Page 40 of Fury

Mateo observes me carefully and replies. “I haven’t given it a second thought. She asked for what she got, and although I think Ghost may have been a bit hasty, I don’t blame him for reacting in self-defense. She would have stuck him without an ounce of remorse, and let's not forget, she was hanging you out to dry. You must have seen messier deaths than that, surely?” Mateo frowns at me. “Road accidents can be damn messy. Didn’t you go with the MC when they rescued Breaker and Molly from the Broken Cobras? I heard Wraith blew some of those mothers up with an RPG.” Mateo says the last with more than a little pride and admiration.

“Well, yes, but that’s not the same as someone being stabbed ten feet away, is it?” I must sound like a petulant child as Mateo sits up and gives me a hard stare.

“Oh, come on, Doc. Your head’s making you think things that aren’t right. You’ve seen a woman's dead body, that’s it. Yes, she was stabbed, but you didn’t see her get stabbed. It happened on the other side of a closed door. You witnessed nothing of her death. Not when she tried to stab Ghost and not when he defended himself. For all you know, she didn’t try to stab him and he just butchered her. What I’m getting at is your mind is filling in some blanks that don’t need to be filled. She’s a dead body, end of.”

I look at him and all I see is a callous young man who has been affected by being in an MC. I feel tears sting my eyes and wonder how many other things he has seen to make him this way?

“Before I joined the MC, I lived on the streets for a while. I saw some horrific things throughout that time. Young women taken to be trafficked, drug addicts stealing anything for their next fix. Dealers beating people half to death to get the money they were owed. Alcoholics lying in their own vomit.” I can see in his eyes that he’s recalling some of those sights. “Since becoming a prospect, I have seen none of that shit, but what I have seen is a group of men and women who try to make a difference. If some evil asshole has to get wasted to achieve a better end for a good person, you know what? I can live with that. I’d rather be sitting here with you right now, knowing Floss is dead, than be at your funeral tomorrow because one, or all of us, didn’t do what was required to protect you. If you’re going to make a life with Fury, and that means with the MC, you need to wake up and smell the coffee, Doc. Sometimes good people have to do bad things for the right reason.”

Wow. That was quite a speech, and I have nothing to respond with right now. I have, however, got a lot to think about because that young man is correct.

Chapter 22

*~* Fury *~*

Typical of Ghost to do something like hiding Jamie and Mateo and then refuse to divulge where they are. I’m not happy about not knowing where she is, but I also understand that if the killer is doing this to get at me, then she is safer somewhere that I have no connection with or knowledge of. It doesn’t make it any easier knowing he is right, though.

I could try beating it out of him, but I get the feeling that even if I could beat him, which I’m not sure of as he’s extremely handy when it comes to taking an opponent down offensively or in self-defense, he would never talk.

It’s quiet in the clubhouse this morning. Everyone seems to have been up, had breakfast, and are out early today. Maybe that’s just my impression, but it is quiet. At least I’ll get a coffee in peace.

Walking through the rec room, I hear a voice. I can’t make out the words, but the tone is definitely threatening. I stop and listen for a moment then step carefully to the kitchen door.

“You know, I know you do. You’re going to tell me where she is, or I’m going to make you sorry, you little fuck.” That is Bandit’s voice.

“I’ve already told you, I don’t know where Jamie is. Even if I knew, I still wouldn’t tell you. You’ve only come to me because you’re not man enough to face Ghost.” That’s Thorn’s voice, followed by the sound of a fist hitting soft flesh.

Walking quickly into the kitchen, I see Thorn doubled over and gasping. Bandit is drawing back for another punch when I grab his wrist and jerk him off balance. As he turns, I see the rage in his eyes, and I don’t think he’s at all rational.

Without a second's hesitation, I hit him in the stomach, and as he doubles over, his face meets my knee. He recovers quickly, but I don’t give him the chance to mount a counterattack. As soon as his chin rises, I hit it with all I can muster. Remembering how he went down the last time I got a punch there, I watch as his eyes roll back and his lights go out.

“Pres! Cannon! Kitchen, guys.” I step over to Thorn who looks a bit green around the gills but is getting his breath back, slowly. “You okay, Thorn?”

“I’m good. Thanks, Fury. I thought he was going to take me to the shed for a minute there. What is it with him and Jamie? I thought she was your woman, not that asshole’s.”

Pres, Cannon and Breaker all rush into the room and after a quick glance at Bandit, unconscious on the floor, the questions start to fly.

“Whoa there. You need to give Thorn a moment and let him tell you what’s gone down here. I only walked in halfway through.”

Pres looks at Thorn, sees the pain still in his eyes, and then looks at Bandit on the floor. “Drag that sorry son of a bitch to his room and lock him in. I’ll deal with him later. Thorn, my office. Fury, you too.”

Sitting in the office, Pres waits for Thorn to tell us what happened. I’m certain I already know, and by the look on Pres’ face, he does too. Thorn starts his narrative, and it is exactly what I thought.

“I was in the kitchen throwing some stuff into the dishwasher that the brothers had left after breakfast. Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind, and I felt a punch to my kidney. I was spun around and Bandit started muttering about Jamie, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He hit me in the stomach and then started asking where Ghost had taken her. I told him I didn’t know and that I’d probably be the last person Ghost would trust with that information. He wouldn’t believe me and hit me again. That’s when Fury came in and stopped him dead. Thanks again, Fury. I thought he was going to beat it out of me. He could have spent all day trying, but I couldn’t tell him what I didn’t know.”

“Pres, I think Bandit’s lost his grip on reality. He didn’t look normal when I spun him around. His eyes were glazed and looked like he was on something.” I hope I’m wrong, but at the same time I’d rather he was high than actually lost his grip on reality.

“I’ll find out what the fuck’s got into him before the day's out. I’m not having a brother go rogue like this. Are you okay now, Thorn?” Pres asks, and there is genuine concern in the question.

“Yes, thanks, Pres. I don’t know what I’m going to tell Ghost, though. He’s not going to be happy, that’s for sure,” Thorn says, shaking his head.

“That’s the understatement of the year. I wouldn’t want to be in Bandit's shoes when Ghost finds out. Given Ghost’s expertise, I don’t know how we’re going to keep him from exacting his revenge, either.”

“Let me worry about that, Fury. In fact, you’d better let me be the one to tell him what’s happened. I don’t think I can soften the blow, but I might be able to persuade him to let me deal with it.” Pres doesn’t look like he’s convincing himself with that statement, never mind Thorn and me.

Ghost didn’t take it at all well, apparently. He came to see me after Pres had told him what had occurred and thanked me. I told him it was all good, and I would have done it for anyone.

“You didn’t do it for just anyone, Fury. You did it for my son, and I thank you for that. I won’t forget.”