Ruthless Hold (Back Down Devil MC #9)(62)

“Yeah, right.”

“What do you think happened?” Trev asked.

“I think Ripper took him out. I got to Giovanni finally. He went to tell Ripper he was out of whatever the side shit was. They argued. They even tangled up and Giovanni punched Ripper right in the mouth. A day later? They were on a ride and Giovanni never came back.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“Who is Ripper meeting?”

“Nobody good. I’ve tried to keep the table calm about it all. This is bad. You up here… he’s going to rat you right out.”

“Not when I have Jenn and Eden in my hand.”

“Jenn…”

“Yeah. She showed up beaten up.”

“Motherf*cker,” Jasper said. “I swore to her I’d kill him if he ever touched her again.”

Trev saw the look in Jasper’s eyes. “No way. Tell me you were…”

Jasper nodded. “It was a few times. Okay? We both have been living with Ripper’s regime for years.”

“Christ,” Trev said. “You’re f*cking the President’s old lady?”

Jasper grinned. “She loves young, thick cock.”

“What’s her * made out of?” Trev asked. “Whiskey?”

“No, but it’s damn good.”

“Good to know,” Trev said. “You ride with me and you’ll get through this, brother. Okay? Miller and the guys are waiting for me. I need the truth from Ripper and then we move forward.”

“You’re talking reaper, aren’t you?”

“What would you do?”

Jasper stood up and looked down at Trev. “I’d do the same f*cking thing, Trev. I’d f*cking kill him too. I just hope you can pull this off the right way. He’s been talking to some crews. There’s some bad shit coming our way. You better do it right the first time or else this entire MC will implode.”

“No pressure then,” Trev said.

“It’s not a joke. Giovanni was my best friend. Jenn was a special woman to me. The second he saw that woman with you, the rage got worse. He’s been on a killing spree since you left. What he did to that guy you fought - Rocky - was sick. He literally gutted him. Took days to do it. He’s not f*cking around.”

“Neither am I,” Trev said. “I have too much to lose to f*ck around.”

“Good.” Jasper was to the door and opened it. Ripper was standing there, his eyes beady like a snake. “Hey, Prez. I woke his ass up for you. We good out here?”

“Yeah,” Ripper said. “They took the whore away. No records of her ever existing.”

“Sorry we have to eat that debt.”

“Fuck it,” Ripper said. “We’ll make it up elsewhere.” He patted Jasper on the back. Then he pointed at Trev. “You, outlaw man, let’s have a little chat.”

Trev climbed off the cot Ripper had given him. He had to keep himself under complete composure now. Each step through the bar, Trev waited for a bullet to get him. He waited for someone to bash his head in with a pipe. Then he’d wake up, tied to a chair, and end up tortured by Ripper.

Instead of that, Ripper invited Trev to the table. He even had the balls to point to Giovanni’s chair and give it to Trev.

“Good to see that filled,” Ripper said.

“No, brother, I’m not patching in anywhere, ever again.”

Ripper laughed. “You don’t fit in, huh?”

“You don’t know what I’ve seen.”

“Try me, Trev.”

“Why don’t you start,” Trev said. “What’s going on up here? You guys look strong and in position to move forward. I’m sorry about Giovanni though.”

“Fuck him. He was weak.”

“He was a table member.”

“He threw a knife in my back.”

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I’m not. He got his.”

“The ambush. Any idea who it was?”

Ripper smiled. “I know exactly who it was. But we’re here to talk about you.”

“Right,” Trev said. “It’s simple. I didn’t realize the truth about Eden when I had her with me up here. I’m sorry for that, Ripper. That was a complete disrespect to you and your club. If I knew then… I would have given her to you. You could have cut her f*cking throat.”

“Screw that,” Ripper said. “You see her? I would have ripped that * to pieces. Then I’d go to her ass. Then I’d go to her mouth.”

Trev felt the fire raging inside his body. Nobody talked about Eden like that.

“You look pissed,” Ripper said.

“I am,” Trev said. “I know who she is now. And her mother is with her.”

Ripper leaned forward, eyes wide. “What?”

“She came to Miller for safety. Right into his goddamn arms, Ripper. He’s harboring both of them. That’s when I lost my shit.”

“What happened?”

“I sat at the table and told them no f*cking way in hell I was getting behind it. They could all eat shit and die. It was pretty clear… Eden needs to die. Christ, the same for Jenn. Right? I can’t believe you stuck it out with her, Ripper. You’re a better man than me.”