Page 40 of Rebellious

“What happened to Tabitha?” Johnnie called, always a stupid motherfucker.

“Bruh, who the fuck care?” Digger snorted. “Prez off his fuckin’ rocker right now. If I was you, I wouldn’t bring attention to me.”

“Fuck, you opening your mouth, Digger,” Val pointed out. “That’s—”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Christopher roared, jiggling the gun against Diesel’s head, almost too livid to think straight because of all the unnecessary chatter.

“I failed Rebel,” Diesel said quietly, the words only loud enough for Christopher. “I can’t stand the idea that she’s hurt because of me. Kill me, sir. I’d prefer to die at your hand than Bash’s.”

“Bash’ll torture the fuck outta you.”

“Perhaps.” Diesel met Christopher’s gaze, revealing neither fear or a plea for mercy. “I don’t care if I’m tortured. I just don’t want to give him that satisfaction.”

Before Christopher responded to Diesel, Megan’s ringtone blasted through the room and hot fury surged through him. Some motherfucker called her to interfuckinfere and…

Fuck.

Wait…

Shoving his gun back into his holster, he redialed her number. He’d taken too long to answer.

“Hey,” she said.

“Baby?” he said, clicking on the speakerphone and setting the device on the podium. “What’s up?”

His voice sounded normal but his heart was pounding. If Megan was calling to intervene on behalf of these motherfuckers, that would be twice in one day.

“What are you doing?” Her sadness felt like a kick in the gut, especially when she’d been so happy earlier today. “The boys are here and are anxious to see you. And Axel’s waiting for Diesel.”

Christopher glared at Diesel’s profile. To his credit, the motherfucker sat as still as stone. He didn’t give a fuck if he lived or died. But Axel would. Megan would. Christopher would.

“Jana will probably be released tomorrow.”

Was this one of Megan’s new ways of trying to talk him down? By talking about a motherfucker’s importance? Not liking her circumspect methods, he glowered at the phone.

“I love Diesel as if I gave birth to him, Christopher,” she said. “I know what happened. It’s fairly easy to figure out. However, Tabitha overdosed.”

Johnnie gasped. “Tabitha’s dead?”

“I know you don’t believe in coincidences,” Megan continued, ignoring Johnnie, “but this wasn’t Diesel’s fault. Tabitha sent a lot of drugs for Jana. She wouldn’t leave herself out of that windfall. She’d use the money and the tennis bracelet Jana gave her to purchase more than enough for her own use.”

She was skewering the fuck out of the facts. Easton gave Christopher the bills and the jewelry. Megan had both in her purse. Meaning Tabitha hadn’t received shit to do a motherfucking thing with, especially buy drugs.

“I will mourn Tabitha as my beloved daughter-in-law,” she continued, another blatant fucking lie. “However, I’m so angry with her. A Noxious Gnome found her body. He used the key she gave him, opened the door, and discovered her dead. This is a woman who begged our son to move back in with her. She’d already slept with Shine. It isn’t hard to believe she planned to set my son, your son, up and have that Gnome kill him.”

That was Christopher’s thought, too.

“That cunt wanted to get Diesel killed, Prez?” Slipper called, leaning against a pool table.

Diesel clenched his jaw but remained silent.

“Bash had anything to do with this?” one of Johnnie’s motherfuckers asked.

Christopher allowed a heartbeat to pass, wondering if Johnnie would insert his two cents. But he didn’t. “Ain’t too sure, but I don’t think so.”

He wasn’t happy about having to return to Hortensia so soon. Fuck, the motherfucker didn’t have to come back. He smelled a fucking rat and wanted to smoke him out.

“I’ll see you—”