Page 51 of Friar
“And the person we think was helping Tasha?”I asked.
Beast sighed.“Shield is working on it.That’s not something we can resolve right away, but taking Tasha out of the equation should keep your woman and child safe for now.You can see if she’ll talk before we end her.Otherwise, that will be an issue for another day.”
The thunder of fists on wood erupted around me as each brother pounded the table in agreement, a primal affirmation of the verdict we’d reached.I joined them, wishing my fist was slamming into Tasha instead.This was about ensuring Cheri would never again have to look over her shoulder, never again fear for her life or our child’s.
As the sound faded, Beast stood, signaling the end of the formal meeting.“Friar, Hawk, Forge -- stay.The rest of you, clear out.What happens next isn’t for everyone to witness.”
The others filed out silently, understanding without being told that the dirty work was about to begin.I remained seated, a cold certainty settling in my gut.Justice would be served tonight.Not the kind recognized by courts and judges, but the kind that ensured those we loved could sleep safely in their beds.
“You good with this?”Beast asked me directly once the room had emptied except for the four of us.
I met his gaze steadily.“She tried to kill my family.Three times.”I didn’t need to say more.I knew the answer was in my eyes, in the set of my jaw, in the steel that had entered my spine the moment I’d heard Tasha confess.
Beast nodded, satisfied.“Then let’s finish this.”
Chapter Nineteen
Friar
The van bumped down the dirt access road, dust billowing behind us as Beast navigated the rutted path toward the abandoned quarry.No one spoke.The only sounds were the engine’s rumble and the occasional muffled sob from the back where Tasha lay bound and gagged.
Forge followed in his truck with two Prospects -- muscle, nothing more.Witnesses to club justice but not participants.What would happen tonight was on Beast, Forge, and me.The others would know it was done, but not the details.Some things were better left unshared.
The quarry appeared ahead, a massive gash in the earth, abandoned years ago when the limestone played out.Sheer rock walls dropped a hundred feet to a pool of dark water below, nature slowly reclaiming what man had torn open.Beast pulled to a stop near the edge, far enough back to be safe but close enough that the drop loomed like a promise in the deepening twilight.
“Perfect timing,” Beast muttered, killing the engine.
He was right.The sun hung low on the horizon, painting the sky in violent streaks of crimson and purple.Within an hour, darkness would swallow this place completely.By then, we’d be gone.
I stepped out, boots crunching on loose gravel.The air smelled clean here, pine from the surrounding forest, mineral-rich soil, the metallic tang of still water far below.A fitting place for what came next, I thought.Remote.Silent.Unforgiving.
Forge’s truck pulled up beside us, headlights briefly illuminating the scene before he cut them off.He nodded to me, his face set in grim lines as he moved to the back of his vehicle and dropped the tailgate.Metal glinted in the fading light -- tools laid out with methodical precision.A hammer, pliers, wire cutters.A roll of plastic sheeting.A hunting knife with a serrated edge, its blade catching the sunset’s glow.
“Get her out,” Beast ordered, and the Prospects moved to the back of the van.
They dragged Tasha forward, her feet scrambling for purchase on the loose stones.Without the gag, I could see her fully now -- mascara streaked down her cheeks, lipstick smeared, eyes wild with fear.Her hands were bound behind her back with zip ties, but her legs were free.A tactical choice because she needed to walk.
“On her knees,” Beast said, his voice as dispassionate as if he were ordering coffee.
The Prospects forced her down, then stepped back, their faces carefully blank.They’d been briefed… witness, don’t participate.Learn what happens when you cross the club.
Tasha’s gaze darted between us, between the tools laid out on the truck, between the darkening sky and the sheer drop behind us.I could see the exact moment her mind cycled from fear to defiance and back again, her survival instinct warring with the knowledge that she’d sealed her fate long ago.
“Please,” she whispered, the word half-swallowed by the vastness around us.“I made a mistake.I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
Beast stood before her, his massive frame blocking out the setting sun.“Tasha Davis,” he said, and the formality in his tone silenced her immediately.“The Reckless Kings Motorcycle Club has found you guilty of attempted murder against one of our own.Guilty of endangering an unborn child.Guilty of bringing heat to our doorstep.”He paused, letting each charge land with the weight it deserved.“The penalty is death.”
Her face crumpled, tears flowing freely now.“Beast, please!I’ve known you for years.I’ve been loyal to the club.It was just… I loved him.You understand love, don’t you?What it makes people do?”
“That wasn’t love,” I said, stepping forward.“That was obsession.Possession.You tried to kill my family because you couldn’t stand that I chose someone else.”
“I would’ve been better for you!”she cried, desperation making her voice crack.“I know the life.I understand the club.She doesn’t belong here!She never will!”
“Yet here you are,” I replied coldly.“And my woman is safely tucked away back home, surrounded by people who will take care of her.”
Tasha’s gaze shifted to Forge, seeking an ally, finding none.“I have money,” she tried, changing tactics.“I can disappear.You’ll never see me again.I swear it, on my life.”
“Your life isn’t worth much right now,” Forge observed, his voice flat.“But I wouldn’t mind hearing about the person who helped you with all this.No way you did it on your own.”
