a bag. Hell, make it two. Whatever you can fucking carry out of
here. While you do that I ’ m
going to double check my gun, make sure it ’ s
ready. You know why? ”
Ella didn ’ t respond.
“ Because
if you don ’ t have yourself
and that baby out of here in five minutes, I ’ ll
kill you. And it . ”
Jerry kissed Ella ’ s forehead again and then broke
away from her. He walked away slow, going down the stairs, disappearing.
Ella didn ’ t waste a second because she knew Jerry wasn ’ t joking.
Charging into the master bedroom,
she put Beck on the bed. Her heart wanted to weep but her mind knew there wasn ’ t time now for that. She grabbed
a bag from the closet. It was already packed. She had packed it weeks
ago and left it there, hidden. It had enough clothing for her and for Beck to
last a long while. She then ran to Beck ’ s
nursery to get diapers, wipes, powder, bottles, and his diaper bag. There were
some toys and a blanket or two.
Carrying a baby in one arm and bags
in the other, Ella nibbled on her tongue as she took down the stairs, trying to
keep her emotions in check, along with her balance. She walked to the door and
looked back, once, and saw Jerry standing there with his gun. The keys to the
car were hung up.
Ella shut the door and felt her
eyes fill with tears.
Her mind asked, has it been five
minutes yet?
She didn ’ t know and wasn ’ t
going to test the waters. She hurried to the car.
Ella backed down the driveway and
drove away, knowing she would probably never see the house again. At the first
stop sign, she sat there longer than the required two seconds. She gripped the
wheel tight and wept as silent as she could. In the backseat, baby Beck kicked
and played with a toy, making baby noises.
He knows nothing but innocence.
Yet the only place Ella knew to go
right now was anything but innocent.
nine.
Blaine tied the final piece of rope
around the Coast Road MC member ’ s
hand. Gaige stood behind the chair with a gun to the guy ’ s head. Miller finished a smoke and tossed it to
the concrete floor, scattering glowing embers. Nate made fists, standing next
to Jace and Landon.
They caught the fucking prick less
than a quarter mile from the south side of the lot. Lots of junker cars and
whatnot back there. Lots of bodies buried there too. No reason for anyone to be
there. Especially a guy running around in a black t-shirt.
Nate found the Coast Road MC cut
under the hood of a car.
The guy sat there, rope in his
mouth, eyes wide. The veins in his arms were thick like pipes, throbbing with
fear and whatever drugs the asshole pumped into himself to look so big and
tough.
Miller made a fist and released it. “ I have to say … for all the ‘ roids you take, you fell hard,
man. Really fucking hard. One punch from a guy like me. ”
“ Let
me do it, ” Gaige said. “ Let me fucking do it, Miller. ”
“ Hold
up, ” Miller said. He
grabbed a chair and sat down. He was just a few feet away from the guy. “ Take the rope out of his mouth. ”
Gaige loosened the rope and let it
fall down the guy ’ s neck.
“ That
better? ” Miller asked.
“ Fuck
you, ” the guy said.
“ Tell
me your name. ”
“ Fuck
you. ”
“ Fuck
me, ” Miller said. “ They all say that. Fuck me. Fuck
me. Fuck me. ” Miller put
his hand out and nodded to Landon. “ Give
me the cut. ”
Landon handed Miller the Coast Road
MC leather cut. It was complete disrespect to touch another man ’ s cut. It was even worse to
touch another MC ’ s cut.
“ Smells
like shit, ” Miller said. “ Smells like scum. ” Miller dropped the cut and then
put a foot on it.
“ You
fucking piece of shit, ” the
guy said. “ You step on my cut?
I ’ ll step on your fucking
throat. ”
Miller grinned. “ Tough guy. You were fucking
around my lot. My territory. I bet you have others waiting, huh? Coming around
in the dark. Taking off your cut so we wouldn ’ t
know. The fake biceps gave it