Page 184 of Relentles
She nodded to Diesel, the first time she’d acknowledged him in days.
“I have a lot on my mind.” She looked at Christopher, not caring that the well had opened. “But another thing I’ve thought about is I thought I had more time with CJ. My other sons,” she added off-handedly. She swallowed. Looked at Johnnie. “I don’t. From the moment I gave birth to them, their path was set.
She smiled, all the more tragic because of her tears.
“That was never more obvious than this past week. My boys knew what was happening, but Christopher, all of you, framed it as a club matter. That I’m the mother didn’t matter. Club code ruled.”
“We were trying to protect you, Aunt Meggie,” Diesel croaked.
At least, he could fucking talk. Christopher couldn’t say a motherfucking thing.
“As your sons,” Diesel said desperately. “It wasn’t meant as disrespect.”
“No matter the intention, the outcome was disrespect. All of you humiliated me.”
“Megan, baby—”
“I’m so sorry, Aunt Megan,” Diesel told her, interrupting Christopher.
She nodded to Diesel. “Forgiven, son.”
She was still sitting down, still not standing like the rest of the women. She fell silent, lifted her chin, and glanced away.
“Tell me what to do, Megan,” Christopher said.
“I already told you. If you kill Johnnie, go and kill Torie.”
“Doyouwant Johnnie dead?”
Instead of answering, she asked, “If Brett hadn’t turned out to be a total piece of trash and propositioned Rebel, would you have still killed him?”
“Fuck, yeah! He fucked with you.”
“Yeah, but I’d handled the situation. I didn’t want Brett to die because he was a lustful jackass with a god complex. Even if he’d only flirted with me, you would’ve killed him. And you would’ve cut his tongue out if he even thought to chastise Rebel. You’re very territorial.”
“Fuck, Megan,” he stormed. “The motherfucker already fucked up. All that peripheral bullshit unfuckinnecessary, cuz it ain’t fuckin’ gluin’ his pieces the fuck back together. Tell me what the fuck you want me to do withthismotherfucker.” He used his gun to single out Johnnie, although he lowered it after. “I can’t be any plainer.”
He wanted her sweet words, a kiss blown his way, and a dirty promise. Like Bailey said, this wasfamily. He wanted Megan to talk him down.
“You know what I want you to do, moron.”
It wasn’t what he wanted.
He glared at Johnnie. “Are you fuckin’ with Bash?”
Johnnie hesitated a second too long before he shook his head. “No.”
“I want you to give Stretch your cell phones and all your electronic devices.” Christopher reholstered his gun. He looked at Stretch. “Get a hard copy of his cell phone records and a trackin’ report from the last eighteen months.” He looked at Johnnie again. “If you not nowhere near Salt Lake City and don’t have unfamiliar Utah numbers, then I’ll believe you.”
He’d compare any number from the area to the records of the brothers in the Utah chapters.
He glanced at his wife. She’d returned to being a block of ice. “Happy, Megan?”
She wasn’t. He’d lost her again.
She glowered at Johnnie, her guard slipping. However, when she looked at Kendall, her expression gentled. Against all odds, they’d bonded.
“If Johnnie’s a member of the fuckin’ club and betrays us, I fuckin’ bury him,” he blared. “I ain’t got a fuckin’ choice. What the fuck is wrong with you, you lil’ pain in the ass motherfucker. Club betrayal trump family ties. I ain’t givin’ a fuck if it’s father, brother, uncle, nephew, or son—”
