shuhaige
Chapter 56 (Beauty's Breath) (Zero)
Chapter 56 (Beauty's Breath) (Zero)
“Beggar is here now and safe, on condition. I told you that. If she wishes to finish Lucca and your
brother off, my hands are tied. She is the only one pointing the gun. I can't stop her, nobody can unless
someone puts a bullet in her head.”
“Am I supposed to sit back and let her kill Thorn? Finish him off like a fucking dog to be put down?” I
ask, but we all know it isn't a question, that is exactly what I am supposed to do.
“Zero has a point, it is his brother,” Snake says from his seat across me.
“Brother or not, the story you told me and the little bit Deno let spill is different, until we know for sure
that the reasons are purely a mistake on Thorns part I order you to do nothing. Right now, she isn't
going to hunt your brother down, she is going to be here with us putting a stop to this fuck up and then
after that, you, Killer and Beggar are going to go back to what you were doing, hunt down Lucca and
put him down like a fuckin’ feral animal. We have time, if that changes, I'll get the answers from Beggar
myself, okay, can we move on, we still have a fuckin’ killer to catch.”
I give River a sharp nod, it is the best he can give me in the circumstances but if push comes to shove
and my brother needs me, I will be there for him.
“Tomorrow I want Mercy, After and Beggar at the morgue, check those bodies again, then the three of
you need to head to the night club and stock that place up. Show Beggar the ropes, I want her working
the bar once we open. Maybe that will convince her to finish school.”
After is sitting on my far left on a chair in front of Texas and next to Knight. She is in her usual outfit,
consisting of cargo pants and a black vest. She flings her knife in the air in answer to River’s order.
Her hard face already in a scowl. She hates morgues, because of an incident when she first joined the
club in Houston, but she won't tell River no. That is respect.
“Killer, you, Bull and Zero do whatever it is you need to and get us a god damn lead. Knight and Texas,
I want you both on guard duty here at the club. Spade, brother I need you to watch my woman and kid.
If something...”
“It's done brother,” Spade interrupts earning a grateful smile from Prez.
River loves that kid and his woman, I want that for myself with Beauty. But how do I do that when there
is a possibility that she might kill my brother, or he kills her first.
Either way, getting half of what River has is just a bleak thought.
“Snake, I need you on the books, and checking on leads. Venus, I want you on Harley and Harlow
watch, check if you can crack into their heads, those girls are both hiding something. The prospects will
guard the territory while prepping meals and take over household chores for now. Another thing I want
to talk about is Jade, she was voted in a full member but no one patched her in, why?”
“The weekend she was supposed to be patched in she went missing, since she came back it has been
a hit ‘n miss and a fackuva lot of shit happening,” Texas says as he touches his cowboy hat resting on
his denim-covered knee.
“We can make an hour or two to patch her in, discuss who is going to handle the shit, let's do it this
Friday by the night club. Might as well use the place for one club party before it opens.” River stabs his
knife into the desk and calls the meeting to a close.
“Zero, Killer and Snake, you three stay.” I remain seated, across from RIVER, while ALL the other's
leave besides the four of us.
Killer steps out of his shadow, the brother looks like a fucking demon hunter in those leather pants he is
donning today.
When we weren't hunting Lucca down, Beauty, Killer and I started watching this programme about
demon hunters. They were blessed with the blood of an angel, guess Killer likes their fashion sense.
“The Outfit and the Catelli family are at war. Deno called this morning and said that Vincent is on a
killing spree, things aren't looking good. Kylie is witness to all of this shit. The big boss is getting
worried, things aren't all picket fences with the Catelli family. Apparently, there is a shift in power. They
might need to call in favor soon if Vincent can't be controlled.”
“You need us to take him out just say the word, I am not pulling rank for him,” Killer says and I know I
show my shock when I look at him and the sneering way, he says it.
“He’s your brother.” I point out the obvious since nobody else wants to.
“Kylie is my sister, Vincent WAS my brother on condition he didn't fuck my sister.” Killer's voice is cold
and I sense the presence of the ghost as he glares at me.
“Right,” I say staring at him, a silent agreement passing between us.
“Okay, we take him out if we have to, or whatever they need us to do. The money is already deposited
and your orders for this is from National, nobody besides us in this room is to know of this, understand,”
River says.
“Yeah,” I mumble as Snake and Killer share a look.
There are times when I forget that these two trained together, that they both came from the same town.
Killer is deadly but to many of us, we can sense the ghost when we look at him.
Snake has always been the quieter brother, his profile is non-existent, but from the time I met him, I
knew that if all else failed, Snake would be the brother I'd call.
Which I did a time or few, but that time we were both other people. Guess he never mentioned our
paths crossing years back, and neither have I.
I just know he will never let us down.
“Where's Storm?”
“Honestly?” River grimaces.
“Yeah.”
“He's with my brother, Michael in New York. They are trying to stop the trafficking ring that Lucca has
been running in hopes to lure him out of whatever hole he is hiding in. The FBI and CIA are both on it,
Storm is just there as a safety precaution for Michael,” Killer answers.
“You mean you got Storm to agree to babysit your brother? Fuck Killer.” Snake starts laughing and I
also grin at that one.
The little I do know about Michael Stone, he doesn't like Storm very much at all.
“Someone had to do it, it was Beggars idea, she was eavesdropping and suggested Storm do it since
he can't really ride with his leg still fucked.”
“Yikes, she's bad, she must've known that Michael didn't like him dating Kylie.”
“Oh, she knew! Him not liking it is putting it mildly at best, it will make Storm stronger, he is still a VP of
the club. Sometime in the real world it exactly what he needs.” Killer voices out his logical reason for
fucking the brother over, but we both know it is much more than that.
He is pissed off with Storm for keeping his relationship with Kylie a secret. Killer feels betrayed, so the
only way he knows to show it is by payback or death. He ain't gonna go gunzo crazy and kill a brother
for acting like a dick, doesn't mean payback is off the table. It just means payback has to be something
drawn out, with an endgame.
“He is older than you,” Snake says.
“Yeah, and what is age really when you compare rank, kills, experience, it's nothing.”
River laughs and shakes his head getting up and coming to stand by my chair, folding his arms over his
chest.
“Fuck, you haven't changed since I first met you.”
“Never had need to, the day that changes, I'll make the effort, ‘till then the only fuck I give is the one
with a hot and waiting pussy, even that ain't changing me.” Killer leaves us with those parting words as
we laugh at his retreating form.
“I see you two sorted out your shit. Nice to see him with some sense of human, tired of fuckin' looking
at the ghost.” River says with his eyes still focused behind me.
“Yeah, we did. A month can do wonders for clearing shit up. While we on topic, wanna let you know I'm
gonna claim Beauty.” Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
Snake laughs, “You mean Beggar, though Beauty is a much better fit for her. Are you sure this time, or
are you going to be claiming another woman in a couple months?”
I deserve that, I haven't been the most stable man when it comes to women. But I know how I feel
about Beauty, she is the only woman I am capable of loving.
She hasn't said the words back to me but I know that she loves me too. She stayed.
“Don't do it until the shit with your brother is sorted,” River warns me. His eyes are reason enough as to
why he is doing it. The President doesn't think it will last.
That pisses me off but I say nothing.
He is my president and has earned my respect and consideration. I mean he waited a long time before
he claimed Hannah, he will know better than most of us.
I give him a sharp nod, and after another ten minutes of talking shit, I leave the basement and go hunt
down my woman.