her hand held out. “A twenty couldn’t buy you a burger.”
Killyama gave her another twenty. “That better include a steak and a baked potato.”
Her hand still didn’t move. “They charge extra for sour cream.”
“I don’t need it.” She refused to fork over another dime.
“How about the tip? The waitress will add the cost of your meal to our bill.”
Killyama reluctantly gave her another five. “If it costs more than that, buy me the burger.”
“I’ll get the clothes out of my car.”
A few minutes later, Killyama left Sex Piston and Crazy Bitch, who were arguing whether or not Crazy Bitch could go with Sex Piston and Stud to dinner.
It was going to be a quick trip to Treepoint. She planned to be in and out. The diner was across the street from the church store, where The Last Riders ate frequently. If Train’s bike was there, then Lily was going to be shit out of luck. She had no intention of seeing Train again.
He had tried calling her every day for the last week, so she had blocked his numbers. She had even gone as far as blocking Beth’s and Lily’s numbers when she had heard Train’s voice after answering a call from Beth.
There weren’t any motorcycles sitting outside the diner, so she parked in front of the church store and took the clothes out of the trunk.
Lily saw her coming, holding the door open for her.
“I really appreciate you doing this.” Lily thanked her as she carried the two large bags to the counter.
“I wasn’t doing anything.” Killyama looked around the tidy store that Lily kept organized. She took in the sparse racks and shelves. “Looks like business has been too good.”
The store had catered to low income members of the attached church. However, Lily and Lucky, who was the pastor, had branched out to offer clothes and gently used household items to the whole town.
“It always does when the seasons change.” Lily started pulling the clothes Sex Piston had sent out of the bags. “This is going to help. There’s enough here for three or four families who have children this size.”
“I’ll be right back. I left something in the car.” Killyama headed to her car, taking out her wallet. Pulling out her checkbook, she filled out a check then signed it. Going back inside, she gave it to Lily. “You can use this to fill some of those racks.”
Lily stared down at the check. “I can’t take this—”
“I didn’t ask. I’m telling you.”
Killyama tried unsuccessfully to dodge her hug.
“Thank you so much, Killyama. I can even use some of this to buy a few backpacks for when school starts back up in the fall.”
“Use it for clothes and coats. I’ll make the Destructors kick-in for the Back to School Drive in a couple of months. Woman, quit hugging me. Someone coming in will get the wrong impression, like I’m nice or some shit.”
“You can’t hide good deeds from God.”
“Well, I hope he remembers this one when he meets me, and not the other stuff he’s going to blast me for when I arrive at the pearly gates. I better get going. Sex Piston is getting me dinner.”
“Speaking of good deeds; can you do one more for me, please?”
Her shoulders dropped. It was hard to tell Lily no. Hell, if Killyama had been born with those violet eyes, she would have ruled the world.
“What do you need?” Killyama put her wallet back in her purse.
“I’m waiting for Krista to come pick up the clothes Sex Piston sent, so I can’t leave the store. Do you mind going to the diner for me? I need a cup of coffee.”
Killyama raised a brow. “What’s wrong with the coffee in the pot behind you?”
“It’s decaffeinated. It’s all Shade lets me drink.”
“You ever think of shoving that pot up his ass when he says that to you?”
She shook her head. “That wouldn’t be a Christian thing to do.”
“Maybe not, but it would be effective.”
“I understand.” Lily practically pouted. “I’ve already taken up enough of your time. I can drink the decaffeinated.”
“Jeez … I’ll get it for you.”
Killyama brusquely left the church store, thinking, if one motorcycle was sitting outside, Lily would do without her coffee.