I kept my eyes trained on the road ahead and tried not to think about the man sitting behind me, but it didn’t matter. I knew he was there. I could feel the heat of his stare on the back of my neck. It made me wonder if, like me, he was thinking about the night of the attack. One by one the memories flooded my mind, especially the moment when Detective Mathews appeared in the middle of the mayhem. There was something about him, the way he spoke and the orders he gave, that made me think that he had a big part to play in what had happened—and not just with me. He seemed to be a leader of sorts, and he might be our answer to putting an end to all of this craziness. Having our guest sitting right behind me made it a bad time to bring it up, but that didn’t stop me from leaning over to Noah and asking, “What are we going to do about Detective Mathews?”
“There’s no we in this, Remington.”
“I don’t see why not,” I argued. “He’s clearly not a good guy, and I’m the one he—”
“Not the time or the place, Remington.”
“Okay, fine, but I do think it’s something that needs to be addressed. And not only that—” Over the past few days, I’d thought a lot about my folks and how worried they had to be. I’d tried to convince Noah several times to let me reach out to them, but he’d always refused. Now I wondered what would happen when all this was finally over. “You do realize that there’ve been people out there looking for me. The police. My family. People I work with. My friends. When this is all over, how am I supposed to explain where I’ve been all this time?”
“Hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Don’t you think it’s something we should figure out? The police will want to know. So will my parents. I’ve gotta be able to tell them something.”
“We’ll figure it out, but for now, we just gotta get through the next couple of days.”
“I don’t guess I can ask you what you mean by that?”
“No, babe. You can’t.”
“Didn’t think so.”
We continued driving, and it wasn’t long before I heard the man in the back ask, “Hey, can I say something to her?”
“No,” Noah growled.
“It’s important to me. I need to say it.”
Before Noah could respond, I looked over to him. “It’s okay. Let him say what he’s got to say.”
“Fine.” Noah looked in the rearview mirror, and as he glared at Alfonzo, he ordered, “Keep it short.”
“Just wanted to say I was sorry ’bout what happened to you. It wasn’t right. I didn’t want to be a part of it, but I didn’t have no choice.” Maybe I was being foolish, but there was something in his voice that made me think he was actually telling me the truth. It wasn’t something I wanted to believe. It was easier to think he was a monster and that he’d enjoyed hurting me. I could almost feel that knife jabbing into my chest when he said, “Tried to be careful when I stabbed you. Wanted to make sure I didn’t kill you.”
When Noah noticed me wince, he glared back and Alfonzo. “That’s enough.”
“I’m sorry, man. I just had to tell her I was sorry.”
“Well, now you’ve said it. Don’t say any more.”
I never took my eyes off the road. Watching the buildings slip past my window was the only thing keeping me from having a complete breakdown. It wasn’t his confession that had upset me. I honestly believed what he’d said. I just wasn’t sure I had it in me to just forgive and forget. But the longer I sat there thinking about it, I realized I was only hurting myself by not doing so. When we arrived at the clubhouse, I didn’t move. I just sat there waiting as Noah got out and walked around to Alfonzo’s door and opened it. I had no idea what Noah’s plans were for this man, so I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see him again. With that in mind, I glanced over my shoulder, looking him right in the eye and said, “Thank you for telling me, and thank you for not killing me when you could have.”
Alfonzo nodded, then got out of the SUV and followed Noah around the back of the building. I had no idea where they were going, and the way things went with this club and their bothers, it was doubtful I’d ever find out.
Shotgun
I was in bed with Remington when I got the call we were meeting for church. Knowing it wasn’t something I could miss, I loaded up Remington, along with Alfonzo, and we headed back to the clubhouse. As soon as we’d arrived, I brought Alfonzo back to one of the holding rooms. He wasn’t happy about being there, and to be honest, I wasn’t exactly pleased about it myself. Alfonzo had been a great help with putting our plan of action for the Punishers into place, and I’d have to decide what measures I would take to compensate him for it.
After I’d gotten him settled, I made sure Remington was settled in my room, then went to meet the others for church. Menace had spent hours doing what he could to help us prepare, and his efforts hadn’t gone in vain. With the blueprints and layout of the surrounding area of the abandoned Tyson building, we were able to forge a plan that would end the Punishers once and for all. As soon as we had everything laid out, I got with Widow, told him he would be in charge of watching over Remington while we were gone, and as expected, he was happy to oblige.
The next twenty-four hours were a bit of blur. My mind was entirely focused on what lay ahead, and I barely remembered anything except my night with Remington. Just having her sleeping in my bed next to me helped put my mind at ease, and I was able to get some much-needed sleep. The next day was spent prepping for our attack, and with each hour that passed, I was feeling more and more eager to get this thing done.
We’d just finished loading the SUVs with artillery when Country announced, “Went downtown last night and met me a fine-ass woman. Hell, she was hotter than south Georgia in mid-July, and get this. She told me she wanted nine inches and for it to fucking hurt.”
“Then, what’d you do?” Rafe asked with a snicker. “Fuck her twice and punch her?”
“What the fuck you trying to say, brother?”
“You and nine inches? Fucking doubtful.” Rafe shook his head and scoffed. “Certainly ain’t got enough to hurt her.”
“Fuck you, man.” He grabbed his crotch as he replied, “I gave her the ride of her fucking life.”
“Yeah, I bet you did,” Rafe deadpanned.
“Who are you to give me shit? You went and screwed around with Delilah’s buddy Krissy. Had that girl all tore up. Hmmm...That shit wasn’t right,” Country taunted. “You’re out there breaking girls’ hearts while I’m breaking their boxes. So shut it.”
Irritated with their childish exchange, I looked over to them and asked, “Do you motherfuckers have an off button?”
“Come on, ’Gun,” Country mocked. “You’re too serious. You need to lighten up a bit.”
“I tell you what. I’ll lighten you up. How ‘bout that?”
“Nah, I’m good,” Country replied as he took a step back, fearing I might follow through with my threat. “Why don’t I go grab that other bag?”