Page 20 of Hell Bent

“Where are you, asshole? I’ve been calling your ass.” Vicious heard Player’s raised voice.

Not wanting to get into the who, what, and where of things, Vicious snapped at Player. “And I didn’t answer.” It wasn’t the man’s fault that he was in a foul mood. No, that honour was all Teller’s.

“Answer me, Vicious.” Player knew Vicious’s past. He knew what demons haunted the brother’s every step. Sometimes, it was better to watch more than your brother’s back, to be more than being your brother’s keeper. You had to be their confidant.

Trying to get his brother to back off, Vicious tried playing off Player’s concern. “Player, I don’t need babysitting.”

“Where?” Player shouted into the phone. He was more worried about what Teller would do to Vicious than he wanted to let on. Teller was the chapter President. You didn’t go toe-to-toe with the man no matter what your position in the club was. The man could have an enforcer put a bullet in your fucking skull with one word.

“I’m headed home.” Vicious pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t need this crap.

“We’ll meet you there.”

Vicious heard Player and didn’t like what he said. “Who’s we?”

“Me and Joker. Don’t worry, Teller hasn’t put anything to vote yet. He was on the phone when we walked out.”

No doubt with Jameson, Vicious thought. Keeping that thought to himself, he told Player he was cool, but the brother wasn’t backing off. When he hung up, he sighed, his breath visible in the autumn air. Firing the bike up, he rolled back into traffic and down the road.

Chapter Thirteen

For a man like Vicious, having down time didn’t tend to lead to happy times. Being idle allowed his mind to work overtime, which sent his thoughts in a downward spiral. Sometimes, he needed a quiet place to stop the chaos in his head.

Tonight, his demons were climbing all over him and had been since he walked out of the clubhouse. Player had kept him in the loop but suggested Vicious keep his distance until Teller cooled off. Turned out the Prez took a long time to cool down.

Walking up the aisle, Vicious looked at the deep blue vaults decorated with gold stars. The sanctuary was a mix of blues, reds, purples, silver, and gold. The cathedral filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and religious statues gave him pause.

After everything that had happened to him at the hands of priests when he was a child, Vicious still turned to his beliefs to quiet his demons. He made the sign of the crossbefore sliding into one of the many wooden pews. Taking off the rosary he wore, Vicious knelt on the little leather-padded kneeler and prayed. He prayed for those he’d lost and those he still had. Mostly, he prayed for his own peace.

In the quiet cathedral, the sound of footsteps caused him pause. Movement behind him had him easing off his knees and taking a seat on the pew. He didn’t have to look behind him to know who sat there. The two brothers were like bad pennies—he couldn’t get rid of them if he tried.

“Player, Joker, what are you two doing here?”

“Same as you, brother. Looking for some salvation,” Player said quietly. He felt like God might come down from heaven and smite him personally. If nothing else, lightning might strike him dead as he left. He knew Joker was uneasy by the way the man fidgeted in the pew. “Be still.”

Vicious glared over his shoulder at Player. “What?”

“Not you. Joker. He’s squirming like a whore in church.” Player fought the urge to laugh.

“I’ll be out front,” Joker growled as he shoved out of the pew.

“Why are you bothering me here, Player?”

“I need you to leave your phone on so I can get in touch with you,” Player told Vicious.

Glancing over his shoulder, Vicious saw the serious expression on Player’s face. It couldn’t be about being in the church as Player didn’t believe in organized religion of any kind. At least, that’s what he preached. “It’s been on. Has something happened I should know about?”

Player scratched at the scruff covering his chin. “Jerome Michel’s been seen around Roussin’s auto shop.”

“When?”

“Two days ago. He was on the street. We’ve got eyes on him, no worries.”

Vicious didn’t like it, not one fucking bit. If Jerome was lurking around the auto shop, that meant he was looking for Sway. “We need to find out if any of the businesses are still being harassed for protection money.”

“I brought up the fact that good people in our backyard were being extorted to Teller. The brother went ballistic.”

“Did he not know this information?”

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