No less than he deserved, but that would defeat the purpose of allowing him to fucking live.
“Sit him in that fuckin’ chair, Val, then leave him the fuck alone,” Christopher barked.
“Do you know how much you’re embarrassing me, Dad?” CJ croaked as Val rushed to Ryan.
“About as fuckin’ much as you embarrassed your fuckin’ brother, boy.”
“Now,you’reshowing your preference.”
“Ain’t no motherfucker preference, CJ. I love all you motherfuckers.”
Christopher meant that. But as the words hung between them, he realized how rarely Big Joe had said those words and included Snake.
“I have a question,” CJ said coldly. “When Diesel made his first kill, it was a big fucking thing at the club.” He nodded toNardo and folded his arms, his look challenging. “What are you doing for me?”
“Later today?” Christopher’s held CJ’s angry gaze and smirked. “Not a motherfuckin’ thing. It’s Diesel’s fuckin’ birthday.” If Diesel was fucking smart,he’dtoast CJ. “Cuz what the fuck you not doin’, CJ, is puttin’ me on the motherfuckin’ spot or actin’ like a spoiled fuckhead to have your fuckin’ way. You earn what the fuck you get.”
“Since fucking when, Dad?” CJ bit out. “Like fucking seriously, when have you made me earn anything? When have you made anyone else…no, fuck that. When hasanyone, except Uncle Mort, made me think Ineededto earn anything? It’s why they overdosed me.”
“No, they fuckin’ overdosed you cuz you wanted to fit the fuck in and ain’t trusted your own goddamn instincts. If it don’t fuckin’ feel right, don’t fuckin’ do it. I taught you that from the time you was a lil’ kid.”
“I looked toDiesel. He told me to do it.”
“Andhea motherfuckin’ addict, fuckhead. He ain’t givin’ a good fuck about himself. But you looked to him to validate what the fuck you knew was wrong. You know he ain’t meant for you to fuckin’ overdose andIfuckin’ know it, too.”
CJ’s accusatory glare cut through Christopher, but his boy’s meltdown...fuck! He needed to go to Big Joe’s monument, have a drink, and apologize for the young fuckhead he’d been.
Blowing out a heavy breath, Christopher shoved his fingers through his hair. CJ’s angry gaze swept over Axel’s handiwork.
“Leadership part knowledge, part charisma, part bravado, and part motherfuckin’ lies, CJ. Yeah, it’s fuckin’ well known what the fuck I want for you. But I thought you had the goddamn sense to know how the fuck to finesse it. You wasn’t supposed to fuckin’actlike it was yours on a fuckin’ silver platter.”
Eyes widening, CJ shook his head. “You know what, Dad? Axel’s onto something. You’re fucking delusional.”
“The lil’ motherfucker call me senile, so shut the fuck up.”
“If I said it, you’d ground me for the rest of my fucking life,” CJ yelled. “But you like it whenAxelsays it.”
“I ain’t givin’ a good fuck. I fuckin’ knowIain’t senile, butyouact like you ain’t got a motherfuckin’ brain. By the fuckin’ way, alienatin’ Diesel, yourbrother,also alienate his motherfuckin’ friends.”
“I have my own fucking friends, Dad.”
Christopher scowled. “Are they in the motherfuckin’ club, CJ? Diesel got the ear of most of the younger members. As fucked up as it is,Icreated this fuckin’ situation between you and him, and the motherfucker done now. He fucked in the head and you just fucked up. But you need Diesel and his friends to get youfairlyelected as Prez one day.”
“That’s years away,” CJ scoffed. “By then, I’ll have cultivated my own boys in the club.”
“And then fuckin’ what? Your boys and his boys turn into your fuckin’ faction and his motherfuckin’ faction?War? You fuckin’ want that? I fuckin’ don’t. That’ll ruin the club.Myclub that I spent fuckin’ years in, only to have it destroyed cuz you and Diesel can’t see eye to fuckin’ eye. You wanna fuckin’ betray me like that? What about your ma? You wanna break Megan heart, let two of her fuckin’ sons pit themselves against each other.”
“If that happened,Dieselwould be the one—”
“I’d wanna fuck you up too,” Christopher barked in frustration. “Part of your goddamn problem is your ma spendin’ more time with Axel cuz the lil’ motherfucker recognized—”
“That he could stealmy mom!”
“You ain’t fuckin’ six, CJ. You always thought Megan belonged to you exclusively and you just lent her to usmotherfuckers. That’s my fuckin’ wife first. Get that through your fuckin’ head. She belong to me. Without me, there wouldn’t be a fuckin’you. I didn’t make you to fuckin’ compete with your motherfuckin’ whiny ass formy fuckin’ wife.”
“I’ve alwayssharedMom. She has a bunch of kids. How could I not?”
“The only fuckin’ reason you ain’t tried to smother those motherfuckers was cuz your ma started havin’ more lil’ motherfuckers whenyouwas still a lil’ motherfucker.”
