Page 24 of Relentles
“Fuck, no! Youshouldnakilled Bash. And your ma love everyfuckinthing.”
Fuck, she preferred rescuing bugs that got in the house and bringing them outside to stomping the motherfuckers.
“If you would’ve killed motherfuckin’ Bash, you’d be marked for death and our clubs would go to war. I had to let Bash and Cleaner live to get the word out that you, your brothers, and Ryan are off-limits. You’re not a club member, son—”
Diesel’s return interrupted Christopher. “I called Aunt Kendall. She took Brooks to her house. I didn’t tell her UncleJohnnie was shot, but she knows something is up,” he said as he walked to the table and dropped heavily into it.
“You did good, boy,” Christopher complimented, his arms still around Rule.
“Shit still could’ve went south with Bash, little dude,” Digger said. “His brothers could’ve been laying in wait. Anything could’ve happened.”
Sniffling, Rule straightened and wiped his arm over his runny nose. “Rebel told Bash that Uncle Mort was at the mall waiting for us.”
The words hit Christopher’s brain in slow motion. He stared at Rule, widened his eyes, then narrowed them.
“Rebel? Diesel thundered.
“When was this?” Stretch said. “I haven’t gotten an alert…” He groaned. “Mattie intercepted the signal.”
Rule nodded.
“Fuck, little priest,” Mort said. “You didn’t have to pretend to tell me. All you had to do was call and I would’ve come.”
“Bash is a bad motherfucker,” Ransom said, and grinned. “Did he make Rebel cry?”
“If that motherfucker did, we will set booby traps for him.” Ryder high-fived Ransom. “Reb’s a mean cunt but she’s our sister, and we won’t let no motherfucker fuck with her.”
“Yeah,” Axel agreed. “Only we can make her cry.”
“No, he didn’t make her cry,” Rule said quietly. “She was ready to square up.”
Christopher blinked. “The fuck you say!”
“Rebel…she wanted tofighta grown man?” Diesel asked in shock.
“Yeah. Rebel didn’t back down. I wanted Devon to come with me, while Rebel stayed with Mattie at the mall.” Rule nodded to Stretch, as if to acknowledge his guess that she’d interfered with the monitoring. “Bash told Rebel her words were wounding him,and she said not bad enough because he wasn’t bleeding.” He smiled, his eyes glazing at the memory.
“That’s a bad bitch,” Ransom said in awe.
Axel smirked at Diesel. “Your bitch don’t stand a chance against Rebel. I’m going to be Reb’s best friend, until she beat your bitch so bad there’s nothing left of her but blood and skin.”
Christopher found Diesel’s non-reaction very fucking interesting. Megan didn’t care for Tabitha but was tolerating her on Diesel’s behalf. His sudden marriage to her shocked the entire family. Yet, he allowed his brothers more than a little disrespect toward her. Either he’d stopped loving her or never had. Another son he had to have a heart-to-heart with.
“Dad!” Axel called, sitting at the table and swinging his legs. “There was once a pug and a cat that went on trial. It’s called due process.”
“It was a pig and a rat, dummy,” Ryder corrected.
“I remember pug and cat—”
“If we look hard enough, I’m sure there’s a precedence for that,” Ransom said. Hands behind his back, he started pacing in the small aisle between Christopher’s table and several smaller ones. “The point my co-defendant is trying to make is evenanimalshad a chance to plead their cases.”
“And a speedy trial,” Ryder said. “You’re fucking talking like our asses aren’t throbbing in fear and anticipation of your belt. Have some compassion, man!”
Christopher snickered. His boys were creative if nothing else. “What the fuck happened to the pug and the cat?”
“Pig and rat,” Ryder said.
“The motherfuckers,” Christopher amended.
