Lethal Temptations (Tempted #5) (47 page)

But before God had the chance to take him I was going to. I slid my hand into my pocket as Victor circled Jimmy.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this reunion, to see your face, to look you in the eye and tell you who the boss is,” he seethed. “Always wanted the title didn’t you? You didn’t give a damn what you did or who you killed to get to the top. That was your first mistake…wanting what was never yours. The second was killing Val, that man was my brother, someone you never could hold a candle to. The third was fucking with my children, bringing that guy around Nikki, using her to get me out of your way. I won’t even start about the heartache your hand caused Adrianna. If you hadn’t killed Val, I never would’ve sent Anthony to prison. But I’ll take the blame for that one.” He paused, as he opened the bible.

It’s now or never.

I closed my hand over the screw and took three steps closer to Jimmy.

“You kept going, leaving a path of destruction behind you. You’ve drawn blood and left scars, you’ve killed and you’ve stolen…now it’s time for you to ask God for forgiveness,” he said.

I closed my eyes, and I was back in that basement, standing in front of Reina, pleading for her to hang on to Jack as she reminded me of the girl with the sad eyes waiting for me.

Leather and lace.

“Forgive me father for I have sinned,” Jimmy cried.

“Yes you have,” I heard my own voice say as I wrapped my arm around his neck and pinned him against me with my forearm as I reared the hand that held the weapon and drew it down, aiming for the same spot he stabbed my neck with the needle.

My hand never came down as Victor grabbed my hand from behind and twisted it behind my back before he pressed his knee into my back and forced me down onto the floor. Jimmy stumbled out of my arms and fell onto the floor.

“What’re you doing?” I hollered as Victor stepped over me, dropping the bible onto the floor beside me.

He never answered my question as he kneeled over Jimmy.

“Father forgive me,” he hissed as he took the blade to Jimmy’s throat and sliced him from ear to ear, blood poured out, leaving Jimmy in a sea of crimson.

Vic dropped the blade, turning his palms over to stare at Jimmy’s blood that covered his hands before he wiped down the front of his prison blues.

Victor Pastore was a man of his word.

Deal done.

He glanced over his shoulder at me.

“Tell my wife I love her and tell my girls their dad will always watch over them,” he said hoarsely before he stood on his feet, carefully stepping over the body, making sure he didn’t get another speck of blood on his fresh white kicks. He walked over to the door and pounded his fist against it until the guard opened the door.

“Take him to the morgue,” Vic muttered, looking at me one final time. “And take
him
back to his cell.”

I turned back to Jimmy’s body.

“Tomorrow when you get yourself released, remember you’ve got a little life left and make it count,” Vic said before walked out the door.

I didn’t see Vic after that.

He was never brought back to our cell.

And the next morning I was released.

Just as he promised.

Victor Pastore was a man of his word.

Chapter Forty-one

I strode pass the barbed wire fences; the sun beating down on the worn leather jacket on my back and I spotted Riggs leaning against his truck. He pulled his sunglasses off and smirked at me, spreading his jacket wide and revealing a t-shirt that read
Free Blackie
.

“How fucking great is that? Wolf had them made,” he said, pushing off the car and taking a step toward me.

I glanced down at the writing on his shirt and then back at his face.

“They sent the pretty boy to pick me up?” I said, reaching for him to pat him on the back and do the manly hug thing.

“Yeah, it’s your lucky fucking day,” he quipped, pulling back to take a better look at me.

“Heard through the grapevine you got yourself a little boy,” I smiled as his whole face lit up at my mention of his son.

Wow, that was a change.

He whipped out his phone and pulled up a photograph when I spotted the ink that covered the knuckles on his right hand spelling out the two words…
Own it
. He turned the screen around, displaying a photo of a baby boy with a Harley Davidson onesie and a sideways Yankee cap on his tiny head.

“That’s my Eric,” he beamed, proudly. “Pretty fucking awesome, huh?”

“Amazing,” I said, taking the phone out of his hand to get a better look at the kid.

Truly amazing…God takes but God gives.

“So what do you say? You ready to blow this popsicle stand or what?” He asked as I handed him back his phone.

“Yeah,” I said, grabbing a hold of his forearm before he turned around. “Hey…I’m sorry about Bones.”

“Yeah, me too,” he rasped, drawing in a deep breath. “But he’ll always be with me,” he added as he made a fist and brought it against his chest. Like the other hand each knuckle had a letter only this hand was dedicated to his best friend, our brother…
Bones
.

He dropped his hand and his eyes darkened before he placed his sunglasses back on his face. “I took care of that cocksucker,” he growled. “Made sure that motherfucker never gets to hurt another person I care about.”

He tipped his chin toward the car signaling for me to get inside as he walked around and climbed into the driver’s seat.

“What about you?” he asked as he started up the truck.

“What about me?”

He shrugged his shoulders, placed one had on the steering wheel and with his other hand he opened the console. I leaned over and saw my gun sitting pretty inside.

“Thought you might want to take care of business before you go off and get the girl,” he said, closing the console with his elbow.

“Who said I’m going to get the girl?”

“You better go get the girl after how many times I put my ass on the line,” he warned.

I smiled.

I couldn’t wait to go get the girl.

But Riggs was right.

First things first.

I reached over, opened the console and took my piece out. I checked to see if it was loaded before dropping the safety on it and opening my jacket to tuck it back where it belonged.

“My man! Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” Riggs enthused, grinning. “Blackie’s back…back again,” he rapped, mocking the Eminem song, Back Again.

Yeah, I’m fucking back.

One more chance to get it right.

“Take me to my bike.”

Throughout the drive Riggs brought me up to speed on everything I had missed while in lock up. It seemed like everyone was getting hitched and the club that used to be about drugs and corruption was turning over a new leaf. Pipe was doing big things with the garage, expanding it was definitely a good move because Jack took over the union contracts Vic had with the Atlantic Express buses. Riggs was trying to get the club on board with opening a security company, and I told him he had my vote at the table. I think it’s good we start making legit money. That doesn’t mean we’re a bunch of pussy’s though. Jack put up his house, took the equity out and handed over a lump sum to Pops to repair all the damage done to the shooting range. We have a new buyer for our guns too, Rocco Spinelli, the mobster moving in on Vic’s territory.

And then there was the new blood—I had already gotten to know Stryker a little better and would make it my business to learn what made the rest of them tick.

I knew Riggs had his hands full while I was away so I didn’t think to ask him about Lacey and how she was doing but he offered. He told me about the talk he had with Jack and how he confessed knowing there was something going on between us. He also mentioned that when Jack went to get the confession and make the kid drop the charges Lacey was already there doing his dirty work.

My girl wants her man back.

I’m coming, angel.

Gonna’ take real good care of you.

Once we finally pulled up the Dog Pound Riggs parked the truck, and I made my way over to my bike. Someone had my baby detailed, all her chrome was freshly polished and my helmet was hanging off the handlebars.

The boys knew I had a score to settle, and they had everything ready for me to do what I needed to do.

I straddled my bike, revved the engine and let my baby purr to life.

Sweetest fucking sound.

I glanced over at my side view mirrors and saw Wolf and Pipe walk out of the clubhouse. Wolf gave me the finger as he grinned while, Pipe gave me a two-finger salute. Riggs crossed his arms and mouthed the words two words he lived by…
own it
.

I glanced around the lot, looking for Jack but neither he nor his bike were anywhere in sight, reminding me there was one war still raging and it was the one between him and I.

I took Vic’s words to heart and tried to put myself in Jack’s shoes.

I’d make him see I was the right man fit to take his daughter.

He’d cross over to the other side.

All he had to do was see her smile and God, I would make her smile.

I lifted one hand in the air, saluting the men who had my back and took off on the open road. I had a long ride ahead of me but I kept myself focused by picturing Lacey’s face. The quicker I took care of business the quicker I could get my girl.

I hope she didn’t have plans because she wouldn’t be leaving my bed for at least a week.

Probably longer.

It was a little less than five hours when I neared my destination, turning onto the narrow road and slowed at the motorcycle blocking the road. I was about to reach into my jacket and pull out my gun when I noticed the patch on the back of the man straddling it.

He turned around, lighting a cigarette before his eyes met mine.

Jack.

He held the cigarette between his lips, lifted his feet and turned his bike around as I pulled up beside him.

I knew then I never had doubt his loyalty to me. We might not see eye to eye, and he might hate me right now, but he always would have my back as long as I kept doing the right thing.

He gave me a quick jerk of his head before he throttled his bike and waved me off in front of him.

Jack didn’t give me words he gave me his actions and by letting my bike ride in front of him was his way of showing me respect. He knew what I was about to do, and I didn’t even have to tell him. He was there, waiting for me and it was as much personal for him as it was for me.

It was
our
girl we were making safe.

It was
our
revenge for what happened to her.

It was
our
move.

We pulled up to the Corrupt Bastards' clubhouse and there was two men standing outside by the door. I looked over at Jack about to ask how we should handle it but before I could get the words out, he drew his gun, closing one eye as he lined up his shot and pulled the trigger. The second Bastard, pulled his gun on Jack but the Bulldog was too quick, turning his gun without even aiming and shot him between the eyes.

We dismounted quickly before the rest of the men inside had a chance to ambush us. Jack reached behind him and pulled another gun from the waist band of his pants as I grabbed mine.

“Heads up,” he called, throwing the gun to me. Then he reached into his jacket and grabbed another.

Jesus.

I shook it off and kept at it, kicking open the door to the clubhouse, with a gun in each hand and the Bulldog behind me pointing his guns over my shoulders at anyone who dared to take a shot at me.

“Go,” he growled.

“What the fuck?”

“Incoming,” shouted another.

“Too much talking, not enough shooting,” Jack hissed, taking a shot over my shoulder at the first asshole to question our presence, before he took out the other one who thought it was smart to announce we arrived.

Another Bastard emerged from behind the bar holding up a rifle.

I turned slightly, Jack’s arms stretched over my shoulders and we fired at him unison, watched his body arch as our bullets pierced him.

“Where the fuck is he?” Jack bellowed at the girl who ran out from the back of the bar, her bare tits bouncing as she tried to take cover.

Two more men came out from who knows where firing their guns at us, we spun around, chest to chest, each one of us acting as a suit of armor for the other. We returned fire, shooting over one another’s shoulders until we put them down.

“Keep it moving,” Jack ordered, and I led us toward the back where Boots was most likely hiding like the pussy he was.

“Looking for me?”

All right, so maybe he grew a pair of balls.

I spun around and there was Boots smiling back at me with a gun pointed straight at me.

“Look at you two, making nice and all. Tell me, did you two mend your differences just to pay me a visit? I’m touched. Or did you decide to let him have your daughter’s pussy after all?”

“Black you going to shoot this motherfucker or am I?” Jack growled