Piston by Andi Rhodes

Chapter Twelve

_{Taking a human life is never easy and the first one is always the worst.}

Piston

“What the fuck was that?”

I glare at Joker as I lift Lonny up from the floor. Lonny protests like the sniveling bitch he is, but I ignore it as I drag him toward the door. I wanted to take him down to the Nightmare Room and end his pitiful life, but Fender wouldn’t let me. Apparently, we need to send a message to the rest of our drug runners. Steal from the Soulless Kings and we’ll burn your world to the ground.

“Are you seriously not going to answer me?” Joker demands.

I drag Lonny over the door frame and out onto the porch, where I drop him, and then whirl around to face Joker.

“It was nothing,” I snap. “Drop it.”

“I thought she was the enemy,” he says, not heading my warning tone.

“Yeah, kinda like Riley was.”

Joker pulls his arm back but before he can land a punch, a hand grabs onto him.

“This isn’t the time or place for this,” Fender barks. “Joker, get Lonny in the van.” Joker scowls and Fender gets in his face. “Now!”

Fender and I stand there and watch Joker lift Lonny and drag him down the steps. Once Lonny is in the van, Joker gets in the front passenger seat. After the door is closed, Fender turns on me.

“You might not want to answer him, but you will answer me,” he snarls. “What the fuck was that in there?”

“What was what?” I ask, knowing exactly what he’s referring to.

The problem is, I don’t know how to answer him. And for once, it’s not about which Fender I’m talking to. I kissed Holland without even a moment’s hesitation, like it was the most natural thing in the world to do and I’m beating myself up enough about it. I don’t need my brothers riding my ass.

“Jesus, Piston,” Fender huffs out. “When you brought the deal you made with her in front of the club for a vote this morning, I didn’t realize you had a personal motive.”

I shove a hand through my hair. I know denying his accusation is useless, but I do it anyway.

“There isn’t anything personal about it.”

“Dude, you fuck, you don’t kiss. And you sure as shit don’t stop whatever club business you’re in the middle of to kiss.”

My control snaps and I start to pace. “Don’t you think I know that? Did it ever occur to you that I’m as confused by what I just did as you are?”

“Look, I’m not saying you did anything wrong. But I’m not exactly sure you did anything right either. Despite the potential threat she poses to the club, she seems like a nice girl. And dammit, you’re a nice guy.”

“I’m not feeling particularly nice right now.”

Fender laughs at that and snakes out an arm to stop me from pacing. “P, I get that your dick wants all sorts of things from her. Hell, if I were single, mine probably would too. But if you’re gonna get bent out of shape at one simple question about her, maybe you should figure out exactly what it is you want from her before you start down a road you can’t do a U-turn on.”

I heave a sigh. “Yeah, maybe. It’s just…”

“What?” he prods. When I remain silent, he hangs his head for a second. When he looks back at me, his face is a mask of emotion. “I’m asking as your friend, P, not your president.”

“I don’t know what it is about her.” I shake my head as if that will get rid of my confusion and make everything clear. Spoiler alert, it doesn’t work. “I hate what she represents, ya know? I hate that her job is the reason that she’s here. And at the same time, I don’t give a shit. She’s feisty, too feisty for her own good really. But she’s equally vulnerable and guarded. She’s… normal, not like the Bangin’ Betties I’m used to.”

“Let me ask you this,” Fender says. “If you had met her under different circumstances, say at a bar or something, would you have hit on her?”

“No,” I answer without hesitation.

“Why not?”

“I think that’s pretty obvious. She’s so far out of my league. And there’s nothing about her that screams one-night-stand material.”

“There ya go,” he says as if those three words say it all. When I only stare at him with narrowed eyes, he clarifies. “The deal you made with her is the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone. She gets what she wants and you get more time with her to see if there’s a connection there. Take advantage of that. Because if sex isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about her, and you’re still thinking about her, then she’s someone worth taking the time to get to know. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up being the next one to bite the dust.”

Fender turns to head back inside, but before he opens the door, he looks over his shoulder. “For now, you’ve got a job to do.” He nods toward the van. “And don’t kill Joker in the process. Take out all your frustration and confusion and whatever the fuck is going on in your head on Lonny. Just make sure his buddies are there to see it. Otherwise, it’s all for nothing.”

Fender disappears into the house, and I make my way to join Joker in the van. After I start the engine and put it in gear, I glance at him.

“Sorry, brother. I shouldn’t have brought Riley into the conversation.”

“Damn right you shouldn’t have,” he snaps and then punches me in the arm. “But it’s all good.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Piston, if anyone understands the fog in your head over a chick, it’s me.”

* * *

“They should be here by now.”

Joker paces back and forth in front of the van. I look toward the tree that Lonny is tied to. We wanted everyone that shows up tonight to see him right away, see what will happen to them if they choose to be as stupid as him.

I pull my cell out of my pocket to check the time. “We’ll give them a few more minutes. If they don’t show, we’ll invite them to the clubhouse for a little staff meeting. Held in the Nightmare Room of course.”

Joker cracks his knuckles. “That sounds like—”

The sound of engines approaching has both Joker and I walking around the van to see who it is. Two club vehicles roll though the darkness, headlights dimmed as instructed. Once they’re parked, Riker steps out of one and Trainwreck the other.

“‘Bout time you got here,” I say as I walk to the SUV Riker drove.

“Tell me about it. Dumb ass over there had to stop for gas.” He hitches a thumb in Trainwreck's direction. “I told him to fill up with whatever was in the garage, but did he listen? Fuck no.” Riker shakes his head. “If tonight is supposed to show us whether or not he’s earned a patch, it’s not looking too good for him.”

“I was trying to save time,” Trainwreck protests from his spot in front of the vehicle he drove.

“And how’d that work out for you?” Riker retorts.

“Both of you, cut it the fuck out,” I bark. “Riker, get them all out and take them over there so they have a front row seat to the show.” I point to a spot in front of the tree Lonny is tied to. “Trainwreck, you better get your shit together or you’ll end up like those pussies. Got it?”

“It’s not my—”

“I swear to Christ if you’re about to blubber out an excuse to your VP, I’ll gut you myself,” Joker shouts. “Help Riker. Now!”

Trainwreck scrambles to do Joker’s bidding and that only fuels the fury in my soul. I’m his VP. If he needs to listen to anyone here tonight, it should be me. I go to the van and open the back door. I use the meager dome light to lift the top up to reveal the hidden compartment.

“What’s it gonna be tonight, P?” Joker asks from beside me.

I pull the pistol out of my waist band and run my free hand over the knives and various other weapons that are kept stashed in the compartment. I land on a serrated knife with a six-inch blade. I wrap my fingers around the handle and lift it up to inspect it.

“This will do nicely.”

A grin tugs at my lips. Everyone tells me I’m a nice guy, and I am. Until I’m not. And when I let the rage and the violence take over, I feel more in control of myself than when I keep it in. So I’m going to enjoy every second of what we’re about to do.

I make my way around the van, toward my target. Joker walks behind me and when we’re close enough, I hear the crack of the whip he snagged from the compartment as it lashes into Lonny’s flesh.

“Ahhhhhhhh,” Lonny screams.

“Jesus,” one of the other runners says.

I turn to face the four pricks lined up to watch. “I don’t know who needs to see this, but make sure you pay attention because it’s an important lesson.”

“You fuckers are crazy,” Stinky mumbles.

I step up to him and press the knife blade to his throat. “What’s that?”

He leans back in an effort to get away, but Riker steps up behind him and shoves his head forward. The serrated blade digs into his skin and blood trickles from the punctures.

“Unless you want a giant crimson puddle under you, I suggest you shut your fucking mouth.”

Stinky says nothing and I return my attention to Lonny. When I’m close enough, the scent of urine reaches my nostrils and I wrinkle my nose against the stench.

“Fucking hell, Lonny,” I say. “You pissed yourself.”

“I… I didn’t steal from you,” he cries.

“That’s what Danny said.” I turn in a circle with my arms spread wide. “But you don’t see him here, do you?”

“N-no.”

I face him again and press the pistol to his temple. “And do you know why you don’t see him here?”

“Be-because he’s dead.”

“That’s right, Lonny. Danny fucked up and got himself killed for it.” I pull the pistol back and swing it against his head. “But I guess that message wasn’t clear enough for you, now was it?”

“I didn’t—”

Riker comes out of the dark and lands a roundhouse kick to Lonny’s stomach. He’d double over if he was able to move, but the ropes holding him in place are tight. Lonny coughs and gags, spitting out blood as he does.

I turn back to the others. “Now, this is where you boys come in.” There’s a sing-song quality to my tone and if I were them, I’d be scared shitless. But I’m not them. No, I’m giddy as hell. “You’re going to decide Lonny’s fate.”

“You’re insane.”

I stride toward Porter and slam the butt of my pistol against his skull. “Keep it up and I’ll show you insane. And trust me, I’ll look pretty damn tame right now compared to that.”

I scan the faces of the five of them. Stinky, Porter, Cal, Eddie, and Tuck all remind me of a deer in headlights. My gaze locks onto Eddie. He tries to avert his eyes, but Riker shifts to hold his head in place.

“Eddie, you’ll go first.” I walk back to Lonny. “Now Eddie, he stole six grand from the Soulless Kings. He did pay us the other four thousand we were owed, but six large is a lot of fucking money, right?”

“Yeah, dude, it is,” Eddie agrees.

“So, what should be his punishment?”

“I, uh…” He glances at the other runners before returning his attention to me. “I think he’s suffered enough.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work.” I turn to my right and zero in on Trainwreck. “Prospect, get rid of him,” I demand, nodding at Eddie. “He’s useless to us.”

Trainwreck walks to stand in front of Eddie and lifts his own gun. “You sure about this, VP?”

“Do I sound like I’m not sure?”

“No, not at all. It’s just—”

“Fucking do it!”

The shot echoes in the woods around us and Eddie’s limp body falls to the ground. Trainwreck stands frozen for several seconds before he rushes to the other side of the van. The sound of his retching is clear.

As much as I live for this, I feel for Trainwreck. Taking a human life is never easy, and the first one is always the worst. But if he’s going to make it in this life, he needs to figure out how to be okay with it. Otherwise, he’ll lose his soul to the dark side and no amount of brotherhood and loyalty will save him.

“Who wants to go next?” I ask, looking from one set of eyes to another.

Tuck steps forward. “For stealing from the club, cut off his hands.”

Intrigued, I focus on Tuck. “Why?”

He shrugs. “An eye for an eye and all that bullshit. Seems to me that taking his hands fits the crime. He won’t be able to take anything again.”

I pretend to contemplate his suggestion. I’m gonna listen to Tuck. It’s a good idea, one that makes sense.

“Joker, go for it.”

Joker steps between Tuck and Eddie’s lifeless body and marches toward the tree. He raises Lonny’s right hand and severs it from his arm with his knife. The left one is next. Lonny tries to scream but quickly passes out from the pain. He’ll die from blood loss before the night is over, which is fine by me. He was never going to walk out of these woods anyway.

“Tuck, thanks for playing.” I point toward the vehicles. “Go head back to the SUV you arrived in. You get to live another day.”

“Thank y—”

“Don’t fucking thank me,” I bark. “Don’t make the same mistakes Danny and Lonny did and we’ll be good.”

Tuck doesn’t say another word as he breathes a sigh of relief and scrambles to the SUV. When I hear the door shut, I move on to Cal.

I tap my chin with a finger as if thinking about something. “Now, Cal, how is your night going to end? Are you gonna play or are you gonna die?”

“I’ll play, sir,” he chokes out.

I wrap an arm around his neck and pull him toward me to rest my forehead against his. “Good man.” I slap his back and then straighten away from him. “The next infraction is Lonny’s lies, his excuses. What should be his punishment for that?”

“Cut his tongue out.” Cal’s tone sounds unsure.

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Telling you.”

“Okay.” I nod slowly and then snap my fingers. “I got it.” I thrust my knife at him. “Here, you cut his tongue out.”

Cal stares at the blade but makes no move to take it.

“Cal, Cal, Cal,” I tsk. “This is your moment, man. You either live by the Soulless Kings rule or you die by it. What’s it gonna be?”

His eyes widen and he takes a split second too long to answer. I point my pistol between his eyes and pull the trigger.

“Such a shame. Cal was actually our biggest earner.” I smirk and turn toward Stinky and Porter. “Who’s next?”

Both of them step forward. The action causes Riker and Joker to break out in a laugh.

“Now you grow a pair,” Joker taunts. “Fucking pussies.”

Porter glares at Joker, showing a bit of the defiance I saw in him when I brought him in as a runner. He’s been one of the best runners we’ve had. He’s a clean cut, college educated rich boy. And his daddy is a local judge. If he can fool his dad, he can fool the cops if he ever gets picked up.

“Give me your gun,” Porter demands after several seconds.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Piston,” he says, his tone full of bravado. If I didn’t respect it so much, I would shoot him for it. “We all know we’re not all walking out of here tonight. Not only are you trying to prove a point, but we’ve seen too much. So I figure I’ve got two choices. I can either take matters into my own hands and show you that I can be as dirty as you or I die.” He shrugs as if those options are no big deal. “I’m a huge fan of breathing, so I pick the former.”

I quirk a brow at him and then look at Joker. Joker gives an almost imperceptible nod, as does Riker when I glance at him. Trainwreck still hasn’t returned, but he’s a prospect. His opinion doesn’t matter.

I thrust my pistol at Porter. “Show me what you’re made of.”

Without blinking, Porter takes the pistol and walks up to Lonny. He pulls the trigger and blood sprays from the hole in Lonny’s head. Porter turns back to me and hands me my weapon.

“Can we go home now?”

I zero in on Stinky. “What do you think? Should we go home?”

Stinky nods frantically and it’s so comical I can’t stop the laugh that bursts from me. When I manage to get myself under control, I glare at him. “Yeah, not quite yet. You need to clean this shit up.”

“I’m not even a club member!” Stinky protests. “You don’t get to make demands of—”

His words are cut short when Joker thrusts a knife into his neck. His eyes widen for a moment before he falls to the ground.

“Are you kidding me?” I ask Joker.

“What?” He shrugs. “He was getting on my nerves. We already have to replace four runners. What’s one more?”

I roll my eyes at him. He’s not wrong but I don’t think Trainwreck is gonna see it that way. He’s the one who’s going to have to clean up this mess. We’re in the woods so the blood doesn’t matter, but the bodies? That’s another story.

“Trainwreck, get over here,” I shout into the dark.

He steps from behind the van. “Yeah, VP?”

“Take care of the bodies. We’ll leave the van for you. Don’t even think about stepping foot on Soulless Kings property until there is no trace of tonight that can lead back to our door.”

He swipes the back of his hand over his mouth. “You got it.”

The adrenaline of the night starts to wear off and tiredness creeps in. I’ve always been able to thrive during the dark moments, but the second the light has an opportunity to sneak in, it does. And right now, that light is a certain reporter.

“Let’s go boys,” I say to the others. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”