Sleepless Nights(81)

I might feel bad about beatin’ up a helpless guy in a hospital room but then I think about the hole in Ashley’s chest. All the tears she’s cried for Victor over the past decade. Now I know he’ll never be in the way again.

Rachel stands right outside the door once we return. She looks up as we approach and she grins. “Ash made it out of surgery. They said she’d make a full recovery.” Then she’s runnin’ into Court’s arms.

A heaviness leaves my shoulders and I fall to my knees. I knew she would make it through because if anythin’, Ashley is a fighter. A hand lands on my shoulder and I turn to see my pop. I raise one of my eyebrows and he nods.

I don’t say anythin’ as I get off the floor and follow Pop out of the hospital. Ryan is on my heels. “What about Lola?” I ask before I climb into the middle seat of Pop’s truck.

“She made friends with those three little hellions in there. She’s gonna stick around and see Ashley when she wakes up.” I nod and lean back, restin’ my head on the back of the seat. What I wouldn’t give to be able to sleep for one hundred years.

I’ll have to wait for a nap. After the bullet went through Ashley and me, Pop put one in Micah’s head. Then the rest of the brothers proceeded to put a bullet wherever they could. I heard from Charlie that you couldn’t even tell who he was anymore.

Sounds like a damn good way to die.

After that, Pop had the body moved and told the police the guy got away. Then they hand delivered the body to Barney. That’s where we’re headed now. And there’s only two ways it can go. Either war or peace.

When Pop pulls up to the expensive house, adrenaline pumps through my body. I’m ready for a fight even though I’ve lost blood and I’m in pain. Somethin’ is gonna have to come to a head. We can’t keep this shit goin’.

We killed one of Barney’s men, his own son. Though in fairness, he did shoot at a crowded lot full of bikers. Not the smartest move. I guess he thought we wouldn’t shoot back.

Fuckin’ dumbass.

Sage Benito stands at the entrance to the backyard. He glares at us but we ignore him. The three of us stop by him. Pop waves his hand forward. “No offense but I had one of you crazy Italians shoot up my club today. I ain’t givin’ you my back.”

Sage narrows his eyes but doesn’t say anythin’. He goes ahead of us and we follow in behind him. When we get to the backyard it makes me sick about how Barney made the money to pay for this place. They have no regard for human life, these people. They live by greed and savin’ their own skin. I could never sell flesh or get kids addicted to drugs. Don’t get me wrong, I do illegal shit myself but I’m not cruel or sadistic. The people I have killed are all grown adults who did somethin’ to deserve it.

“Blade. Rage. Storm.” Barney’s old ass nods at everyone while he sits on a throne on the back patio. His other bosses sit around him, all younger but still look as if they lived a harsh life. That’s how Barney picks them. They have to rise through the ranks from the bottom and these men didn’t let anyone get in their way.

“Barney,” Pop replies, standin’ with his arms behind his back. Pop’s hand’s aren’t usually very far from his gun. I learned to live that way myself.

“Can I offer you gentlemen anything to drink? Or to eat?” Barney asks while he brings a coffee up to his lips. Looking at him you wouldn’t even know his youngest son died. Hell, the only one who seems to give a shit is Sage.

“Thanks but I’m gonna have to say fuck no.” Pop nods at Barney and I can tell he wants to go over there and strangle the bastard. “If we could get on with this meetin’? My daughter–in-law is gonna live so I’m keen to get my boy back to her.”

Tensions seem to disappear after Pop’s words. Barney stands to his feet and walks closer to us. “I’m happy to hear that. I was afraid I’d have to find a new doctor and put hits out on all of Ashley’s brothers.”

“Don’t worry. If Ashley had passed, you wouldn’t have seen it comin’. We’d sneak in the cover of darkness and slit your throat where you sleep,” Pop tells him before lookin’ back at Sage. “Man boy back there would have gained a similar fate.”

Barney sucks in through his teeth. “I don’t much like being threatened.”

Pop chuckles and brings his hands in front of him to crack his knuckles. Everyone tenses up again. “I ain’t threatenin’ you. I’m statin’ a fact. I told your ass to get a hook on that boy of yours. I told you he was gonna do somethin’ stupid and look what happened. He’s dead with eighty somethin’ bullet holes in his body. Had about five minutes to scrape him off the sidewalk for the cops got there. Wasn’t much fun.”