Page 172 of Remorseless
He gave her a half smile. “Make thattwosomebodies.”
“Do I know them?”
“Quite well. Joplin and Gail.”
“They’re women.”
“They’re cunts.Deadcunts, but cunts all the same. As to you alluding to the club’s rule, they tried to kill CJ. Rules don’t apply in that case. Besides, Aunt Meggie wanted them dead.”
“Momma wasn’t serious. She’s not hardcore.”
Diesel shrugged. “You don’t hate me anymore?”
“I don’t like you very much.”
“Fair enough,” he mumbled, hanging his head.
“How could you, Diesel?”
“Reb—” He drew in a deep breath, finished the alcohol and swayed again. If he hadn’t grabbed the banister, he would’ve tumbled down. “Can I talk to you in private?”
“You have to shower first. You’re all scratched and bloody. They must’ve fought for their lives quite fiercely.”
Glancing away, he flushed. “Something like that.”
A door opened. She glanced over her shoulder, finding none of her brothers. CJ was asleep, so it was either her father or her mother, neither of whom would appreciate seeing her with Diesel.
Placing a finger over her lips, she waved him forward, cringing at his heavy tread. But she knew all the hidden tricks of the sneaking trade. Sometimes when she should’ve been in her room, she was in the garage or the natatorium or any number of places she shouldn’t have been. Unlike the third floor where one side of the hallway was walls and windows and the other side bedrooms, the second floor had doors on both sides.
The footsteps were drawing closer, so she made a quick decision to drag Diesel to his room. She’d just managed to slip underhis bed when her father’s voice reached her.
“Fuck, what the fuck you did to those two cunts?”
“Gail, got off easy.” Diesel sounded like the drunken motherfucker he was. “This is mainly Joplin’s blood.”
“Did you exsanguinate that bitch?”
Exwhatguinate?
“Little by little,” Diesel said, and began to laugh.
Daddy grunted.
Rebel gritted her teeth. Her father wasn’t leaving.
“You alone in here, boy?”
“As far as I know,” Diesel replied.
“I fuckin’ swear Ifeelanother motherfucker in here with me.”
“Maybe, the ghosts of Joplin and Gail followed me home.”
“Don’t say that shit in front of Megan and Reb,” Daddy snapped.
“According to you, I can’t say nothing to Rebel.”
Excuse me?
