“Correction,” Trev said. “I have no fucking table. I’m outlaw.”
“Right, right. Whoever survives what I do down there, they’ll be under Jasper’s watch. I’ll oversee Jasper. Then we pay it all up. We’ll control every gang, crew, MC, every little fucking punk looking for a gun to knock off a store…”
Ripper’s eyes were wide and sick.
“I love it,” Trev said. “Want my thoughts?”
“No.”
“Okay. Just, I’ve seen this stuff before. I ran The Lost Men, Ripper. I commanded authority there and I ran it tight.”
“What’s your advice?”
“You’ve got to start the right way. Eden and Jenn. Leave your crew up here and go down into Frelen. I’ll go with you. I know the streets. I know the police. I know how to navigate around that lot. We do it.”
“No, no, too risky.”
“You trust Jasper? That motherfucker couldn’t even wake me up the right way.”
“How so?”
“He put a knife to my neck when I was mid dream, fucking some tight *. I woke up and grabbed his wrist. He looked ready to cry his eyes out. I could have taken that knife and slit his throat.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah,” Trev said. “That’s your number two? Fuck, Ripper, no wonder you’re struggling up here.”
Ripper pounded a hand to the table and stood up. “Who says I’m struggling? Miller?”
Trev saw the opportunity and ran with it. “Exactly. He thinks he’d wipe you out without even trying. He thinks he has leverage with Eden and Jenn. He’s going to use Jenn to get you. Have her call you, sweet talk you, whatever it takes. Hell, he’ll even have Eden call and play the daughter.”
“I know she’s not my fucking kid!” Ripper yelled. “That fat motherfucker was riding inside Jenn for years. And then Miller patched him in? After what he did?”
Miller didn’t know…
“Exactly,” Trev said again, playing into Ripper’s anger.
“Fine,” Ripper said. “This is how we’re going to do it.”
“Talk to me.”
Ripper put his hands to the table. “What do you want out of it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going to put your ass on the line for what?”
“Look at my fucking face, man. I want to see them suffer. Those two bitches need to die. Okay? Then I ride off and go where I belong. Outlaw. If I have to ask for something, I want protection. I want to be able to make one phone call and know my ass is covered.”
“Always something,” Ripper said. “Don’t fuck with me on this. I will kill you.”
Trev slowly rose up. He opened his arms. “Search me. Shoot me. I don’t give a fuck, Ripper. I’m trying to do right here. By the MC.”
That was the first part of truth Trev had said since getting to the charter.
“I want to do this today,” Ripper said.
“Today? Damn, brother.”
“Why wait?”
“What about your side deal? They need any attention?”
“You like this deal,” Ripper said. “Finally, someone shows interest. I’m actually meeting up with an associate in about three hours. Just to shake hands on a couple things. I can’t tell you what because I don’t fucking trust you. But I will let you shadow the run.”
“Are you going to shoot me and call it ambush?” Trev asked.
Ripper laughed. “You sick fucker. Don’t piss me off and you won’t end up like Giovanni.”
Trev smiled. “That’s a bold move, Ripper. Knocking off one of your own.”
“He was weak. Stupid Italian boy. I only patched him thinking his family could assist. They’re too straight, long out of the game. But the O’Nuall family… they didn’t like Giovanni…”
And there it was.
A double confession.
Trev had the confession to Giovanni’s murder and the confession to the O’Nuall family. Now he just needed to make a call to Miller and then put a bullet in the back of Ripper’s head.
“Good for you,” Trev said. “Standing your ground. It’s time for a change.”
Ripper stepped toward Trev. It felt like Ripper hadn’t blinked once or looked away from Trev.
“We’re not done yet here,” Ripper said.
“No?”
Ripper clamped a hand down on Trev’s shoulder. “How do I know you’re not digging on me? Huh? Going to run back to Miller like a bitch? How do I know Jenn hasn’t wrapped those pretty lips of hers around your dick and sucked you dry?”
“Again, look at my face.”
“Anyone could do that,” Ripper said. “I know that Jasper has been fucking Jenn. That bitch can’t keep her legs shut.”
“Damn. VP fucking your old lady. Not good.”
“It’s not. You’re going to fix it.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Show me I can trust you, Trev.”
“What do you need?”
Ripper grinned. “You’re going to kill Jasper. If not, I’m going to kill you.”
*
Trev now had a gun. He had ammo, too. Ripper had armed the man sent to kill him. But Trev also had a mission. He had to kill Jasper.
He walked to the bar and Ripper gave a nod. Ripper butted his way into a pool game, taking a stick from Austin.
“Where the fuck is Jasper?” Ripper asked.