Wild Like the Wind (Chaos #5)(130)

“No need for you to be here anymore, Vira,” Joker pointed out.

“I like fights,” she returned, thought about it and then added, “In fact, I like man on man action on the whole.”

Jesus.

“The two minutes left of this fight, you’re gonna hafta miss,” Tack growled.

Elvira rolled her eyes, but unlike the other women, was wise enough to know when she wasn’t wanted. Therefore, she didn’t wait very long before she gracefully extended one leg down until her foot in its high heel hit the floor.

She came off the stool and sashayed her way to the door, saying, “I like fights but I’m no nursemaid, so just hope you didn’t piss all those bitches off with this caveman shit or you’re cleanin’ up your own blood.”

With that, the door closed behind her.

Tack turned to Hound and Dog in the circle.

Hound looked to Dog.

Dog looked to Hound.

Dog lifted up both shoulders and said, “I just don’t have it in me anymore, brother.”

Hound nodded.

He got that.

But in the next instant, he rushed Arlo, got him by the throat again and took him, Arlo’s feet skidding and sliding, his fingers wrapped around Hound’s forearm, toward the bar.

Big Petey, Shy and Snap jumped out of the way as Hound slammed Arlo’s back against the bar, lifting him by his throat off his feet, curling him over the bar and bending into him.

“Hound, brother,” Pete murmured calmingly.

“You tell Chew I slit that fuck’s throat?” Hound rumbled.

The room went static.

“Get off me, man,” Arlo wheezed, trying to find purchase with just his toes on the floor and shoving at Hound’s forearm.

Hound squeezed and got deeper in his face.

“You tell Chew I slit that fuck’s throat?” he repeated.

“Get … off,” he choked.

“Answer him,” Tack, now at Hound’s side, gritted.

“Get him off me,” Arlo gagged.

“Answer!” Tack barked.

“Yeah, fuck, yeah …” Removing one hand from Hound’s forearm, putting it under Hound’s chin, and with a mighty shove and twist of his body, he pulled from Hound’s hold and scuttled away five feet.

Hound felt all the brothers amass at his back, except Tack, who took one step in front of him, toward Arlo, and there he stopped.

“You told Chew that shit?” Tack asked, the question coming almost as a whisper, furious, shocked and with disbelief.

“He was a brother,” Arlo returned.

Dog, at Hound’s other side, stepped forward. “At that time, he was not.”

“I was tryin’ to win him back,” Arlo snapped. “He was a brother. Before that shit went down, turnin’ him, he was a good brother. Thought, he knew we took care of business, Chaos had what it took to do it right, erase that motherfucker from the planet, avenge Black the way it should be, he’d come back.”

“That was not your place, Arlo,” Tack pointed out.

“Never thought he wouldn’t …” Arlo shook his head. “I thought he’d come back. He was Chaos. He was one of us.”

“You renounce the Club, you don’t get another shot to come back in,” Pete said.

“Shit was different back then,” Arlo reminded them.

“You renounce the Club, it’s done,” Tack stated. “It was done. You put your brothers in danger, Arlo.”

“It’s hearsay,” Arlo retorted. “He can’t do shit with it.”

“You were there, you’re not only a fuckin’ witness, you’re a fuckin’ accomplice,” High growled.

“I’m not gonna say dick,” Arlo hissed.

“You already did,” High bit out.

“What else did you tell him?” Tack asked.

“Just that we took care of it,” Arlo answered.

“We took care of it or Hound took care of it?” Tack pushed.

“Both,” Arlo spat.

“Christ, brother,” Tack murmured. “You pushed for Hound to stand the gauntlet sittin’ on knowledge for fuckin’ years that meant that’s right where you should be to pay penance for doing some stupid …” his tone was degenerating, “fucking …” he was losing it, “shit!”

Then he lost it.

And Arlo was against the side wall with Tack’s forearm tight to his throat this time.

The men closed in.

“I was tryin’ to pull the Club back together,” Arlo rasped.

“You mighta tore us apart,” Tack returned. “He’s got the goddamned bones.”

“Chew won’t take it there,” Arlo pushed out.

“You better hope the fuck not, man,” Tack clipped. “You better hope the fuck not.”

He pushed off, took a step back and Hound watched as Tack stared at the floor and took in deep breaths.

Finally, he lifted his head and looked at his brothers.

“The gauntlet is done. The women are outside. Business is concluded for tonight.” He turned to Arlo. “We’ll deal with your shit later.”

Brick came forward, jabbing a finger Arlo’s way. “Hand tied behind your back for fuckin’ certain, brother.”