"It was nice actually," Ford says, grinning. "It even had an onsite restaurant with really great burgers. Too bad you didn't come with us."
"If I had, who would have saved Bebe and Lula?"
"Oh, I'm sure someone could have managed it. We belong to a biker club, and those guys are kinda tough and stuff."
"Turd."
"Yeast infection." I frown at this insult, causing Ford to laugh. "Shay came up with that one."
"I think I hate her again."
Ford smacks me upside the head. "Tonight, after we make the fuckers bleed, let's go riding. I've been cooped up for too long."
"Shay hates you," I say. "It's why she makes you go on vacation."
Laughing, Ford tries to hit me again. I manage to dodge his hand and punch him in the stomach.
"Riding sounds good," I say, grabbing my coat. "Let go make Taz bleed."
I walk up the stairs to where Lula still colors. Devin and Donnie are watching TV, though I think the younger one wants to color too.
Stopping at Bebe's door, I knock then say, "We need to head out to work."
When Shay answers the door, I notice Bebe's been crying.
"Did you hear me?" I ask Shay, who shoves me away from the door.
"I heard you. Don't forget your bats and your guns," she says, moving around me so she can feel up my brother. "And your knives."
"Blowtorches too?" Ford asks, and I roll my eyes.
Bebe remains on the bed, wiping her eyes. I catch her gaze, and she looks so damn unhappy that I want to kill everyone.
"Be careful," she mouths then grins. "I still think throwing stars are a great idea."
Staring at her face, I nearly walk into the room and kiss her. I might have if Ford wasn't a few feet away, waiting to mock me.
"We'll be back late," I tell Bebe. "Order pizza and stay in the house."
When Bebe frowns at me, I'm unsure whether my tone or bossing her around bothers her.
"I'd rather stay at our house," Shay says, and I glare at her. Grinning at me, she continues, "I could unpack while we're waiting. Plus, I know where all the weapons are hidden. I mean, if you're really worried about our safety then…"
"Troublemaker," I growl, causing Shay to laugh so loud the kids peek down the hall to see why.
"You're staying here because Lula is getting used to her new home and sleeping somewhere else will freak her out. Now stop being a jackass and agree with me."
Shay's smile shifts. "You're such a softie."
Glancing at Bebe, I find her watching me in a really sexy way. With her gaze on me, I feel like pumping weights or at least flashing my muscles. If I made a single move on her, I sense she'd sleep with me this very moment.
Unfortunately, a dead man waits to make his fate official, and my bat is dying to swing. The reward for my good deeds will need to wait.
9
Pax
Dick Soccer
Taco is waiting for us at a blue house up the block from Taz's place. Ford and I don't arrive on our Harleys. Instead, we park a block over and walk through a few yards. Even if Taz doesn't have people on the lookout, Joker told us to come in quiet.
"Be cool," Ford says before we walk inside the house. "And don't look weak."
"Fuck off, hee-haw."
"I like that one."
Sharing a grin, we enter the house. Joker is standing in the kitchen while Taco sits on a chair next to a tiny Mexican lady.
"Graciela, these are my friends Ford and Pax," Taco says. "They're going to help me deal with the problem."
Clutching her crucifix, the woman nods. "Bad people live there. They party all night. People cry for help. The police show up and talk to the bad people. Once the police leave, it all starts again."
"Police have rules," I say. "We don't."
Ford joins Joker in the kitchen for only a minute before they both walk out and nod at Taco. I'm ready to rush into the house and kill everyone I see. Except I know they might have another woman like Bebe in their house or could be terrorizing another child like Lula. Even I know going in guns blazing isn't smart.
The sun has set, but the street remains quiet. Normally, potheads sit outside in front of their garages. Teenagers will walk up and down the streets, throwing rocks and being loud until someone bigger scares them away. Tonight, everyone is hiding because the Little Memphis Motorcycle Club has arrived.
Taz's house is quiet, like he knows we're coming. We expect resistance when we bust through the front and back doors. I even wonder if we're walking into an ambush.
What we find is an ambush, but one that went down hours earlier.
"Graciela said she heard a lot of yelling earlier," Taco explains as we stand in the living room where Taz is displayed. "Gunshots too, but she said there's always noise coming from this place."
"Not anymore," Ford says, using his bat to push over a dead kiddie thug.
"Someone scalped them," Joker whispers. "Who the hell do we know who scalps people?"
Bull scratches his bald head. "There was a drug dealer years ago who scalped his people if they came up short. He's dead though."