Page 60 of Bounty
Striker knocked me on the side of the head, and I growled. “You shouldn’t have brought your fucking ass to that signing.”
“You don’t think I regret that decision?” I barked. “Effie…Effie’s…” I couldn’t fucking finish. I’d never been in a position where I had to choose between my club life and attending to a gravely injured person I loved. I felt torn in two, my head split between duty to my patch and the need to be at Effie’s side.
“The bounty was on your fucking head,” Striker continued. The derision on his face crucified me. “Pretty Boy Floyd. Nothing but a fuck-up. Don’t belong in that fucking cut.”
If Cash hadn’t shoved me behind him, I would’ve struck Striker, and then that would’ve been my ass. He was an officer, while my classification was a special enforcer, above a regular member, but not on par with him.
“Let’s just get those motherfuckers in here, deal with them, and hit the road before this ends badly,” Saw said.
“That okay with you, Striker?” Cash gritted.
I could almost hear his teeth gnashing.
“Do it and then get the fuck out and don’t set foot here again.”
Ziggy and two unfamiliar Dwellers quickly marched in three bound and gagged motherfuckers. Their fear pleased me, though their attempts to speak worked on my fucking nerves.
“Shut them the fuck up,” Striker ordered. Three of my brothers hurried over and knocked the fuckheads out with the butts of their guns.
Dislike blazing in his eyes, Cash looked at Striker. “You’re offing them,Prez?”
Striker smirked at me. “We rescued his bitch. Let Pretty Boy Floyd do the honors.”
I regretted leaving my machete in my saddlebag. After lopping off Dutch’s head, I’d wiped the blade on my black jeans and hurried to Effie. Before I rode out, I shoved the knife away and left it there when we arrived here.
“I think all those camera flashes gave him amnesia.” Striker laughed at his own joke. “He don’t even know what the fuck to do anymore.”
Suddenly, I understood Drifter’s determination to join Riker in Vegas and Dad’s insistence that he lead his own chapter. My twin belonged to the most powerful chapter and Dad fostered loyalty and unity. Perhaps, Striker agreed to start the Austin chapter because of the same competition that led him to his road name.
Once I’d been Floyd Elmont, then Pretty Boy Floyd, but I was Slice. I was abikerand I’d die for my colors. A part of me wished I had the chance to form my own chapter. If I brought in money, Riker would stay out of my way. My first order of business would be an alliance with the Death Dwellers.
I wasSlice, the man Effie loved, even in a delirious state. Hopefully, I got the chance to prove myself worthy.
I studied the three unconscious men, wishing they were aware they didn’t have long to live.
Cash followed my line of vision, sipped from a bottle of beer, then took a drag of his cigarette. “You don’t need a knife to slice a motherfucker. Broken glass works, too. Jagged metal. Even hard plastic.”
He was right.
“Head shots are quick and easy, but not nearly as satisfying,” he continued, smoked again, then finished his beer and held out the bottle to me.
Smiling, I took it and got to work.
Once I awakened in my hospital room and Mom, Dad, Cass, and Heath filled in my blank spots, it all rushed back to me, including Dutch and Buck’s gory deaths. I had a host of sprains, bruises, breaks, and contusions.
I couldn’t believe how my sister hugged me so tightly and burst into tears. Hopefully, it was a new beginning for us. Dadand Heath hovered. And my mom?
For the rest of my life, I’d carry her words with me.
“Effie, my darling, I’d never been so terrified in the hours you were gone.”
Hours? It had felt like days.
“I’ve made so many mistakes with you along the way. From this moment forward, I won’t interfere with your life. As long as you’re safe and happy. If you want Slice, I support your decision one hundred percent. I love you. I should never have raised my hand to you. That was unworthy of me. I lived my life. You deserve no less. I hope you can forgive me one day.”
“You’re forgiven, Mom,” I said hoarsely. “I love you so much.”
Over the course of the next few hours, I noted the luxury of my surroundings. Shades of creams and browns decorated the expansive room. My bed stood against a wall midway between the left side with a dining table and four chairs and the right side that had a sofa, loveseat, and coffee table. A huge TV hung on the wall across from me.
