Six(9)

Chapter Three

Blade



I can practically feel the sting and my jaw swelling. He was pissed at me for coming home late. That shit started happening when my mom left. Piper was little and for years, he didn't touch her. It wasn't until I grew up and stood over him that he started hitting her instead. I tried everything to get him to stop.

That night was the worst. He started in on me and I told him to fuck off. I slammed my bedroom door and cranked the music to drown him out. I thought things were going to smooth over until I heard her cries between songs. Turning the knob, I knew instantly this would be the last night with my father. I would either kill him or he was going to jail. I called 911 before leaving my bedroom. If I went to jail, so fucking be it.

I opened her door to see him smack her in the face. Her body flies onto her bed and she holds her face when she lands. I stop him before he touches her again, diving straight for his stomach. We fall onto the bed and I scream for Piper to go to my room. She listened.

We struggle for control and break everything in her room in the process. Her toy box, dresser, and bed crumbled every time one of us landed.

The police finally showed up and pulled me off of him. We were both handcuffed and they took Piper away in a van. I was released, my father was not. He died a few months later in prison.

The state wouldn't let me have Piper back, said I was too young.



"It's time to head that way." Beast interrupts my thoughts. I can't stop the feeling I've got. It reminds me of when I had no control and that fucker made sure I knew that.

I grab the last bundle of chains and toss my cigarette butt on the ground, stepping on it as I walk by.

Beast and Shadow don't say a word on the drive, they know this shit gets to me.

I park with my headlights on bright and shining directly in his eyes. They've moved him to the yard. The asshole is on the ground, with ropes restraining his every movement. His eyes are already almost swollen shut from the abuse my Prospects have unleashed on him.

Beast hands me the file I need to see. Pictures of him punching a little boy, still shots of him kicking the kid in the stomach, a picture of three cigarette burns on the boy's chest and I'm done looking. I run my palm through my hair, trying to take a deep breath. The hardest part about tonight will be not killing this mother fucker.

"Chain him up. I want him to see me." They pull his arms up with the chains dragging them across the top of the engine lift. The sound of metal on metal screaming through the dark night make me ready to get started on this. Too bad it'll be a short one.

"How come I'm seeing pictures of you punching your fucking kid?" I get in his face to make sure he knows I'm here. He's coherent. I can always tell. Their tears fall when they see me coming like this.

"I'll never do it again." His words escape through a cry.

"I know you won't." I signal for the guys to pull the chains tighter... I need him eye level. This fucker won't stand up straight to face me. "I'm going to make sure of that."

I walk back to my truck, place an unlit cigarette in between my lips and grab my tool box. Beast gives me a nod when I walk back by.

Standing in front of this man's face, I light my torch.

"I'm not going to kill you. I'm gonna be a nice guy. I'll give you a chance to be the father that kid deserves, because I never had that."

"Thank you."

"Don't fucking thank me. Thank Beast. He made that call. The burns on that boy's chest make me sick. Did you do that to him?" The whisper of my torch gets louder as I raise the flame to light my cigarette. As I inhale, he starts to cry.

Leaving the torch lit in one hand, I pull the cigarette to my side in the other. Leaning forward, I ask him again.

"Did you fucking burn that boy?" My spit splatters against his neck as I talk through disgust.

"I won't do it again," he cries out. I step back. I want him to see me. I want his nightmares to be filled with this vision.

I slide my knife out from the inside of my boot. This is my signature. I always leave a reminder of the night they came face to face with me. That's how I got my name. Tex gave it to me the first night we met.

I run the flame over the clip blade I carry with me everywhere. Slipping my cigarette between my lips, I cut his shirt from his shoulders. He knows the blade is hot and is trembling at the anticipation of it touching his skin. I won't let that happen. Not until I'm ready anyway.

My hair falls in my eyes before I finish. I turn and make eye contact with Beast, Shadow, and the Prospect. This is my way of showing Beast that I'm in check.

"If I ever see that boy hurt, I'll fucking find you. I'll have eyes on him. I'll have eyes on you. You won't be able to take a piss without me knowing."