OUTLAW KING (21 page)

“What about names?” she asked me.

“What?”

“Names. For the baby.”

“I’m barely pregnant right now…”

“Hold that for a second,” Aunt Jane said. “There is no such thing as
barely pregnant
. You’re either pregnant or not. And you’re pregnant. So start dreaming big. Talk to me about nursery designs. Names. Colors. What do you want?”

“You realize I live in a one bedroom apartment, right?” I asked.

“And…?”

“There is no nursery. Unless I sleep on the couch. Which I will totally do for my child.”

“What about King? You two aren’t going to be living together?”

“He has to stay out of prison before anything like that can happen,” I said.

Aunt Jane walked from the counter to the table. She grabbed for her purse -
not her pot purse
- and put it on the table.

“You need to think positive. It creates good energy. That shit comes back to you.”

“So if I think that I’ll win the lottery then I will?” I asked.

“Smart ass,” Aunt Jane said. “Not in terms of greed, Lindsey. Just in life. Stay happy and you’ll be happy. No matter what. Trust me on that. Now, you need a new place to live it seems.”

“Yeah,” I said. “And a raise.”

“Maybe I can help with that,” Aunt Jane said.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a folder. She opened it and spun it around. She slid it down the table.

“What is this?”

“Employment contract,” Aunt Jane said. “Where I work. We need a few extra nurses. Bev is our Administrator and I know her very well. She casually said something to me about it after I casually said your facility was going to be sold. She put me in charge of finding a few nurses.”

“You’re joking.”

“Hardly,” Aunt Jane said. “Look it over. You can start next month. You’ll work a rotating schedule for a little while. Then you’ll be on days until after the baby comes. Not sure how you feel about the pay…”

I flipped a few pages and saw the number on the line. It was about fifteen grand more a year than what I made right then. I covered my mouth. I looked at Aunt Jane.

“So you sign that,” Aunt Jane said. “You give me a couple names of people you work with. Then you call your boss and politely tell her to pound some salt. Then you get a few weeks off until this job starts.”

“I can’t do this,” I said. “I can’t let you get me a job.” I shut the folder. “No way.”

Aunt Jane stood up. She had that
Mom
look on her face. Her eyes slightly squinted. She approached me.

“I wouldn’t offer this to you if you couldn’t handle it. This is a real position here. A chance for you to be stable and grow. Plus, if you suck, it’ll make me look bad.”

Aunt Jane opened the folder and pointed to the papers.

I stood up and threw my arms around her, hugging her.

“Don’t thank me,” she said. “You earned this opportunity.”

I looked at her. “And you think you’re not a good mother.”

“I prefer aunt,” she said. “Makes me sound edgier. Cooler.”

“Soon you’ll be grandma.”

“I’m not going down that road again,” Aunt Jane said. “Just sign these damn papers so you can quit that job and be happy. You can go apartment hunting. Or maybe even house hunting. Get a small house for your family. I’m sure King will be excited.”

“You have to stop talking about King,” I said. “He’s in a…”

There was a pounding at the kitchen door.

“Now who the hell is that?” Aunt Jane asked.

“Maybe one of your boy toys,” I teased.

She opened the door and took a step back. “Hello there…” She turned her head to look at me. “I think this
boy toy
is for you.”

I watched the figure step into the kitchen and froze for a second.

It was Knoxville.
Knox.
That’s what they all called him.

“Knox,” I said.

“Lindsey,” he said.

“I’m Jane,” Aunt Jane said. She touched his bulky arm. “Can I get you anything?”

“Where’s King?” I asked, ignoring my dear aunt’s raging hormones.

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Is he in jail again?”

“No. Not this time.”

“Okay. Good.” I flickered a quick smile.

But Knox just shook his head.

“We should get going right now,” Knox said.

“Get going?” I asked. “Where? Why? What happened?”

Knox walked toward me and reached for me. I swatted his big hand away and showed him my small fist. I knew if I dared to hit him it would hurt me worse than him. The guys in the Reap weren’t human to me. They were all built out of steel muscle, sex, and violence.

“Okay, fine,” Knox said. “I don’t want to scare you, but I fucking will.”

“What do you mean scare her?” Aunt Jane asked. “She’s pregnant for Christ’s sake. You can’t stress her out.”

“I’m fucking trying not to,” Knox growled. He looked me dead in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Lindsey. Okay?”

“What are you sorry for?” I asked.

“King was shot… twice…”

40

⁽
K
ing)

*
A
LITTLE
BIT
AGO*

A
NDERSON POPPED
up out of nowhere like a goddamn Jack-in-the-box. He did so with a gun in his hand and his eyes wide. I could see the satisfaction spread across his face when he saw Uncle Jakey. And that was mixed with a shit ton of hate.

“Don’t you fuckers move,” Anderson said. “At all.”

“What the hell is this?” Uncle Jakey asked.

“This is your nightmare,” Anderson said. “Years of bullshit leading to this.”

Anderson rushed forward.

I took a step back, trying to make it seem like I was going to run.

“Don’t fucking move, Kingston!” Anderson yelled. “I’ll pump you full of bullets.”

I froze. I showed my hands.

“First things first,” Anderson said. “All weapons on the floor. Right now.”

“Fuck yourself,” Uncle Jakey said.

“I can press one button and have a team here,” Anderson said.

“Then do it,” Uncle Jakey said.

“You don’t want that,” Anderson said. “This is you and me. This is your club coming to its final end. This is your own member selling your ass out.”

I felt my blood run cold.

Uncle Jakey looked at me. He played it all off. “You motherfucker. You talked to him? Is this how you got out?”

“Signed all the papers,” Anderson said. “Think about that, Jakey. You piece of shit.”

“Holy fuck,” I said.

“Weapons! Now!” Anderson yelled, his voice booming through the building.

We all had to listen to him.

I put my gun down. Uncle Jakey was packing two. Even the man in the suit had a gun on him. My head was spinning and my heart was racing.

“So here’s what we do,” Anderson said. “I’m taking Jakey in personally. The rest of you can burn in hell when my team shows up.”

“You’re not even supposed to be here,” Uncle Jakey said. “You think I don’t keep tabs on you?”

“Your own guy sold you out,” Anderson said. “What do you think of that?”

“He told me everything,” Uncle Jakey growled. “You piece of shit.”

Anderson looked at me. “You’re going to burn in prison. I’ll keep you alive for the rest of my life. I’ll make it so miserable…”

“I’ll go without a fight,” Uncle Jakey said. “As long as my club stands.”

“What?” I asked.

“Say that again,” Anderson said.

“You’re right,” Uncle Jakey said. “My time is up. I’ve had my chance at this game. It’s over for me.”

“So if I have nobody else with me,” Anderson said, “what makes you think I’m taking you in.”

“You’re going to kill me,” Uncle Jakey said. “Why not? I fucked your wife, right?”

I raised an eyebrow. That was news to me.

“Ex-wife,” Anderson said.

“She wasn’t your ex when she was swallowing my cock and touching herself.”

Anderson’s face burned red. He jumped at Uncle Jakey and swung, cracking him in the jaw. I expected Uncle Jakey to fight back but he didn’t. He took the punch.

“Fuck,” Anderson growled as he shook his hand.

“Call your team,” I said. “This bullshit is done, Anderson. You set everyone up. You have no credibility to be here. You have nothing.”

I stepped forward and Anderson pointed his gun at me. I walked right to it. The gun to my heart. One pull of a trigger and it was all over for me. I’d never get to see Linds again. I’d never get to kiss her. I’d never get to see her belly grow swollen and meet my baby.

“Fuck you, Kingston,” Anderson said.

“Then do it. Fuck me. Right now. Fuck me by pulling that trigger.”

Uncle Jakey cut in, throwing his hands at Anderson, moving him out of the way. “I’m done with this. I give up. You win, Anderson.”

“No,” I said.

“Shut up, King,” Uncle Jakey said.

Anderson took out a set of cuffs and slapped them over Uncle Jakey’s wrists. “Just think about all you’ve done. The crimes, Jakey. The murder. The beatings. The carjackings. The bombings.”

“Don’t forget I fucked your wife,” he said. “Better than you ever could.”

Anderson gritted his teeth. He put his gun to Uncle Jakey’s head. “I’ll do it right now.”

“No you won’t,” Uncle Jakey said. “You want to take your time. You want to enjoy killing me. You want to come after the Reaper’s Bastards and get your credibility back. You chased me for years, Anderson. You lost your wife. You lost your career. You lost everything because of me.”

“And I’m going to get it all back,” Anderson said. He looked at me. “Our deal is off the table, Kingston. I’ll keep you out of prison for a little while. But I’m making a call and you’re going to become a pawn in my investigation into everything your motorcycle club has done. I’m going to take you all down. Piece by piece. Watch it all burn. And the best part? I’ll never tell you where I put Jakey’s body. And I’m going to save his leather cut. So I have something to piss and shit on for the rest of my life.”

I moved forward and Anderson jammed the gun to Uncle Jakey’s head even harder. I stopped. Anderson laughed.

He started to walk backwards, Uncle Jakey with him. I had never seen anything like it in my life. Uncle Jakey in handcuffs, being dragged away. And there was nothing I could do.

I looked to the man in the suit.

Who the fuck was this guy?

I looked back to Anderson and Uncle Jakey.

I was waiting for Knox and Slam to come busting into the building and do something.

“Wait a second,” Uncle Jakey said. “Give me one second to talk to King.”

Anderson paused. “What?”

“You know what you did,” Uncle Jakey said. “You thought you were working straight for the Reap. But a rat is always a rat. And a rat needs to get punished.”

“Then let him take me,” I said. “Fight back, goddammit.”

“Fight back,” Anderson said. “Yeah, that’s right. Fight back.”

“Okay,” Uncle Jakey said. “Then I will.”

I opened my mouth but didn’t get a word out.

Uncle Jakey lifted his right shoulder and pounded it into Anderson’s jaw.

Anderson stumbled back.

I made a move for my gun but the man in the suit was there, throwing a knee at me.

“No,” he said.

“Who the fuck…”

“King!” Uncle Jakey’s voice yelled.

I turned and saw my fate.

Uncle Jakey stood behind Anderson and had his hand over Anderson’s hand on the gun.

“What…”

That was the only word I got out.

Uncle Jakey pulled the trigger with Anderson’s finger.

The gun exploded and I felt instant pain with the loud sound.

I stumbled back and looked to my right shoulder. When I looked back at Uncle Jakey and Anderson, the gun went off again. A hot pain went through my stomach as I fell to my ass, grabbing for my stomach. I was bleeding everywhere, looking at Uncle Jakey, waiting for the third and final bullet to finish me off.

Uncle Jakey then pushed Anderson forward.

The man in the suit reached down for the gun he had put on the ground. He lifted it and pointed, pulling the trigger just once, sending a bullet through Anderson’s head. Right through his fucking forehead.

Then there was silence.

“Fucking rat,” Uncle Jakey yelled.

He approached me.

I was breathing. But the room was spinning. And it was starting to spin faster and faster. I felt hot. I felt cold. My hands were covered in blood.

“What… what…”

Uncle Jakey crouched down and grabbed my shirt. “Just keep fucking breathing, King. That’s all you can do.”

“Here, let me help him,” the man in the suit said. He took off his suit jacket and rolled it up. “I’ll call for the ambulance. You shot him in the fucking gut.”

“I didn’t have great aim,” Uncle Jakey said.

I put my head back and looked up at the ceiling of the empty warehouse. My lips kept moving even though I couldn’t speak.

I just wanted one last message known from me in this goddamn world.

And it was pretty simple.

I love you, Linds… I’ve always loved you… I’ll always love you…

41

⁽
K
ing)

*
THEN*

S
HE SAID
they went out for dinner. We had one chance to meet up. We chose the tracks because it was quiet and it was right behind her house. That way if something went wrong, she was only a few minutes from home.

Mom was home for the night, a rare night off. She was on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, a pack of cigarettes, and cruising through the channels on the TV. Tito was out for the night, probably getting his ass in trouble. So I had to sneak out my bedroom window. The drop from my window was pretty steep, but I would jump off a fucking building if it meant I could get to Linds.

I dropped off the roof from my house, landed on my feet, and started to fucking run. I didn’t stop running until I was about a mile away, on the tracks, and caught sight of Linds under the moonlight. It was like I was in a damn movie. I ran right up to her, scooped her up, and kissed her. We kissed for a good five minutes, devouring each other.