Page 71 of Rebellious

“Me or Snake?” Johnnie said bitterly. “Of course, that motherfucker was in the running. You just forgot you fucked my grandfather, too.”

“Not willingly,” she said, and bit her lip. “And not often. I had a period between the time he forced me, and us being together. I thought I was in the clear. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry for causing you any problems. I didn’t tell you because I thought Logan would kill me. I barely escaped with my life that day I left. If Mortician hadn’t—”

“MORTICIAN?” Johnnie’s anger surged again. He couldn’t evade that arrogant motherfucker. Furious breaths escaped him and he took a step toward Kendall, then halted before he shook the fuck out of her. “Do you see why I hate that fuckhead so much? He fucked Hopper before he got to you.”

Tears rushed to Kendall’s eyes and she glanced away, no longer bothering to deny her affair.

“Come on, love,” Megan said gently, hurrying to Kendall and hugging her. “I know you want to see Rebel and it should almost be time for Jo to be brought to her room.” Holding Kendall’s hand, she turned. “Hopper, I’d love for you to meet my daughters. Whenever you’re ready, text me and I’ll have one of the nurses buzz you back.”

Hopper nodded. “Thank you, Meggie.”

“I can never repay you for helping me with Mystic,” she said quietly.

“Saving my son is payment enough, honey.”

Christopher scowled. “You and me talkin’, Megan, cuz how that motherfucker get on your No-Kill list and No-Maim list? Can he go on your Maybe Survive List instead?”

“He’s my nephew, Christopher, and he made a mistake.” Smiling, Megan blew her husband a kiss and dragged Kendall to the door.

No one spoke until after they were buzzed back.

Johnnie sat in a nearby chair and rubbed his eyes, exhausted from all the turmoil. Kendall never failed to wreak havoc.

“We were friends once, Johnnie,” Hopper said, still standing in front of Bash, wrapped in his arms. “But you never claimed me. You didn’t care who I slept with. Mortician was your friend.”

“Mortician stole Christopher from me and he’s trying to steal my wife,” Johnnie said flatly. “I hope he’s reaping what he sows, but I don’t want Jana in the family. She doesn’t deserve the name ‘Donovan’. Take her back to whatever hole you crawled out of and bury her.”

“She belong to Diesel,” Christopher said, always an interfering motherfucker. “He might have something to say about that shit, Johnnie.”

“Yeah, because you put everyone before me. Every time I look at her, I’ll remember Logan. The hell he put me through if I even mentioned a club girl. I’ll remember what a motherfucking hypocrite he was.”

“If you ain’t come to terms with that by now, you never will,” Christopher said, his calm words reminding Johnnie of their lost friendship. “You can’t take what Logan did to any of us out on Jana or Hopper.”

Johnnie gazed at Hopper. “My grandfather really forced you?” He thought of Kendall and her claims about him, her tragic demeanor. Her duplicity. He no longer knew right and wrong in this matter. He only knew he didn’t want to lose her. He didn’t want to face another situation where Logan was a fucking monster and feel as if that was who he was becoming. “Did he hold you down?”

“When I conceived Jana, I brought Logan his dinner,” Hopper started. “I always hated when Rack sent me there. Logan requested me, and Big Joe wasn’t around to intervene. He would’ve had he been available. When I got to the farmhouse, two dead girls lay in the kitchen. Logan made me watch as he killed a third and then ordered me to take my clothes off. He would’ve killed me if I didn’t submit. He would’ve also killed me if Mortician hadn’t told him I carried your baby, which I really thought I did. He told him you wanted the kid and that made a difference that day. I couldn’t go on the run with an infant, so I stayed with Amy and her husband until I gave birth and they adopted her. When I left with Randolph, I never expected my secret to come out. I certainly didn’t want to disrupt your life.”

Nostrils flaring, Johnnie heaved in a breath. “I loved my grandfather so fucking much, Hopper. I knew he was a monster with what he did to Kendall’s little sister and the way he treated Christopher. I just didn’t know the depth of his depravity. I didn’t know about that poker game. Or anything else until after his death. I mourn the man I built him up to be, even though he was a motherfucker to not only Christopher, Val, Mortician, and Digger. I’m sorry for what he put you through. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you from his vileness. I’m sorry you couldn’t have come to one of us so you could’ve kept your daughter. Mortician failed in his duties if he allowed you to leave and never search for you or told us you were pregnant.”

“Logan shot Mortician that day, Johnnie,” Christopher said, shaking his head. “He didn’t fail Hopper. It was safer for all of us, especially him and Hopper, if he let it go.”

To Christopher and Kendall, Mortician could do no wrong.

Only a handful of Dwellers were there. Potter, forever a silent sentinel around Christopher, sitting near the aquarium, vigilant, ready to defend his president. Bowlie, a Christopher loyalist for years. House and Burger, Johnnie’s friends who were losing faith in him. Then there was Bash, Cleaner, and Tio.

Between the time he’d gone to the nursery to get Kendall and the time he followed Mortician back, the area had cleared. Maybe the others had gone to the cafeteria. Or outside to break up the monotony, but he was glad for the small number of people.

He didn’t need all the comments, especially from Axel. The kid didn’t know how to shut his fucking mouth, something he blamed on Megan and Christopher.

She was good at pushing out babies. She just wasn’t good at raising them.

Hopper’s laughter seeped into Johnnie’s brain and he gazed at her again. Bash was raining kisses on her cheek and she was laughing at his antics. Tio stared at his father while the disgust on Cleaner’s face alarmed Johnnie.

Logan wasn’t the only one who endangered women.

“Stop!” Hopper squealed.

Bash leaned down and settled his chin on her shoulder. “I thought bitches liked a lot of kisses. As much as they like diamonds.”