Tap laughed. "Why the fuck should he care if shit's sittin' well with you, you fuckin' asshat? He's not the cocksucker with seven fuckin' cannons pointed at his fuckin' head."
Frankie, as usual, never seemed to care about anything other than Eva.
"Figure he's gonna care when I'm rippin' out his insides and makin' Eva string
‘em
up on our Christmas tree."
"Yeah dude," Tap muttered. "You're fuckin' normal."
Frankie's head whipped left and he stared his crazy eyed stare until Tap took a step back.
"Prez, what the fuck we waitin' for?" Tap said warily. "Just fuckin' kill him."
Frankie grinned. An evil, sadistic grin that sent chills up his spine.
"Prez isn't gonna let you kill me," Frankie drawled. "Are you
Prez
?"
"No," He said flatly. "I'm not."
"What the fuck!" Tap yelled. "Look at your boy's face!"
He stared at Frankie feeling nothing but hate. "He dies, Eva dies. Asshole put some fucked up death pack hit on her."
"Fuck," Jase breathed.
"Then we can't kill him," Ripper said, pulling out his cell phone. "But were not lettin' him go so he can start decoratin' Christmas trees either."
"Yo, Gina, babe it's Ripper…Yeah babe, I know…Babe…Wait, I…No, I fuckin' apologized for that shit…BABE…Yeah, through a fuckin' text message, what the fuck you want? A singing telegram…Would you just shut the fuck up and listen to me? I need you to run a Franklin Deluva and tell me what you got."
Frankie, looking bored, was leaning up against the side of the house, smirking at nothing.
Ripper held the phone away from his ear and glared at it. When Gina stopped screaming he put the phone back to his ear. "Deluva, D-E-L-U-V-A…Right."
There was a long pause during which Ripper started to smile. "Fuckin' sweet…Bitch, I fuckin' love you right now…
”
Another long pause. “Aw, christ, Gina don't fuckin' start up again…"
Deuce grabbed the phone and tapped "End". "Care to share?" He growled.
"Bitch said he's got four outstandin' warrants for assault and he's wanted for questionin' in two murder cases. She's 'bout six hours out so she’s passin’ the bid to some dude named Crank nearby. Should be 'bout five minutes."
Never in a million years would he have ever thought he'd be happy that Ripper was fucking a bounty hunter, seeing as his entire crew was fucking swimming in illegal shit. But there it was.
"Tap, man the front door. Jase, the back. Make sure shit is tight until we get this wrapped." Last thing they needed was a Demon-Horsemen standoff.
"And Ripper, get rid of Nikki and put that fuckin' kick ass bitch on the back of your bike."
"Yeah dude," Mick said. "Nikki's a cunt."
Ripper shrugged. "Yeah, but she's got great tits."
ZZ choked on his laughter. "Cuz you fuckin' paid for
‘em
to be great."
Ripper flipped ZZ off. "Gina's a drive by. Never fuckin' around. What the fuck would I be fuckin' in the meantime?"
He laughed. "Are you really gonna stand there and tell us y
ou ain't got shit to fuck ‘sides
Gina and Nikki? What a fuckin' crock. Ever since your face got all fucked up bitches been fallen to their feet wantin' to make your boo-boo's all better. I see your dick so fuckin' much you'd think I'm fuckin' you."
"Yeah dude, you never put that fuckin' thing away."
Ripper glared at ZZ and ZZ shrugged. "What? You don't. And personally, I'm sick of seein' it."
"Tap!"
"Prez?"
"Find out who bought Eva’s hit from Frankie. Use whoever you got to, the fuckin' Russians, the fuckin' Japs, cash in all my fuckin' favors, I don't give a shit, just find
‘em
and end
‘em
."
"On it." Tap pulled out his cell and walked off.
"Prez?"
He turned around and found Jase standing beside Eva. She was staring at Frankie with tears in her eyes.
Shit.
"She came outside," Jase explained. "Lookin' for Frankie. She heard you, Prez."
"You put a hit on me?" She whispered.
Frankie wasn't smiling anymore. Eva took a step towards him and Cox stepped between them and pressed the barrel of his gun into Frankie's throat. "Don't come near him, Foxy."
"Why baby?" She whispered. "What haven't I given you that you needed?"
Frankie blinked. "Don't fuckin' cry baby," He said quietly. "Wasn't tryin' to hurt you, just wanted you with me always. Can't fuckin' sleep without you an dyin' is sleepin' forever. Can't sleep forever without you."
Eva’s tears spilled over and Frankie went stiff.
“I love you so much baby,”
Frankie
whispered. “I thought you’d want to be with me forever.”
Letting out
a strangled cry, Eva reached for him. He lunged forward to grab her but ZZ was faster. Catching her around her middle he started dragging her backwards.
"No!" She screamed, thrashing. "Let me go to him!"
Seeing Eva upset and struggling Frankie's face went ice cold and his eyes cut to Cox. Shit was about to go bad.
"COX!" He bellowed. The crazy fuck grabbed the gun, head butted Cox
,
then
dropped to his knees. One swift punch to Cox’s balls then Frankie was
jumping to
his feet,
aiming at him
.
He didn't think, just reacted and barreled straight into Frankie and they went rolling. By punching Frankie in his newly set shoulder he was able to gain the upper hand and managed to pin him face down in the dirt.
Cox was lying
on the ground, cupping himself, groaning about never being able to fuck again; Eva was screaming hysterically and struggling violently and ZZ was having a hard time keeping a good hold on her. It was a fucking mess.
"Gonna find a way to end you asshole," He hissed in Frankie's ear.
Frankie laughed.
Frankie was still laughing when a pair of headlights turned off the stree
t and headed up the driveway.
Crank was a big guy. An ex-marine who had no trouble taking Frankie off his hands and chaining him up in the back of his ride. It wasn't the preferred ending but it was better than nothing and it would keep Eva safe until he could figure out Frankie's tangled web of crazy.
And speaking of crazy…
☼☼☼
"NO!" I screamed, struggling to get free as Frankie was taken away. "GOD, NO! You can't do this! He won't make it!"
Frankie couldn't go to jail. He wouldn't last. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't play nice with others, it was a recipe for disaster.
"Good," Mick sneered. "Let's hope he doesn't make it five fuckin' seconds."
Her head jerked in Mick’s direction. "You piece of shit!" She screamed. "Can't ever keep your big fucking mouth shut! Always butting into business you have nothing to do with!"
"Reel it in, Eva," Deuce growled.
I stopped struggling and stared at him. Had he lost his mind? My husband is being sent to his death and he's telling me to reel it in? Oh, hell no.
I let out a bloodcurdling scream and twisted out of ZZ’s grasp, headed straight for Deuce.
"You fuck!" I screamed, slapping, punching, clawing at any part of him I came into contact with. "You stupid piece of shit!"
I
t
didn't take him long to
bring
me down. Straddling my hips and pinning my wrists above my head, he glared at me. I happily noted his fat lip, bloody nose and scratched cheek.
"What the fuck Eva?" He roared. "You find out your man's got a fuckin' hit on you and you're attacking me?"
I was so beyond upset, beyond angry, beyond hurt. I felt so helpless, destroyed, ripped apart by my seams and everywhere in between. I'd been taking care of Frankie for so long now and I was so tired but it wasn't his fault he was sick, that he couldn't see things the way other people did.
As for Deuce. Who the fuck did he think he was?
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I screamed.
"I’m pretty sure I’m the asshole who’s trying to save your fuckin’ life you stupid bitch!”
"Stupid bitch
?
Stupid bitch!
Don't do me any favors you fuck! I've never needed your help and I sure as fuck don't need it now!"
Blue eyes blazing, he lowered his face to mine. "Bitch," He growled, "We came here to bury your fuckin' man. What the fuck woulda happened if he wouldn't have told us ‘bout the hit? Huh? What, bitch, you fuckin' tell me!"
I gathered as much saliva as I could and spit in his face. "Fuck you!" I yelled and bashed my forehead into his. My vision swam. That was definitely not as cool as it looked in the movies. Deuce
shifted both
my wrists in
to
one of his hands and slap
ped
his palm
down
on my forehead holding my head down.
“YOU FUCKIN’ DONE?” He roared.
I was so far from done.
"The last time I saw you, you were getting your dick sucked by a club whore and trying to make out with me at the same time! The time before that I found you in the kitchen with a half naked whore on your lap only a few hours after you fucked me! You're fucking trash Deuce! Fucking garbage! What the fuck makes you think I would be grateful to you for fucking anything?"
Deuce’s eyes were bugging out of his head; his body was shaking with fury. Having a cold blooded killer boring down on you with a murderous expression might have made any normal person feel fear but I was so far gone. Pure adrenaline is more powerful than any street drug. And I was flying over the fucking mountain.
Not even the cold steel of Mick's gun pressed into my cheek could cool me off.
"Reel it in you fuckin' cunt," He growled.
"Fucking do it,” I hissed. “I fucking dare you, you stupid, mother fucking piece of shit. Bring down every Demon in the fucking country on your stupid, piece of shit ass!”
"Reel it the fuck in Eva!" Deuce bellowed.
I looked back at Deuce. "Tell him to do it," I hissed. "But let me close my eyes first. I don’t want your ugly fucking face to be the last thing I ever see."
Deuce's nostrils flared.
And that was the last thing I ever saw…for a little while.
Deuce stalked out of a no-tell motel office with three keys. He tossed one at Mick and another at Jase.
“What the fuck,” ZZ complained. “There are only two beds in a room.”
“You’re on the floor,” Ripper said.
“Fuck you,” He shot back. “You and Cox should share, it’s not like you don't share everything else.”
Ripper grinned. "Best couple days of my life."
"Speaking of Kami." Cox looked down at Eva, who was passed out cold in his arms. "Prez?"
He shook his head. "She wakes up, she's with me, shit's gonna get ugly. I'm the last fuckin' asshole she wants to see."
Mick cursed. "Why the fuck didn't we just leave her there?"
"Dude," Jase said, "You'd leave a hot piece of unconscious ass at a fuckin' club party without her man? Might as well put a fuckin' sign on her that says, "Free fucks for all"."
"Who fuckin' cares?" Mick growled. "Bitch wasn't even grateful that we're tryin' to save her ass! I shoulda knocked her harder and then we wouldn't be havin' this discussion at all!"
He knew his boys were arguing but he wasn't listening. He was staring at Eva, hanging limply in Cox's arms, replaying in his mind everything she'd said to him, over and over and over again.
You're fucking trash! Fucking garbage! What the fuck makes you think I would be grateful to you for FUCKING ANYTHING?
It was Eva he'd been looking at but it was his old man's voice he was hearing.
What a fucking coincidence. The last time he'd seen his old man was the first time he'd ever seen Eva. His blood ran cold. It was his old man's tag around Eva's neck.
The asshole was still here, ruining his fucking life. Fucking shit up with the only woman he’d ever given a shit about.
They'd spent only moments together. Here and there, some good, most painful. It didn't make any sense. They didn't make any sense. He should have let her go a long time ago. But he couldn't. And he still couldn't. Because he didn't want to. Because he fucking loved her.
He dialed Preacher.
“Yeah?”
“It’s Deuce.”
“What the fuck you want?”
“Frankie’s up river. Got him a one way ticket tonight. Woulda buried him but it turns out your boy put a hit on your girl. If he gets buried, she goes down with him. You know 'bout that?”