Page 89 of Notorious

He has to pay.

There’s no way around it.

It’s the rules of the club, and we follow them closely.

“Maverick, take off Swift’s shirt. He betrayed the club, tried to take over, and plotted my demise. That is not what loyalDefiance brothers do.”

Mav rips Swift’s shirt from his back while the others hold him. “Rip, get the iron ready,” I tell him.

Swift shakes his head back and forth. “No, Alpha. You don’t have to do this,” he urges as Rip walks off to grab the branding iron and blow torch.

I let out a scoff. “You have a Defiance MC logo tattoo, Swift. We can’t let you continue to wear it. Even in death, that tattoo cannot remain on your skin. You are no longer Defiance. It has to be removed.”

I risk a glance at Haven, but she doesn’t seem fazed, so I continue as Rip brings over the branding iron and the blow torch. But then Haven stands beside me, taking the blow torch and flicking it on, a small smile appearing on her face.

I should have guessed none of this would bother this woman—in fact, she’s probably done worse.

Smirking, I tilt the iron into the flame, the tip glowing a bright yellow within a few moments. Sweat trickles down Swift’s temple before Maverick, Loki, and South bend him over a stool, his back on full display. His breathing is harsh and fast.

“Swift, you are no longer a brother of Defiance. We banish you from this club and all other Defiance chapters. You betrayed the brotherhood, and for that, you must pay with your flesh.”

Gates lets out a small laugh, shaking his head. “Are these theatrics entirely necessary? Just get on with it,” he grumbles, and I glance at Haven.

He knows what’s coming, unlike his father, who doesn’t seem to grasp the pain his son is about to endure. I line the hot branding iron up with Swift’s Defiance MC tattoo and press down onto his skin. His flesh burns, bubbling and blistering when Swift bucks back, trying to free himself from our brothers’ hold. Smoke wafts through the air, the smell of burning flesh flooding the area as the pigs begin to go stir crazy, banging intothe side of the pen. The smell of blood sets them off. It puts them into a frenzy, and Swift is already bleeding from his injured knee, which only adds to their intense appetite.

When I bring the iron down to burn more of the tattoo from his skin, the ink leaves his body, the burns etching deep into his tissue when I push harder to make the pain worse. My devil comes out to play as I wreak the havoc of making him suffer. The iron burns more of his flesh, the sizzle of his skin, teamed with his painful screams, floods me with some kind of peace.

Peace at knowing he knows what it feels like when you come after me and my club.

When you threaten my family and those I love.

He screams louder while I finish burning the last of his tattoo from his back, his body falling limp as the boys continue their hold on him. My eyes shift to his father’s face. A hint of sympathy lingers in his eyes, and I want to see Gatesreallyfeel the weight of his decision to pull Swift into this, to know the full force of the shit he made his son do.

“Lift him,” I instruct.

The guys hoist Swift’s deadweight body to a standing position, though he struggles to stay upright. He pants through his nose with the pain he’s experiencing.

“You did all this for your father’s approval, and even at the end, he’s still not fighting for you.” I step up to him, standing right before him, shaking my head. “Was it worth it?”

He glances at his father, his left eye twitching, and then he turns back to me. “He is the way he is solely because of whatyoudid to him and whatyoumade him into, Alpha. I could have had a normal father if it weren’t foryou. If I have to die trying to prove myself to him, then that is what I am willing to do.”

Shaking my head, I let out an exhale and reach over to Haven, sliding her knife from the back of her pants. She doesn’t try to stop me before I bring the knife up, assessing it. “It’s a shame,Swift… we had a good run, you and me. I trusted you as my second. You were there for me when everything went down with Poppy. When my marriage ended. You were a fucking good friend. But that was all a lie. Ican’tlet that shit slide, no matter how much your friendship meant to me. You betrayed everyone here at the club. Not just me. This betrayal is onallof us. So this, this is for the brothers of LA Defiance,” I tell him as I step up and shove the knife deep into his gut.

His eyes widen and he lets out an unholy gasp, Loki and Maverick still holding him tight. Their approving head nods tell me that I’m doing the right thing. Swift hunches over as I twist the knife, blood pouring over my hand while I slice his stomach enough for some of his entrails to begin sliding out of his stomach.

The pigs are in a frenzy behind us, almost knocking the barricade down when I signal to Loki and Maverick. “Throw the traitor in.”

“Gladly,” Loki replies before he and Mav hoist a bleeding-out Swift over the railing and into the pigsty. The pigs don’t hesitate as they begin their ravenous rampage and chow down on Swift, racing for the open wound on his stomach first. His screams filter through the air and we stand back, watching him being eaten alive by our four pet pigs. Their bloodlust as they chew on Swift is contagious. Haven and I lean over the railing to watch Swift’s demise when Gates breaks free of South and String’s grip, rushing for the barricade.

“My God, no! Son! Son! What have they done to you?” He leaps over the barricade, rushing to Swift’s aid. My body tenses, watching my CO in the pigsty.

I know what will happen, but I let it happen anyway.

Fajita turns. A red haze in her eyes while she charges for Gates. His eyes widen as he turns to run for the barricade, but it is too late. She knocks him over, and he falls flat on his front, hisnose bloody. Fajita rolls him over and immediately gnaws on his bloody face.

Gates screams, trying to get Fajita off him, but we all stand back, watching the two men slowly die right in front of us, no one saying a word. The screams begin to slow, eventually stopping as the pigs continue their frenzy, eating as much as they can—skin, bones, and organs.

It’s fucking chaos.

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