Page 151 of Ruptured
“Iinvolved myself in club business, too,” CJ argued, and everyone shifted uncomfortably. “At your insistence.”
Christopher ignored CJ, his smile suddenly as vicious as Johnnie’s could be, the family ties never more evident than in that moment. “It fuckin’ mean he makin’ me treat him like a fuckin’ club member.”
“Did you hear me, Dad?” CJ demanded.
“Little dude, let it go,” Mortician said sternly.
“But Uncle Mort—”
Val got up, walked around to CJ, and put his hands on his shoulders. “Calm down, boy. Don’t give Outlaw a reason to retaliate. You might not like the outcome.”
A warning framed those words, but she couldn’t understand what.
“Uncle Val, if Rory is involved, it’s because of Uncle Johnnie.Dad should kill him,” CJ insisted, never hiding his dislike of Johnnie since their relationship soured. “Neither Rory nor I volunteered our services to the club. I definitely didn’t agree to beat up my fucking cousin for something that doesn’t concern me.”
“Anything that affects the club, affects you, CJ,” Diesel said coldly. “If you don’t understand that, you don’t need to be in the fucking club.”
“Diesel right, CJ,” Christopher said, too hardened and enraged to sympathize with his son. “You ain’t motherfuckin’ volunteered but you ain’t walked the fuck away either. You can’t fuckin’ pick and choose your assignments.”
“You haven’t even told me if you’ll still let me be in the club and now suddenly you want it to beFight Club.”
“Rory raise his goddamn hands to you while you administerin’ punishment, then he got real fuckin’ problems. So far, I ain’t barred you from comin’ the fuck around, CJ, so shut the fuck up.”
CJ glanced at all of them, even Ryan, and Kendall wished she could’ve soothed his desperation, but just like Rory’spunishment was out of her hands since her son wanted to become a Death Dweller, so too was CJ’s anguish.
“I’m not beating up Rory, Dad,” CJ announced.
Christopher’s chilling smile didn’t deter CJ. He didn’t flinch.
“He disrespected his president and disobeyed the rules.” Christopher glowered at Johnnie, unconscious now. “Sometimes, we got hard fuckin’ choices to make.”
“That’s not fair, Dad!”
“Life not fair, son.Howfuckinever, in this case, Rorychosea beatin’.”
“Prez?”
“What, Mortician?”
“Johnnie bleeding to death. We need to pack his hand.”
Christopher turned his hard look to Kendall and pointed to Johnnie. “Talk to this motherfucker and talk to your boy. Make Rory stay the fuck outta club business if you don’t want him to have club justice. We all fuckin’ follow club rules, includin’ the boys. If they can’t do that, they leavin’ or they facin’ consequences. Understand?”
She nodded.
Christopher indicated Johnnie with his gun. “Take him away and see to his injuries.”
After watching Mort and Cash carry Johnnie away, Christopher left, while Val, Stretch, Digger, and Diesel got to work cleaning up the aftermath of the shooting.
Rory stared dully at the activity, as shellshocked as CJ and Ryan. “I didn’t mean to get Dad shot, Mom.” “I know, son,” Kendall whispered.
Stretch halted in cleaning the blood. “You didn’t get him shot, Rory. Johnnie got himself shot.”
“Rory’s not a club member,” CJ insisted. “Why was Dad so brutal?”
“CJ, boy, Rorychosethe beating,” Val said, sending Kendall an apologetic look. “He was given two options. His ass kicked or being barred from the club for a month.”
“But, Uncle Val–”
