Hector looked around, confused, and then noticed the empty space in front of room 20. “She must've looped around an' rescued those two bitches while these dickheads were layin' down covering fire.”
Gaspar nodded at Hunter appreciatively. “Very good. She's quite smart, isn't she, this sister of yours? Clearly, she got both the looks and the brains in your family.” He turned to another enforcer who had teardrop tattoos under his eye and a scar twisting his upper lip. “Jorge, find her. She's probably not much of a threat without these biker cretins to back her up, but she could still be used to persuade them, if it comes to that.”
Jorge nodded, jogging around to the far side of the motel.
Good, Missy thought. It'll take him a few minutes to make it around to me. I can use that to try to figure out what to do.
But so far, she couldn't think of anything.
Chapter 40
Missy
“Okay, Gaspar, you win,” Hunter said. “You trapped us. You killed a bunch of us. You've got us right where you want us. Just tell me what it'll take for you to let the rest of my guys go. You want the town? Fuck it, it's yours. We'll clear out an' let you have it, as long as this ends now.”
Missy heard the fear and shame in Hunter's voice. She knew that he was disgusted by the idea of bowing down for a shitstain like Gaspar, but she also knew that even if the rest of the Eagles made it out of this alive, Hunter would never be able to forgive himself for the men he lost tonight. Backing down to a man who'd already gotten away with murdering so many of his brothers in arms was bad enough, but being responsible for the absolute extinction of the club would be even worse.
Besides, it'd be straight-up suicide to keep fighting back now that we're so fucked, Missy thought. So what other choice does he have?
“I'm afraid it's not quite so simple anymore,” Gaspar answered. “Yes, I could just accept your surrender now and let it go at that, I suppose. Allow you to run off into the night while I celebrate my victory. But how could I be certain that you'd stay gone, hmm? You are extremely proud men, after all, are you not? Surely you wouldn't content yourselves with such an outcome, once you'd escaped immediate danger. Surely you would rebuild your precious club with more drifters and thugs, and come back seeking revenge. Such things are hardwired within you, yes? 'Death Before Dishonor,' and all that.”
“We ain't gonna seek no revenge,” Hunter assured him. “Like I said, you won. Period. We learned our lesson about messin' with you cartel guys, an' we're not gonna do it again. We just want a chance to get back on our bikes an' go find a new place to be. That's all. You want me to swear to it, one outlaw to another? Fuck it, I'll swear an oath right now.”
“I wipe my ass on your oaths and promises,” Gaspar spat. “When you sneak through my window in a year or two with a dagger in your teeth, what will I say then? 'No, wait, you can't, you promised?' Please. You've clearly mistaken me for a stupid man.”
“Then what, goddamn it?” Hunter yelled. “What do you want? You coulda wiped us out already, but you didn't, so what? You want me, huh? You wanna kill me, just to make your big fuckin' point? Fine, do it! Grab a knife an' go to town, man! Just get it over with an' let my guys go!”
Missy's hand went to her mouth in terror. The thought of Hunter giving himself up to the whims of this animal made her blood turn to ice in her veins.
Gaspar sneered. “I don't want you dead. As you say, I could have had that already, if it was what I wanted. No, I want you broken. You and every other biker in this country who might even think of challenging me. I want you so humiliated and ruined that you could never even look another outlaw in the face ever again. I want the entire world to know that you are not real men anymore, just a pack of whipped, pathetic bitches. Then, and only then, will I be safe from you and your kind.”
“And just how the fuck do you expect that to happen?” Cain asked.
“I'm very glad that you asked,” Gaspar replied, his eyes glowing with dark amusement. “As I mentioned before, Pauline has been...shall we say, 'entertaining' me and some of my men while we've been staying here. But unfortunately, it seems as though she's no longer available.”
Missy listened from around the corner, not liking the sound of this one bit.
“So it seems to me,” Gaspar continued mildly, “that the most obvious solution to this problem is to have one of your Eagles take her place.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Hunter growled in disbelief.
“Ah, it appears as though I have been obtuse,” Gaspar said. “Forgive me. I shall clarify. You will choose one of your Eagles to replace dear Pauline. That man will be held down by several of my men while I use a chisel to break the teeth out of his mouth, since gums tend to slide much more easily. Then you will watch us take turns fucking every hole in his body until we become bored with him. Then—and only then—will you and your men be permitted to leave in peace, along with the biker we've made a whore of.”