“Ryan?”
“I haven’t done anything, Uncle Christopher,” Ryan said, on the verge of fucking fainting.
“Nothin’ that I fuckin’ know of, but if you even fuckin’thinkabout fuckin’ over the club, Ima combine your fuckin’ punishments.”
Diesel’s groan joined Stretch’s. The club treasurer sat up and grabbed his lower back, while sweat popped off Diesel.
“Johnnie?”
Motherfucker cleared his throat. “Yes?”
“How the fuck you met Easton?”
The day Easton visited, Christopher saw him and Johnnie talking. Unfortunately, the cameras hadn’t picked up the conversation.
“Through a business meeting,” Johnnie said quietly.
“If I find out different, if that motherfucker here cuz of Bash, I’m cuttin’ his fuckin’ head off and yours, too.”
“My head’s safe then.”
Not responding, Christopher studied the room, deciding how best to fuck up the other motherfuckers. Maybe fucking line them against a wall and spray them with fucking bullets? Certainly, Dementor needed his eyeballs and his tongue carved out, and his head chopped off. Or, maybe, he needed to shit himself and watch Pixels and Tyre’s torture?
Before he decided, Megan’s ringtone blasted into the silence.
Almost scared to answer and discover CJ’s condition had worsened, Christopher yanked his phone out of his pocket and returned to the podium. Although Diesel wasn’t making a sound, tears were running down his cheeks.
Christopher pressed the speakerphone icon and set the phone next to Diesel’s impaled hand.
“Baby?”
“He still hasn’t awakened,” Megan said, so hoarse and pitiful, Christopher’s heart almost stopped. She sniffled. “He’s supposed to be okay—”
“Mom!” Rule called. “Talk to Dad, please. Please, Mom. Diesel’s hand is impaled and Dad threatened me. There are bodies here and…and…Mom,helpus!”
A moment of silence passed before she drew in a sobby breath.
“You have Diesel’s hand impaled?”
Christopher glowered at Rule. He’d opened his big mouth and, now, Megan would ruin his fun.
“Rebel wants to talk to him,” Megan went on.
“I got a fuckin’ job for him first,” Christopher said sourly.
“What?” she asked suspiciously, still so fucking devastated but always a ma.
“Fuck up Joplin and Gail,” Christopher snapped. “He gotta prove his loyalty,” he added in case she’d changed her mind.
“Mom, didn’t you hear me?” Rule cried.
“Perfectly,” Megan said. “I’m unworthy of your exalted presence, so I’m unworthy to insert myself in whatever punishment your daddy has planned.”
“Meggie—”
“Shut up, Digger. I’m never talking to you again.”
“I was just worried! I didn’t mean to disparage the kid—”
