Page 28 of Johny B

“I hit the edge of the cab door frame awkwardly after one of those Young Outlaw fuckers punch…Arghh, holy fuck!” he screams out.

Before he’d had a chance to finish his sentence, I’d jerked his arm straight out and up, applying traction as I did. The bone jumped back into the socket without any resilience. I could have shown him mercy and done it nice and slow, but when faced with a chance to cause one of these fuckers some pain without suspicion, why the fuck not.

“Motherfucker!” he curses, grabbing me by the collar of my t-shirt with his uninjured arm, his head coming forward, as if he’s about to butt me for causing him pain. Then realization hits him and he quickly lets me go. Instead, he runs his hand over his upper arm and shoulder. “Shit, the pains gone,” he blurts out, his eyes wide in surprise.

“You’re welcome,” I snip back with a hint of sarcasm in my tone. “Just take it easy, though. It will be tender for a couple of days. After that, it should feel fine. Until the next time.”

“Next time?”

“Sure, that sucker will be a weak spot now, so if you’re going at someone, lead with the other shoulder, otherwise you’ll be right back to square one.”

“If you’ve finished playing Doctor J,” Mal grumbles at me. “Help Rory and Nolan offload the rest of the stuff from the van. They’ll show you where to stash it. You, Deck, get yourself off home. Take a couple of days. I’ll call you when I need you back here.”

Deck gives a quick nod towards Mal, but before leaving he reaches out, bringing a hand to rest on my forearm. “Thanks,” he simply offers before turning and walking away.

I turn away from a scowling Mal, and make my way to where Rory is taking hold of boxes as Nolan hands them down from the back of the van. I guess that Mal is pissed with me. His nose a little out of joint maybe from the way Paddy has received me into the fold, and maybe he sees me as a possible threat to his position within the crew.

“Grab a couple of boxes and follow me,” Rory instructs. “We need to put them in the lockup.”

The boxes are heavy, especially two at a time. What you’d expect with the markings on the side, A4 recycled paper. But I know exactly what’s inside, and it ain’t no photocopier supplies.

Chapter

Nineteen

Scarlett

It’s unusual for me to take a trip to see my dad at the club house. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times I have, and still have enough fingers left of give an insulting hand gesture.

My impromptu visit directly after the explosion had surprised and scared me, but also left me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Although I’ve grown up aware of the dangers that come with club life, death, destruction and mayhem being par for the course, the direct hit they’d taken had shaken me to the core. The loss of Cub was heartbreaking, but I’m no fool. It could have been much worse. I could have lost my dad. The only true family that I have left. And despite our unorthodox life with the secrecy of me being his daughter, I love him deeply, and losing him… I couldn’t bear it.

I had been out of my mind with worry once I’d heard about the explosion, so I’d gone straight to the club, demanding to see him. I was told he was at Stone’s cabin and immediately made my way there. When Stone finally admitted that he was in thedownstairs bedroom at the back of the house, the fear that he was severely hurt infected my brain, and I’d forced my way past my need to see him. The shock of walking into room and finding my dad in a compromising position with a woman blew my mind. A woman who wasn’t a club whore. It was a little amusing that she was instantly green with jealousy when he’d put his arms around me, thinking I was competition. However, the way my dad was so uneasy about the situation, obviously at a loss of what to say, I’d stepped in and introduced myself. It was then that I’d notice how he looked at Tenley. I’d not seen that in such a long time. Not since Mom, and it had filled me with a warmth that made me want to shout out with utter happiness.

If I’m not mistaken, my dad may have at last found love again, despite his thought that it would never happen, as true love could only be experienced once. Not true. Not always, anyway.

I’m so intrigued by Tenley, but I’ve had no time to get to know her as Dad had shooed me off the premises as quickly as he could, stating that it wasn’t safe for me to be there. Not quick enough to avoid a blast from my past, though.

On the odd occasion that I’ve seen or spoken to Dad since, every time I try to get him to talk, tell me more about her, he either clams up like an oyster and no number of attempts at prizing more out of him works, or he quickly changes the subject.

The one thing that he has mentioned, that had taken me by surprise, was me moving out of Velvet’s. It’s not something he’d even entertained in the past, but with recent events he was adamant. The sooner I was away from there the better, as the risk of it being the next viable target for the DVI was high.

I’m still not sure if it was coincidental, or if Smoke has pulled some strings, but the offer of a job in the city had come exactly atthe right time. The apartment was perfect, not too far from the offices of Vista Legal, where I’d gained my internship.

The only problem is… I get lonely.

At Velvet Reds there was always someone around. The girls, or one or two of the YOMC brothers covering security. Now, it’s just me.

Don’t get me wrong, my neighbors are friendly enough, but passing the time of day when I see them in the hallway, or picking up my mail from the mailbox is as far as it goes. Mostly city workers, too. They tend to keep themselves to themselves.

Thankfully, my work, and raging thirst for knowledge keeps me busy. Knowledge is power, and I’m constantly striving for improvement. To be the best.

Yet today, I need a break from these four walls, and the highly charged, historical child abuse case that I’m using for research. I hope that it’ll help in a major case one of the top lawyers of our firm is prosecuting. The more I get into it, the more I want to track down the pedo, cut off his dick, coat it in shit and sugar, and feed it to him until he chokes on it. Or, alternatively, I’ll end up rocking in a corner a blubbering mess for the victims.

I’m desperate to find out more about Tenley, who turns out to be the stepsister to Stone’s woman, Oriana. I’ve not known of any other women even piquing his interest, let alone sharing a bed since Mom passed. At least not in the way Tenley has.

Leaving the apartment, I drive to the club. Despite my request for Dad to make it known to everyone exactly who I am, he refused but agreed to make a handful of the council aware. So, as I pull up to the gate, I’m grateful that Edge is there talking to a prospect who’s on guard. Without question, he lets me in, and I drive straight to the clubhouse, because if Smoke’s not there, whoever is will be able to point me in the right direction. It’s Tenley that I’m really here to visit, but if he found out I was onthe grounds without him knowing, he’d be pissed. So, best make my presence known. Convincing him to let me see Tenley, now that might take a little bit of daughter persuasion.

I cut the engine, grab my purse and exit the car. My heeled pumps slip on the gravel a little before I regain my balance. Once I get nearer the building the ground levels out from the constant footfall, but I’m still relieved when I get to take the first step up to the front porch. The door opens with ease, and I step inside making a beeline for the common room, knowing that if Dad there, someone will be.

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