He sucked in the air that I was brutally taken away from him, looking me right in the eyes. He stated, “Too many to fuckin’ count.”
“So, it was all a setup? The shootouts?” I gritted through a clenched jaw, wanting to choke him the fuck out.
“Yes. Except the first one that took place here, at the clubhouse... that wasn’t for Mia,” he paused, letting his words sink in. “That was for Autumn. Your other fuckin’ whore.”
My eyes widened, jerking back, never expecting him to say that.
“You had to play fuckin’ hero, and Marcus couldn’t grab her. You remember him, right? Sinner’s Rejoice were never the threat per se, they were workin’ for me. Takin’ little girls from their beds at night, snatchin’ more at the fuckin’ store. All. For. Me. But it don’t matter, you ended up killin’ Autumn before they could go to New York and fuckin’ collect her! It’s safe to say that one is on you.”
I cocked my arm back, shouting, “You son of a bitch!” clocking in him the face, not once but four times before he even got the last word out, sending his body to the ground with blood gushing from his nose.
He laughed, spitting up crimson onto the ground, trying to hold up his head, pinching his nose. “I didn’t think you’d figure out I had Mia so fuckin’ fast after the shootout at your ma’s! They were almost here! If it weren’t for her bleedin’ the fuck out, and the stupid motherfuckers that Sinner’s hired haulin’ ass too fuckin’ quick, she would have been fuckin’ collected!” he chuckled, leaning his back up against the wall. Wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. “So, I had to wait again... it didn’t take long until you fucked up! Shoulda never took her outside, who knew you were such a pussy, makin’ her a fuckin’ picnic. I gotta say, though... havin’ her lose her bastard of a baby and memory, now that’s been fuckin’ fun to watch!”
“You were the fuckin’ traitor!” I kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could. He immediately peeled over to his side. “That’s why you suggested the safe house! This has been your obsession all along! You sick motherfucker! I will make you pay for that! Do you hear me?! That was your fuckin’ grandbaby, you piece of fuckin’ shit!” I kicked him two more times.
My chest heaved, and my eyes burned. All I saw was fucking red. Rage couldn’t even come close to describing how I felt in that moment. It took over every last fiber of my being.
“For what?! To make me loyal to you?! That’s what this is about! All you want is for me to live and breathe this fuckin’ club! Well, I hate this fuckin’ club!” I shouted, kicking him three more times.
He groaned, clenching his stomach. Coughing up blood from the blows I was delivering with my boot.
“Get up! Get up, motherfucker, before I fuckin’ kill you!”
“Creed, I—”
The double doors to the conference room suddenly flew open, bringing our attention over to him. The man I’d been waiting for, showed up just in the nick of time before I ended my father’s life. His stare went from me to Pops and back to me again, quickly taking in the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.
“I hate to interrupt this father and son bonding moment, but I got places to be and people to see,” Damien announced, walking into the room. Closing the door behind him.
“The fuck is he doin’ here?”
He smiled, slamming his briefcase on the table, taking a seat where my old man had been sitting. “I’m slumming it. That’s what the fuck I’m doing here. Now, get your ass up off the floor, we got business to discuss.” Damien shuffled through all the photos and documents laying out in front of him, even though he was more than familiar with them all. Having stacks of his own and then some at his office.
Pops rolled over onto his side. Holding onto his stomach, trying to keep it together as he picked himself up to his feet. Using the wall for leverage to stand, taking way too fucking long to be upright. He finally stood, hunched over, walking his way back to the table. Sitting in the head seat.
Where he still thought he fucking belonged.
“This her?” Damien asked, holding up the picture of Mia.
I nodded, sitting in one of the seats adjacent to both of them.
“You like them young, eh? Seems like your daddy does, too.”
“Fuck you,” I scoffed out, glaring at him.
He held up his hands in the air in a surrendering gesture. “No judgment. I’m all for young pussy. It’s much tighter that way,” he rasped, smiling.
“The fuck is goin’ on?” Prez chimed in again, wheezing for air.
“May I?” Damien questioned, glancing at me.
I nodded again.
He placed the picture back down on the table, pulling out a small recorder from the inside of his suit jacket. Setting it up in front of him. Appearing to be the non-corrupt man, the law-abidding citizen everyone knew him to be. His hair was slicked back into a bun, not a strand out of place. His white suit was crisp and clean, not one wrinkle could be seen. He played the educated, clean-cut lawyer well. Even his tone of voice and dialect was different.
He was portraying El Santo now, far from the man I had been negotiating with these last few months. It was like he had two different personalities.
The sinner and the saint.
“Anything that you say in here from this point forward is confidential between all parties present.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
He rolled his eyes, sighing, “It means I’m here to save your sorry fucking ass. I have all the evidence I need to place you behind bars for life. Thanks to your son here.” He nodded to me. “Honestly, I don’t give a flying fuck if you serve time or not. I want to become District Attorney, so I’m here to make you a deal. You give up every fucking name involved in this fucked up mess. Tell me the information I need to know and sign this plea bargain, which clearly states you’re fucking guilty for committing all these crimes. And I’ll make sure you don’t serve a life sentence at Riker’s Island where you’ll get fucked in the ass every night by men who will make you bleed just for fun. Now... are those words you understand?”
“You ain’t got shit!”
“These files?” He gestured to the evidence on the table. “This ain’t shit?” He pulled out more from his briefcase and slid them over to him across the table. “What about these? Those shit, too? What? You need more shit? Because I have plenty of shit back at my office. You just tell me how much shit you need, and I’ll make sure you’re knee deep in it.”