Smokey’s Turmoil by Erin Osborne

Chapter Twenty

Smokey

THE CONSTRUCTION SITE is causing us one problem after another. between the owners of the house continually changing their minds and us having delays with shipments on everything, we’re all about to lose our damn minds. Renegade is the worst out of all of us because he’s the one who has to deal directly with the bitch of a woman and her man who has no damn backbone because he keeps giving into the woman who demands everything to be done on her schedule no matter what the hell happens or what Renegade tells her. Everything she wants is out of stock or already on back order. She can’t get it through her damn mind she can’t simply snap her fingers and get what she wants right that second. It’s exhausting.

Today, I am getting off a little bit early because I know Jasmine will be picking Colby up from the clubhouse after she gets off work. Ink let that little detail slip this morning when we were at the diner for breakfast. She still hasn’t said a word to me, but the guys did mention she’s looking a lot better than what she has been. Her hair was up in her usual messy bun with a loose tee-shirt on as she tried to hide her body from everyone. Jasmine’s also back to wearing jeans more than a size too big for her. I’m not sure what made her revert back to wearing the clothes way too big for her, however, I’ll be finding out. There wasn’t an ounce of make-up covering her face. The evidence of her sleepless nights still evident with the bags under her eyes. Still, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world as far as I’m concerned.

The guys had a great time teasing me as long as Jasmine wasn’t in hearing range. They talked about how I was pussy whipped while Jas wouldn’t give me the time of day thanks to my stupidity. Then there were the insults about her never giving me another chance because there are far better men out there for her than me. Ink busted my balls about staring at her as if I’m some stalker or creeper chasing after a woman who will never give him the time of day. I took it all and didn’t say a damn word. When it comes to Jasmine, I’m slowly finding I’m pussy whipped and will do anything it takes in order to be a part of her life again. To help her with the kids and help mold them into adults who will be loving and caring as Jasmine.

I spent my time watching Jasmine move around the dining room and go from one table to another. She talked to the customers and refilled their coffees as she made her rounds. The main thing I noticed was her smile isn’t reaching her eyes. Jasmine smiles and laughs with the customers, but it’s a fake smile. When my Song Bird truly smiles, her entire face lights up. Including her eyes. They go from being a brilliant green to emeralds shining bright. Right now, her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. Her steps are careful when she moves around the room. I’ve never witnessed her moving so carefully. There has to be a reason for it; one I don’t have a clue about.

Jasmine talked to me long enough to get my answer of what I wanted to eat for breakfast. Her eyes never landed on me. She didn’t have a problem looking at the rest of the guys though. It’s just me she doesn’t want to deal with. I can’t say I blame her after everything I put her through. Still, it hurts to know I’ve damaged her beautiful soul to the point she refuses to look at me. I definitely have my work cut out for myself if I’m going to win her back.

As usual, when we leave, we all leave a generous tip. I make sure to leave more than normal for my woman. Since it’s all in a pile, she won’t know who the money came from. That’s good at this point in time. The less she knows, the better things will be until I get a chance to talk to her. With those thoughts in mind, I head for the construction site with the hope of talking to her as soon as she gets to the clubhouse to pick up Colby.

That little boy cracks me up. He follows Ink around as if he hangs the moon and stars. When my best friend is in the clubhouse, there is no one else. The other women and children disappear from his sight. If Ink goes outside, Colby is with him. When he’s working on his bike, the little boy is right there trying to help Ink with whatever he’s working on. He’s even spent time at the tattoo shop with Ink. Those are the days he really makes us all laugh. When Ink is tattooing his clients, Colby is right there with paper, markers, and crayons drawing whatever is in his little mind. It mainly looks like scribbles since he’s not even two years old. At this rate, I won’t be surprised if he becomes a tattoo artist just to follow in Ink’s footsteps.

My day drags by as I work on the master bathroom. There isn’t much I can do other than outline where everything is going to go and fit the pipes before running the electrical wires. Most of the things going in this room are on back order. I’m not sure what the woman is going to do if she doesn’t get her home back at the agreed upon time. However, it’s not our fault if we can’t get things in time. She’s the one who has to have the fanciest, best things according to her. These are the days I wouldn’t want to be in Renegade’s shoes. He has to deal with all of the customers and their demands along with leading an entire club.

During lunch, I didn’t take time to head out and get something to eat. Instead, I worked straight through so I could leave work a little bit earlier than normal. Getting to the clubhouse is important to me. Not only do I want to set eyes on Jasmine again, but I want to talk to her for a few minutes. Maybe I can begin to fix what I broke in her. It’s going to take more than just a day or two in order to get let back into her life, but I’ll do whatever she wants me to. Jasmine is leading this damn relationship as long as she’s safe and protected. I will do whatever I feel is necessary to protect her and Jasmine will have to learn to go along with what I say in those situations. We’re going to take things at her pace because this is new for me. As new as it is for her.

Walking in the clubhouse Ink immediately starts heading for me. I don’t get a chance to look around the room before he’s in my face.

“Got a fuckin’ problem. A big one,” he states, lowering his voice so no one else hears him. “Had a new customer come in today. Was braggin’ about goin’ after some bitch for a price on her head. Had a feelin’ it was about your girl and got him talkin’. He’s the last one comin’ after Jas. Told me everyone else backed off when they got wind of her dad, the man who started the shit, bein’ killed. He still thinks there’s a way to get a pay day out of her. Let Renegade know what’s goin’ on. He wants you to handle things since you’re gonna be goin’ after her to make her your ol’ lady. We don’t need the rest of the guys in on this shit.”

“So where is the fucker now?” I ask him, my blood boiling.

“Basement.”

Without another word from him, I take off in the direction of the basement. No one else needs to be in on this. I’ll get whatever other information he has on the man along with make sure he takes his last breath. Other feet sound on the stairs behind me as I make my way to the man who was going to attempt to go after my woman. Not just her but the kids as well. There are only certain times of the day where she’s truly alone and that’s just before she heads to work and on her way to pick up Colby from one of the ol’ ladies. Still, there’s a Prospect following her, so he has no chance of getting away with this shit.

Taking off my cut, I hang it up on the hook just outside of the room we’ll be torturing this fucker in. I’m going to make sure there is definitely no one else out there who will be searching for my woman. If there is, I’ll hunt each and every single one of them down until they’re no longer breathing the same air as her and the kids. There is nothing I won’t do for Jasmine and the kids. Jas will learn it with time. If she chooses to give me the time I need to talk to her and make sure she understands I want a chance at a real relationship with her. Those thoughts are for another time and place though.

Stepping in the room, Ink has the fucker tied to a chair in the middle of the room. I’d like to say it’s bolted down, but not this time. We usually chain them up from the beam in the ceiling. That’s too good for this fucker. He will not get to die standing up on his feet. Or rather barely touching the floor because his arms are strung up high over his head. The reality of this asshole’s situation is about to hit him square in his face. Especially with Ink being in the room with me. He’s got a soft spot in his heart for my woman and I’m thankful she’s had him at her back while I was getting my head out of my ass.

“So, you think it’s cool to go after a woman because there’s a price on her head?” I ask him, folding my arms across my chest. “A woman who wouldn’t hurt another fuckin’ person and is a mother to a teenager and toddler. You’re perfectly fine with takin’ her away from those children?”

“For the right price I am. Her father promised us a pay day and I’m gonna get it one way or another,” he states, really having no clue what the hell’s about to happen to him.

“Who the fuck do you think is gonna give you a pay day when her father is now dead?” Ink questions him, his voice lethal.

“Someone would want a piece like her. Last we were told she’s untouched and a lot of people pay big money for that. It doesn’t matter if she’s a fat piece of shit,” he informs us.

Without warning, I fling my arm out landing a punch straight to his jaw. The bones crunch under my fist as I smile evilly at him. He stares up at me with fear finally filling his eyes. His body begins to tremble as all the color drains from his skin.

“The fuck is that bitch to you?” he asks, his voice shaky.

“That’s my ol’ lady. She’s under the protection of Satan’s Anarchy MC. We’re the ones who killed her fuckin’ father for the damage he’s done to her throughout her life. You think we’re gonna let your ass out of here? You’re gonna join the twatwaffle after I have my fun. Too bad you wasted money on fresh ink my buddy over here did today. No one’s ever gonna fuckin’ see it. How many others are comin’ after her?”

“P-P-Please. I’ll do anything you want. Just tell me,” he pleads and begs for his life now that he knows what’s about to happen to him. “No one else. Everyone else backed off when word of the pay day bein’ taken away hit. Not sure who let it slip out, but someone did.”

“We did.”

Ink didn’t strip him down. Normally we do. I’m kind of thankful he didn’t since the asshole is pissing himself already. The wet spot on the front of his jeans grows until it drips down his legs to land in a puddle on the plastic covering the floor. The two of us start laughing our asses off at him. Instead of him shrinking back as I expect him to, the asshole begins to fight and show his anger. It’s not long before the chair topples to the side as his body takes the brunt of the landing. With us becoming quiet as we watch him fall, the braking of his elbow and arm echo off the walls surrounding us. I’ll always love the sound of bones crunching when they belong to scumbags like him.

Together, we set the chair back up as the man screams out in pain and anger. I have no sympathy for him. Walking to the wall and tray where all of our tools sit until it’s time to use them, I pick up a knife that’s definitely seen better days and a pair of pliers. This is all I’ll need to take care of the asshole. As I step closer to him, his eyes widen in fear and wonder about what I’m going to do to him.

Without a word, I cut his shirt from his body, letting it hang open as it’s stuck on his arms and back still. All I need is his chest. I can do every bit of damage I need to with just his chest, abdomen, legs, and fingers. Hell, just for fun I might cut his tongue out just so we don’t have to hear his nasally voice if he starts whining or mouthing off about Jasmine again. He’s already said way too much for my taste. I’ll gut the fucker without a second thought because he’s pissing me off with his mouth.

Placing several cuts all over his torso, I don’t stop until one of his nipples ends up getting cut off. It wasn’t my intention to slice it off, but I’m not sorry about it either. Asshole begins screaming so loud it echoes giving me a headache from the sheer intensity of it. For a man his screams are certainly among the highest pitch I’ve ever heard from someone down here. Makes me wonder if he’s got a set of balls between his legs. When I’ve thoroughly cut his upper body, I begin ripping out his nails one by one. It’s painful as fuck as he continues to scream out in pain.

“Smokey, can we shut him the fuck up?” Ink questions me as he covers his ears.

“I’d be happy to,” I tell him, giving him another smile showing just how evil I can be.

I don’t think as I grab the asshole’s tongue and pull it out as far as it will go. Using the same knife I cut up his body with, I slice through his tongue. Dropping it into his lap, the man begins to thrash around as he pales even further. It’s not long before he passes out from pain. Taking a step back, I simply stare at him for a minute.

“You ready to end this shit?” Ink asks me, his eyes roaming over the man’s mangled body.

“Yeah. Got somethin’ more important I’d rather be doin’.”

Pulling out my gun, I fire a single shot hitting him between the eyes. It helps his head dropped backward instead of forward when he passed out. Stripping out of my clothes in the room, Ink pulls out his phone to call a Prospect down to take care of clean up from this mess. My clothes will be burned in one of the fire pits so there’s no evidence of me touching this fucker. The only thing I keep with me are the contents of my pockets. Handing it all over to Ink, he’ll make sure it gets put in my room while I shower.

Making my way to the showers, I wash my body and hair multiple times. I don’t stop until the red of his blood stops mixing with the soap and water as it swirls down the drain. Then, I still wash myself one more time just for good measure. Wrapping a towel around my waist after quickly drying off, I sneak upstairs to my room. We have a second set of stairs so we can get directly to our rooms after showering downstairs in the basement. Never had use for them before adding in the showers. Since I wasn’t anticipating killing anyone today, I don’t have a change of clothes in the cabinets that were just installed.

I wasn’t going to keep Ink from his woman and son any longer than I already have. He helped me out big time by finally taking out the last demon from Jasmine’s past. At least that’s my hope because there is no way in hell I want to keep Jason and other Prospects on her for the rest of her life. It’s got to be annoying as hell to have to run everything by someone else instead of just doing what she wants to do when she wants to do it.

Entering my room, I dress really quick so I can get out to the common room before Jasmine gets there to pick up Colby. After stuffing everything back in my pockets once I have my jeans, socks, and tee-shirt on, I slide my boots and cut on before running the towel through my hair so it’s not still dripping down my back. I don’t take the time to do anything more than put deodorant on before sliding on my boots and leaving my room. Locking the door behind me, I don’t stop to talk to anyone as I head straight for the bar to take a seat.

Reese hands me a beer as I turn to look who’s in the room. Ink is sitting at a table with Phoebe. He’s holding his son in his arms while the two of them talk about something. What I don’t see is Colby running around or Jasmine sitting with them. She’s already been here to pick him up while I was downstairs or in my room getting dressed. This is not a good thing. Today was my chance to talk to her because Phoebe finally talked her into picking him up here. Usually one of the ol’ ladies take him home so she doesn’t have to see me.

Abandoning my beer on the bar, I head out and make my way to my bike. Putting on my bandana and helmet, I start the engine needing to go for a ride to clear my head. I can’t stop at her house now with the kids still awake. Her attention will be on them where it belongs. I’ll wait a few hours and then head over there. One way or another, Jasmine and I need to talk tonight about what’s going on. She needs to know I’ll still have a Prospect on her for now until we can be absolutely certain no one is still after her. However, at this point, I believe we finally managed to catch the last asshole after her. She’ll be able to go on with her life the way she wants.