Page 72 of Givin' Me Fitz!
His kind?That was something I’d never heard my father say before, and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. There was no use arguing with the man, but it did ruffle my feathers. He lived by his own code, and he didn’t give a rat’s ass who agreed with him. Why wasn’t I entitled to do the same thing?
Tiny turned on the blinker, leading us out to the desert beyond Red Rock Canyon. I knew where the fuck we were going, and I was pissed.
I turned to my father. “I’d be willing to bet money you know more about this than you’re saying.”
“Look, son. You don’t understand this world. In your head, your still sixteen, riding around the compound on your minibikes, hanging out with your school friends, and chasing pussy—or dick, as seems to be the case.
“I’m not homophobic, Sawyer. I didn’t even have a problem when you brought some other gay people into the club. I thought maybe it would give these old fuckers the opportunity to experience a little personal growth. I didn’t think it would make you soft. You’ve been all about the club since you were a kid. What the fuck happened?”
Tiny turned onto the desert road as I expected. The Scorpions clubhouse was down the road and through the gate. I remembered it like it was tattooed on my brain.
I pulled the truck to the right and stopped behind Tim’s truck, turning off the ignition. I reached up and flipped the button on the dome light so it didn’t go on when I opened the door. Once we were out of the truck, I stopped my father before he came around the front of the truck.
“You know, the worst kind of bigot is the one who lies about what he really thinks. You should have told me you were pissed off because I was bi and taking the club in another direction. Did you have anything to do with the robbery? I know Boyd did, and I hope Hammer didn’t. Did you know or push Boyd to cooperate with the Scorpions? Are you behind this fucking fight?”
I felt as if my goddamn heart was being ripped out of my chest. No way could my own father be involved in any of this.
Tiny stepped up behind me. “Everything okay?”
Dad pulled out the gun Fitz had given him, but I stopped him. “This one’s mine. Give me that one. I want Fitz nowhere near this bullshit, and if I find out you had anything to do with this, I’ll fucking kill you myself.”
My father laughed as we swapped guns before we climbed the fence and headed toward the clubhouse. There was quite a party going on inside, so we stuck to the shadows to get to the back door.
I glanced in through the window to see TJ in the middle of the large clubhouse getting the fuck beaten out of him by two guys. I’d never seen either one of them before, but I was putting a stop to it.
Just as I was about to kick in the door, TJ kipped up from the floor and gave a roundhouse to one guy in the chest, knocking the breath out of him as he stumbled back. He throat-punched the other guy, taking him to the ground and wedging his head between his thighs in a scissor hold until the man stopped moving.
I kicked open the door and walked in first. The club members turned, and guns came out, but Tiny came into the clubhouse with a fucking ax in one hand and a machete in the other. I had no fucking idea where he’d gotten either of them.
He spun around with the blades whipping in an aggressive manner, and I could only say that everyone in the room was stunned—thankfully. My dad came inside behind me with my gun drawn as he fanned across the crowd.
I had no idea why people weren’t shooting at us, and as I stared at the Scorpions, I saw something unexpected. Ricky Marlow stepped through the crowd and grinned at my father. “You motherfucker! When did you get to town?”
My father holstered the gun and rushed forward to hug Ricky. Tiny turned to me, his eyebrows in his hairline. I shook my head. I didn’t know what the fuck was going on either.
I motioned for Tiny to come closer to me, and I didn’t put my gun away… Fitz’s gun. The air was thick with energy—some fear and some hate.
Tiny stepped closer. “What’s going on, Bones?”
My father and Ricky Marlow were having a good old-fashioned reunion. I heard a noise and turned to the right to see TJ being dragged out of the ring by two Scorpions.
“I don’t have the slightest idea, Tiny.” That was a fucking understatement.
“He won’t be in any shape to fight, right?” My dad looked toward TJ, a smug smile on his face.
“Eh, maybe, but he’ll take the dive. Where’s the grandfather in case we need leverage?” Ricky turned toward me and smirked. “You thought you were going to clean us up, but your old man was always running the table, kid. Make note—you were never in charge.”
Shock settled into my core. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing, but I wasn’t about to let on. I turned to my father and laughed. “I should have known you wouldn’t trust me. So, now what? You directed them to rob the dispensary and do what with the money?”
My father laughed. “Reinvest it, son. The dispensary can file an insurance claim for the lost money. Hell, you even got a great police report as backup for the insurance claim. They’ll pay off on the loss, and we’ll get that little guy to fight with Romero and take the dive. We’ll come out ahead by a long stretch.”
My mind was spinning. What I was hearing couldn’t be true. My father had been the one who had turned on the Cowboys. How did I miss it? Who else was on his side?
Somehow, I was able to talk my father into letting me take TJ back to Fitz’s house to be with his grandfather. I’d texted Fitz and asked him to take my mother out to Silver Point to check her into the hotel, and I had Hobie go to the house on East Windmill to wait with Mr. Middleton.
My dad dropped off TJ and me at Fitz’s house before he went to join my mother. When I got out with the kid hanging off me, my father laughed as I picked up TJ to carry him inside. I had no idea how long the kid had been fighting, but the bruises on his body told the story that they’d shown him no mercy.
The truck door opened, so I turned before I climbed the porch. My dad was standing by the driver’s side with a smirk. “Sawyer, there’s nothing more important than being loyal to the club. Unfortunately, the guys in the Cowboys aren’t worth my loyalty anymore. All the old-timers are following me to the Scorpions, and if you wanna stay alive, I suggest you do the same.
