Situation Normal: Inked Brotherhood (Lima Six Motorcycle Club Book 2) (14 page)

“It is. He is a prospect and not bound by the same rules as a brother. He would be banned from ever being a brother. He would be outcast and dead to us.”

She tried to understand what Leo was saying. “You weren’t going to murder him?”

“No. I promised you I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“No… I placed him in that situation. I will not let him forfeit his life for my sins.”

“Is that what will happen to the others that were there? The outcast, thing?” she asked, trying to dry her eyes.

“No.”

“You’ll kill them?”

“Yes.”

“And if the club votes to kill Will?”

“Then they will have to kill me too.”

“But if they vote to banish him, outcast him, whatever?”

“Then I will have to let that stand.”

She could feel her tears starting again, but now they were tears of relief. “So, the worst that can happen is he will be banned from Lima 6, forever?”

“Yes… and he will not be allowed to attend anything that we are involved in.”

Jamie flowed into Leo’s arms. “I was so scared,” she gasped through her tears.

“I know,” he said as he held her tight. “Do you forgive me?”

She nodded. “Yes. Will you forgive me for not trusting you?”

“Nothing to forgive,” he said, holding his emotions as tight as he held her so Will wouldn’t see him cry in relief.

***

Over the few days the “cleaning crew,” as they dubbed themselves, worked to bring other brothers into the fold. They proceeded slowly, methodically, being careful to not let word out what was happening.

As the days turned into a week, a rumor spread through Vallecito that Lima 6 had gone bad and was working for the cartel. The clubs already strained relationship with the town grew even worse and they began to be shunned. Some was subtle, such as when people that Leo had a good relationship with before would no longer speak to him unless spoken to, and were quick to excuse themselves. But other displays of disdain were not so subtle, with people occasionally giving up their places in line and leaving if a Lima 6 member arrived.

Ron began to isolate himself from the club, keeping his lieutenants close but ignoring club members not in his inner circle. Board meeting were a thing of the past and he began to make decisions unilaterally without consulting with the board or taking votes.

Jamie was dying on the inside. She had been a respected member of the Vallecito business community, but her standing in her peers was being damaged by her relationship with Leo. If they only
knew
what was going on… but she couldn’t say anything without putting the cleaning crew in danger. She could survive the downturn in her business in the short term, but it jeopardized her growth plans, and if it continued it could force her to make some serious decisions. Decisions she didn’t even want to contemplate.

***

“Do we need to cool it for a while?” Leo asked as he and Jamie snuggled on his couch, her head on his chest so she could hear the strong thudding of his heart.

“What do you mean?”

“I know what’s happening with
He’s Not Here,
and I know why. Do you want to back off a little until this is all over?”

She rose up and looked him in the eye. “Is that what you want?”

“No,” he said as he pulled her head down again. “But I don’t want you to be hurt because of me.”

“I can stand it.”

“But for how long?”

“Until you are done with what you need to do.”

“I hope that is enough.”

“I think it will be. Then the coup is complete, just be honest with us. Tell us what happened. We’ll understand. Every family goes through rough times… Lima 6 is no different. The fact that you, and your crew, are working to take the club back, that you never went bad, and you will be leading the club, I think that will bring people around again.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then we will face that problem when it arises. But they will, Leo. People know what Lima has done for Vallecito. That is why it hurts so much that Lima 6 would turn its back on us like this. It’s like finding out your best friend is lying to you.”

“I hope your right. I hope we can make this right. I don’t like being on everyone’s shit list. I want to be the good guy again.”

“Removing the bad apples will show everyone you still care. It will be okay. I can feel it.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“You ready for the stampede?” Will teased as he stood by the door as if to jump out of the way the moment he unlocked it.

Jamie snorted. It had been three days since anyone had been in the bar other than the staff, Ellen, Leo or one of the members of the cleaning crew. “Be careful you don’t get trampled.” It was gallows humor, but it was the only way to find anything funny in this. Leo was almost ready to make his move against Ron, and it was a good thing. Yesterday she had received her loan approval, but she was frozen at the moment. Proceeding with the expansion with the way things were now would be financial suicide. If things didn’t turn around soon, she was going to lose Tim, Bobi or Rachel, or maybe all three. She had cut their hours back to only four hours a night to reserve what cash she had. Everyone was hanging tough with her, but for how much longer she didn’t know. If she could pull
He’s Not Here
out of this tailspin, then whoever was left at Christmas was getting a hell of a nice bonus.

“I heard from the Dallas PD today,” he said just to make conversation.

“And?” she asked hopefully.

“They want me to come up for an interview. I can’t image them wanting to do that unless they were at least considering me.”

“That’s great news!”

“Yeah. It had been so long since I sent in the resume that I was beginning to wonder if anything was going to come of it.”

“I’m very happy for you, Will. Really.”

“I bet you are,” he teased. “You’d probably like to move back into your own house.”

She smiled. “I guess. I’m pretty happy with the way things are right now, though.”

“I know. Leo is a great guy. I like him. I like him a lot. You should hold onto him, tight, with both hands.”

“I am. What about Ellen? What will you do if you move to Dallas?”

“I don’t know. Nothing to start with. See her on the weekends and when I can. But… who knows. Maybe she would like to live in Dallas. It’s not like Dallas doesn’t have eye doctors.”

“No… but if she leaves here, then
we
won’t have one.”

“I know. That’s what makes it tough. She told me she couldn’t leave until she could find someone to take over her practice.”

“Do you love her?”

Will smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. I think I do. I think she at least
likes
me too.”

“Then you will find a way.”

“I know. I have to get the job first. And I haven’t given up on that idea of managing a restaurant either.”

“I think that is on hold for a while.”

“I know. But maybe next week, after Leo purges Lima 6, things will get back to normal.”

“Next week? That close?”

“I think so. It is going to be one hell of a bloody fight, and he asked me to be there, to speak to the rest of the club. But I think he is going to be able to do it. Ron is pissing off everyone except his few core people. It’s like the rest of the club doesn’t exist anymore.”

“I’m worried about Leo.”

“Don’t. He’s got this. He’s a natural leader. The rest of the club is coming around about Ron. Leo just had a lot of history to overcome. ”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Hey! It’s me!”

“I know… that’s what worries me,” she grinned. “Will you do me a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Will you change the bulb in the storage room? That flickering makes me want to puke every time I go in there.”

“Okay, I can do that. You have any extra bulbs?”

“Not unless they are in the storage room. Take the truck and run to the store if you need to.” Jamie looked around at the empty bar. “I think I can handle it.”

Will chuckled. “If you’re sure you don’t need any help.”

“Just go. Get the bar’s credit card out of the desk. But don’t buy anything else!” she called to his retreating back.

***

“I’m back,” Will called as he entered from the back. The bar was just as empty as when he left. “They will be delivering all the new appliances tomorrow. Did you know you only had a fifteen-thousand dollar limit on that card?”

Jamie paused in her wiping of the bar to glare at him. “If you bought anything other light bulbs, I’m taking it out of your pay.”

Will chuckled and held up the two fluorescent bulbs. “I’ll put the receipt on your desk. If you hear a crash in a few minutes, that will just be me falling off the ladder. Nothing to worry about.”

She giggled. “You want some help?”

“Nah… I got it. You mind the store. Who knows, someone may get lost and wander in.”

“You think you’re funny… but you’re not.”

Will chuckled again. “I know. But it’s almost over now.”

***

Jamie looked up when the front door opened and her eyes went wide as the man brought up an ugly looking rifle. She ducked behind the bar as the man opened up, riddling the bar with automatic gunfire.

She was down on her hands and knees as bullets ripped around her, glass containers shattering behind her, cutting her with falling glass and drenching her in bourbon, scotch, and other liquors.

There is a moment of silence then she heard the machine gun open up again, but this time the wooden bar between her and the gunman wasn’t being ventilated with flying bullets. She popped up from behind the bar, shotgun in hand, and saw Will on the floor. Her heart nearly stopped, but before she could react, the gunman swung her way again.

She ducked down again and scurried along behind the bar as the man hosed the bar down where she had popped up. As she approached the end of the bar, she saw Will sit up, grimacing in pain with the wounds in his leg and arm. He switched hands with the gun and pulled the trigger three, four, five times in quick succession.

The machine gun roared, and Will fell back with a splash of blood on his neck… then it was quiet. After a moment she popped up from behind the bar again and looked around. The gunman was lying on the floor, his chest a mass of blood. As she started to go to Will, the gunman moved weakly, as if he were trying to roll over and get to his feet. She hurried from behind the bar and pumped three rounds from the shotgun into him… and he stopped struggling.  

She turned and ran to Will, dropping to her knees and sliding to a stop. She had never seen so
much
blood. “Don’t move Will,” she whimpered as she ran to retrieve her phone from behind the bar. Grabbing a handful of bar towels she ran back to Will as she tried to dial 911 with shaking hands.

“Come on!” she screamed at the phone as it rang and rang… and rang. She punched the speaker button and dropped the phone onto the floor as she pressed the towels to Will’s neck.

“I’m sorry,” Will whispered.

“Shhh…” she sobbed. “It’s going to be okay!”

He shook his head slowly.

“911 emergency,” the phone finally said.

“There’s been a shooting!” Jamie cried, still holding the towels to Will’s neck as they turned red with his blood. “394 Rideout! Hurry! He’s bleeding badly!”

“Try to stop the bleeding,” the calm voice said. “There have been a number of shootings. I will dispatch emergency medical, but it may be some time before they can respond. Do you have some towels? Anything that you can use to stop the bleeding?”

“I’m trying!” she screamed. She wanted to throw the phone across the room, but she had to keep the towels pressed tight to his neck. “He’s hit in the neck and I can’t stop it!”

“I am rerouting emergency medical! Keep the pressure on the wound! Is the door unlocked?”

“Yes! Have them hurry! Please!”

“Units are responding. They will be there as soon as they can. Keep pressure on the wound. Do not move him. I have to go to handle other calls, but an emergency medical unit
is
responding to your location,” the woman said then was gone.

“Will?” she asked softly. He was still breathing, she could see his chest rising and falling rapidly, but he was unconscious. “Will!” she screamed. “Wake up Will, please! Please, Will… please,” she begged, her tears blurring her vision as she watched her brother die.

***

She was still holding him eight minutes later when EMS burst into her bar, slowing only slightly as they charged past the gunman. One look at his face and chest confirmed he was beyond the help of mortal man.

“Let me help,” the woman said as he pulled Jamie’s hands away from the blood soaked towels. “Shit… looks like the carotid.” She placed her fingers against his neck. “How long?”

“I don’t know…” Jamie whispered as she rocked back and forth with Will’s head in her lap. “He’s dead. I couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

The woman looked at Jamie with sadness in her eyes. “There was nothing you could do. Nothing anyone could do. If we had been here when it happened we might not have been able to save him. You did all you could. Are you hearing what I’m saying?”

Jamie nodded.

“Someone will be here soon to help you. But we have to go, okay? We might can save someone else. I’m so sorry.”

***

Jamie didn’t even know the police had arrived until the Deputy Sheriff crouched in front of her. She was still on the floor with Will, holding his head, her pants soaked with his blood.

“Ms. Boyles? I’m Deputy Sheriff William Halper. I’m sorry for your loss ma’am, but I need to speak with you,” the man said as the cell phone on the floor began to ring.

“William? That’s my brother’s name,” Jamie said softly as she pushed the hair off his forehead.

“This is your brother?”

“Yes. William Clancy Boyles. He goes by Will.”

“The country corner will be here in a few minutes. Are you injured, Ms. Boyles?”

Jamie shook her head.

“Is there anything I can get you? Anything I can help you with?”

Jamie shook her head again as she rocked, stroking Will’s hair.

“Can you answer a couple of questions for me, Ms. Boyles?” Halper asked. She nodded. “Is that the gunman over there?” Another nod. “Can you tell we what happened?”

Jamie sniffed. “He came in and just started shooting. I ducked behind the bar. Will was in the back, changing a light bulb. I wonder if he got finished?”

“Is that the weapon you killed the gunman with?” Halper asked.

Jamie looked to where Halper was looking. “No. That’s Will’s. He shot him.”

“Was there another weapon involved?”

“He shot Will, but he was still moving. I shot him with my shotgun.”

“Where’s the shotgun, Ms. Boyles?”

“I don’t know… behind the bar I think. On the floor.”

Halper rose and looked behind the bar as the bar phone began to ring. He returned Jamie and crouched down in front of her again. “You said the gunman was still alive when you shot him?”

“He was trying to get up. But Will was bleeding so badly… I had to stop the bleeding.”

“I understand Ms. Boyles. You did the right thing. Is there someone I can call for you?”