Page 23 of Relentles
“Bailey about her bag,” Digger said. “Maybe, she don’t want to help because Molly can’t pay.”
Knox snapped his brows together. “Bailey wants to buy a bag, so she won’t help Molly?” He glared at Mortician, ignoring Axel, Ryder, and Ransom’s guffaws and CJ and Grant’s snickers. “Youhave enough money to buy Bailey anything she wants, Mortician!”
Rule still wore no shirt, but he was sitting again. “It is a sin to mock the ignorant!” he cried, glaring at the little fuckheads laughing their asses off.
The little motherfucker kept throwing Christopher off his game. First, Rule distracted Christopher from beating Ryder, Ransom and Axel with the thirteen gunshots comment. He’d summoned those three to administer their punishment in front of the club just as he’d done with Ryan. Then, Rule interfered again when he jumped up shirtless.
If not for the fervency in Rule’s eyes, Christopher might wonder if his woman sent him as a plant to purposely distracthim from beating their asses.Howfuckinever,only CJ was Megan’s partner in crime.
Another indication he was her favorite.
Axel stomping to Rule and giving him the raspberries broke into Christopher’s thoughts.
“Shut up, fuck face! We’re not sinning because we’re telling Uncle Knox he’s a stupid motherfucker for not knowing what bag means.”
“Hey!” Knox cried.
Narrowing his eyes, Rule stood. “Itisa sin. It’s in the bible.”
Axel craned his little neck to look at Christopher. “Is it, Dad?”
“Fuck if I know, boy. I don’t read the bible.” He never had, and probably never would.
“It’s a sin to fuck up the insane, too,” Ryder said, “but that won’t stop us from stomping Jesus out of you, Rule, if you don’t stop fucking with us.”
“Yeah, we’re your family,” Ransom said. “We have immunity. Feel free to keep scaring the BeJesus out of Ryan. Work on Uncle Johnnie, too.”
“What’s a be Jesus?” Axel asked. “Ryan wants to be Jesus?”
“You’re all going to Hell!” Rule said, tears pooling in his eyes.
“CJ, go check on Molly,” Christopher said, crooking his finger at Rule. He glared at his three younger sons to stop the faces they were throwing at Rule, but they ignored him.
He waited until CJ, Knox, and Grant left before he addressed Rule, who stood in front of him, tears streaking his face.
“Son, ain’t nothin’ wrong with bein’ a fervent believer in a higher power—”
“It’s the Holy Trinity, Dad! God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”
“Says you,” Christopher said patiently. “I don’t believe the same way you do. You can’t fault me for how I feel cuz I ain’t you. Same with me. I can’t fault you cuz you ain’t me.”
“But everybody thinks I’m crazy!”
“You hear fuckin’voices, son. That ain’t fuckin’ sane, and it ain’t got nothin’ to do with religion or spirituality. It has to do with youvery possiblyneedin’ a fuckin’ psycho camp.”
Rule cried harder, so Christopher pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly.
“S’okay, boy. It ain’t nothin’ but a thing, but you can’t fuckin’ sacrifice animals and allow voices in your fuckin’ head to tell you whether to slit a motherfucker’s throat. If you fuck up a motherfucker, you do it with fuckin’ logic and reason. Mostly, do it with agency. If an assfucktellin’you to do it, especially an assfuck in your fuckin’ head, you might not want to do it, then you end up filled with regret.”
“But I like praying, Dad, and I like killing.”
“You ever killed a motherfucker?”
“No, but—”
“You not a fuckin’ killer cuz you fuck up small, defenseless animals. You a fuckin’ coward.”
“So, I should’ve killed Bash? And I only sacrificed animals to save Mom.”
