“How are you feeling?” Diesel asked like the psycho he was.
“Okay.”
“Tabitha needs to be thrown into that fucking pit if you ask me,” Diesel added.
“Okay.”
That was the only word Ryan could think of whenever Diesel spoke to him during their ride back to the club.
Almost an hour and a half after Aunt Bailey arrived, Rebel and Mattie sandwiched Harley between them as they sat at a table in the conference room. Mom, Aunt Kendall, and Lolly were seated across from the girls, while Dad sat at his usual spot at the head.
When CJ called Lolly and explained the situation, she arrived not long after and sent Aunt Bailey home with Knox, promising she’d explain everything to Uncle Mort later. Because, of course, Dad, Uncle Mort, Uncle Val, and Uncle Stretch couldn’t have arrived after Aunt Bailey was already gone.
Rebel wanted to poison Uncle Johnnie. She said she could make his death look like natural causes and do humanity a great favor. CJ overruled her and made her promise not to kill him. She maintained they were no longer protecting Aunt Kendall. They were outright lying to her and she deserved better than that. They had more uses for their goodwill and family loyalty than to keep a motherfucker alive who wasn’t goodortrustworthy.
Rebel was right, but they’d had enough crises for the week. They didn’t need to add in Uncle Johnnie’s death.
Lollyknew the full story. She told everyone thebare minimum—Bailey was upset over her conversation with Johnnie. Apparently, this was the second time that motherfucker struck and sent Aunt Bailey into a spiral.
CJ would at least tell Mom and Dad the truth before Rebel lost her shit and told Diesel to carry out the plans she’d given her word she wouldn’t do.
“Ready, Outlaw,” Uncle Stretch finally said.
Dad looked at Harley, her misery compounded by her mother’s meltdown. “Baby, if this too much for you—”
“I don’t want anyone to hate me.”
“Mort?” Dad asked.
Clenching his jaw, Uncle Mort shrugged. He looked as if he’d aged fifty years in the span of twenty minutes. Mom rubbed his back since he sat between her and Aunt Kendall. “Roxanne—”
“Harley, we all love you so much,” Lolly started, when Uncle Mort couldn’t finish. “We support you no matter what you decide. You don’t have to do this.”
“Nardo could’ve left his phone anywhere,” Harley said. “The only way Uncle Stretch can get an accurate ping is if he’s talking on it while they get his location.”
“If this is too much for you—” Dad repeated.
“I’m scared, Uncle Christopher.”
“Baby, if the motherfucker nearby, we going snatch him,” Uncle Val promised. “We’ll get his fucking phone and wipe all the videos he got of you.”
“And get Willard and Wallace Bart’s last known location based on what I find from their messages to Nardo,” Uncle Stretch said.
“I’ll call him,” Harley said and yanked her cell phone from her pocket so fast, it slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor.
Instead of picking it up, she bowed her head.
“Harley, baby, you got nothing to be shame for,ever. You a Banks. An Andrews.” Uncle Mort nodded to Lolly. “A Doucette. Don’t let no motherfucker ever make you bow your head. Understand me?”
CJ almost wished Mattie hadn’t picked up the phone and set it in front of Harley.
Immediately, she dialed a number and pressed the ‘speakerphone’ icon.
“Harley!” Nardo answered.
Sucking in a breath, Harley disconnected.
“Where he at, Stretch?” Uncle Mort asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
