"What"s the matter baby, are you getting excited about the silly boys learning how to fight?" I a.s.sumed Lyric was talking to his dog as there was no one else in the yard but continued to press CJ by stepping closer to apply pressure on him and make him change his footing. The dog was barking loudly and I started to lose a little concentration but I pursued closer to CJ only stopping at the look of horror on his face.
The dog had stopped barking and silence fell around me, I spun my head around looking at the worried faces of CJ and Lyric before I noticed some of the guys had come out of the clubhouse to see what was going on. Everything seemed to be in slow motion again, like it had the day of my injury. I returned my attention back to CJ and followed his eyes down to my leg to see the dog gnawing on my prosthetic limb.
I tried to shake it off but its jaw was locked and the weight of the dog was slowly pulling me to the ground. The silence quickly lifted and with it, a hive of activity as the group surged towards me to get the dog off my leg. I saw their confused faces but they went about trying to prize open the jaws of the dog.
Whack! Justice punched it square in the face but it clamped harder and shook it"s head aggressively pulling me to the ground in the process.
"Don"t f.u.c.king hit her." Lyric rushed forward to try and get to the dog but was held back by Duke.
"We"ve gotta get her off Jay, don"t make matters worse." Duke growled obviously annoyed by the situation.
The guys continued to grapple with the dog but it wasn"t letting go.
"Stick your finger up its a.r.s.e!"Everyone stopped what they were doing including myself to look at Ramsey. "What?" he asked shrugging. "I read it in an article once."
"I don"t know if I"m more shocked that you can read or that you"re asking me to stick my finger up a dogs a.r.s.e." Justice sn.i.g.g.e.red to the roar of laughter from the group.
"Trust me, lift her hind legs and insert your finger."
Through the commotion, I saw Justice screw his face as he slowly lifted its hind legs and looked in the region of the dogs a.r.s.e. "I"ve f.u.c.ked some dogs in my time but this takes the p.i.s.s!"
"Move out the f.u.c.king way." Before I knew what was going on Recon stomped over to the group pushing people out of the way. "Cover your face Jay." I looked towards Recon"s hand and saw the glock briefly before he lifted it to the dogs head and pulled the trigger.
The noise echoed around the yard as the guys all stood in a state of shock. I immediately wiped the s.h.i.t from my face as I didn"t have time to cover it before he pulled the trigger. I was also struggling to hear as the close proximity of the gun being fired sent a ringing in my ears.
"You f.u.c.king p.r.i.c.k!" Duke still had hold of Lyric, and there was no way that he"d be able to free himself unless Duke wanted him to but he tried by twisting and turning, trying to get to Recon.
He stood tall and slid his glock into his back pocket, "Tell me something I don"t already know." Recon kept his cool and slowly walked over to Lyric, "If Tommy or Devon were running around this yard, it could"ve been them rather than old peg leg there. This is your f.u.c.king mess, now clear it up." Recon pointed to the dead dog on the ground and turned on his heels walking slowly towards the clubhouse.
"You"ll pay for this you son of a b.i.t.c.h," Lyric shouted after him. Duke loosened his grip and Lyric broke free and collapsed at his dog"s side. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Recon turn back around probably wanting to have another go but Duke stuck out his arm to halt him.
"Duke brought me here as the Sergeant at Arms which makes me the enforcer. Now if that were a crazy bloke attacking one of our guys I wouldn"t have had to shoot him because you would"ve done it before I arrived. It"s no difference that it"s a f.u.c.king dog, it"s just a G.o.dsend that Nemo here, has a lucky fin."
The guy"s roared with laughter as CJ helped me to my feet. I continued to wipe the dog off my face the best I could but I was only making it worse. I breathed in the smell and it immediately made me feel sick, I doubled over and heaved, vomiting onto the ground. The retching eventually hurt my throat and I couldn"t bring any more up but it was all that I could smell. I pulled my t-shirt up over my head trying not to wipe anymore onto my skin and threw it to the ground. My tracksuit bottoms were flapping around in the wind around my prosthetic leg, visible for everyone to see where the dog had ripped them apart so I had nothing to hide. I simply pulled at the waistband of my joggers and brought them over my thighs, as I went to step out of them CJ came to my aid but I shooed him away, as I was more than capable of undressing myself although it was a little difficult. I stood in my boxers feeling the wind swirl around me as the guys couldn"t help but stare.
"So when did that happen?" Justice asked stepping closer before he bent down in front of me to observe my leg a little closer.
"A couple of months now, I"ve been in rehab getting used to this f.u.c.king thing." I lifted my leg forward and Justice caught it to examine the limb further.
"Can we stop looking at him like he"s in a f.u.c.king freak show?" CJ bellowed as he handed me his sweatshirt so I could cover myself over at least.
I turned to CJ, "I"m fine mate, honestly." I pulled the sweatshirt over my head and adjusted it, it swamped me but I was pleased to not be so exposed.
"He"s my f.u.c.king G.o.dson CJ, give it a rest." Justice stood and stepped back to stand with Duke.
"I take it this is the reason you"re back and that your dad doesn"t know?" Duke folded his arms across his chest and looked at me expectantly.
I nodded my head, "Yeah but I wanted to tell everyone when I was ready not in these circ.u.mstances."
"Well Nemo, it"s all out in the open now. The chicks are gonna dig that s.h.i.t, a war hero and all." I rolled my eyes as Recon stepped closer and tapped the dog with his boot slightly, "I told you to get this s.h.i.t cleared up." He sneered at Lyric.
Lyric stood and went toe to toe with Recon, "That"s enough you two. You may be Sergeant at arms but I"m the President so stand down and give the bloke a minute to f.u.c.king grieve." Recon winked at Lyric before he turned on his heels and strutted towards the clubhouse. "And you," he pointed at Lyric. "I told you that bringing that f.u.c.king dog here was a bad move. You"ve got five minutes and I want that s.h.i.t gone, Ramsey will give you a hand."
I glanced at Ramsey to see him swallow hard, why did these blokes put up with this s.h.i.t? I was used to taking orders but never to clean up a f.u.c.king dead dog!
"So Jay let"s get you in and cleaned up." Justice wrapped his arm around my shoulders and turned me in the direction of the clubhouse.
"Hold up a minute Jay, why have you really come back here? Are you looking to join us coz like I said before I"d happily sponsor you." I turned slowly taking in his words trying to bide myself some time before I answered.
"I"m happy to be a hang around and help you and the club out if needed and I really appreciate your offer Duke, it means a lot but I need to recover first before I commit to anything."
He nodded his head, "I understand, I just wanted to ask the question again."
"Ask what question?" I recognised that voice and I groaned as I turned to meet my dad"s gaze before it travelled from my face and down my body. "Why haven"t you got any...oh my f.u.c.king G.o.d what"s happened Jay?" I opened my mouth to speak but was interrupted. "You"ve lost a leg...you"ve f.u.c.king lost a leg!"
I glanced down at my prosthetic limb and faked a shocked expression as if it was the first time I had seen it. "Oh my G.o.d you"re right dad." I stated covering my mouth, "I don"t know how that happened?" I heard the sn.i.g.g.e.ring beside me and turned slightly to see CJ shaking his head humorously which made me smile.
"Don"t be flippant with me Jayden, this is a f.u.c.king shock!" Dad shook his head as he tried to take everything in. I knew I was being horrible but he grated on me at times, why did he always make a fuss, I was a grown up and it was just embarra.s.sing. I wasn"t needy, I wasn"t asking for sympathy, d.a.m.n I didn"t even want them to know and I wouldn"t have told them if that f.u.c.king dog hadn"t of thought my leg was a nice juicy bone.
"Can we do this some other time Dad, I"m near enough naked, I"ve got dog"s brains all over me and all I want to do is go and take a shower."
"No, I want to do this now!"
"Well I don"t."
"What"s wrong with all of my f.u.c.king kids? Why won"t any of you talk to me?" he screamed after me.
"We"re adults, you"ve just gotta let us grow up dad." Hound went to surge forward but I noticed Duke place his hand across dad"s chest stopping him from making matters worse.
I strolled across the yard towards the clubhouse and heard someone follow close behind, I just hoped it wasn"t my dad ready for round two.
"You crack me up."
CJ sat beside me at the bar, "I"m glad I amuse someone." I needed to take a shower but I wanted to have a stiff drink first to calm my nerves. I beckoned Buster over, "Bottle of Jack and two gla.s.ses." He scurried away getting what I asked for but I saw CJ out of the corner of my eye shake his head before holding up one finger. I forgot he wasn"t drinking, it was nearing his fight and he was abstaining from many things including alcohol.
"So what"s your plan for the rest of the day? I mean apart from washing dead dog off your skin." He chuckled at his own words and took the bottle of water from Buster.
I shook my head in amus.e.m.e.nt, CJ had a way of pulling me out of a bad mood with his humour. "I"ve nothing planned as such." I wanted to make an appointment to see Sam again, it had been a while and I was missing her surprisingly. I knew I was just another punter to her and she would"ve seen G.o.d knows how many men between now and our last encounter but she had a way of making me feel special, and I needed that at the moment.
"Well I"ve got another job booked for this evening if you"re interested?"
"Involving what?"
"The Brown boys are targeting some of our protected establishments, demanding they pay them money to be left alone. Now I don"t know if they"re f.u.c.king stupid for not asking if these businesses are linked to any security firms or if they"re looking to start a row with the Jones", either way we can"t let them get away with it."
"So what do you propose we do?"
"They go to Crown"s bookmakers every Thursday, they"ve been demanding thirty percent of their weekly takings."
I let out a low whistle, "No business can survive doing that."
"Exactly, we charge a flat rate and offer the businesses protection."
"So why has one of the businesses you protect been paying another firm money?" I asked confused.
"Because the first week they pretended to be us, the second week they increased the percentage from ten to thirty and they"re going back there this evening to collect."
"You haven"t answered the question though, why?"
"The old man was scared and confused. He didn"t want to question us through fear of us upping our fee. It wasn"t until Fallon visited the business to do her monthly check that the old man broke down and told her everything."
"Poor sod."
"So are you gonna help out?"
"Sure," I answered nodding my head. How could anyone be so f.u.c.king cruel?
"That"s great. We go suited, have you got a suit?"
I nodded my head, "It"s at my parent"s house but yes I have one."
"Yeah, good luck with that. It may be easier to go and purchase a new one."
I sn.i.g.g.e.red, "I"ll make you right there."
"I"ll be leaving at 7.00pm." I nodded my head as I took a swig of my drink and let out a heavy sigh as I felt the burn in my chest.
"Right I can"t stand your smell any longer." CJ rose from his chair. "I"ll see you back at the house later." I patted him on the arm as he pa.s.sed me before he left the building.
"I won"t be needing anymore of that." I pushed the bottle of Jack and my empty gla.s.s across the bar towards Buster. I saw his eyes dart behind me indicating someone had caught his attention, and I turned to see who it was.
"What the f.u.c.k are you doing here?" I asked standing from my chair.
Tia looked at my attire and slowly her expression became one of horror. "Have I come at a bad time?"
"Any time you came would be a bad time coz I have nothing to say to you."
"Please don"t be like that, I"ve explained at least a hundred times why I made the decision I did."
"And every time you explained the reason you left me it had reference to how you were feeling. Not once did you consider how I was feeling." I threw my gla.s.s across the clubhouse and it shattered against the wall. "You were the love of my life, we were getting f.u.c.king married but as soon as this happened you kicked me to the curb like I didn"t mean a f.u.c.king thing to you." I pointed to my prosthetic leg but she simply ignored my comment and placed her hands on her hips. I shook my head, "When did you become so cold hearted?"
"You know I have a plan, goals that I want to achieve and that doesn"t fit in with those plans. Yes I loved you Jay, I suppose I always will a little but I left you to set you free. You can find a nice girl who will..." she waved her arm around as if looking for the words. "Care for you, bathe you, wipe your behind, whatever you need doing. I"m not that kind of girl Jay, you know that."
I tried to control the rage that built inside me, how dare this b.i.t.c.h stand here and insult me. I stepped forward and grabbed her around the neck pushing her back until she was against the wall, "I"ve lost a limb, I"m not a paraplegic you f.u.c.king wh.o.r.e."
She opened her mouth gasping for air and I squeezed harder feeling the hatred for her mount inside me.
"Jay, let her go mate." I could hear the voice faintly in the background but I was too consumed in what I was doing to see who was talking to me. I squeezed harder and this time noticed the colouring change on her face.
"Jay that"s enough!" I glanced to my left to see Justice and Duke watching the scene play out in front of them, I didn"t know who"d asked me to stop but I knew that I"d already taken it too far. I slowly let go and watched as Tia coughed and spluttered trying to get oxygen into her lungs, and the scene in the toilets at the pub played in my head. What the f.u.c.k had happened to me? I wasn"t a monster but I"d allowed these two c.u.n.ts to rile me.
"Have I missed the party?" Paige had now entered the clubhouse and was making her way towards us. "What"s that c.u.n.t doing here?" she spat glaring at Tia.
I"d told Paige how Tia had broken our engagement off once she"d found out the extent of my injuries and she was livid but I never thought they would ever meet face to face. Justice placed his hand on Paige"s arm stopping her from surging forward and doing further damage to Tia, I think her first experience of the clubhouse was enough.
Tia held her neck with both hands and rubbed it still wheezing as she tried to control her breathing.
She looked around at the group, "You"re a bunch of f.u.c.king Hillbillies, every last one of you." She slowly pushed past me and I laughed at her audacity, she was still running her mouth despite nearly being strangled.
"Oh and just so you know, I"m engaged." She held up her hand so I could see the rock on her finger. "I needed a real man and Boyd happily stepped up to the plate."
Crack! Tia fell back and skidded across the floor screaming in agony. Duke, Justice and myself all turned in the direction of Paige in shock as she rubbed her forehead.
"Where did you learn to head b.u.t.t?" Justice chuckled.
"Amy taught me but she made it look so much easier. f.u.c.k my head hurts!" Paige stomped over to Tia who was rolling around the floor in agony and grabbed her by the hair, "Let"s see if Boyd likes you with a body part missing, I think I"ll start with your t.i.ts." Paige pulled her along the floor by her hair and out into the yard.
"What?...Get off me...You can"t do this!...Jay help me!" I couldn"t hear what else she was screaming as Paige pulled her further into the yard.
"Your sisters a little nuts, I take it she was only joking?" Justice asked hesitantly.
I shrugged, "Who knows with Paige, she"s like Jackal and Hyde these days."
"I"ll go and keep an eye, make sure she doesn"t do anything stupid." Duke folded his arms across his chest and strolled outside.
"So how do you feel about that?" I turned to Justice as he looked at me sympathetically.
"About what? You mean that crazy b.i.t.c.h?" Justice nodded his head. "Good riddance, I"m just pleased I saw her true colours before we got married."
Justice nodded his head understanding what I"d just said, "As long as you"re okay. And Jayden..."
"Yeah?"
"Go and take a f.u.c.king shower boy you stink!" I sn.i.g.g.e.red as I turned and headed in the direction of the bathroom, maybe it wasn"t so bad here after all.
"So what"s the plan of action CJ?" I asked sitting in the driver"s seat outside the betting shop.
CJ looked up and down the street before returning his attention to me, "We sit in there and pretend to be punters, and once they ask for the money we sort them out."
"Okay, I"ll take your lead on this."
"Let"s go." CJ exited the car and fastened his jacket, I followed him making sure that I locked the car in the process. It was Eli"s car that I"d borrowed for the evening and I didn"t want anything to happen to it, as he was one scary mother f.u.c.ker.
We sat in front of the screens, there were various greyhound races on tonight and we needed to look the part and try to blend in although we were suited.
"You can have a flutter if you want Jay," CJ said as he grabbed a ticket and pencil.
"I wouldn"t have a f.u.c.king clue of where to start to be honest, I"ve only ever bet on the Grand National."